[vpl]

In short I have had BCv24 up and running for a couple years. I have been using "Mach3-Mill-NoATC_Rev2.MillPst" as a post processor. My hard drive crashed and needed to be replaced. So with a fresh hard drive and copy of windows 7 I installed BCv24 and was able to activate it. I downloaded the same post processor and installed it. When I go to open the .tap file in Mach3 it hangs up and won't finish the path. So I have tried all the other posts for Mach3 with no luck. It seems I must have skipped a step setting thing up. I can run old posts without any problems. If I open an older .bbcd file and post process it it hangs up. If I run any old post it runs fine. Any ideas?
Thanks for any help.

[vpl]

Here is a post header generated earlier that works on my machine...can you identify it?



(BEGIN PREDATOR NC HEADER)
(MCH_FILE=4AXVMILL.MCH)
(MTOOL T1 S2 D.5 H5. A0. C.25 DIAM_OFFSET 1 = .25)
(SBOX X0. Y0. Z-1. L34. W9.4998 H1.)
(END PREDATOR NC HEADER)

%
O100
(PROGRAM NUMBER)
(PROGRAM NAME - CHRISTIAN DONE TOP123.TAP)
(POST - MACH 3 MILL NO ATC)
(DATE - FRI. 04/19/2013)
(TIME - 01:24PM)

N01 G20 G40 G49 G54 G80 G90 G91.1
;N02 G53 Z0.

[mmoe]

Open the post processor in Notepad, then look for "start_add_block_delete" and "stop_add_block_delete" in the sections #2, #3 and #5 (start of program, toolchange, and end of file). Delete any of those commands you find in these sections. That will probably be a good start and the program will run, but might need more tweaking to match your machine better. Mach will stop running when it hits the ";" generated in front of the N number by the "start_block_delete" command.

[vpl]

Wow!? I called bobcad to find out why the same post processor isn't working with a fresh install. They simply won't help unless or even look at it unless I BUY a support package. Thinking about buying Bobcad....I wouldn't. They say I likely need a modified post and that costs money. I didn't need a modified post processor on my last install why do I need one now? Its the same post processor and same version of BCv24. Watch out for these people, rude sales people, marginal product, little to no support!

[mmoe]

Wow!? I called bobcad to find out why the same post processor isn't working with a fresh install. They simply won't help unless or even look at it unless I BUY a support package. Thinking about buying Bobcad....I wouldn't. They say I likely need a modified post and that costs money. I didn't need a modified post processor on my last install why do I need one now? Its the same post processor and same version of BCv24. Watch out for these people, rude sales people, marginal product, little to no support!

Did you make those changes and did it solve your problem? Let us know if there are any additional problems and I'm sure the forum members can help figure them out. IMHO, forum support is probably one of the biggest features of Bobcad compared to other products, and fortunately it is free. I do think that Bobcad should include a working Mach 3 post processor, especially since it is easy to verify if it works or not with Mach 3 being free to download. It is used by a significant percentage of Bobcad users these days. On the other hand, there is plenty of documentation (instructions) on how to work with the post processor and modify it, including a complete documentation on the available language and parameters. Very few products in this price range have that degree of post processing capability, and even fewer have that degree of post processor language documentation. I'll submit a feature request/bug report about the Mach 3 post processor, and I expect they'll probably respond by changing the library (I've meant to do this for a long time, but hasn't been an issue for me personally; low on the list).

As far as their support, you aren't making a fair comparison to other products. Perhaps you can name which software products do supply free support on their software for an indefinite period of time? You're calling them about a product that it 2 releases old. If you were to buy a product today, they would provide a post processor for free and they would provide support for whatever time is specified in the purchase agreement (I haven't needed it in years, so I can't remember what exactly it comes with). If I call Adobe about Photoshop CS2 (not a current product) and want support for it, they won't provide it either unless I pay for it. Here is the quote from Adobe, who I think everyone would agree is a respected industry standard software developer, regarding their products (this is on their website):

Complimentary support is available for the current version of most products, but it's usually faster and easier to find your answer online.

