Is this QTPlasmac Expected behaviour - Cycle Start and Jog disabled.

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28 May 2021 09:29 - 28 May 2021 09:30 #210504 by rodw
Well, I finally got QTPlasmac up and running. I won't say it was an easy upgrade becasue I could not install some dependencies for my RIP master branch so had to start from scratch on a new machine!

But this seems odd to me. Is it expected behaviour?

At the end of a cycle, Cycle start AND the jog buttons are disabled until you cycle the power button. That seems really odd behaviour. I often cancel a job and restart it with the torch disabled. Also disabling jog buttons seems strange. Whats wrong with jogging to a new position, zeroing X & Y and going again?

The docs on estop modes are very poor. I have a complicated estop setup with several levels of estop-latch. I had to use the button mode. I don't quite understand why. The end result, I still link the latch chain to the same system pins. Also, and I need to check this, i think it was possible to turn the on screen power button on when an external estop had not been reset.

The other thing I was a bit disappointed with was the small size of some buttons. I'm getting ready to configure QTPlasmac for someone with very poor eyesight after an industrial accident. The top and bottom rows really don't need to be so thin. This is on a 21" screen for a change. He'll be visiting me soon, and I was hoping the strong colours of QTplasmac would have been good for him but now I'm not so sure.
Last edit: 28 May 2021 09:30 by rodw.

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28 May 2021 09:52 #210507 by phillc54

Well, I finally got QTPlasmac up and running. I won't say it was an easy upgrade becasue I could not install some dependencies for my RIP master branch so had to start from scratch on a new machine!

But this seems odd to me. Is it expected behaviour?

The above or below?


At the end of a cycle, Cycle start AND the jog buttons are disabled until you cycle the power button. That seems really odd behaviour. I often cancel a job and restart it with the torch disabled. Also disabling jog buttons seems strange. Whats wrong with jogging to a new position, zeroing X & Y and going again?

I don't see that behaviour here.


The docs on estop modes are very poor.

I am sorry it is not up to your high standards

have a complicated estop setup with several levels of estop-latch. I had to use the button mode. I don't quite understand why. The end result, I still link the latch chain to the same system pins. Also, and I need to check this, i think it was possible to turn the on screen power button on when an external estop had not been reset.

I have no issues with my external estop.


The other thing I was a bit disappointed with was the small size of some buttons. I'm getting ready to configure QTPlasmac for someone with very poor eyesight after an industrial accident. The top and bottom rows really don't need to be so thin. This is on a 21" screen for a change. He'll be visiting me soon, and I was hoping the strong colours of QTplasmac would have been good for him but now I'm not so sure.

You may be able to change them using stylesheets.

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28 May 2021 10:18 #210514 by rodw

At the end of a cycle, Cycle start AND the jog buttons are disabled until you cycle the power button. That seems really odd behaviour. I often cancel a job and restart it with the torch disabled. Also disabling jog buttons seems strange. Whats wrong with jogging to a new position, zeroing X & Y and going again?

I don't see that behaviour here.


I can't see that there are things in a config that would influence that so its strange. Any idea where to look?

The docs on estop modes are very poor.

I am sorry it is not up to your high standards


I don't think I have high standards. Sorry with the choice of words. I've never had problems moving my estop to a config before and it took quite a while to sort it and I'm still not sure its compliant

Anyway, I might check you did not make some changes after I installed LCNC and upgrade tomorrow.

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28 May 2021 11:37 #210515 by snowgoer540
The cycle start and jog stuff was cleared up awhile back.

I’d start by asking what version of QtPlasmac you are on?

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28 May 2021 12:05 #210517 by rodw

The cycle start and jog stuff was cleared up awhile back.

I’d start by asking what version of QtPlasmac you are on?


Installed from the debs today. There may have been an update today was there?

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28 May 2021 12:13 - 28 May 2021 12:14 #210518 by snowgoer540

The top and bottom rows really don't need to be so thin.


The font sizes can be changed using custom style sheets.

Here's the section in the docs on how to do that:
linuxcnc.org/docs/devel/html/plasma/qtpl...mizing_qtplasmac_gui

Note that it would be unrealistic to list the name of everything that can possibly be changed and exactly how to do it in the docs. It does take some poking around (usually in qtplasmac.qss, but also in the .ui files sometimes with designer) on the user's part.

I prefer method 13.1. Using that as an example and inserting the following code into "qtplasmac_custom.qss" (which you need to create in your <machine_name> folder will make the font bigger everywhere, but you quickly exceed button sizes.

If you are just worried about the headers, you can get them as big as 15pt (in my 2 seconds of testing), but I believe you would need to add their exact calls from the .ui files to the style sheet as to not affect the button text size.
/****** DEFAULT ************/
* {
    font: 12pt Lato }

/****** MATERIAL SELECTOR COMBO BOX ************/
#material_selector {
    font: 12pt 'Lato' }
Last edit: 28 May 2021 12:14 by snowgoer540.
The following user(s) said Thank You: rodw

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28 May 2021 15:09 #210536 by tommylight
Did not have that behaviour yet, but i did have one where e-stop was red and the machine was homing as usual.
Had to do F1 again for it to go yellow.

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28 May 2021 19:09 #210552 by snowgoer540

Did not have that behaviour yet, but i did have one where e-stop was red and the machine was homing as usual.
Had to do F1 again for it to go yellow.


The easiest solution to that is to not have a GUI estop. Hardware estops make the most sense to me.

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28 May 2021 20:30 #210558 by tommylight
That is not a big deal at all, the big deal is an issue dragged from PlasmaC that occurs only occasionally and at random and figuring it out will not be easy, so since we are here :
-Normal cutting 3mm plate,
-everything works,
-after several successful cuts there happens to be one cut that will start OK and proceed with the THC active (LED) but Z axis DRO will remain at 3mm (cut height)
-- the Z axis is moving down but the DRO remains at 3mm
-- the THC voltage keeps dropping down and that is OK considering the above,
-- the down LED will be active and pushing the torch down dragging through material till the float switch triggers and the cutting stops,
-Resuming cutting works perfectly with THC active and working properly
This happens at random, today after 9 successful cuts and sometimes it does not happen for days, same thing was happening on PlasmaC with Axis GUI on two machines, and again this is on two machines, one of them is not the same, so total 3 machines and over 4 months period.
Short of setting up a rig to test this, i was not able to find anything else, so the only thing to go by is the Z axis moving down but showing 3mm on the DRO.
Phill is going to boil me ... :)

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28 May 2021 21:30 - 28 May 2021 21:30 #210565 by rodw

Did not have that behaviour yet, but i did have one where e-stop was red and the machine was homing as usual.
Had to do F1 again for it to go yellow.


The easiest solution to that is to not have a GUI estop. Hardware estops make the most sense to me.


If I could have worked out how, I would have. I'll have another look.
I have not even tried to cut something yet. I cut 3 sheets before I changed it over just in case!
Last edit: 28 May 2021 21:30 by rodw.

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