Homemade, cheap, plasma CNC

You need to have laser offsets in your ini file for the pin to exist 

The pin should exist even if laser offsets are not specified.

from your ini file that means it goes in
custom_postgui.hal
 

Sorry for the stress this is causing gents.

Just to clarify.
I'm trying to run a button to turn on/off my laser pointer that rides on the Z axis. I would like to do this from one of the 20 custom buttons that can be set in my .ini file. I have called this 'LASER' and it links to 'toggle-halpin laser-switch'.

Right now i have in my .hal file

# ---PLASMA OUTPUTS---
# ---all modes---

#net plasmac:laser-switch <= qtplasmac.laser_on

# external output signals

# --- LASER ---
net plasmac:laser-switch => hm2_7i96.0.ssr.00.out-01



If i activate the '#net plasmac:laser-switch <= qtplasmac.laser_on' line i get and error saying "qtplasmac.laser_on does not exist".

If i # it out and put the same line in my custom_postgui.hal file i get the following error. "qtplasmac.laser_on was already linked"

Sorry to cause such headaches for what will undoubtedly be a simple line that i can't get right.

If you want to do it from a custom user button then you can't use qtplasmac.laser_on because that pin is used by the laser function in QtPlasmaC, you would need to toggle the hm2_7i96.0.ssr.00.out-01 pin in the button code line in the ini file and also comment out the:
net plasmac:laser-switch => hm2_7i96.0.ssr.00.out-01
line in the hal file.

Why don't you want to use the built in laser function?

Expected use is to use the laser button  at bottom right. I would try that first.

Then follow Phil's instructions if you want to use a button

Hey Phil,

No doubt in the future I will. For now I'm still getting my head around the basic running of things.

I still need to setup all the tools from sheetcam (i don't know if i can just import them, currently just creating each tool as i go), and then I'll need to change the PP in sheetcam so as not to add tool details, and then I'll try and workout how to do spotting.

I have read about all these things but I'm not at the same level as the rest of you, in fact i may very well still be in the basement trying to find the light.

Thank you for all the help. I'll continue to read.

That is super easy thanks to Phil. From Sheetcam, save your toolset (in windows or linuxcnc), get it on your lcnc machine and type [/code]
and follow your nose.
Ref: linuxcnc.org/docs/devel/html/plasma/qtpl...#_material_converter

There is a plasmac postprocessor on the windows version so use that. Move it to your linux machine too.

You may need to edit it to change a setting. If I get a chance, I'll email you the latest during the week.

AND don't worry about your skill set. We all knew nothing about Linuxcnc once! 

rodw wrote:

AND don't worry about your skill set. We all knew nothing about Linuxcnc once! 

+1

rodw wrote:

[code] week.

AND don't worry about your skill set. We all knew nothing about Linuxcnc once! 

[/code]

That's not true. It is rumored that Tommy was born with the linuxcnc gene's.