I am, but they dont seem to want to stick. Updated the drivers, dont know why it wont take.

I just purchased a SpaceExplorer and the buttons work great in SolidWorks when changing them around, but I cant get them to change with MasterCam. All I have to work with is zoom and unzoom. Am I missing something in MasterCams setup options somewhere? Thanks in advance!

quote: I had heard moisture in air lines can contribute to this This was the initial thought. 1999 Haas VF9 bought used, 40 taper; Yes it does seem to be worse when roughing. Just used an 1.5 dia Iscar plunger for about 12 hours on a plate and the holder just looks scorched where the taper is, have to give it the ol tool release tap to get the tool out of the spindle.

We recently purchased a machine that even a brand new holder after a short run looks as though someone dipped it in oil and torched it on the tapered contact area for the spindle. Whats the reason for this? Is there that much of a mis-match between the tapers? Can u have spindles re-ground without having problems? Thanks in advance!

Just had Glen from Cimco in our shop. Drive a ground rod down by the machine and tie it in. Haas is supposed to be terrible for noise in the lines.

James, O.K. How about a "somewhat" predictable outcome? I dont have saving issues, just what works in one release doesnt in the next, or vice versa. Sorry about your monitor. Peace...

HIJACK: quote: There IS a problem here and has been for awhile, it's supposed to be be addressed but with each new release when? quote: I think the things that are wrong now should be fixed. John, I would like to borrow a couple of things you have posted in this link, it is not an attack, but its funny how I have felt about a few things for awhile and you have just been the lucky one to make these comments: We have let our maintenance expire for the short term for this very reason. We are tired of things that work on one release go to hell on the next. A couple of examples that come to mind are 2-D sweeps, and WCS. Two very common items used daily by all in our shop. With X2 SP1 wcs comes and goes, with the release of X2 2d-sweeps come and go. I have sent a few files into qc, but usually with the same outcome."Problem cannot be re-created". As a result of these items and many more like it: We feel it is in the best interest of our shop that if we know what the bugs are at least we can have a predictable outcome. With each release should we be expected to "experiment" and find out what works this time around? I personally believe that I should have stopped upgrading at X MR2. For the features that our shop uses of MasterCam, I believe this was the cleanest copy of the software, again, for our use. I dont belive that I am the only one with these feelings, and as a shop we know that we will eventually pay the cost for the maintenance, we would just like to see some justification for the cost of doing so. This is posted as informative customer feedback and is in no particualar way a degredation to CNC software or any of the members of this forum. It is my personal belief and that of others users in the shop at which I am employed. This is posted with professionalism in mind, and should be treated as constructive criticism only. HIJACK OFF:

Dont forget the vector drive...and air solenoids, and belts, and the vector drive, and another vector drive, and...

How about a junk 10000 rpm spindle? Got one on the floor you can digitize.

Paul, Ive got the demo for Cimco 5 installed; whats the real advantage of it over what I already have available. The pricing is right, I just want to know from someone using it why its better?

We have seven seats of MasterCam. On these each of these seats we have a switchbox and feed 2-3 machines. Lately, we have had a lot of communication errors using this system. I have been unable to track down the source of the problem whether is is in the cables, the box, or the connectors. All are set up the same way as the next one. All of the other computers are set up better than the minimum requirements, all are using XP SP2. Five of the seats are MCX Level 1 SP1. Everyseat is using the MasterCam editor to send out of to the machine. I have been told that communications are not supported. Is there some other software, and/or hardware that is better for communications than what we have? Distance to the machine is not is question, all seats are located within 20 ft of machine to which we are sending. Should we be using something else other than what is supplied with the MasterCam installation? Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go to the developers forum and the very first thread has the nehook 2.0 API download. Its the latest and greatest for X2 nethooks. As for the C-hook SDK documentation, contact your reseller to obtain.

Forget the cake, wheres the keg?

I have better luck saving an stl as its own file and pointing verify to that file for verifications of the next op. Ex. a welment before machining. This gives me the option of opening that stl file by itself and translating it around because trying to tranlate just the stl through the tranlate menu is to difficult. Main folder MCX file (Toolpaths) STL file op 1(MCX file saved as stl) STL file op 2(MCX file saved as stl) Tools Setup Docs. This keeps everything tidy and creates less confusion when trying to work with it. I usually draw up welments with solidworks, save as stl, and then have to move them around when importing into MCam. Dont know if this answers your question, but this system works easier for me and keeps files seperated nicely.

WOO HOO! Thanks Mike.

bump:

Ok. I can get it to build and execute in mcam if i open a seat and manually launch the hook. 2 Problems I have: 1. I cannot get the debugger to work within VS 2005 C# Express. Yes, I started with the example text provided. Project/properties/debug: Im given the following: Start options Command line arguments=mastercam.exe Working Directory = C:McamX2 No matter what i do i cannot get this to fly. 2. I can build the example hook if i just open the project file, add the references(Mcamx2 Folder, NetHook2_0.dll) This will run through the dialogue manager example. How do I just build so that I may see the rest of the examples? When I try to exclude any of the previous from the project,when I execute the hookd in mcam, it shows the .net error and pukes. Any help is appreciated as usuall. Thank you!

Im referencing the newer 2_0. dll Currently Im reinstalling X2, then adding in the new service pack. Ive chopped so much out of the program I dont know if I have everything there anymore. Works great for getting G-code, dont know about nethooks though. I followed the examples but could not get the debugger section to work for me out of express. Had to manually start mcam and execute the hook. It would work through the first section of the examples where it displays the prompt boxes, but where it went to lay down toolpaths in the operations manager it would give an exception error. Is VS C# express enough to get the job done? I understand that most users building hooks have the full version of VS. Ill reply more after I install.

What am I missing? I am trying to use the new Nethook api, it builds correctly but when I launch it in mcam this is what I get. Using VS VB express, is this the culprit?

Call your reseller to modify it for you. They can get you going faster than you trying to learn to alter a post on your own.

Ive got a 3 year old who likes to climb on my desk. I'll keep that in mind.

Thanks Ron. Thats what I thought,just wanted re-assurance.

Am I allowed to have a seat installed at home on a different box? I just have to float my hasp back and forth? Just checking, cant find it in the documentation anywhere. Thanks in advance

Someone here built the S2f script located in the vb scripts folder on the ftp. This tool is great, because not only can you use MCAMs normal backup and saving you can also store a copy somewhere else. Mastercam will let me keep a copy on our general cnc network drive that everyone stores on, and a local backup copy. Then with the s2f, if its really important, two clicks and I have a copy saved on my personal space in the network drive. 3 copies, different places. Weve all been burnt, eventually you learn to set it up so your less likely to get burnt. It sucks, its not mastercams fault, learn from it, fix the problem, get back to work....

Ditto to the above. Hopefully this will give me a bette understanding of how to use this stuff.