How do you switch offsets?

It's amazing the confusion a simple misunderstanding can cause, LOL. I re-read the section on work offsets dozens of times trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. I was using menu/Machine/Zero Coordinate System G55 thinking I was switching TO G55 offsets.

That doesn't work very well. (Future readers, that menu command is telling it to Zero that coordinate system, NOT to switch to it.)

But, it begs the question.... how do you switch your view to a different coordinate system, and how do you tell which one you are currently in? It seems pretty vital, like it should be a straight button or menu item and have a spot on the HUD. (And it may well be, and I just haven't found it yet.)

I suspect I can do so in MDI, but it seems... kludgy.

BigJohnT wrote:

In Axis the current coordinate system is displayed on the MDI tab and the DRO tab. To change coordinate systems you use G code.

www.linuxcnc.org/docs/2.7/html/gcode/g-c...ct_coordinate_system

JT

To better clarify; to switch coordinate systems, use MDI mode and input the command G55 [enter] to switch to the G55 coordinates.

I knew you could do it with Gcode, but then you are stuck with it and it wouldn't show up until it got to that command line in the Gcode, right? (Or does it load when it does the live plot.... hmmm, I'll have to play with it.)

If it's not specified in Gcode, can you select (As above, via MDI) and have it "Stick"? That way I could decide whether Vise1 (G54), Vise2 (G56) or the Chuck (G55) was the best work mounting option and have the offset change to suit, without having to modify a file? Granted it's not a terribly difficult thing to hand enter.

Thanks all for the help..... I think learning to use a CNC machine has been at least as much of a learning curve as using Linux and getting the thing configured, LOL.

G54-G59.3 are modal commands and remain in place until replaced by a new G54-G59.3 command.

If you wanted a single push button you can easily create a pyvcp pannel with buttons that issue the appropriate g-code commands via Halui.