How does PAUSE work

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AZRoger
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Sep 30, 2011 7:47 pm

How does PAUSE work

Post by AZRoger »

I have some long running tool paths (several hours) and I want to be able to pause, move the cutter away from the work piece, inspect the work piece for proper carving, and then resume where it left off. So I need to know a couple things.
1) does the pause happen between g-code lines? I.E. does it finish the command it is working on before the pause?
2) does it remember the X, Y, Z position at the time the pause happens?
3) when the cutter is moved away from the pause position (for the inspection) does it do a safe move back to the pause position before resuming?
4) does it restart on the next line of g-code?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Roger
CNC Shark HD2.0 Control panel 2.01

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Bob
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Re: How does PAUSE work

Post by Bob »

Roger,
The last time I paused, then moved the bit up a little, then resumed, the bit plunged through the table.
I have not been brave enough to repeat that experiment.
Based upon my experience...Don't move that bit while paused!
Your results may vary.
Bob
"Focus"
Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek (Developer of the microscope.)

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Kayvon
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Re: How does PAUSE work

Post by Kayvon »

I'm pretty sure I've paused in the middle of a single instruction, like a long movement. I don't recall the controller waiting until the end of the instruction line before pausing. It pauses instantly and resumes when I hit resume.

It's never occurred to me to try jogging the bit around during this. If I need to inspect something, I wait until the bit lifts from the material, then I pause the controller and power down the router. If I need more than that, I'll hit the electronic e-stop button and start over.

AZRoger
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Sep 30, 2011 7:47 pm

Re: How does PAUSE work

Post by AZRoger »

Bob wrote:The last time I paused, then moved the bit up a little, then resumed, the bit plunged through the table. Bob
Ouch. I've had it dive into the table even when I didn't use Pause. Thanks.

AZRoger
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Sep 30, 2011 7:47 pm

Re: How does PAUSE work

Post by AZRoger »

Kayvon wrote:I'm pretty sure I've paused in the middle of a single instruction, like a long movement. I don't recall the controller waiting until the end of the instruction line before pausing. It pauses instantly and resumes when I hit resume.
OK. It's the controller that's doing the pause, probably triggered by a separate command over the USB cable.
Looks like Pause is not going to work for me, Thanks.

Rando
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Re: How does PAUSE work

Post by Rando »

AZRoger wrote:
Kayvon wrote:I'm pretty sure I've paused in the middle of a single instruction, like a long movement. I don't recall the controller waiting until the end of the instruction line before pausing. It pauses instantly and resumes when I hit resume.
OK. It's the controller that's doing the pause, probably triggered by a separate command over the USB cable.
Looks like Pause is not going to work for me, Thanks.
Roger:

I do this (splitting toolpaths) in several different ways, quite frequently, and for a variety of reasons.

Today I'm getting over the flu and some nasty laryngitis: no voice for 3d now :( , but it's slowly coming back. No pain, just sounds stupid :D.

Anyway, the amount of options for what you're trying to do could be large. How about you give me a phone call tomorrow (Friday) sometime and we can
talk it out. I suspect there's a not-so-difficult way we can get you running right. And if it needs more than something simple, chances are I might already
have a tool that does that. I've been writing tool-path manipulation code for a couple years ago, doing all manner of horrible things to it ;-).

So, if you're up for it, I'm willing to take a 1/2 hour call and see if we can come up with something...Whaddya say?

My number is XXX (number removed for my future sanity) , and I'm in southern WA state, so no major time difference. Let's say talk around 10am your time (the 26th)?

I suspect the key to your solution is going to involve something called a "null tool change" ;-)

Regards,

Thom
Last edited by Rando on Fri Jan 26, 2018 1:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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ThomR.com Creative tools and photographic art
A proud member of the Pacific Northwest CNC Club (now on Facebook)

AZRoger
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Sep 30, 2011 7:47 pm

Re: How does PAUSE work

Post by AZRoger »

Thom, OK. I'll call at 10:00. Roger

AZRoger
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Sep 30, 2011 7:47 pm

Re: How does PAUSE work

Post by AZRoger »

This link has picture of the trim pieces I'm making. It's way at the bottom. http://forum.vectric.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=28689

Rando
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Re: How does PAUSE work

Post by Rando »

AZRoger wrote:This link has picture of the trim pieces I'm making. It's way at the bottom. http://forum.vectric.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=28689
Thanks, Roger. I went and read through the thread, and looked at the piece. I may have some "advise" on the incorrect dimensioning as well ;-). I do my work on the Shark with solid aluminum, and yes, it can be tricky getting dimensionally accurate parts. I'll tell you, I almost weeped the first time my 1.300" holes started coming out 1.300" deep...repeatedly :D. The horizontal dimensions similarly. And, you're right: it's due to the flex in the Shark structure. Well, at least it seems to be that way with me.

Looking forward to hearing from you at 10am...

Thom
=====================================================
ThomR.com Creative tools and photographic art
A proud member of the Pacific Northwest CNC Club (now on Facebook)

Rando
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Re: How does PAUSE work

Post by Rando »

Roger and I spoke on the phone, and at least for the moment, it looks like inserting a simple "pause" file of GCode into the cut file may get him where he needs to go.

In my various projects, I've found I'm impatient, and I don't feel honored to be the machine's part loader and automatic tool change. So, I use human ingenuity to slice-and-dice my toolpaths to minimize tool changes, part movement, etc. Whenever I need to make the machine get out of my way so I can move the part in the vise (or clamps, etc.), but I don't want load yet another file, I have it insert a "pause" command.

That works through a quirk in (some of?) the Shark controllers, in that a standard tool-change command will instead cause the controller to pause at that line, and wait for the continue button. M06 T01 is the thing.

Because Roger is already doing some manual editing of his GCode file to meet his own project needs, having him insert the pause file manually won't be an issue. So, for the rest of us, below is the text from my email to him, and the attachment is the simple (template!) Pause file.

Regards,

Thom
__Pause--Generic.tap
template of a pause file you can (maybe) insert
(244 Bytes) Downloaded 272 times
------------------------------------------------------

Roger:

Great talking to you. I'm seeing more and more like you and me, who are demanding better automation out of these beasts. Automation that HELPS get the work better, not get in the way of it :D.

The first file is kind of a "template" I use when creating a new pause file. Each project has it's own customized (set of) pause files.

The M05/M03 commands turn off and on the spindle. I do this because that signal also enables the chip blower. For obvious reasons, I don't want it blowing chips all over the place as it moves out of the way...since that's exactly where the chips have been landing during the cut! You might or might not need to do that. If your spindle does that, you might want to include a dwell (G04 P3.0, or whatever the spin-up time is) after the M03 toward the end. And yes, the M06 T01 in the middle is the magic.

Please TEST this code chunk by itself in your machine. They've changed controllers over the years, and I cannot claim to know whether the M06 T01 will do the same thing on your machine. Fingers Crossed!

Any of those distance measurements in the file are to be verified, and of course, make sure the path from the pause location out of, and back into the part don't hit the clamps.

NOTE: one thing we didn't speak about was the "jog it a little up or down" while that pause is there. I'm pretty sure that's still not going to be possible. I suspect that the M06 T01 is really the same as pushing the pause button, from the controller's perspective, but you get to say exactly where and when in the TAP it happens.

I'm post this mail up into the Shark forums as well, including the file below.

Cheers!

Thom

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ThomR.com Creative tools and photographic art
A proud member of the Pacific Northwest CNC Club (now on Facebook)

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