Tool in spindle memory

andypugh wrote: Adding it manually to the .var file seems like a reasonable way to enable the behaviour.

What is then needed is for iocontrol (or similar) to load the tool if it finds it non-zero in the .var file.

I think that Chris was looking at this?

I am - I wrote an email to the dev list about an initialization problem of i0control.
I'm not sue there are many active devs left in linuxcnc though...
Once a correct fix for that is decided then using to initizle a tool should be fairly easy.
Again my though is to use a HAL pin so it can be connected to a hardware or software solution but I am open to arguments.

I am now out of town working so probably can't get back to it much for a couple weeks.
Ultimately I think i might try to write a python replacement for iocotrol - there is no good reason for it to be in C.
but that is another goal all together.

Chris M

Edited a bit, now works for me

cmorley wrote: I'm not sue there are many active devs left in linuxcnc though...

I think Chris is concentrating on watchmaking, and Jeff said a while ago that he was moving away (given that AFAIK Jeff never owned a CNC machine, this isn't really unreasonable)

There active devs, but you are one of them

Hello!

Is there any update on this issue? I am now in situation where it would be very convenient, if LinuxCNC would save and restore the tool number in spindle.

While it might be nice, is this really a deal breaker? I run Fanuc controlled machines that cost nearly $300,000 new that still require "homing" the tool changer with every start up, which entails manually removing any tool from the spindle and replacing it into the tool carousel. I am sure that control could be capable of remembering the tool in the spindle, but the manufacturer thought it was safest (or more likely not worth the cost) to start with a fresh tool # count with every time the machine is power cycled. Is it really that hard to manually put a tool away on your machine when you start it up, or remember to command the machine to put the tool away before powering it down. A lot can go horribly wrong if the machine makes an incorrect assumption about what tool might be in the spindle or where it belongs. Is the cost of a little convenience worth the potential risk of possible damage?

We have another machine (not a Fanuc) that does remember tool positions. It is nice when it works, but the manufacturer didn't build a simple routine for resetting the changer and tool # in spindle in the event that something does go wrong. Then it becomes a pain, looking up a number of M-codes use for setting parameter numbers and little used procedure sequences to reset it.

What's the state of this? I'm running a 2.9 dev version (I plan to upgrade soon), and I'm trying to polish up my tool changing and setting UI. It would be great if LinuxCNC remembered the tool that was last in the spindle.