Put the ShopBot in "pause" mode

[donframbach]

Every 45 minutes to an hour, I need to pause my ShopBot so that my compressors, which drive an Air-Turbine Tools router can cool. So far, I've been doing it manually. I can think of two kind of kludgy ways of doing it automatically: (1) count the moves the router makes as I create the part files and insert a bit of code to pause and then resume cutting or (2) trigger the ShopBot with one of its inputs to pause. Has anyone worked out a better way to do it?

TIA Don Frambach

BTW to turn "off" the compressors, I'll just activate a solenoid valve.

[debekker]

This Might sound Hokey But I found out by mistake.
If you have your pc set in windows to turn off monitor at a certain time it will also pause the shop bot program in DOS. If your running in a dos window. So all you would have to do is set your screen saver for the time aloted and it will pause the program. Then just hit the mouse when your ready to restart.. Its kinda anoying for me when i forget to turn it of in windows

[donframbach]

Thanks. But, in order for the compressors to rest, the ShopBot needs to know that it is pausing so it can activate the solenoid valve. It would be great if there was a way to read the time from a ShopBot File.

[rgbrown@itexas.net]

Don,

Just took the time to think about your "Time-out" for cooling and recharge.

Could you pick a line where the "Z" is out of the material then insert commands similar to:

*********
(Switch command)
SS, .01,,,
MX, (a distance to give you the required cooling time)
SS,(back to normal)
M3, (to next point in file)
(Switch command)
********

Continue with the file?

Ron Brown - rgbrown@itexas.net

If Stupidity got us into this mess,
then why can't it get us out? - Will Rogers

[garlicking@charter.net]

Ron,
Would a "PAUSE" command work more simply than a "MX" command? Just a thought!
keith

[donframbach]

I just completed my timer. I used the ShopBot Output switch 1 to trigger relay as described on page 148 of the ShopBot Users Guide. I used a "Multifunction Relay Module" (K8015 $16.95 from http://www.hobbytron.net/timers.html). The Multifunction Relay Module is triggered by the ShopBot Output switch 1. It has a timer function that cas be set between 2 seconds and 12 days. Ths relay module then activates the ShopBot input switch 1.

This works but it sure would be a lot cleaner if the ShopBot software simply had a timer function!

[donframbach]

Oops, I didn't make my last post as clear as I should. The timer is used to keep track of how long the compressors have been working. I will use ShopBot output switch 2 to close a solenoid valve and thus turn off my compressors. I will use the ShopBot "pause" command to let the compressors cool before resuming. I also purchased a pressure activated switch from Ebay that I will use to confirm that the pressure to the air driven router is OK before I resume cutting. I expect to connect this to input 2. This means that I will use two inputs and two outputs.

[peterk]

the software does have a timer. where u want to pause in your cut file add

pause 10 for 10 seconds

pause 1000 for 1000 seconds.

etc.

works for me.

[bill.young]

Don,

Have you thought about using a temp sensor on your compressor to trigger the input switch, instead of a timer?

Bill

[donframbach]

Bill, that's a great idea! Sometimes we work a little harder that we have to. I'll look into getting a temperature sensitive switch. For now, though, I'm using the timer.

Don