Is this QTPlasmac Expected behaviour - Cycle Start and Jog disabled.
From what a vaguely recall, i did some test and had no success of pinpointing it.
This sort of issues are lingering on from PlasmaC where it would run several cuts then stop at random and do nothing, requiring stopping the machine and using "run from here" to continue.
PhillC did find the issue but apparently not the exact source of the issue, the Z axis would not retract to set height and remain waiting, did fix it to a certain extent where it was very usable and happening rarely.
QtPlasmaC has another similar issue, where running a program would start, got to pierce coordinates and wait there indefinitely despite Z axis being at the correct height. This happened in PlasmaC about once or twice in a full days work, on QtPlasmaC happens way more often, sometimes 3 to 5 times per sheet.
I have not experienced this behavior on a physical machine, however I can reproduce similar in my QtPlasmaC Simulation environment. In my case, it happens when eoffset movement would exceed the available range of travel (usually in Z). I have to deliberately force what I consider to be unrealistic values (but may not be for every table/setup) to trigger it. If you encounter this again, please check the following HAL pin and report back:
motion.eoffset-limitedIf this pin is TRUE, that may explain what is going on. My recent changes to automatically adjust probe height based on material thickness made this more visible. I plan to add some bounds checking in the component with regard to eoffsets, and likely will also monitor the aforementioned pin a general catch-all fault condition.
All this is way past being important, i did voice my concerns during the development about not implementing useless features into it and PhillC ignored most of it to the point that i recused myself from participating anymore, it was disheartening to see:
-PhillC sabotaging his work by implementing useless features, always, always requested by users with a single plasma machine and mostly no or little experience
-my complaints being ignored, while i had over 15 machines in daily use
With regard to your broader concerns, I am not certain which specific changes you are referring to, but many valuable contributions have come from users with only one single table. It is relatively uncommon for contributors to be building machines commercially, and practical feedback from small shops has historically been an important part of Qt/PlasmaC’s evolution.
-my input about the functionality being ignored completely, like : float switch MUST react and stop the machine even during jogging, this has ruined many torches and would have ruined much more if they did not have magnetic holders.
This functionality is in the PlasmaC component. The float switch (along with breakaway and ohmic) inhibits jogging when the machine is Idle.
github.com/LinuxCNC/linuxcnc/blob/2078bd...ts/plasmac.comp#L908
Excerpt (sensor_active is the result of if(breakaway || float_switch || ohmic_detected)):
/* set jog inhibit if required */
if(sensor_active && program_is_idle && !(override_jog || state == PROBE_DOWN || state == PROBE_UP)){
jog_inhibit = TRUE;
}else{
jog_inhibit = FALSE;
}Appears to be in both 2.9 and 2.10.
-UP/DOWN/ARC_ON LED's on the main screen MUST be usable even while not cutting to check standalone THC's like Proma
I've never seen this request but it would be straightforward to implement. I'll add it to my list of upcoming changes. Initial thoughts for criteria would be Machine On and Idle (not available when the GUI is off, or if the machine is paused).
-seeing all the effort made by PhillC and later you going to waste as PlasmaC and QtPlasmaC got so bloated and so unreliable that i had to stop using QtPlasmaC completely, and actually thinking of slowly moving the remaining PlasmaC machines to my old hal THC stuff, that never fails, ever. Yes, PlasmaC is usable and mostly reliable
-etc etc
-
I disagree with the characterization of PlasmaC/QtPlasmaC as bloated or unreliable. There are multiple real-world installations running successfully, including commercial operations.
Sorry Snowwy and Phill, but i have discussed this before with both of you, even on the phone, so to recap, this is not fixable, must be started over.
I was not trying to pick a fight.
I was not privy to you and Phill's telephone call(s), but in fairness to both Phill and myself, we've both asked you to post a backup of your configuration to try to help pinpoint the root cause, several times. If I recall correctly (not always reliable
), I even emailed you on the side asking for it in case you weren't posting in fear of leaking any sort of Intellectual Property.As a developer it's not that I don't believe you're having an issue, it's that it is insanely difficult to pinpoint a cause and try to fix it when we are unable to duplicate it. This thread, and the changes made to the component are proof that your concerns were not just brushed off.
There are times like the recent PlasmaC issue I closed out where it was, in fact, the user's configuration that was causing the issues...
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-i have PlasmaC in daily use in over 10 machines, users got used to occasional stops and are OK with it, luckily rareley happens, i think it is 2.8.4 version.
-i have probably over 20 machines using the old hal THC i cobbled together, in daily use, never fails
-i had 2 machines plus mine using QtPlasmaC, had to switch back to PlasmaC. This was a year or two back, so i will give this another try when i get a chance.
-you and Phill are doing a magnificent job of supporting and fixing this, instantly, utmost respect
-PlasmaC has 4 or 5 ways of disabling the THC, most are useless, except VAD, and void lock sometimes. Right now i can not think of any other valid use case. BTW default should be at 60-70%, not at 95%.
