Gscreen - a GTK / Glade / Python based screen

cmorley wrote: Hey John thanks for the feedback. I like the fact you tried it without reading the (sparse) docs.
I have worked on it so long its all too familiar to me to be objective.

I know how that is you know something by heart you can't see the forest for the trees or something like that.

cmorley wrote:
The spindle - I am not happy with the controls on this either. right now this is how it works in manual mode
select jogging
select spindle
select a direction and the spindle will start ( by the way the starting RPM is now configurable I just haven't exposed that yet)
pressing the same direction should stop the spindle and also the red stop button will stop the spindle
using the + and - button increases decrease the RPM
using the 'set rpm' button will set the spindle at the value of the entry box

I have three ideas about this:
1 have the fwd and rev buttons not start the spindle only to select direction the +- or set rpm button would start the spindle
2 have the fwd and rev buttons only as indicators and use the +- and set rpm button as a bidirectional (eg -100 give you ccw direction)
3 I guess I could add some buttons like start Fwd and start Rev

to load gcode you must be in auto mode press the mode button (botton right) twice.
then click the file folder icon bottom left

Chris M

If you could preset the spindle speed you want and just press fwd or rev that seems a simple way to go. So if you press the spindle button the number pad pops up to allow you to set rpm. In manual just pressing fwd or rev or off could control the spindle.

John

cncbasher wrote: yes Chris i'd agree keeping the dro's easy to read , overall I think the look and control is good , and perhaps people are expecting the same operating sequences as Axis .
rather than look at it in a totally different light , perhaps we could look at using the message area ticker at the top to show any major startup or missed sequences such as homing ,

i'm not worried over icons , visualy I feel it looks about right , and not swamped with information you don't need .

getting the intuitive feel right is the difficult part

I must say that my thoughts are biased by using Axis all these years... but I try and not let that happen.

John

Yes I see what your saying - you can almost do this now.
I will change the fwd/rev button to just select the direction not start the spindle.
Then you can start the spindle by either pressing the set rpm button or pressing the +- keys
The set rpm button sets the rpm at the number in the entrybox. (if you double click the entry box the calculator pops out by the way)

I'll try that then see what people think. If needed I will move the fwd/rev buttons to the vertical button box

Thanks
Chris M

That would be confusing to me to have the set rpm start the spindle... I would assume that the fwd and rev buttons would start the spindle.

John

yes I could see what your saying
so I need to add some buttons fwd and rev and set rpm could pre-select the spindle speed if the spindle in not running or set the spindle speed if it is running... better idea?

Yea, the rpm button is the only one you need to add to the spindle area. You might consider having the button label also show the current setting for S... then at a quick glance just before you press the Fwd or Rev button you can verify the speed the spindle will run at. For VFD driven spindles you don't want to run them too slow for long and that is one of the features I dislike about Axis.

RPM
1000

Now I'm going to have to get a touch screen for the CHNC!

John