Mach 3 Minimum THC Values

[TrinityFabworks]

My water table is not completely flat, and sometimes my thc needs to go down past zero, but the THC min on mach 3 is set to zero. I have tried to set it to a negative value, with no luck. I would like to allow it to have a min. -.25, but mach won't let me put in a negative value. Any ideas on how to fix this?

[SeanP]

It's a bit finicky changing the value but you should get it by typing in the number in then hit enter.
I'm fairly certain if you are in imperial it's -1 & +1 and Metric is -25 & +25

[tcaudle]

If you can't get it to take a negative number you will have to open the screen edit and find that DRO and you can set the number of digits , the width of the display box and if it will take negative numbers . Work on a copy of the SET file and save it as another name and use the VIEM ? LOAD Scrren to assign it to MACH3.

[AdrianH]

You can do it by editing the plasma.xml file find where it says THC min and set a negative value.

Also see this youtube video. (not mine)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z32NKx5oW7I

Adrian

[TrinityFabworks]

If you can't get it to take a negative number you will have to open the screen edit and find that DRO and you can set the number of digits , the width of the display box and if it will take negative numbers . Work on a copy of the SET file and save it as another name and use the VIEM ? LOAD Scrren to assign it to MACH3.

Thanks for the reply! Now how do I figure out what all of that means?

[tcaudle]

You use the MACH screen editor (MachScreen ) that come with every copy of MACH3 or third party Screen4 Its graphical . Start the scrren builder app and You simply open the .SET file you normally use and then save it as a new name and edit that one . You can resize a DRO, change the required parameters etc. Either that or find a screen set that has the control built correctly. You can open any screen set, copy any control (like the DRO) to the clipboard then open your renamed SET file and PASTE the control on the page. Then delete the old control and drag the new one where you want. Save it and use the VIEW/Load Screenset to make your new screen the default one for MACH3

[Old Iron]

Can't you run the torch to the top of the plate, zero the Z axis, lower the Z axis .250 more to have a .250 lower than the top of the plate?

[rbmgf7]

Adrian's post is the correct answer. This needs to be a sticky.

Open the Mach3 directory folder and find the plasma.xml file. Right click and open it in Notepad. Find THCMin and there will be a value next to it; likely zero. Change it to a negative value (I do -.25). Save and then reopen Mach3. The THCMin value should be whatever you entered in the XML.