This isn't a unique thing about Bobcad. The vast majority of software comes with a specific amount of phone support, after which you either get nothing for those that don't have a paid support plan, or you can pay for additional support. At least Bobcad offers the paid support as an option. If Bobcad continued to provide phone support just to be nice to the customers, no one would pay for the phone support and it would become too expensive to provide it at all.

Again, the post processor would cost money because you are out of your support period. It would not cost money if you were in your support period and have not had one made yet. They are time consuming to produce in some cases, so there is a limit to how many they will create for free, but again I'm pretty sure it must be done during your free support period. Not at all unreasonable and not out of line with the rest of the industry.

I can't speak to the sales person you spoke with, but the one that I'd dealt with over the last couple of years has been courteous and respectful. I downloaded the V26 demo and he called about 2 or 3 weeks later to see if it was of interest to me. I told him that I am probably looking at upgrading sometime in January, and he agreed that he'll check back sometime in mid-January. I haven't heard from him since, and don't expect to until mid-January. If you have a specific issue that you felt is out of line with what is reasonable (keeping in mind that these ARE sales people and are trying to sell products), contact Bobcad and tell their supervisor that you had a problem. They take this seriously and will talk with their employee about staying within what their sales philosophy is. If you're just mad at the sales guy for informing you that you have to pay for phone support, and then trying to sell you phone support or sell you a post processor, then it's not their fault that you didn't like what you heard. They are absolutely correct and the phrase "Don't shoot the messenger" comes to mind.

If you want to bash Bobcad as a product, I'd love to hear how you have determined that it's a marginal product. I have used many, many software packages and I find that in the under $2000 range there is little out there that offers as much. I just spent Saturday morning sitting in on a training session where I have been offered to start teaching a CNC Router basics course as well as an intermediate course. At this training session, the software covered by a vendor was V-Carve Pro. I have not used it in a while, but during the session I was teaching the vendor quite a few things about the software that he didn't know. He was surprised at how thoroughly I know the software, particularly given that I don't use it. I say this just so you know where I'm coming from. I have used just about every budget software there is (again, under $2000 street price). I am not just casually familiar with these products and in many cases know them nearly as well as I know Bobcad, which I've used since V18. I can tell you that there is no case to be made to say that Bobcad is a marginal product, in any way, when you compare it to other similar products. In fact, if you used all the products I have, you would find that Bobcad is simply the most well rounded and advanced product on the market. There are other products that might do one thing very well, and do that one thing better than Bobcad does, but what you'd find is that there is far more limitations to those other products in all other facets of how they work. I could go into vast detail about comparisons with over a dozen "competing" products, but the short version is that there is nothing that offers the same degree of functionality that Bobcad does until you spend triple what you pay for Bobcad. Facts are facts, and you're assessment of what Bobcad is or isn't does not seem to be fact based. Additionally, there is no budget software out there that can start at the "Express" level, yet be upgraded to a full 5-axis level. Being able to grow within the exact same software as your needs grow is a huge advantage to Bobcad that I have not found in any other product.

[Ben S]

I agree with mmoe. My last employer bought me a seat of Mastercam and I had access to what I thought was fantastic tech support through my reseller. They would go so far as to program parts for me and send me back screenshots of how they had done it. But we were paying a monthly fee for that service. My experience with Bobcad so far has been that I can get all of the same kinds of questions answered here for free. Mastercam is a $10,000 per seat software and while I feel like I've lost a little flexibility with the switch, with a few changes in workflow I haven't found anything that I can't do in bob that I could before. For it's price I think it's quite powerful.

[jrmach]

vpl,
this is a user forum.Us users cannot help you with your problems with the company,,but we can try like heck to help you with problems with running the software.Have you tried what mmoe suggested ? ?Are you uncomfortable editing the post processor ??If so,That I could totally understand as that can go over ones head in a hurry,been there.Good news,there are some on here that can do it well.I know the frustrations we have all had them.If you want to fix this ,you got to participate.No Dog in this,just a user of the software for 4 years that happens to be on this forum.

