QTPlasmaC with fourth axis - rotary

I thought that Phill indicated that with the tube cutting spindle he will not activate any of those functions. That will mean that normal Gcode probing can be done. Or am I missing something?

If I can use PlasmaC's built in touch-off it can use the touch-off switch offset already configured in PlasmaC. I can do the probing directly in the post but then the switch offset needs to be entered into the post as well. It's not a big deal but it is simpler fro the user to only have one switch offset configured.

LesNewell wrote:

Is there any way to just call PlasmaC's touch-off routine without firing the torch?

Not without a lot of work. Not sure if it would help anyway as it is done using external offsets so it has no real relationship with the Z axis position.
I did try to set a Z zero touch off at the probed material surface but it doesn't play well with the offsets at all.

LesNewell wrote:

If I can use PlasmaC's built in touch-off it can use the touch-off switch offset already configured in PlasmaC. I can do the probing directly in the post but then the switch offset needs to be entered into the post as well. It's not a big deal but it is simpler fro the user to only have one switch offset configured.

Would it be possible to read the hal pin value for the switch offset, then the linuxcnc probe input could be tied to the plasmac probe input.

Does this look reasonable? It currently uses a switch offset that is hard coded in the post.

phillc54 wrote:

Would it be possible to read the hal pin value for the switch offset, then the linuxcnc probe input could be tied to the plasmac probe input.

That should work if it is possible to read a hal pin fron g-code, for example as a parameter.

Thanks, I will have a play with it tomorrow.
The HAL pin can be read with:  

In that case I should be able to do something like: Does that look reasonable? It's a while since I last played around with LinuxCNC gcode.

Yep, that should work.

For interest sake. Does one have to code the fourth axis in by hand or does the configuration of the gui allow for the fourth axis?

EDIT: I redid the config from scratch

mariusl wrote:

For interest sake. Does one have to code the fourth axis in by hand or does the configuration of the gui allow for the fourth axis?

TBH I have never tried with PNCconf although I assume that it should work.

I used PNCconf and it works just fine. We have a machine running with a config done on PNCconf.
I also did a config that I changed to include the A axis using PNCconf and that also seems fine. I have not tried it on a machine yet but everything is there.

The only hand coding I have to do is to duplicate one stepper config in the HAL file to make a slave axis for the X axis right hand motor.