Probe problem

[Xanthro]

Version 4.2
Sheffield Discovery's

I have a couple programs that worked just fine a week ago and now are causing me trouble. The situation is exact for both. I am getting the message "probe tip not defined" and it is in red. So I try doing the F9 thing and I tell the program to use a different probe instead and that works fine
(1mm). It just doesn't recognize the original probe(1.5mm) There is no data for the 1.5mm probe.

This is the weird part........If I do a file/new and select the original 1.5mm probe as my choice, everything is there still.

So I thought I could out-smart the CMM by doing a file/new and pick the 1.5and then copy/paste the code below the probe stuff from the original program into the one that lets me select the 1.5mm probe. It looked good until I closed the program and then re-opened it and got the error. Any ideas? By looking at old posts, I see things about the probe files but I dont understand it. I have never built a new probe so if the answer is down that road I will need some help. Thanks people. All of your help is invaluable and I hope that one day I can contribute.

Duane

[bw_bob]

open PC-DMIS.........edit/ set search path/LOADPROBE.....make sure its correct

[Xanthro]

That wasn't the solution.

[Xanthro]

Thanks Bob, but all of my paths look fine. It must be something else.

[Matthew D. Hoedeman]

Thanks Bob, but all of my paths look fine. It must be something else.

What is the EXACT name of the probe file?

Do NOT use decimal points in the probe file name. Do NOT use a minus sign - in the probe file name. ONLY use numbers, letters, and the underscore _ in ANY file name, probe file name, feature ID, dimension ID, assignments, etc., etc., etc.

[bw_bob]

Also lets say your probe file is called 2x20
make sure the 2x20 results is under the probefile itself in the pc-dmis directory

[Xanthro]

I should have mentioned this before too. I have other CMM programs that use the 1.5mm. probe that open up just fine. So far I have only two programs that are having problems. They are also both located in the same folder. Also be aware that PCDMIS is installed on the local drive and all of the CMM programs and probe data is on the network. The computer guys are very secretive, but I know there have been some network issues lately and I wonder if any of this could be attributed to that. The thing to remember is that these two programs are used every day and several times a day without a problem and all of a sudden I get the error with just these two programs.

[Ironhoe]

open PC-DMIS.........edit/ set search path/LOADPROBE.....make sure its correct

Watch this guy bob... He is from Isanti. They have forgotten more things about animal husbandry up there than I will ever know. True Jedi in the ways of the barnyard. they are nothing like us stand up fellows from St. Francis.

[Matthew D. Hoedeman]

I should have mentioned this before too. I have other CMM programs that use the 1.5mm. probe that open up just fine. So far I have only two programs that are having problems. They are also both located in the same folder. Also be aware that PCDMIS is installed on the local drive and all of the CMM programs and probe data is on the network. The computer guys are very secretive, but I know there have been some network issues lately and I wonder if any of this could be attributed to that. The thing to remember is that these two programs are used every day and several times a day without a problem and all of a sudden I get the error with just these two programs.

PROBE FILES? On the NETWORK? I hope EACH machine has it's OWN PROBE FILE folder on the network, if not, you are in trouble. EACH machine MUST use a probe file that THAT machine has calibrated. A second machine can NOT use the same file or it will be using calibration results from the first machine, and if you calibrate them with the second machine, then the first one is using the values from the second one.....

[Xanthro]

Ironhoe:
Born and raised in Anoka, MN back when it was a smaller town without crime.

Yeah Matthew we have everything seperate and I am against the network control of our PCDMIS, but I am powerless. The only thing that I can do is laugh when I am sure the network has caused damage to the CMM's. We have an overzealous kid working here as an IT person who is fresh out of school. What more can I say?

Thinking about this problem even more, I did use one CMM to open a program from the other CMM the other day. I don't remember which one. Could I have done this and if so can it be reversed?

[JoBLOCK]

is it possible that you had 2 of the 1.5mm probes perhaps one was named exmple 1.5by50 the other 1.5x50 and one of the was erased from the probe file. Go in to the open/new and check to see if you have any angles defined in the probe utility for that probe that 1.5mm

[Ironhoe]

i have used a system like you describe. What we did to insure everything stayed "local" was we kept ONLY programs on the network. ALL the alignments we used were external and stored on the local machine and all the probe files were stored on the local machine. We also placed scripting in every program to read a local txt file and write the name of the local machine on the network printer, that way we knew which of the 7 machines ran each specific inspection report.

I know this doesnt help your current problem. it will be worth your time to set things up this way.

[DSteelman]

I've ran into this while switching versions. I just deleted the file rebuilt and it took care of it. Once in awhile I have to manually choose the probe angles because the machine does
not do it for me. Be careful when doing this. If it doesn't see your angle in the selection
it will choose the one that closely matches yours and not give you that message.