DISSAPEARING STRINGS

[rocheey1]

Im starting to get my feet wet tweaking some posts. And Ive noticed that when dealing with strings, that strings that start with a space character in MasterCAM, return empty when trying to read them from the post. Even existing MasterCAM supplied posts seem to do this, in the GCode... for instance, a tool with a description of "1/2 END MILL" returns fine, a tool with a description of " 1/2 END MILL" returns empty. ("")

 

is there a workaround for this ?

[Jimmy Wakeford from Barefoot CNC]

I tested putting a space in front of the tool string and operation comment and both were output in the gcode with the space no problems.

 

What version Mastercam are you running?

[crazy^millman]

Strings are easy to create. Here are a couple I have done.

 

# --------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Program Rev Compliance with Boeing/Spirit MBD Requirements
sr00  : "N/C"
sr01  : "A"
sr02  : "B"
sr03  : "C"
sr04  : "D"
sr05  : "E"
sr06  : "F"
sr07  : "G"
sr08  : "H"
sr09  : "I"
sr10  : "J"
sr11  : "K"
sr12  : "L"
sr13  : "M"
sr14  : "N"
sr15  : "O"
sr16  : "P"
sr17  : "Q"
sr18  : "R"
sr19  : "S"
sr20  : "T"
sr21  : "U"
sr22  : "V"
sr23  : "W"
sr24  : "X"
sr25  : "Y"
sr26  : "Z"
srev : ""

fstrsel sr00 mr9$ srev 27 -1

# --------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Customer selector
scust0   : "ADD CUSTOMER"
scust1   : "BOEING"
scust2   : "FUJI"
scust3   : "ARNOLD ENGINEERING"
scust4   : "GE AEROSPACE"
scust5   : "MITSUBISHI"
scust6   : "NORTHROP"
scust7   : "GOODRICH LANDING"
scust8   : "ROCKWELL COLLINS"
scust9   : "NORTHROP"
scust10  : "D.O.D."
scust11  : "LOCKHEED"
scust12  : "VOUGHT"
scust : ""

fstrsel scust0 mr10$ scust 13 -1

 

Then to call them in the post I use this in my pheader section:

 

pheader$     	#Call before start of file                     	
 	hour = int(time$)
 	min = int((time$ - hour)* 100)
 	if hour > 12, hour = hour - 12
 	if hour = 0, hour = 12
 	year$ = year$ + 2000

 	"%", e$
 	spaces$=0
 	*progno$, " ", scomm_str, sprogname$, scomm_end, e$
 	spathnc$ = ucase(spathnc$)
 	smcname$ = ucase(smcname$)
 	scomm_str, "MACHINE  	- MAZAK H-630", scomm_end, e$ # Added RDB
 	scomm_str, "CUSTOMER 	- ", prdbcustp, scomm_end, e$ # Added RDB    	
 	scomm_str, "PART #   	- ", smachgrp_name, scomm_end, e$ # ADDED Roger Martin 
 	scomm_str, "MODEL #  	- ", smachgrp_name, ".MCX", scomm_end, e$ # Added RDB    	
 	scomm_str, "PROGRAMMER   - RON B", scomm_end, e$ # Added RDB
 	scomm_str, "PROGRAM NAME - ", sprogname$,".NC", scomm_end, e$

 

HTH

[rocheey1]

Strings are easy to create. Here are a couple I have done.

 

# --------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Program Rev Compliance with Boeing/Spirit MBD Requirements
sr00  : "N/C"
sr01  : "A"
sr02  : "B"
sr03  : "C"
sr04  : "D"
sr05  : "E"
sr06  : "F"
sr07  : "G"
sr08  : "H"
sr09  : "I"
sr10  : "J"
sr11  : "K"
sr12  : "L"
sr13  : "M"
sr14  : "N"
sr15  : "O"
sr16  : "P"
sr17  : "Q"
sr18  : "R"
sr19  : "S"
sr20  : "T"
sr21  : "U"
sr22  : "V"
sr23  : "W"
sr24  : "X"
sr25  : "Y"
sr26  : "Z"
srev : ""

fstrsel sr00 mr9$ srev 27 -1

# --------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Customer selector
scust0   : "ADD CUSTOMER"
scust1   : "BOEING"
scust2   : "FUJI"
scust3   : "ARNOLD ENGINEERING"
scust4   : "GE AEROSPACE"
scust5   : "MITSUBISHI"
scust6   : "NORTHROP"
scust7   : "GOODRICH LANDING"
scust8   : "ROCKWELL COLLINS"
scust9   : "NORTHROP"
scust10  : "D.O.D."
scust11  : "LOCKHEED"
scust12  : "VOUGHT"
scust : ""

fstrsel scust0 mr10$ scust 13 -1

 

Then to call them in the post I use this in my pheader section:

 

pheader$     	#Call before start of file                     	
 	hour = int(time$)
 	min = int((time$ - hour)* 100)
 	if hour > 12, hour = hour - 12
 	if hour = 0, hour = 12
 	year$ = year$ + 2000

 	"%", e$
 	spaces$=0
 	*progno$, " ", scomm_str, sprogname$, scomm_end, e$
 	spathnc$ = ucase(spathnc$)
 	smcname$ = ucase(smcname$)
 	scomm_str, "MACHINE  	- MAZAK H-630", scomm_end, e$ # Added RDB
 	scomm_str, "CUSTOMER 	- ", prdbcustp, scomm_end, e$ # Added RDB    	
 	scomm_str, "PART #   	- ", smachgrp_name, scomm_end, e$ # ADDED Roger Martin 
 	scomm_str, "MODEL #  	- ", smachgrp_name, ".MCX", scomm_end, e$ # Added RDB    	
 	scomm_str, "PROGRAMMER   - RON B", scomm_end, e$ # Added RDB
 	scomm_str, "PROGRAM NAME - ", sprogname$,".NC", scomm_end, e$

 

HTH

 

 

Im using X5, 32bit, on Windows 7 . but I've noticed dissapearing strings, especially the tool description strings like what is output in GCode, for a while.

I also used both a default, supplied post processor, and the default MILL2.SET setup sheet. I am able to make the tool description strings

dissappear, and re-appear, at will, by merely by adding a space character in front of them.

[Jimmy Wakeford from Barefoot CNC]

If it is doing it with the default post it would have to be the computer, but that really doesn't sound right.

I don't know of any settings in Mastercam that you could set that would "ignore strings that start with a space"

Maybe something to do with anti-virus, but again that really don't sound right.

 

Anyone else have any ideas or seen this?

[Rob @ Target Machine]

I haven't seen this problem in particular, but I have seen "string select table out of range" errors generated in a stock post as well as the mpmaster post.

 

The culprit was the video driver. Who would have guessed? Windows update burned me. Now I keep it turned off.

 

rocheey1,

If you're using a Quadro card and have the latest driver, you might want to roll back to the version recommended on the Solidworks site.

 

I know it doesn't seem related, but you'd be suprised.

 

HTH

 

Btw - What are you running for a video card and what video driver version?

 

 

[Colin Gilchrist]

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