EMC Release History

July 31, 2010 EMC 2.4.3 released

• axis: fix jogs after selecting increment (SF#3028917)
• axis: fix high CPU usage with certain window managers
• axis: fix keys while choosing jog increment
• calibration: fix second and subsequent tabs
• components: new bldc_hall3 component for commutation of BLDC motor with hall sensors
• components: serport: improve error message when port cannot be registered
• documentation: many improvements
• pncconf: improve sanity checking for spindle drive control options
• pncconf: honor invert motor/encoder settings when writing inifile
• pncconf: fix firmware names for 7i43 and 5i22
• pncconf: add firmware names for 3x20
• pncconf: support spindle-at-speed logic
• pncconf: support stepper as spindle
• pncconf: create desktop shortcuts in right location
• pncconf: additional bugfixes
• task: Improve behavior when RFL line is between subroutine definition and use
• sample-configs: use gedit, not vim, as default text editor
• sample-configs: fix C axis behavior in configs/5axis
• sample-configs: 622keyence configuration
• sample-configs: smithy: pause the program when a guard is opened
• tooledit: accept numbers with leading zeros (SF#3032618)
• tooledit: display 6 significant digits
• tooledit: add scrollbars
• tooledit: other cosmetic improvements
• touchy: "cycle start" resumes program if it was paused

July 4, 2010 EMC 2.4.2 released

• classicladder: modbus reliability and performance improvements
• components: fix tan(), atan() implementations. Before, using these functions would make all math in realtime components behave unpredictably.
• comp: fix repeated MODULE_LICENSE declarations
• documentation: many improvements
• emccalib: fix crash 'unmatched open quote in list' for lines like loadrt hal_parport cfg="0x378 out "
• emcrsh: fix crash when invoked with a bad commandline
• emcsh: report effect tool offsets on all axes
• emcsh: enable emc_tool_offset to access all tool offsets
• emcsh: fix wrong conversion of ABC axis values as though they were linear axes
• gcode: fix a problem with inverse time mode and m66 leading to very slow moves
• gcode: save state of g92 across runs. In the first run after upgrading to 2.4.2, g92 will be disabled. In subsequent runs, the state of g92 at startup will be the the same one stored in the var file at shutdown.
• gcode: fix G1 followed by G5, G5.x
• gcode: improve accuracy of NURBS paths. An important calculation of the direction of a NURBS path at a given point has been improved. This makes the resulting path more closely follow the mathematically precise NURBS curve.
• gcode: improve accuracy of G5, G5.1 spline paths by converting them to NURBS paths.
• gcode: detect missing P, Q words with G5
• gcode: avoid division by zero in NURBS
• hal_input: fix keys and buttons with unknown names
• image-to-gcode: fix crash when using lace bounding
• mesa: fix failure to load firmwares on 7i43
• mesa: fix failure to load firmwares on 5i23, 3x20, and other PLX9054-based cards
• mesa: fix stepgen slowly moving in negative direction, losing position
• mesa: fix stepgen mode setting problem
• motion: fix threading and tapping with spindle turning backward (M4)
• pncconf: mesa 3x20 support
• pncconf: write configuration files without "base thread". This may improve behavior on step&direction systems configured with pncconf.
• pncconf: many additional bugfixes
• pickconfig: fix icon for desktop shortcuts
• pickconfig: fix permissions on desktop shortcuts
• pickconfig: don't allow user to run sample configuration without copying. This has not worked right for a long time, so there's no value in offering the option.
• ppmc: improve error message when no board is present
• ppmc: fix board detection when cooperating with linux parport_pc driver
• sample configurations:
  • ppmc: sample configs now use axis user interface
  • ppmc: hal samples for spindle speed display, pendant
  • smithy: 1240 and 622leadshine sample configuration improvements
• sample gcode:
  • lathe_pawn: set radius mode in startup codes
• stepgen: fix ctrl_type for kernels 2.6.30 and newer

May 29, 2010 EMC 2.4.1 released

• tooledit: fix display of angles for lathe tools
• tkemc: fix "Tool Table Editor" menu item
• tkemc: remove 'balloon' and 'emchelp' menu items which should not have appeared
• parport: make it a warning, not an error, if EPP is not detected by Linux
• pncconf: various improvements
• configs: various improvements to the smithy configurations
• axis: fix "touch off" when loaded program starts with "%"
• axis: fix click-to-select in preview on Ubuntu 10.04 in focus-follows-mouse mode
• axis: new splash screen
• hostmot2: fix undesired motion of steppers immediately after enabling them
• fixed several buffer overflows in error routines
• NURBS: fix several bugs and document it
• hal_joystick: remove as it no longer works. Use hal_input instead.
• Documentation improvements
• Remove several debugging messages and warnings
• Change the default message level from ALL to ERR, which was the default in version 2.3.x.
• Locked memory: improve locked memory setup and locked memory error messages
• integ: new 'gain' pin

