Hi,

I'm contemplating the idea of building a machine control panel for my mill to make it a bit more like an industrial-class machine.  Most of it seems fairly straightforward, but I'm struggling to figure out how to load a new program without having a mouse/keyboard since the Load G-Code command opens a windows filesystem browser.

Anyone already solved this problem?  Or failing that, anyone have ideas on how to make the Load G-Code function default to listing programs from a pre-determined folder and/or a USB key if inserted using the same UI as the Recent File feature?  I figure I can set up a central folder in DropBox and put files there from my CAM machine.

Then all I'd need is arrow keys and an enter key to navigate.

-Ben

Hi,

machine control panel for my mill to make it a bit more like an industrial-class machine.

There is a way forward....Mach4....you can demo it for free.

Craig

Heh.  Okay.  I'll bite.

What about Mach4 makes it better suited to my needs?  At this point I haven't found a shortcoming in Mach3 that justifies buying / configuring / learning a new piece of software. 

Hi,
download it and see for yourself.

The principle gain is the ability and capability to customize the way Mach4 behaves and presents itself. This comes
about in part due to Lua, the scripting language used by Mach4, which despite its simplicity manages to enable
some very powerful programming paradigms, and in part to the modular structure of Mach4.

Mach4 is designed and developed in a manner that makes it attractive to OEM customers and its ability to be customized
is critical, after all they are manufacturing machines and want the control software to reflect the unique design features
of the machine.

Craig