Machine Log

We've spent a lot of time looking at error messages for QtPlasmaC trying to refine them, translate them, etc.

One that always shows up in the machine log at startup is "Tue31 21:31 Tool 0: No Tool". It does not throw the error pop-up, but in QtPlasmaC all errors/warnings are visible in the Statistics tab under the Machine Log section, and also make it to the machine log files.

As this particular error/warning has no meaning in QtPlasmaC, I am wondering what the easiest way to suppress it might be, as where exactly it comes from?

Thanks for the help!
-Greg

I am probably talking out of my hat but it seems to me that there is a conflict between self.stat.tool_table and self.get_current_tool() when looking at hal_glib.py. From what I gather self.stat.tool_table[0][0] should be the current tool. On loading LinxCNC self.stat.tool_table[0][0] stays at -1 but self.get_current_tool() returns 0. If I do a MDI T0 M6 then self.stat.tool_table[0][0] shows 0 as does self.get_current_tool().

I used this code after L373 which is:  self.old  = self.stat.tool_table[0] to show the above. 

So, is it as easy as adding an:
In the correct place during the initialization process?

I haven't spent much time on it this morning as work beckons so I apologize if that feels kind of work-around and not really a solution.

MDI commands wont work before out of estop.  Duh.

According to this doc linuxcnc.org/docs/html/gcode/other-code.html under Section 3, it says:

When LinuxCNC is configured for a nonrandom toolchanger (see the entry for RANDOM_TOOLCHANGER in the EMCIO Section), T0 gets special handling: no tool will be selected. This is useful if you want the spindle to be empty after a tool change.

And goes on to say:

When LinuxCNC is configured for a random toolchanger (see the entry for RANDOM_TOOLCHANGER in the EMCIO Section), T0 does not get any special treatment: T0 is a valid tool like any other. It is customary to use T0 on a random toolchanger machine to track an empty pocket, so that it behaves like a nonrandom toolchanger machine and unloads the spindle.

So, for fun, I added "RANDOM_TOOLCHANGER = 1" under the [EMCIO] section. When I started QtPlasmaC the first time with Phill's suggested code in hal_glib.py, both the stat.tool_table and current_tool were -1.

So, I did an M6 T0 and restarted. Now every time I start it says "Tool 0: torch", and both values from above are 0 in the terminal.

Similarly, if I do a M6 T1, every time I start it says "Tool 1: scribe"

While I think this feels like a step in the right direction, I am not sure this is the solution. I don't think we want QtPlasmaC to default to the last used tool used on startup. I think we want it to default to the first tool in the tool table (T0 in our case).

I think the best solution is to figure out a way to make it so that QtPlasmaC (LCNC in this case) does not assume an empty spindle on startup. It needs to default to 0 instead of -1 I think. So M6 T0, but at startup lol. Basically what Phill's saying.

Following the yellow brick road shows that the log is updated for tools at line 485 of screen_options.py. If I make that dependent on the machine power status then it doesn't log the initial tool state. It is probably only a kludge though.
 
 

I see now why I couldn’t find “No Tool” in any message on the linuxcnc repository

I guess I’m confused as to why if QtPlasmaC defaults to tool 0, it doesn’t report tool 0 as the torch? Why does it default to tool -1?  Or better how can we get it to default to tool 0 instead of -1 instead?

I’m guessing it just is how linuxcnc works, but I think I’m also missing where the tool gets set to 0 then…

QtPlasmac doesn't set or read the tools, that is done in LCNC.
Tool 0 is the reported tool if you check STATUS.get_current_tool(). There is a difference with that and what linuxcnc.stat() reports as shown in this previous post:
forum.linuxcnc.org/qtvcp/43487-machine-log#219311

I follow the difference I guess I was confused on what came first the chicken or the egg  Perhaps a better wording then is why the difference and how do we rectify it?  Other than the random tool changer option ¯\_(ツ)_/¯