[kstrauss]

Version 1.9.6 of PathPilot is now available for download from http://www.tormach.com/pathpilot_tracking.html
Goodies include conversation bolt circles, search in the GCode editor, serial number engraving, etc. Curiously, no mention of RapidTurn support!

Who volunteers to be the first to try?

[dneisler]

Not me, but looking forward to see if Rigid Tapping works in Lathe Mode.

[MFchief]

I was a little surprised, when I heard about the pending release I expected it to have something to do with the RapidTurn because of the timing. The email does say there is a rigid tapping bug fix.

[Godzilla]

I have been running it all day today, from 10 am this morning, its 10pm here right now and its still running fine. (so no, the sky has not fallen...not yet anyway)

I have not had a chance to snoop around to look at all the changes, however all the stepper axis motors on my series 3 PCNC 1100 sound quite different.

I also noticed it wanted to update my mesa card during the update.....

[popspipes]

I have been waiting too ha! I would like to see if the hesitation during a contour cut is fixed, I have to add a Q.001 in the startup line.
I think the serialization feature will be nice.

I like new things but I dont like crawling under the machine to get to the computer, I will wait a bit ha!!

[kstrauss]

Things are a little slow here so I took the plunge and upgraded from 1.9.3 to 1.9.6. The upgrade from USB stick only took a few seconds but it decided to update the Mesa card so a power down was required. I backed up the tool table ahead of time but it made it thru the upgrade without problems. I've been working on some new parts I haven't noticed a different sound to the steppers as Godzilla mentioned. No problems with with probing a circular recess as was reported with a previous upgrade. No obvious RapidTurn goodies. However, there is still the annoying screen flicker when waiting for a tool change!

[TurboStep]

No obvious RapidTurn goodies.

Attachment 325244
Step

[kstrauss]

Thanks for making me look more closely at each screen! On a slow computer it takes less than 10 seconds to go from mill to lathe. As previously speculated, going from mill to lathe and back requires that one re-reference. I notice that there is a "Gang Tooling" choice although I haven't seen any Tormach mention of that option for the RapidTurn. Any insights regarding how that works?

[mountaindew]

I was hoping for search and go to line number in the g-code window! After all this time and a person still has to scroll down thru hundreds to thousands of lines to find a start location. Such a simple and useful feature imho that has been over looked for years now

[tmarks11]

I was hoping for search and go to line number in the g-code window!

One of the 1.9.6. features:

#965: Mill/Lathe - G-code window: Add ‘Goto line number’ and ‘Search’ utilities to right click menu

Did you suggest that enhancement?

[popspipes]

I was hoping for search and go to line number in the g-code window! After all this time and a person still has to scroll down thru hundreds to thousands of lines to find a start location. Such a simple and useful feature imho that has been over looked for years now

The search function from the MDI line will find many things in the program such as tools line numbers etc, I havent played with it much but from what it appears to be it will do what you are looking for.
I needed it the other day to restart a program at a certain tool number, as you say it is sometimes a daunting task! I wound up rerunning the program without a tool until it called for the one I needed, wound up being much faster ha!

Usually I just go back to sprut and eliminate the ops before the one I need and run it as a separate program, but I dont think I will need to do that now with this new search function.

[TurboStep]

I notice that there is a "Gang Tooling" choice although I haven't seen any Tormach mention of that option for the RapidTurn. Any insights regarding how that works?

Quote:

# type of tool changer is set by the UI via tormachltc.0.tool-changer-type, RapidTurn supports manual only 
# 0 - manual
# 1 - gang
# 3 - 8 position ATC

which doesn't mean it can't be done
Step

[mountaindew]

One of the 1.9.6. features:

#965: Mill/Lathe - G-code window: Add ‘Goto line number’ and ‘Search’ utilities to right click menu

Did you suggest that enhancement?

I did just a few days after the second release a couple years ago. Did not need it as much in version 1.9.2 because the code window retains position. The next release this changed and when a program is stopped it returns to beginning of program. Anyway, I suggested a search or other method to find an operation or place in the middle of a program and others have also.

I will look again but #965 does not add this functionality to my PP install as much as I was hoping it would!!!!!!

[tmarks11]

Quote:

# type of tool changer is set by the UI via tormachltc.0.tool-changer-type, RapidTurn supports manual only 
# 0 - manual
# 1 - gang
# 3 - 8 position ATC

I see a new product enhancement possibility... an 8 position tool changer mounted on the side of the spindle for rapid turn.....

[tmarks11]

If you haven't looked at the Tormach manual in awhile, I would recommend paging through it.

Since the initial ParhPilot release, they had greatly expanded the sections on dealing with PP. The latest version (6-2016) includes discussion of how to use the new features of 1.9.6.

[kstrauss]

Thanks! I hadn't noticed the new version of the manual.
I tried to use the ADMIN DATE command. It lets me change the time zone but when I try to install NTP I get a 404 error when fetching the package. The help screens work for date/time admin which I think are fetched from the net. Ideas?

[Beezle]

I've been using 1.9.6 for several projects now and the only issue I have seen is in MDI mode. After sending a line by hitting the return, PP pops out of MDI mode. I am fairly certain this was not happening in 1.9.5.

This only led me to write a program instead, which usually a better idea anyway.

[adamvs]

I was hoping for search and go to line number in the g-code window! After all this time and a person still has to scroll down thru hundreds to thousands of lines to find a start location. Such a simple and useful feature imho that has been over looked for years now

If you are line number oriented, why not include line numbers in your gcode and search on that line number. Eg, 'FIND N123'. Seems it would do the same thing.

[mountaindew]

If you are line number oriented, why not include line numbers in your gcode and search on that line number. Eg, 'FIND N123'. Seems it would do the same thing.

How do I search a g-code program when it is loaded and ready to run?
Where do you enter a 'find n123' at.?

[adamvs]

How do I search a g-code program when it is loaded and ready to run?
Where do you enter a 'find n123' at.?

In MDI. It's in the docs with the download. I tried this yesterday with 'FIND G30' to set start line. Pretty cool, really.