Show me your Custom VCP's!

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cnckeith
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Re: Show me your Custom VCP's!

Post by cnckeith »

Chipwelder wrote: Wed Jan 25, 2023 1:10 am Trying to customize basic VCP.
1. Have read and searched every link in install manual, have pvc programming manual bookmarked for access and search and I read it. I am trying to program the spindle on and off buttons to an output relay. I cannot find any info on the skin event numbers and how they implement a button[/color][/b] [/color][/size]parameter hardware action. i.e. How do I get the green button to toggle output 5 on and off to run my spindle? There is a SV PLC function to do that but how do you do that? < spindle VCP Spindle buttons are preprogrammed to activate the relay that has been assigned in the Wizard for spindle ON/OFF duty. you don't need to do any custom programming for this. all you do is use the Wizard output definition menu to assign spindle fwd and rev to the outputs you desire and it works. >
spin fwd rev.png

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cnckeith
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Re: Show me your Custom VCP's!

Post by cnckeith »

Chipwelder wrote: Wed Jan 25, 2023 1:10 am

2. How does the control software know which vcl file to load. There are 4 in the folder. <Page 4 of the VCP manual. options.xml tells VCP which skin to use.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<ArrayOfVcpOption xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<VcpOption>
<Name>Skin</Name>
<Value>acorn_router_vcp_skin</Value>
</VcpOption>
options.png


3. What happened to the CNTR I I-O diagnostic screen? < its always been ATL i to start the plc diagnostic menu , not cntrl i >
Need support? READ THIS POST first. http://centroidcncforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=1043
All Acorn Documentation is located here: viewtopic.php?f=60&t=3397
Answers to common questions: viewforum.php?f=63
and here viewforum.php?f=61
Gear we use but don't sell. https://www.centroidcnc.com/centroid_di ... _gear.html
cnckeith
Posts: 7164
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Re: Show me your Custom VCP's!

Post by cnckeith »

Chipwelder wrote: Wed Jan 25, 2023 1:10 am
4. The reset button is very confusingly similar in color and and location to the e-stop button on my Centroid lathe control. Documentation says it is not and should not be used as e-stop, but under axis trouble shooting it cautions to make sure it is not tripped. What does it do? < it resets the CNC12 software by clearing any fault messages>

Unrelated to VCP issues but none of the font editing features work on my computer. If I try to sue them I get a code description i.e. if I try to change a color I I get this. Very interesting. In the preview mode the font changes color color =#80 gibberish doesn't show. < font editing? don't know what you mean, explain further, post photo of what you are trying to do. >
Need support? READ THIS POST first. http://centroidcncforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=1043
All Acorn Documentation is located here: viewtopic.php?f=60&t=3397
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and here viewforum.php?f=61
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cncsnw
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Re: Show me your Custom VCP's!

Post by cncsnw »

In addition to resetting other Faults, the VCP "Reset" button does trigger its own Fault-like condition, which will disable the drives (if you have wired them to be able to be disabled), and will open the E-stop contactor (if you used a NoFaultOut output to control your E-stop contactor).

This looks a lot like Emergency Stop.

The reason it is not an Emergency Stop, and why a hardware E-stop button should be considered mandatory, is that the VCP reset button only works through multiple layers of software. A real Emergency Stop works without depending on any software at all.
Chipwelder
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Re: Show me your Custom VCP's!

Post by Chipwelder »

I ran into Keith's post on New Build thread and started one immediately. I try to read, search, and implement before randomly posting questions, but the "still to me chaos" of information dispersal and my limited experience and patience with the mechanics of online forums wears down, I may post a question that was answered on the 154th post of someones post related to a different topic.
I will move over to that thread and my Disclosures may help you get to know me and what drives my pursuit of arete. My patience gets tweaked when I check the little blue box to disable the useless Smilies hogging resources on my system and they are still there annoying me.
I will update my questions with more precise wording and incorporating what i could extract from the replies which I very heart fully appreciate.
I wonder about the process of previewing may post and not being able to edit without going back to the original entry text block?

Thanks, see all over there with everything, and then some, in one place when I get it ready to post.
Chipwelder
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Re: Show me your Custom VCP's!

Post by Chipwelder »

Not sure where my last post went, it was a starting point New Build Post. While waiting to see if it magically reappears I am moving on per the items so listed in post. I am planning soft limits. My understanding is soft limits are set in Machine Coordinates. Are the loft limits calculated for each tool from the tool offset data. More important for a lathe but a big fly cutter could wreck havoc on a mill before hitting the soft limit. If the soft limits are smart and as reliable as Keith says they are, they are much more important than a hard switch.
Are the soft limits smart?
cnckeith
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Re: Show me your Custom VCP's!