[vpl]

So not bashing BC here just frustrated,, I won't run down the list if issues I have had with them or their product.

In short I paid for a post processor and cad/cam program that worked. Now I assume the post processor has either been changed or modified. Being it doesn't generate the same code from the same drawing as before. So I guess I just want the original post processor they offered when I paid for it. There has never been a need to modify any of the g code in the past. So why now? I did fool around with it and was able to remove the M99 (SUBPROGRAM RETURN) line and it ran on my demo mach3 fine. I moved that file to my PC that runs my router and maybe it was just a coincidence but but all my mach configurations just got wiped out. I agree the program does a lot for the price. But in all honesty the biggest issue with turning out parts has always been BC.....Now I'm not making any $ with jobs stacking up and I have even begun to turn down work.

So I'm not so much looking for support as the same pp file I purchased.

I'm not a seasoned cnc guy or even machinist.. I can only conclude if the pp output is different than before with the same file name then the pp file changed...BC assured me I could always be made "whole" if my computer crashed and I needed to reinstall. I'm not asking them to do anything other than give me the same files I paid for....not modify anything or even chat with me......

Am i completely missing something here?

[The Engine Guy]

In short I have had BCv24 up and running for a couple years. I have been using "Mach3-Mill-NoATC_Rev2.MillPst" as a post processor. My hard drive crashed and needed to be replaced. So with a fresh hard drive and copy of windows 7 I installed BCv24 and was able to activate it. I downloaded the same post processor and installed it. When I go to open the .tap file in Mach3 it hangs up and won't finish the path. So I have tried all the other posts for Mach3 with no luck. It seems I must have skipped a step setting thing up. I can run old posts without any problems. If I open an older .bbcd file and post process it it hangs up. If I run any old post it runs fine. Any ideas?
Thanks for any help.

OK, first things first, you appear to be able to do a drawing, post the code using the "Mach3-Mill-NoATC_Rev2.MillPst", I have downloaded that PP and have generated code using my V24 and it posts exactly as per the Header you show so that would appear to be correct.

Next, you appear to be saying that Mach will accept the code but will only run the code for a short time. Is this correct ? ?

If so it is possible that you haven`t placed your Mach3 License file in Mach or put it in the wrong place, have you checked this ? ?
If the license file is not there then Mach will only run about 150 lines of code and come to a dead stop

Not clear if you are saying that BobCAD won`t generate (Post) the G code, if that is the case then check under the "Preferences > Default" tab for the Directory paths, they may not be correct.
When you say you can run "old posts" do you mean older G code files ? ? Or you can post code from older BobCAD files, it`s possible you are not on the latest build of V24, should be Build 546.

I downloaded and ran the G code you uploaded, I have just run some of the file you uploaded in a Licensed copy of Mach3 here on this PC and it runs fine, even with the ; (Semi colon) left in the code, so not a problem there that I can see
Only ran 2000 lines of the nearly 16,500 lines but it seems fine

The files (PP) etc you appear to have would be correct, they work here, check the above please

I have left the code running to see if it runs all the way through, let you know when/if it finishes

Regards
Rob
:rainfro: :rainfro: :rainfro:

[jrmach]

Oh No..........,if I am following you correctly,you did not have a back-up on an external hard drive or such ?????
Yeah,don't do that,,,,,,ever,,,,with anything of any value.
So what I am gathering is you need a PP that was available at the time of your V24 purchase.That or we (forum members) and you got to take one that is close and tailor it to your liking.
I will look at my stuff,as I might have it,,so might someone else.

[The Engine Guy]

So not bashing BC here just frustrated,, I won't run down the list if issues I have had with them or their product.

In short I paid for a post processor and cad/cam program that worked. Now I assume the post processor has either been changed or modified. Being it doesn't generate the same code from the same drawing as before. So I guess I just want the original post processor they offered when I paid for it. There has never been a need to modify any of the g code in the past. So why now? I did fool around with it and was able to remove the M99 (SUBPROGRAM RETURN) line and it ran on my demo mach3 fine. I moved that file to my PC that runs my router and maybe it was just a coincidence but but all my mach configurations just got wiped out. I agree the program does a lot for the price. But in all honesty the biggest issue with turning out parts has always been BC.....Now I'm not making any $ with jobs stacking up and I have even begun to turn down work.

