Going from 4.1 to 3.7MR3

[djayne]

Our new Sheffield shop floor CMM came with 4.1 installed on it and well - we didn't like it. So, we uninstalled 4.1 and installed 3.7MR3 and now lots of crazy stuff is happening. During calibration the probe keeps losing the calibration sphere position and tries to measure it either way up to the left or down into the table - not good. If I delete the sensor and add the angle again it will pick the sphere position back up. It will not do a Man + DCC alignment on any probes other than A0B0. It will lose the calibration sphere position. Once I do finally get the probe to run through the calibration, the tip diameters show off about 50 to 60 microns lower than the calibration on the same probe on another shop floor CMM.
We decided to run a part even with the bad calibration results just to see if it will run one and it doesn't. It acts exactly like the calibration does - after the manual alignment it goes into DCC mode and will measure the part origin which is a cylinder set at 0,0,0. The actual values of the bore show around 400, 700, 13.
Anyone have any idea of what I could have done wrong in the install? I have updated all of our CMMs several times with newer versions of PCDMIS and never had any issues other than the revisions suck. I've never tried "down-grading" versions. Anyone have any ideas or can even figure out what the heck I'm trying to explain what the CMM is doing?

[Underspec]

I've tried going to 4.0 from v3.7 in the past and have uninstalled it successfully with no problems but I've never tried downgrading from scratch. I suggest calling ur tech to come in. I suspect it has something to do with the communication settings. Since you are uninstalling these from 4.1, and installing v3.7 from scratch, it probably is using default settings.

[Matthew D. Hoedeman]

Never un-install a version of Pcdmis, just install which ever version you want to use in a copy of the existing, working, directory. There are all kinds of files that are required. I hope you didn't loose your table map in the un-install.

[Jan d.]

Does un-install completely clear out all registry entries? You may need to really start from scratch (clean hard drive). I have only seen this type of behaviour if you have bad registry settings.

Also, are you sure that your machine controller can run with the old version? Again, there may be registry settings involved that it needs (and they may not be available in the old version). This would be a tech support question.

Jan.

[simcityguy]

what Matthew said, and did you save a copy of your PCDregfile, for import.

[djayne]

I didn't save any files other than some probe files and program files. The machine started acting this way when we put 3.7 MR3 on so, I thought there were some file sharing things going on with 4.1 - that's when I unistalled 4.1 from the computer. We have contacted tech support yesterday and first thing this morning and have not yet received a call back from them. I hope the controller will support 3.7MR3 or the distributor is going to be buying back the CMM because he assured us that it would run 3.7 and older versions and even ran one of our programs on one of his machines to show us. That machine was older but, he said it would run the same programs.

[Matthew D. Hoedeman]

I didn't save any files other than some probe files and program files. The machine started acting this way when we put 3.7 MR3 on so, I thought there were some file sharing things going on with 4.1 - that's when I unistalled 4.1 from the computer. We have contacted tech support yesterday and first thing this morning and have not yet received a call back from them. I hope the controller will support 3.7MR3 or the distributor is going to be buying back the CMM because he assured us that it would run 3.7 and older versions and even ran one of our programs on one of his machines to show us. That machine was older but, he said it would run the same programs.

But, was he running V3.7 or V4.1? V4.1 will run a program from V3.7. However, I don't think the controller will be a factor for V3.7 running or not.

[kass_b]

Like Matt said don't uninstall we have three versions instaled I can run any of the versions I would re install 4.1 sounds like it was never setup right to begin with

[Sinned]

We also have a Sheffield Cordax with V.4.1 on it. We upgraded from 3.7 because the machine was doing some funky things on holes (measuring the surface around the hole fine and then shooting off in space or into the part to name one). Now, I wasn't there for the install, but since I've been on the machine I've been told that I cannot run the 3.7 (it's still on the computer) becaue there are certain things loaded on the controller instead of the hard drive. I didn't know this was possible, but that's what they tell me.

