On Screen Keyboard

[testyourdesign]

Would it be possible to include an on-screen keyboard for use with touch screens on G3 controller? It would clean up the control panel area and eliminate the need to go back and forth to input information in the F4 & F5 screens. I think it would be really cool if we could get rid of the physical keyboard and mouse altogether. That would give this controller a really modern interface, unlike any other CNC controller on the market.

Cheers, Stephen Brown

 

[masso-support]

with the current horizontal screen layout, there is no room to display the on-screen keyboard but we are working on a new software release for G3 controllers that will have a vertical interface specially designed for touch screen use and yes it will have an on-screen keyboard on the bottom of the screen.

 

[keymont]

Wait, you guys are actively working on specially designed features for touch screens?? Maybe you can specify exactly which touch screen one wold have to buy for those features to work... 23 pages of comments in the touchscreen section of the forum and nobody seems to have the slightest idea on even one specific model that reliably works and where to buy it from...

This was one of the primary reasons that I decided to go with Masso and it has turned out to be a complete lie that Masso supports touch screens at all. To find out that you re working on features for that, and I am still unable to simply increase the feed rate of a running job is beyond maddening.

I had touch screen functionality AND feed rate increase when I was running bCNC on a raspberry pi... and that was FREE!!!

 

[testyourdesign]

@keymont

I've tested a number of touch screens to find a combination that worked with Masso and posted about them in the questions and answers forum. What I discovered is that touch screen technology has evolved a great deal in the last few years without much standardization. The touchscreen interface for Masso is looking for an interface that simulates a single mouse click whenever the screen is touched. In my tests, I found that only 4-Wire Resistive Touchscreens will work with Masso. The 4-wire resistive type of touchscreen can only detect one touch at a time so it most closely simulates a single mouse click. Multitouch or capacitance type panels will not work with Masso since it's generally not suitable for an industrial controller that directly controls a machine. The updates that Masso has provided have greatly improved the user experience and as a Masso customer, I want to support future improvements so that I can continue to enjoy the CNC experience they provided us. I look forward to testing the onscreen keyboard and interface improvements so that I can help them improve the product for all of us.

I hope this information is helpful to you and other Masso owners.

Cheers, Stephen Brown

 

[simjim33]

What about G2 controllers?
because! Leaving those out could be seen as market generation Auto desk style.

 

[breezy]

Quote from simjim33 on October 8, 2020, 4:35 pm

What about G2 controllers?
because! Leaving those out could be seen as market generation Auto desk style.

Unfortunately the G2 is at its maximum memory usage already with the current features.

It was because of the limitations on the G2 that the G3 was designed with lots more memory and faster CPU.

So not adding features to the G2 cannot be seen as market generation. That statement can only apply if we were still selling G2s.

Autodesk is restricting features of its free version to get users to pay subscription fees for those features.

Regards,

Arie.

 

[simjim33]

Quote from Breezy on October 8, 2020, 7:04 pm

Quote from simjim33 on October 8, 2020, 4:35 pm

What about G2 controllers?
because! Leaving those out could be seen as market generation Auto desk style.

Unfortunately the G2 is at its maximum memory usage already with the current features.

It was because of the limitations on the G2 that the G3 was designed with lots more memory and faster CPU.

So not adding features to the G2 cannot be seen as market generation. That statement can only apply if we were still selling G2s.

Autodesk is restricting features of its free version to get users to pay subscription fees for those features.

Regards,

Arie.

I would agree. But for the sake of you still have touch screen videos advertising the feature.
As with the touch screen support thread. At least say the feature is G3 only.
I support your decision to stop touch screen development from a business perspective.
but while that video content is out in the wild. It could lead to claims of false advertising.

 

[jv]

Quote from MASSO Support on June 22, 2020, 9:12 am

with the current horizontal screen layout, there is no room to display the on-screen keyboard but we are working on a new software release for G3 controllers that will have a vertical interface specially designed for touch screen use and yes it will have an on-screen keyboard on the bottom of the screen.

When can we expect this touch screen update?

 

[breezy]

JV,

Hopefully it will be in the next release scheduled for later this year.

Regards,

Arie.

 

[jho]

in the touch screen topic i saw that @breezy said that the development of the touchscreen interface had stopped. But now i see that there will be an update to support a 17" touch screen monitor with on screen keyboard?

I am at he point of purchacing a masso G3, and want to design a control panel. It would be great to have a vertical 17" monitor, can someone give some more details about this update? @masso-support

 

[peter35]

As a G2 user, this update does not affect me, however l will be upgrading one of my mills to a G3. The vertical screen layout would not work on either of my mills. Is there an option to have either vertical or horizontal layouts?

 

[breezy]

@peter35

Peter,

The new screen layout can be vertical or horizontal, the machine graphics will still be 4:3 so the onscreen keyboard will only be available in the vertical mode.

Regards,

Arie.

 

[peter35]

Thats a good idea, give the user the option.

 

[art2parts]

So, I'm reading through this forum and trying to catch up. I assume that touchscreen development has resumed since you are selling a bundled unit with a touchscreen. I certainly hope so. I bought it assuming the touchscreen could be used to control the machine completely, but I am quickly finding a keyboard and cheat sheet for special keystrokes is needed for many very basic functions, like homing and feedrate changes. I can see needing the extra interface for some less common task but these are very basic repetitive functions. Hope there is some urgency to making the touchscreen do real work.

 

[breezy]

@art2parts

We developed the G3 Touch so we would have control of the hardware connected the controller.

The onboard keyboard for the vertical mode is in the pipeline for a overhaul to provide the missing keys.

Regards,

Arie.

 

[art2parts]

Thanks for the reply, Arie. Hoping the new release addresses feedrate and spindle speed overrides as well as homing directly from the G3-Touch. So far these two features are what I miss most. I'll probably go ahead and take the plunge to move from Mach to Masso because the controller addresses my biggest concern with dust related pc problems and recovering better from power loses. However, missing those basic controls from the touchscreen and the inability to override feeds and speeds over 100% are giving my pause. I can't be the only one that uses these functions all the time. Reading through the board I see others have requested the same changes going back a couple of years now. If screen real estate is the problem, I love the idea of using the two analog inputs for the feedrate and spindle overrides I've seen mentioned. There is enough room along the side of the G3-Touch case to add a couple of pots and additional buttons is needed. For the home function the "button" in the upper left hand corner could be made clickable rather than simply display the keyboard click commands. That would not change the look of your GUI at all and easily add additional functionality to the G3-TOUCH.

 

[breezy]

@art2parts

In regards to homing with the G3 Touch there is the Home button in the center of the Jog keys, you need to hold it for approx 3 seconds and MASSO will start the homing routine, this has been available since the G2 days. Or you could assign one of the two "external" buttons to Homing input, which is what I have done. Green button homing, red button Cycle Stop.

• Home Machine Input.
  
• Cycle Stop Button Input.
  

List of Configurable Inputs

docs.masso.com.au

Regards,

Arie.

 

[art2parts]

I completely overlooked the home button on the jog screen. Still learning my way around this controller before making the switch so I don't have a lot of down time. That's good news. Thanks for posting that. I may not be your only new user to miss it.