TGfx install?

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  • January 11, 2014 at 3:48 pm #5132
    tomking505
    Member

    On https://github.com/synthetos/tgFX It says “installing TGfx is very easy.” AND NOTHING ELSE.

    Then all I get is a folder with an uninstaller.

    Could I get a little more info than “it’s easy” ??

    January 11, 2014 at 4:04 pm #5133
    tomking505
    Member

    Okay, I found the tgFX folder in programs, but running the main JAR tells me

    Error: Exception while running application.

    I didn’t know, before investing in three boards and three months of my valuable time, that I would be inventing all the frigging documentation at EVERY GODDAMN step.

    I have thirty years of electronics and computer experience, but I am not a mind reader. Would you complete one project, fully functional, with at least minimal documentation, before going on to the next?

    January 12, 2014 at 10:13 am #5135
    tomking505
    Member

    I apologize for the inflammatory (although factual) language of my post above. I returned here this morning to delete it, but cannot.

    My TinyG destroyed a large, expensive hunk of polymer, and I’m frustrated.

    January 12, 2014 at 10:29 am #5136
    mcgyvr
    Member

    Did you see this
    https://www.synthetos.com/topics/tgfx-latest-builds/
    click on the dropbox link in the first post.
    It was a while ago but I don’t remember any problems installing from one of the files there..
    I just used the exe I think for my windows machine and it was “simple”.

    I do agree though.. Its like a never ending beta where you need to hunt around for the information you need and then there seems to always be something that gets in your way and ruins the fun that we should be having. I can’t get my machine to run without it missing steps every once and a while which causes a serious “oops” and trashes what I’m doing. I set my machine to the side a few months ago after being fed up in hopes that a few more firmware versions might clear up the issues I’ve had.. I need to get back into it very shortly here though and I’m scared I’m just going to disappointed again.

    January 12, 2014 at 11:03 am #5137
    Riley
    Keymaster

    I am sorry you are having issues. Lets get some facts about what is going on?

    It says:
    Installing tgFX is very easy. All you have to do is go down to the Binary Download section below and follow the dropbox link.

    So can I assume you have downloaded the binary for tgfx and that you have installed it for your platform? On windows it places a tgFX folder in your “all programs”. Then in there, there will be 2 files.. tgFX and the uninstaller. If you have something different then something is wrong.

    As for your comment about not being able to delete it I am not sure what you are referencing.

    @Tom, tgFX is STILL in development and being worked on daily. I have a bunch of changes I am working on pushing up very soon. So we are not “moving on” to another project 🙂


    @mcgyvr    ,
    Can you be more specific about your missing steps problem? Have you opened a issue on github? Is this bug repeatable? If so what files are you sending that illicit this behavior?

    January 12, 2014 at 9:54 pm #5153
    jland
    Member

    I had the same problem installing the X64 version of tgFX (Win7). All I got in the start menu was an uninstall shortcut. I then installed the x32 version which worked properly.

    January 12, 2014 at 10:20 pm #5154
    Riley
    Keymaster

    Interesting, ok this is helpful. I do not have a x64 instance to test and therefore did not see this. I will take a look at this. However I think the 32 bit version is the only one that is needed now, now that I fixed a few things on the installer.

    I am thinking about pulling the x64 Windows binaries if they are causing issues. Your x64 Windows works fine with tgFX? Thanks for the help jland.

    riley

    January 13, 2014 at 3:08 am #5155
    jland
    Member

    Hi Riley, the x32 seems to work fine on my Win 7 x64. I did have a problem with arcs which I posted about a couple of weeks ago, but I don’t think it’s tgFX related. My use of tgFX hasn’t been too exhaustive since I’m still waiting for my shapeoko mech kit and have only run programs with the motors on my bench top.

    Cheers,

    Jim

    January 14, 2014 at 9:22 pm #5161
    Gopal
    Member

    Hi Riley,
    The x64 is useless and very buggy. The x84 is ok but can be launced only randomly on my Toshiba Laptop running win7 Ultimate. TinyG DOES NOT echo anyting when connected. Jog using arrows and + /= only work sometimes.

    tgFX always come up with metric and if one forgets to set the units to inches everytime tgFX is started there job is lost. G20/21 does not seem to help(?) Many missing steps and sometimes misses line of gcode!

    Velocity or FR display doesn’t always follow gcode.
    When Motor1 & 2 are run together, the Velocity value is some different number

    There can be a screen size configuration.
    Any info from Synthetos ALWAYS show OSX screen and setup (https://github.com/synthetos/tgFX, for example).

    Would be nice to have a scolling gcode to show which line is being used.

    I am using TinyG v8 and the latest binary for tgFX.

    Thanks for all the help!

    Gopal

    The arrow has to be at the bottom edge of the top selection boxes to be active.

    January 16, 2014 at 12:05 am #5169
    tomking505
    Member

    > I can’t get my machine to run without it missing steps every once and a while which causes a serious “oops” and trashes what I’m doing.

    How does that fit with the TinyG page, which claims “Affordable Industrial Grade Motion Control?”

    What kind of business can afford to repeatedly wreck hundreds of dollars of raw materials because the CNC board decides to freak out.

    January 16, 2014 at 2:57 am #5170
    tomking505
    Member

    I installed the 64 bit code (about six times.) It seems to fully install, but there is only a uninstall in the start menu. If I seek out the folder, it contains a couple jars, but they give a generic error without doing anything useful.