[Wingman]

Our new Sheffield shop floor CMM came with 4.1 installed on it and well - we didn't like it. So, we uninstalled 4.1 and installed 3.7MR3 and now lots of crazy stuff is happening. During calibration the probe keeps losing the calibration sphere position and tries to measure it either way up to the left or down into the table - not good. If I delete the sensor and add the angle again it will pick the sphere position back up. It will not do a Man + DCC alignment on any probes other than A0B0. It will lose the calibration sphere position. Once I do finally get the probe to run through the calibration, the tip diameters show off about 50 to 60 microns lower than the calibration on the same probe on another shop floor CMM.
We decided to run a part even with the bad calibration results just to see if it will run one and it doesn't. It acts exactly like the calibration does - after the manual alignment it goes into DCC mode and will measure the part origin which is a cylinder set at 0,0,0. The actual values of the bore show around 400, 700, 13.
Anyone have any idea of what I could have done wrong in the install? I have updated all of our CMMs several times with newer versions of PCDMIS and never had any issues other than the revisions suck. I've never tried "down-grading" versions. Anyone have any ideas or can even figure out what the heck I'm trying to explain what the CMM is doing?

I have done this successfully and it was a PAIN!!

Basically, you need to establish a good toolc.dat file. The most SURE way to do this is to blow away your Calibration Sphere data and create a NEW Calibration Sphere. You will need to find and delete toolc.dat before you create the new sphere. When you calibrate the 1st tip you need to answer YES to Change Location.

This should create a clean toolc.dat file. Make a copy and hide it.

Now, if you converted programs to 4.1 and then back you will have gremlins. 4.x is like Pet Cemmetery. When they come back they are never the same. THey 'look' the same but they aren't. Not all of your programs will have issues but some will have problems that cannot be edited out. THose will have to be replaced as far as I can tell. Also, if a program is edited then the problems get worse. I hope you had backups saved in 3.73 and you can delete all the new ones and replace them with all the old ones.
At any rate, your calibration problems shopuld be gone with the new toolc.dat file.
Regards,
Bill

[Doug Jimison]

I have done this successfully and it was a PAIN!!
Basically, you need to establish a good toolc.dat file. The most SURE way to do this is to blow away your Calibration Sphere data and create a NEW Calibration Sphere. You will need to find and delete toolc.dat before you create the new sphere. When you calibrate the 1st tip you need to answer YES to Change Location.

I beleive you mean the tool.dat file not toolc.dat. Toolc.dat is the toolchanger data file.

To get rid of the 4.x references you need to run regedit and delete the WAI keys and any directories previously used by PC-DMIS. I went to 3.7 MR3 from 4.2 sucessfully using this method a couple of weeks ago but if you're not sure of what you're doing in the registry I would advise against this.

BTW this was on a new Sheffield D-28

[Wingman]

I beleive you mean the tool.dat file not toolc.dat. Toolc.dat is the toolchanger data file.

To get rid of the 4.x references you need to run regedit and delete the WAI keys and any directories previously used by PC-DMIS. I went to 3.7 MR3 from 4.2 sucessfully using this method a couple of weeks ago but if you're not sure of what you're doing in the registry I would advise against this.

BTW this was on a new Sheffield D-28

OK mixing two problems we had. At any rate, we had to blow away all calibration spheres and start all over. Did this on the line with tech support. The toolc.dat had to be killed too as it would not calibrate and we had to override it.

[cmmguy]

We also have a Sheffield Cordax with V.4.1 on it. We upgraded from 3.7 because the machine was doing some funky things on holes (measuring the surface around the hole fine and then shooting off in space or into the part to name one). Now, I wasn't there for the install, but since I've been on the machine I've been told that I cannot run the 3.7 (it's still on the computer) becaue there are certain things loaded on the controller instead of the hard drive. I didn't know this was possible, but that's what they tell me.

That is BS... The only thing on the controller is the machine cal data. Which makes changing pcdmis versions easier.


Downgrading your install on Sheffield should not be a problem. I think I would do a clean install. There is NO calibration data on the computer, it is located in the controller so that should not be an issue. Delete the entries in the Registry and run REGCLEAN to clean up the registry. v3.73 runs ok on the Sheffield's(not 3.72!)

[ag162]

LMAO!
You are telling someone to do open heart surgery on their comp. Attempt the easy first, reinstall the uninstalled version. This may replace the corrupted file and get it back to where you were before, if you are lucky. If that works, then just return to this site for further information.

My 2cents,
A.Gore

[Matthew D. Hoedeman]

LMAO!
You are telling someone to do open heart surgery on their comp. Attempt the easy first, reinstall the uninstalled version. This may replace the corrupted file and get it back to where you were before, if you are lucky. If that works, then just return to this site for further information.

My 2cents,
A.Gore

Then, if needed, after re-installing the V4-problem version, re-install the version you WANT to use and that should set all the registry back to 'right'.