So I'm not so much looking for support as the same pp file I purchased.

I'm not a seasoned cnc guy or even machinist.. I can only conclude if the pp output is different than before with the same file name then the pp file changed...BC assured me I could always be made "whole" if my computer crashed and I needed to reinstall. I'm not asking them to do anything other than give me the same files I paid for....not modify anything or even chat with me......

Am i completely missing something here?

Yes, definitely missing something, the Post Processors are FREE, you don`t have to pay for them, if you ask BobCAD to do a special or modify a post just for you then yes, they will want to charge you

On the other hand there are many, many people on here that use Mach3 every day, including myself, I currently have 3 mills and 2 Lathes running on Mach without any problems.

You say that you have somehow lost all your Mach3 configurations ? ? that could well be your problem, go look in Mach for your License as well

Do you not have a copy of your Mach3 .XML file ? ? If not when you are up and running again then make a copy of it and keep in a safe place like on a Memory "stick" or burn to a CD

Regards
Rob
:rainfro: :rainfro: :rainfro:

[vpl]

[QUOTE=mmoe;
If you want to bash Bobcad as a product, I'd love to hear how you have determined that it's a marginal product. I have used many, many software packages and I find that in the under $2000 range there is little out there that offers as much. I just spent Saturday morning sitting in on a training session where I have been offered to start teaching a CNC Router basics course as well as an intermediate course. At this training session, the software covered by a vendor was V-Carve Pro. I have not used it in a while, but during the session I was teaching the vendor quite a few things about the software that he didn't know. He was surprised at how thoroughly I know the software, particularly given that I don't use it. I say this just so you know where I'm coming from. I have used just about every budget software there is (again, under $2000 street price). I am not just casually familiar with these products and in many cases know them nearly as well as I know Bobcad, which I've used since V18. I can tell you that there is no case to be made to say that Bobcad is a marginal product, in any way, when you compare it to other similar products. In fact, if you used all the products I have, you would find that Bobcad is simply the most well rounded and advanced product on the market. There are other products that might do one thing very well, and do that one thing better than Bobcad does, but what you'd find is that there is far more limitations to those other products in all other facets of how they work. I could go into vast detail about comparisons with over a dozen "competing" products, but the short version is that there is nothing that offers the same degree of functionality that Bobcad does until you spend triple what you pay for Bobcad. Facts are facts, and you're assessment of what Bobcad is or isn't does not seem to be fact based. Additionally, there is no budget software out there that can start at the "Express" level, yet be upgraded to a full 5-axis level. Being able to grow within the exact same software as your needs grow is a huge advantage to Bobcad that I have not found in any other product.[/QUOTE]

Thank you mmoe for your time and lengthy reply.
But here is a quick taste of what I have had to deal with....

They had to extend my first "free" support package for an additional 90 days being BC functioned so poorly I couldn't even draw a simple line with it for the first 2 month of owning it. They tried different builds, installs and configurations. I finally got it to work myself.

If you ask BC to skin certain geometry it crashes
If you post to a thumb drive before posting to your hard drive it crashes.
If you have BC open for a long period and open and close several files...you guessed it it crashes
If you use the "quick trim" function too much it stops high lighting the chosen line but still trims....sometimes
Other function "degrade" over a period of use unless you save and close the file once in a while.
If you extrude a surface with poor geometry it crashes
When making roughing passes of more than .150" deep it makes poor tool paths and sometimes takes .300" off
There isn't a day I don't use BC without it crashing....or it simply stop responding. I have to wonder if that may have facilitated my hard drive issues being no other programs crash on my computer.




I'm no expert but I just don't think these and all the other issues make BC cutting edge...even for the price. That's all the attention I want to give "where I'm coming from" I really just want the problem solved.

