Tool setting frustration

The problem with the manual tool change, from what I understand is that the machine pauses and waits for a physical tool change. That's not acceptable when the tools are in a gang configuration on an XZ slide and they all move to position according to their offset. All that's necessary is to call the tool number up then send it to it's position when it's configured correctly. In a gang tool configuration the tools don't actually change. Just the offsets change

That being said, I really don't know if that's the configuration that I have to use. But it seems counter intuitive for a manual pause to take place in order to change a tool that need only be sent to position by giving XZ coordinates.

I hope this makes sense. But you're really helping. Thank you.

Scot

Hi Scot,

don't know, whether I got you right.
When you take a look at axis_manualtoolchange.hal you see the first line:That's a piece of software, that watches the hal-pin and pops up the message dialog on request.
When you then confirm the toolchange, it sends the confirmation to linuxcnc.

I guess you actually don't have a replacement for that software. So you can either use that existing hal_manualtoolchange and confirm the toolchange manually, or write something similar, that sends the confirmation when the toolchange has happened.

Hope this helps.

Reinhard

That line is in my axis_manualtoolchange.hal file in my hallib file in my config file.

I'm not sure about how LinuxCNC loads the code. So I'm not sure if that axis_manualtoochange.hal file is supposed to be in the .ini file or the machine configuration file where the .ini file is or left in the hallib file to be accessed by linuxCNC for when I call up the manual tool change in the code.

The problem is actually bigger, too.

The problem is that when I load the tool change line: Tx M6 G43 in the MDI, LinuxCNC locks up.

What that line does when it's input into the MDI bar on the MDI tab, is it's supposed to enable the "Tool Touch Off" button so I can input the tool offset according to it's position to the workpiece. What it does when I put that line into the MDI bar, is lock up and it doesn't enable the "Touch Tool Off" Button when it should.

If it enables that button, I can physically move the slide to the position, then input what the coordinates are in the real world, creating the real world position of the tool according to the workpiece and the G54 offset it's being set in conjunction with.

I hope it makes sense. But that's how I set a tool with a gang tool lathe. Granted I learned on a different controller but the concept is the same. And in my configuration in LinuxCNC is a problem getting to the point where I can move the tool into position to touch it to the work and input the coordinates according to the real world.

I could go into a dissertation about the simplicity of the programming, but put it this way, I programmed over 200 parts in less than a megabyte using this process. The code is so simple it's funny.

The real hangup is that my configuration is supposed to allow me to set a tool when I input the tool change command into the MDI line. It simply won't do that.

"Edit: You don't need a hallib file, the hallib directory is for halfiles (*.hal and *.tcl) that are available
using the LinuxCNC halfile search path or by an explicit directive."

Well it's there. So I can remove it if it won't cause any problems. And if it's misplaced, where should I put it to place it correctly?

Do you think that's why when I input the tool change command Tx M6 G43 into the MDI tab that LinuxCNC is hanging up and freezing, then not enabling the "Tool Touch Off" button?

Thanks,

Scot

Below is my config file. The hallib file is noted at the top left. If you say it's not supposed to be there, I have no idea why. Because that's what happens when I make ANY configuration, through the way they're made. The file shows up on ALL my configurations.

The problem isn't so much that the tool change isn't happening or that the code is giving me issues.

The problem is that my entire machine configuration locks up when I try and set the tool offsets through the "Tool Touch Off" Button.

When I input Tx M6 G43, into the MDI bar on the MDI tab, the machine is SUPPOSED to enable the "Touch Tool Off" Button so I can input the coordinates for the tool.

When I put that tool change line into the bar LinuxCNC LOCKS UP and does NOT enable that button or put up the Tool Offset dialog box.

My problem is that the configuration is not doing what it's supposed to do that would allow me to alter the tool offset according to the real world.

I hope this makes sense because I've typed out this same explanation about 8 times.

Thanks in advance. I hope someone can help me with this because I'm sitting idle with this machine about 98% done but I cannot set the tools. No tool offsets, no parts without excessive programming and a pain in the ass to find each tool's zero.

Scot