Post by cnckeith »

Chipwelder wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 3:15 pm Not sure where my last post went, it was a starting point New Build Post. While waiting to see if it magically reappears I am moving on per the items so listed in post. I am planning soft limits. My understanding is soft limits are set in Machine Coordinates. Are the loft limits calculated for each tool from the tool offset data. More important for a lathe but a big fly cutter could wreck havoc on a mill before hitting the soft limit. If the soft limits are smart and as reliable as Keith says they are, they are much more important than a hard switch.
Are the soft limits smart?
hello. please start a new build thread and we will be happy to answer any questions you have about your project.

if you had a post disappear, i apologize. our host had a major issue and didn't do us any favors the first week of January. they blew away about 1 weeks worth of forum posts. first time this happened in 12 years of this forum's life. working on method to prevent this in the future by not counting on the host automatic backup feature.

fyi..

Hello Keith,

We are writing to notify you that HostMonster recently experienced a database corruption issue on January 7, 2023 which resulted in your HostMonster account being inadvertently cancelled and website files being deleted. On that same day, we were able to locate a backup of your website content and have restored your account along with your website files and databases.

We've since resolved the database corruption issue and have taken measures to ensure that this issue does not occur again. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Please feel free to contact our support team via phone or chat if you have any questions at the link below.

https://www.hostmonster/cgi/info/contact-us



Regards,

HostMonster Support


HostMonster Support
http://www.hostmonster.com
For support go to http://hostmonster.com/help
Need support? READ THIS POST first. http://centroidcncforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=1043
All Acorn Documentation is located here: viewtopic.php?f=60&t=3397
Answers to common questions: viewforum.php?f=63
and here viewforum.php?f=61
Gear we use but don't sell. https://www.centroidcnc.com/centroid_di ... _gear.html
Chipwelder
Posts: 25
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Re: Show me your Custom VCP's!

Post by Chipwelder »

Just lost another 2 hour attempt to build a nice New Build post. I am being directed to the Quick Reply screen. I can't find an attachment link for my report or pictures and my last saved draft is again gone. Until you get this system figure out can I get one question answered.

How do I program the Spindle Start button and the Spindle Cancel button to Output 5? i.e. Skin event number(17,16) from preprogramed button connected to preprogramed output.
Chipwelder
Posts: 25
Joined: Sun Apr 28, 2019 12:16 am
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CNC Control System Serial Number: 102139, 20D7787D9392-0817226460
DC3IOB: No
CNC12: Yes
CNC11: Yes
CPU10 or CPU7: No

Re: Show me your Custom VCP's!

Post by Chipwelder »

I my on going efforts to wire my on off switch I found on page 21 VCP users manual a statement that says that the skin event number is programmed to a specific output by the Wizard. That means that only those "buttons" shown in the wizard table can be assigned to outputs. I haven't yet found a way to add a button to the wizard list. My wizard list as formatted/displayed within CNC12 screen can't be scrolled down the see several items at bottom, but within the apparent alphabetical listing doesn't include the Spindle_Off functionality that is shown elsewhere, I believe either in a table or within the PLC file that runs the machine via the VCP. If there is a user friendly way to get preprogramed buttons added to the wizard it may graduate the Wizard to a higher level if sanctioned by the W.O.M.B.A.T. as administered by the Wizarding Examinations Authority.
I also ran into(somewhere in the labyrinth)a statement that Apple format platforms cannot be use to do some downloading or file procedures due to security practices. I am wondering if my "Posting" problems are falling into that trap. Any ideas out there? I have been using my Mac via Safari to free up a monitor so I can keep the critical Centroid install user documents open to help me with a my mention span/short term memory (legacy brain injury). I am trying to add more monitors to my PC but have hit a conflict between graphics card needed for CADCAM blocking additional monitor ports.
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Re: Show me your Custom VCP's!

Post by tblough »

Macs can't be used to download because they are *nix based and treat Windows' CR-LF combination as a CR. This on-the-fly substitution caused things like license files to break.

You can create your own skin events in the PLC, and use the PLC source file to look up what skin events are already defined.
Cheers,

Tom
Confidence is the feeling you have before you fully understand the situation.
I have CDO. It's like OCD, but the letters are where they should be.
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