During the cutting process, NO MOUSE

[woodshop]

We need our mouse to work on other things while the shopbot is busy cutting. But NO MOUSE... It is not available and hovering over the STOP button.

Yes, we understand the SAFETY feature built in to the control software by not allowing the mouse out-of-its-cage. That makes sense but...

... We would prefer to multitask during the cutting process.

Actually, we have two CNC machines hooked up to one computer and need our mouse back.

Any setting for this?
Thanks

[scottp55]

My 2 cents,
1 machine, 1 computer.
You don't need comm issues ruining pieces and making you lose $ and sanity.
Refurbed HP Windows 7 towers aren't that expensive, and after the bloatware and junk is taken out and all internet/updates taken off are plenty fast enough.
Do you have an old tower? it doesn't take much simply to run the cut files....if VCP8.514 is on the machine like mine it's still fine if it's a refurb.
Free advice:)
scott

[dmidkiff]

If anything interrupts the cut file in progress you stand a chance of losing your material for your project. 2 machines would be competing for computer power and interrupting each other.

[Tom Bachman]

Yea, it's more than just a safety issue. I think many of us have found out, the hard way, that anything that interferes with the transfer of data can cause problems. In my case the screen saver kicked in and froze the machine, had to start all over. Thank goodness the material was not expensive.

[woodshop]

We simply need access to VCarvePro during the cutting process.
VCarvePro gives us a visual of the cutting path during the cutting process. Safety Issue!

(My apologies if this starts a forum brawl)

[Walt_S]

I can understand where you are coming from. There are still times I try to move the mouse from Stop for whatever reason. Habit more than anything I guess. I'd suggest putting a second computer with VCP in the shop so you can reference it. If money is an issue I recently bought a HP Win 7 machine for $75 online. Said it was a refurb but looked and was packed like brand new, with all the accessories I didn't really need. They even upgraded the memory for around $10. I'm tempted to buy another just to have.

[woodshop]

Just received an email from Tom at Shopbot support...

...That being said, you can let the mouse out of the cage by pressing ALT-I (the letter i) together on the keyboard before you run the cut file.

[Gary Campbell]

Dave...
No forum brawl here, just a few voices that come from experience. You can release the mouse during cutting as you state above. Having done this in the past, like the others I do not recommend it.

"VCarvePro gives us a visual of the cutting path during the cutting process. Safety Issue!"

Disagree. The previewer will give you the same info and show the cut path on the bed of the machine, ensuring that all code is within the confines of the machine. VCarve shows the cutpath as it relates to the design workspace, not always the same.

Disagree Very Strongly. The operators need to look at a toolpath while cutting should be minor compared to his ability to retain control over a machine that can injure. When the mouse is released, Windows focus is elsewhere and no keyboard or mouse actions will take affect until focus has been returned to SB3. DO NOT ASK HOW I KNOW THIS! :)

That said, let us know how it works out (I for one already know)

[woodshop]

Ok, I will go get another HP or Dell.
I trust you folks. I get it!

[dlcw]

To reiterate others comments, the computer running the CNC should be 100% dedicated to running the CNC. It is a safety issue as well as financial issue. If you run something like SBLink and have a large file to nest I've had the SB control software throw a comms lost because SBLink uses so much resource to perform the nest that other running processes lose CPU cycles. The only thing I run in the background is the music player and I've since stopped using it in favor of using my phone to play iHeart Radio thru my shop speakers. The music player was causing some interruptions on occasion.

From a safety standpoint, once you take focus away from the control software, you are opening yourself up to possibly not being able to stop the machine in an emergency. From a financial aspect, you could ruin a lot of material because the CNC and computer loose their brains and either stop operating or go into LALA land. A really scary possibility is for the cutting bit to be buried in the material spinning and the machine stops moving. Great fire starter! :eek:

Like others have said, if you want to play while your machine is operating, get another computer.

[Walt_S]

Ok, I will go get another HP or Dell.
I trust you folks. I get it!

I started looking at a Dell. Another user pointed me to a very lengthy thread regarding Dell and the way their USB ports/communication is/are setup. Long story short many people are having issues with Dell running their machines. Some are not. After reading a lot of it I decided I didn't need another headache, I switched to looking at HP, even though I'm not fond of them. Works perfectly so far.

[woodshop]

Ok, HP it will be.
Yes, my current Dell gives me fits.
However, now that I've neutered this Dell, it works better.

[tri4sale]

I too liked to see the image in VCarve while I'm cutting, so I just installed a 29" monitor on my (Dell) control computer and can run it and ShopBot software side by side, and leave the mouse locked in the SB software.

[woodshop]

Thanks for reinforcing the value of having VCarve in view while cutting. That view has saved us many times.
I have been able to organize my screen and squeeze VCarve into the lower left corner in view while cutting.

[scottp55]

Another thing that helps visualization is to turn on the "file progress" that shows what has been cut, and where the cutter is at the moment.
Also maybe turn on your log files so if you have any question of your settings/cut times/line stopped at/etc. on a project, You just open your folder and click on the toolpath log that will show every time you have cut that file.
Either type "VD" into the command line, or use the pull down menu under V alues.