-what should i monitor for the issue where the torch keeps going down till float switch triggers during cut, happens often and ruins the nozzle. More often in QtPlasmaC but that might be just luck
-what should i monitor for the issue where the machine moves to a cut position and just stays there? This happens sometimes even when doing a manual cut where pressing F9 shows the machine running on screen but nothing moves. DRO does not change, machine state does. Again this happens a lot on QtPlasmaC, do not recall this happening on PlasmaC so might be a QT thing. I think these are two issues, one during cutting where the Z axis does not retract properly during normal cutting, and the other stated above where nothing happens.
-i think i have an old config for QtPlasmaC on a laptop for my machine, i can upload that if you think it might help.
-i absolutely have no issues with intelectual property, i do and will post everything i do personally, as can be seen from many posts here, i am strictly Open Source everything, and i did reject any job requiring me to sign an NDA
Ooops, not very short
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Tommy, the last commit to the PlasmaC component for 2.8 (that was not just a version rev) was December 15, 2020. I'm not sure why you expect anything from that branch that may be a bug to get fixed. I can tell you for sure that I have 0 interest in squishing bugs in 2.8.I have no power for the last 3 days so using the phone makes it dificult to quote stuff with this editor, but in short:
-i have PlasmaC in daily use in over 10 machines, users got used to occasional stops and are OK with it, luckily rareley happens, i think it is 2.8.4 version.
Certainly many improvements have been made to PlasmaC in 2.9. That said, even from a Qt/PlasmaC perspective, we haven't pushed any changes to 2.9 since ~August 21, 2024. But it's worth noting that component hasn't seen a ton of changes in 2.10.
From the 2.10 component code:-PlasmaC has 4 or 5 ways of disabling the THC, most are useless, except VAD, and void lock sometimes. Right now i can not think of any other valid use case.
Main GUI disable
Disable(and enable) via G-Code
Velocity Anti Dive (sometimes called Corner Lock)
Void Lock
Mesh Mode/Ignore Arc OK
Personally don't see any of those as useless, but you also aren't required to use any of it.
I will tell you that I am the reason for Mesh Mode/Ignore Arc OK, because it would be impossible to cut expanded metal otherwise, something my Hypertherm is very capable of, and I do use this feature from time to time.
For QtPlasmaC, Cornerlock/VAD is defaulted to 90%. It's on the PARAMETERS tab as "VAD Threshold", luckily you change it once, click "SAVE" and it stays as your new defaultBTW default should be at 60-70%, not at 95%.
. It's literally impossible to make a default that works for everyone. If I change it to 65%, there will be other users telling me it should be 90%. That's why it's tunable.If you are talking 2.9 or 2.10, then I would say without knowing what is causing it, I would just be guessing. But, I would want to know, is the voltage staying constant, and the plasmac component is commanding the THC down anyways? Is my voltage erratic? Etc.-what should i monitor for the issue where the torch keeps going down till float switch triggers during cut
As a start, I'd plot plasmac.arc-voltage-in with plasmac.move-down, plasmac.move-up, and plasmac.current-velocity. If you're telling the component what voltage you want it to shoot for, then I'd add plasmac.cut-volts. If you're using auto-volts then I'd want plasmac.target-volts.
Phill added plasmac.low-cut-volts as an attempt to prevent this. You could try setting that to prevent it form diving into the material.happens often and ruins the nozzle. More often in QtPlasmaC but that might be just luck
Again, I'd want to know if motion.eoffset-limited goes true when this occurs. I am also curious what state it's stuck in, so I would want you to turn on plasmac.debug-print before starting any cutting, etc. and copy and paste the terminal output from when it hung up.-what should i monitor for the issue where the machine moves to a cut position and just stays there? This happens sometimes even when doing a manual cut where pressing F9 shows the machine running on screen but nothing moves. DRO does not change, machine state does. Again this happens a lot on QtPlasmaC, do not recall this happening on PlasmaC so might be a QT thing.
If you have it, I'd look at it. Sure.-i think i have an old config for QtPlasmaC on a laptop for my machine, i can upload that if you think it might help.
-i absolutely have no issues with intelectual property, i do and will post everything i do personally, as can be seen from many posts here, i am strictly Open Source everything, and i did reject any job requiring me to sign an NDA
Ooops, not very short
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-it is -2 degree C in the shop with the plasma machines and -10 outside
-i am in negotiations with local government and KFOR on sever projects, from CNC to drones, takes a lot of time for very, very little results
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Edit:
Maybe to late but still, when i use the phrase "unreliable" i mean compared to Axis GUI as that is my reliability reference point as it just works, perfectly, for years. Compared to most other machine controls i have used, PlasmaC is very, very reliable, and another reason why i use the 2.8.n version on production machines, it is 99.8% reliable, i am just a stickler for those 0.2%. Same goes for QtPlasmaC with about 99% last i tested several years back, but (and this is a big butt
) when doing 286 cuts on a single plate it gets annoying fast.Also, no, i really do not expect support or updates to 2.8, i mention it as it some of this was there too.
And most importantly, sorry for not helping, i rarely get to use my machines lately, reasons above.
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