On the other hand I have made some pretty neat-o 3d molds and patterns......not without some level of BC consternation.

Yes BC has great features for the price...only if I could get them to work as advertised...and paid for....

[The Engine Guy]

Try the attached Post, I am assuming that you are running in Inches ? ? If so the Post will work.

If working in Metric then just open your PP in Notepad and go to this line in your PP :-

213. English or Metric format (E/M)? E

Change the E to an M (Keep upper case) and the PP will output in Metric

Regards
Rob
:rainfro: :rainfro: :rainfro:

[vpl]

Yes, definitely missing something, the Post Processors are FREE, you don`t have to pay for them, if you ask BobCAD to do a special or modify a post just for you then yes, they will want to charge you

On the other hand there are many, many people on here that use Mach3 every day, including myself, I currently have 3 mills and 2 Lathes running on Mach without any problems.

You say that you have somehow lost all your Mach3 configurations ? ? that could well be your problem, go look in Mach for your License as well

Do you not have a copy of your Mach3 .XML file ? ? If not when you are up and running again then make a copy of it and keep in a safe place like on a Memory "stick" or burn to a CD

Regards
Rob
:rainfro: :rainfro: :rainfro:

Hey Rob,
Yes a free functioning pp was supplied when I purchased it and I understand if I need one modified after my "support" runs out I need to pay for it.
I just want the free file I obtained when I purchased BC....

I can load an old .tap file into mach without it being configured and it still generates a tool path.....sorta like demo mode....


Like a dummy I didn't save my .xml set up files. However I did find Xmlbackups they end in a .xb*** can I change that to another extension and place that file in place of the configuration file? I opened it as an xml file and there is lots of info..

On the initial install a while back all I had to do was download and install a couple different pp files. I found one that worked and no real issues after that.....

[vpl]

Try the attached Post, I am assuming that you are running in Inches ? ? If so the Post will work.

If working in Metric then just open your PP in Notepad and go to this line in your PP :-

213. English or Metric format (E/M)? E

Change the E to an M (Keep upper case) and the PP will output in Metric

Regards
Rob
:rainfro: :rainfro: :rainfro:

THANK you! Rob-
I'll give that a shot tonight and let you know...
I need to reconfigure Mach then I'll deal with the pp issue...
Hey I'm learning G code now!

[Hood]

Like a dummy I didn't save my .xml set up files. However I did find Xmlbackups they end in a .xb*** can I change that to another extension and place that file in place of the configuration file? I opened it as an xml file and there is lots of info..

Just look for the latest .xbk and change the extension to xml then copy and paste into the main Mach3 folder.
Hood

[mmoe]

Thank you mmoe for your time and lengthy reply.
But here is a quick taste of what I have had to deal with....

They had to extend my first "free" support package for an additional 90 days being BC functioned so poorly I couldn't even draw a simple line with it for the first 2 month of owning it. They tried different builds, installs and configurations. I finally got it to work myself.

This sounds to me like they did more for you than most companies would to try and keep you a happy customer. Unless you had a hardware problem or didn't spend the appropriate time learning the software, there is no way that you could go 2 months without being able to draw a line. Hundreds or thousands of people are able to draw lines without problem every day in Bobcad, so I'm not sure how this is a Bobcad problem.

If you ask BC to skin certain geometry it crashes

I have not experienced it crashing, but it does not like to skin badly thought out geometry or geometry selected in the incorrect order. Neither do most other CAD products. It doesn't crash very often for me in this case and usually just doesn't do anything if you try this. If you correct the geometry, you can then proceed to skin it without a crash in the interim. The crashing makes me think you have a computer problem, probably graphics related.

If you post to a thumb drive before posting to your hard drive it crashes.

I've never had this happen. I usually save to the harddrive first anyways, but I just tested this over and over using both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports and have not been able to repeat your problem. Again, I'm thinking that you have a computer/hardware problem, not a Bobcad problem.