May 9, 2010 EMC 2.4.0 released

• configs: add GEOMETRY=AXYZ to Sherline4Axis so A rotates
• configs: DOS-damaged inifiles are detected with a clear error
• configs: A default nml file is used if it is not specified in the inifile
• configs: new [AXIS_#]VOLATILE_HOME flag makes an axis unhomed after estop or machine off (for motors without feedback, such as steppers)
• configs: updates to smithy configuration files

• nml: enlarge status buffer in default emc.nml
• nml: add machine delay time to status (works for G4Pxx and M66)
• nml: unused fields removed from the status buffer

• touchy: a new GUI for touchscreens that doesn't use a keyboard

• tooledit: new GUI to edit tool table

• axis: shift+jog for XYZ gives a jog at the traverse speed.
• axis: the units (mm, inch, or degrees) are shown in touch-off; when appropriate, radius or diameter mode is indicated
• axis: new "big dro" tab
• axis: axis-remote --clear remotely clears the backplot
• axis: axis-remote --mdi sends an mdi command
• axis: new HAL pins such as axisui.set-manual-mode to take UI actions from a remote pendant or hard button
• axis: improve (AXIS,stop) comment
• axis: improve load time of programs, particularly those containing arcs
• axis: inifile item [DISPLAY]ARCDIVISION trades preview generation speed for preview accuracy
• axis: fix a memory leak on program reload

• halui: new pins such as home-all, unhome

• python: new methods such as emc.command.set_feed_override

• pyvcp: leds have a 'disable' pin to select a third color
• pyvcp: named widgets don't create gaps in numbered widgets (backwards incompatible change)
• pyvcp: -g argument sets initial window size and position

• stepconf: improve "test axis" for machines with long step length

• pncconf: a new, alpha-release graphical configurator for hostmot2 systems.

• interpreter: the .var file is automatically created if it doesn't exist
• interpreter: many error messages are improved
• interpreter: G5x coordinate system rotation
• interpreter: additional G10 codes for coordinate system and tool offsets
• interpreter: tool offsets can be applied on all 9 axes
• interpreter: [TRAJ]TLO_IS_ALONG_W removed
• interpreter: Incompatible change in G43.1 to support 9-axis tool lengths
• interpreter: G64 P- Q- specifies motion and "naive cam" tolerances separately
• interpreter: M67/M68 E- Q- to set analog outputs
• interpreter: g90.0/g90.1 choose absolute/relative arc centers
• interpreter: new "polar mode" using @ ^ notation
• interpreter: new "wrapped rotary" mode
• interpreter: #5400..#5413 hold information about loaded tool
• interpreter: M1xx permitted with cutter radius compensation on
• interpreter: Can negate a parameter, e.g., G0 X-#1
• task: Improve behavior of O-call from MDI
• task: new "random" toolchanger for carousel systems which don't necessarily put the tool back in the same pocket it came from.
• task: fix "step from first line"
• task: improve "run from line" when next line does not specify all axis words
• task: avoid undesired motion on "run from line" when next line is an error
• motion: further improvements to spindle-synchronized motion
• motion: improve blending of arcs with very low acceleration limit

• hal: bump shared memory size to allow for more complex configs
• hal: now cooperates with the linux parport_pc driver. When parport_pc is enabled, parports may be specified by number (e.g., 0 for /dev/parport0)
• halmeter: -g argument sets initial window size and position
• halcmd: DOS-damaged files are detected with a clear error
• internationalization: halscope and halmeter are now translatable
• hal_parport: fix a problem with control pins in "x" mode
• comp: components must now specify a license
• comp: new "include" directive

• joyhandle: new realtime component for analog joystick deadband, scaling, and exponential "acceleration"
• pid: new index-enable pin eliminates thump during homing when connected to axis.#.index-enable (step change means feadforward calculation should be skipped in the cycle where index is seen)
• integ: min/max windup limit pins
• limit2/limit3/lowpass: "load" pin to preload value from input pin
• hostmot2: firmwares are now shipped separately from emc2 in the hostmot2-firmware packages
• encoder: better estimates velocity and provides an approximate "interpolated position" for low-resolution encoders
• thc: new alpha-release component for torch height control

• image-to-gcode: use numpy instead of numarray

• documentation: many improvements
• many more small enhancements and bugfixes

Back to Release Status. Information about releases before 2.4.0 has been moved to OldReleases