Beta CNC Control Panel V 3.0

[egarbe]

Hooray!!! NWA finally fixed the problem with Windows 10 and CP 3.0. This involves installing the latest version of the Control Panel, installing an update to the C++ runtime from Microsoft and upgrading the controller and LCD firmware.

After doing all this I then did a couple test runs.

I started with a job with about 2,000 lines of g-code. I have been using this file in all my earlier tests and never got it to run completely. This would always lock up at various points of the run and I never got it to run more than 1,100 lines. After the update it ran completely with no problems.

I then ran a test with a job of about 36,000 lines and it also completed without any problem.

Ed

[Rando]

Awesome!

[Larry Stobbs]

Sadly I had to return two HD4 extended beds. The first one acted like it had issues with bearings being bad, the second one would consistently cut a 3d rough tool path at almost twice the programmed depth of cut, it also had areas which it looked like it skipped over large portions of g code. I had them remote into my computer we did all kinds of firmware updates to no avail, NWA ran the carve file on one of their machines and it cut correctly and it also cut correctly on my old white cnc shark. During the process we completely gave up on trying to use the 3.0 controller but never could get this issue resolved. I am not the expert but I would say that there has to be a firmware issues that hasn't been resolved. I also think that due to all the issues with windows 10 they would have been better off coupling their HD4 with a pendent controller that doesn't use a computer at all which would eliminate the windows operating system from the equation. I did like the mechanical parts on the HD4 and had really wanted to be able to do 4th axis and laser stuff but this didn't work out. I am ordering a different machine this next week which was more expensive and currently doesn't have 4th axis but I am hoping that it will cut correctly like my original white CNC Shark has done in the past.

[SteveM]

Larry:
I am confused with what you just wrote.
The HD4 does run with the pendant and doesn't need a PC to run.
If I understand what you're saying is you are running the HD4 with the computer and not using the pendant.

Is that the case?
I have the HD4 and have only used the pendant.

[wilsond]

For those wanting to add the 4th axis to the HD4, the A-Axis boxes do not appear on the Control Panel V3.0. For me that means I cannot set the offsets to use the center of the radius as the reference point for A-Axis tap files. Since you must do this to run the rounding gadget in VCarve Pro, I am unable to turn square stock into cylinder stock without a lot manual work. Please reply if you have solved this problem.

[Joseph Poirier]

Hi all,

@Larry, I'm sorry you experienced those issues. I can confirm there were a number of issues we experienced due to windows 10 style updates on all OS, and other software interference that made getting this project off the ground right much more difficult than in the past. Microsoft has been backloading updates to older OS that have had a large affect on USB communications.. I believe their long-term goal is to provide better power management on all PCs from Win 7 up, but it has cost many people and many companies great loss, and many users great loss of faith in traditionally good products. With the current Windows updates from January or February, both the firmware from December and January will run to completion on almost any GCode file with the current release of CP 3.0.

However, the system runs at a pace that is approximately 15-20% slower than running off the pendant, which is why we recommend using the pendant for running files.

We have also released compiled firmware updates with January released firmware for the Piranha FX and XL/HD 4.0 controllers, which avert communication issues with the website during download.

@egarbe, checking the power is a good answer.. common issue in old Legacy Shark controller driver and possible issue in any USB driver. I see you have an update that works, which is great.. but the final bugs were worked out in a newer version and steps have been taken to allow a cleaner exit from the application and better EStop functionality, along with a brand new image conversion interface (written by me). The latest 3.0 release is v3.02 Build 16 j.. and we have just divided the CP into two parts, which are in the testing phase. 1 for Legacy Shark ncPod controllers v2.5 and 1 for Next Wave controllers v3.0. The new CPs should be released in the next few weeks, so keep a watch on our site.

@wilsond, I have rolled in 4th axis to the CP.. http://nextwaveautomation.com/Downloads ... 0_Beta.exe
No more manual setup review the release notes to understand how it works.

Best Regards, Next Wave Sr. Software Engineer