If you have BC open for a long period and open and close several files...you guessed it it crashes

I have never had Bobcad crash based on length of time in use or how many files I've opened and closed. The crashes I've experienced have been due to a couple of very specific actions that always cause a crash. Bobcad is not 100% perfect, but the few things that do crash it are generally avoidable. First thing is that I always close the initial blank file and open the file I want to work on, since it will occasional crash when the empty file tries to autosave while you're doing something else in the CAM tree. You can also do an initial save of the empty file if you're going to be working from scratch, and the autosave doesn't interfere from that point forward either. This is the cause of about 90% of the crashes I've experienced, so following those simple procedures when you first open Bobcad will eliminate most crashes.

If you use the "quick trim" function too much it stops high lighting the chosen line but still trims....sometimes

I can't get it to duplicate this problem. I created enough geometry to do dozens of quick trims, but it simply won't do what you say happens. It trims all of them the same, all the time. Again, my guess is that you have a hardware problem related to graphics hardware.

Other function "degrade" over a period of use unless you save and close the file once in a while.

I have not found this to be the case. What you are describing is compounding errors, which leads me back to thinking you have a hardware problem. Bad computations by the computer will generate faulty operation. High end workstations use graphics cards that are designed to minimize calculation errors, and also have memory designed to minimize calculation errors. Low end computers do not and will vary from one to another in terms of how well these errors are prevented since it is not built in to the hardware itself. Graphics cards are especially likely to create these problems as they are often made for quick calculations, not accurate calculations. Quick calculations are great for displaying non-critical visuals, but not so great for producing calculations for geometry that need to be precise. You don't necessarily need a $2000 Nvidia Quadro workstation graphics card, but something like a Nvidia Geforce GTX560 TI is probably about the minimum for expecting consistent results. I'm not sure exactly how much Bobcad uses the video card to make calcs, but I do think it's enough that it's a factor in how stable it operates. This is nothing unique to Bobcad. Cad/Cam systems work better with workstation quality computers no matter what software you are talking about. Unfortunately, Bobcad can't control what you install their software on, so your mileage will obviously vary based on your hardware.

If you extrude a surface with poor geometry it crashes

It may be stating the obvious, but that is the case with almost every CAD system. Asking software to make calculations that can't be made is a sure way of crashing the software. This is exacerbated by hardware that does not make accurate calculations to begin with since a calculation that might have just barely come back OK will come back out of range. If I want to, I can crash just about any software that exists by doing something along those lines. More capable hardware does make it harder to generate crashes, and software developers aren't developing their software on a $400 Gateway. The solution is to not make bad geometry or to fix geometry before extruding it. I've used the various modeling options in Bobcad quite a lot and have never had it crash unless it was an operation that would not be advisable in any CAD system. Even then, most times it simply won't do the operation, but continues to run just fine. Some CAD systems will allow you to do things that aren't advisable and won't crash in the process, but that' not the norm by any stretch. The resulting models are also frequently unusable for manufacturing as they are filled with gaps or badly radiused edges, so it may have well just have crashed anyways.

When making roughing passes of more than .150" deep it makes poor tool paths and sometimes takes .300" off

I find this extremely hard to believe. I make roughing passes of way, way over that without any issues. Then again, I have a machine that can rough out 2 inches of hardwood at 400 in/min with a 3/4" shank roughing router bit, so I'm going to have to guess that your problem is likely mechanical at the machine. You can post a toolpath that you think demonstrates this problem and I'll be happy to look at it, but I have done hundreds of toolpaths with no issues like that, ever. Not once. Experience tells me that your problem is 100% likely to be your machine or user error in generating the toolpath. Bobcad does what it's told, period.

There isn't a day I don't use BC without it crashing....or it simply stop responding. I have to wonder if that may have facilitated my hard drive issues being no other programs crash on my computer.

I'm thinking the other way around. Your computer seems more suspect to me than Bobcad because I know how V24 works. And, no, it is not possible that Bobcad facilitated your hard drive issues. It has no way of manipulating your system files in any manner that would cause instability for the system or damage the system. On the other hand, it's doing demanding tasks that most other software does not do and requires that the system performance be of a high level of quality to function properly. Maybe stating the obvious again here, but the better your computer is set up, the better Bobcad will operate. What other software do you use on a regular basis that you are comparing it to? This may help point to the problem area of you hardware if there is one. I have my suspicions about why you are having problems but more information would help.