    I installed the 32 bit version. It installs. There is both an uninstaller and the TGFX program. It runs. It appears to connect to my com port. It loads gcode. When I tell it to run, nothing happens. When I go to the motor page and hit query, the program dies.

    When I ran it a second time, it seems functional.

    Thanks for the suggestion of installing the 32bit version on my 64 bit machine. One immediate benefit is that it doesn’t continue running when I cancel, like CoolTerm did.

    January 16, 2014 at 10:41 am #5173
    Gopal
    Member

    I am also going through the pains of this install on x64. Keep in mind that the primary task, it appears, for the originator of the program is to support Stepoko and most of the effort is on his Mac.

    I have asked for help and awaiting some sort of an answer… Oh, well!
    This is what I have done so far on my own – not being any sort of an engineer, I UN-installed the tgfx_windows-x64 v.95 build 2072 and the EDGE build v.96 2404 to no avail.

    I installed the latest x32 exe file posted by Mr. Riley. It was very frustrating at first as the screen was oversized, many of the control boxes hidden, review screen blank, USB-COM communication stuck, all the $ commands laughing back at me silently, unable to apply changes to axes, machine setup etc etc etc. Finally I decided to do a clean uninstall using a program called Revo. I noticed that tgfx leaves a lot of “junk” in the rgistry. I removed them all (actually Revo does it for you). Then I reinstalled the tgfx and finally the software was good to go. I used the command line to re-do my configuration (NOT the shapeoko that the forum supports).

    This does not mean everything is hunkydory. TinyG has its own quirks. The only thing it does well is the Gcode parsing. The driver part is poorly “engineered” – (I have to put that in quotes ’cause I am not an engineer!). I looked up the Texas Instrument data sheet for the driver chip (TI8818) and it is rated at 2.5amp max. It has all sorts of thermal and over current protection. The “heatsink” for the chip is a strip of PCB trace – no way to know if the internal silicon is reaching self shut down due to poor heat transfer – a major cause for missing steps. I see that the current sense resistor is poorly located on the board and I have no idea the transients on the trace connecting the sense resistors – case for over current shut down. I am sure the chip is capable of driving steppers with <2amp phase current. Be careful where you set the PWM frequency as it may invalidate timing the stepper when you use microstepping. Wrong setting on the white pot (current control) can drive the steppers into some sort of resonance mode (whining motors).

    All in all this is a WORK-IN-PROGRESS from Synthetos and they say so (their escape clause)!!! Early adopters like us are trying to use both the TinyG and tgFX at our own risk. BOTH ARE DEFINITELY NOT PRODUCTION MATERIAL….sad to say. I am a retired physicist trying to pick up a hobby that is more tangible than my past career; but it looks like this path is not as enjoyable as I had expected…. too many ifs and buts that I was hoping to avoid.
    Gopal

    January 16, 2014 at 9:58 pm #5179
    Riley
    Keymaster

    Hi Riley,
    The x64 is useless and very buggy. The x84 is ok but can be launced only randomly on my Toshiba Laptop running win7 Ultimate. TinyG DOES NOT echo anyting when connected. Jog using arrows and + /= only work sometimes.

    The x64 was removed. Use 32bit.

    tgFX always come up with metric and if one forgets to set the units to inches everytime tgFX is started there job is lost. G20/21 does not seem to help(?) Many missing steps and sometimes misses line of gcode!

    tgFX does not come up as “metric” or “inches” your default unit mode that is set on TinyG does this. tgFX just reads it back.

    Velocity or FR display doesn’t always follow gcode.
    When Motor1 & 2 are run together, the Velocity value is some different number

    This does not give me enough information to help you. However I ASSUME you mean, when you run x and y (motor 1 and 2) together (and they contain the same velocity movement) then your velocity does something a bit more than what you expected? This is correct. Short answer think of the hypotenuse of a triangle. Alden can explain more on that side.

    There can be a screen size configuration.
    Any info from Synthetos ALWAYS show OSX screen and setup (https://github.com/synthetos/tgFX, for example).

    Would be nice to have a scolling gcode to show which line is being used.

    Had this.. Ditched it.. It lagged older systems badly. This was a javaFX issue

    I am using TinyG v8 and the latest binary for tgFX.

    Thanks for all the help!

    Gopal

    The arrow has to be at the bottom edge of the top selection boxes to be active.

    Not sure of the context on this comment.

    January 16, 2014 at 10:43 pm #5181
    Riley
    Keymaster

    @gopal,

    Jeez man. It sounds like you are having a day. I have been offline for the better part of this whole week. I have been preparing for a conference for my day job.

    That being said. Email me. Let’s get you working. I can setup a google hangout / phone call. Anything you want.

    TinyG is very much production ready! tgFX is NOT! That being said. If you are just “screw it I am done” we can get you a refund as well. No questions asked.

    To be very honest. Alden, Rob and I (synthetos.com) never intended for anyone to be so discouraged by our work as to quit (before you really get started) the awesome world that is CNC. I will say that I think a few of your comments are “not accurate” but its not really one of those things to be argued about on a forum.

    The road to satisfaction is really “Lets get Gopal working!!!”. I wish I was retired then I could spend more time writing code to support people like you.. Ugh! (Windows users 🙂

    email me riley porter # gmail.com and get me your contact info. If you want to that is, I really would hate to see you give up before you get started!

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