I'm no expert but I just don't think these and all the other issues make BC cutting edge...even for the price. That's all the attention I want to give "where I'm coming from" I really just want the problem solved.

On the other hand I have made some pretty neat-o 3d molds and patterns......not without some level of BC consternation.

Yes BC has great features for the price...only if I could get them to work as advertised...and paid for....

I would recommend that you look into taking some classes on Bobcad and also look into exactly what your computer is doing. I've used V24 for quite some time, and continue using V24 to this day, but have not had any of the issues that you are reporting. I get the occasional crash, but it's just that, the occasional crash. In 8 hours of solid work, it may crash once and I usually know exactly what I did to cause the crash. Since I rarely do 8 hours of steady work, I often go days or a week without a single crash. This is pretty well in line with almost every product I've used in the CAD CAM world, which is why it's also important to set up your backup files. If you are getting more than the occasional crash, something is wrong with either your approach to the software or the hardware it is running on. If Bobcad works reliably for a significant portion of the users, and I believe it does, then it follows that it should be able to work reliably for everyone provided that the conditions are the same. It is software, and it does what the code tells it to do. If it is not working well, the only two differences from a guy who has excellent results and a guy who does not is the hardware it runs on and the operator of the software. I would suggest that you consider the idea that perhaps Bobcad is NOT the problem so that you can focus on what might actually be the problem.

What kind of computer are you running Bobcad on and what kind of machine are you running the parts on? Is this an open loop stepper system (with encoders going to the stepper drives) or is it a closed loop servo system (encoders send signals back to the controller instead of the drives)?

I think your post processor issues will be fixed by what Rob has posted, or can be tweaked easily to generate any additional code modifications you may need. If you are still having problems with Bobcad itself, as you have listed, we can also help figure out the actual cause of those problems and hopefully you'll be able to experience a stable Bobcad as I and others do. All the issues you bring up are about stability, which I think can be corrected (probably not for free since it may require hardware changes, but who knows). It would not surprise me if most of the problems stem from the exact same cause, so if it can be tracked down, it can probably make an immediate difference to the whole experience. You can post a file that generates problems and tell us the steps you do to cause a problem. I'll be happy to run through the same steps to see if it's a problem as well. If not, you can pretty much bet that the problem is your computer's specific hardware configuration, which is out of Bobcad's control. I'm using build 546 of V24 on Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit.

[vpl]

Just look for the latest .xbk and change the extension to xml then copy and paste into the main Mach3 folder.
Hood

Thanks Hood....
Now Mach is configured! Easy deal- that file is now on a thumb drive for safe keeping.....That's half the battle-on to the post processor issue. My hat is off to this forum and the people in it. From the beginning of getting my machine together some 2 years ago to "extended software support" I would be simply be up a creek without you guys!

[vpl]

Oh No..........,if I am following you correctly,you did not have a back-up on an external hard drive or such ?????
Yeah,don't do that,,,,,,ever,,,,with anything of any value.
So what I am gathering is you need a PP that was available at the time of your V24 purchase.That or we (forum members) and you got to take one that is close and tailor it to your liking.
I will look at my stuff,as I might have it,,so might someone else.

I'm using Mach3-Mill-NoATC_Rev2.MillPst
Drawing a simple line and posting only adds 2 bad lines. So if you can point me in the direction of the info needed to tweak the pp output I know which direction to take...The old file doesn't ad the extra lines as does the new one.
Just to be clear the old pp has the same file name, I assume it was modified.??
Thanks!

[Trotline]

There should be a file named PostVariables in your Posts directory. Here's the file from my V24 install. That's the basic key to understanding the PP. It's not terribly user-friendly, though. If you'll post the actual output you're seeing, someone can probably get you squared away pretty quickly.

Luke