0.8.3 stuck in infinite loop
Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 3:51 am
Like most people, I use Autoleveller for etching PCBs. Unlike most people (prolly), I draw my circuits with Adobe Illustrator. For the traces I use a blob brush stroke and draw them freehand from pad to pad. I like to do it this way because I can layout a very large circuit fluidly. (It's also a damn good puzzle.) But I do end up with a lot of little rough edges on my traces. When I'm done with the drawing and have checked for errors (though I always miss at least one F-up), I export it to a .dxf file and produce the Gcode with CamBam. As you can imagine, one of the problems with this is there are an enormous amount of little arcs in the Gcode. It takes CamBam nearly 20 minutes to process some of my .dxf files.
Now to the point, I have used AL 8.2 to good effect on these Gcode files. Both on Gcode files with G2 and G3 commands, and those that have been converted to straight lines. The only problem I have had is when the arc is very large, a circle for example. Then the AL output gets a little wanky.
But with version 8.3 I've had some other problems with Gcode files that contain G2,G3 commands. The first G-code file I tried was processed from a fairly densely populated 5"x7" PCB. Quite a large number of traces and thus many little arcs. The result was a success. The second G-code file I tried was the top layer of the same PCB, not nearly as many traces but still in the same area. When I pressed the "create leveled G-code" button, the designated file appeared in the appropriate directory, and I could load it with Mach3, but it wasn't complete. Also, it appeared that AL had hung up, as it wouldn't respond to further prodding. Upon further inspection though, AL was still working on the same leveled G-code file. Curious, I let it go for upwards of 5 minutes while I watched the output file get bigger and bigger. After 115 megs worth of data, I figured it was probably in a loop. Which it was.
Next I tried the same file with AL 8.2. It worked. So I looked at the original G-code file, the AL 8.2 output, and the AL 8.2 output side-by-side. Besides for the leveling calculations, the original and 8.2 were exactly the same. Now, the original and 8.3 were exactly the same up to a point. At this point, 8.3 began to output an endless repetition of two lines, one after the other. Neither of these two lines were in the original. I looked at where exactly this was on my drawing, and lo and behold, it was precisely where one of those jagged little edges were on my brush stroke. It may be coincidental, as there are hundreds of such tiny little zigs and zags that didn't cause an error.
I did try this several times with 8.3 , all with the same result. So I wonder if you can have a look at my files and maybe you can see something the matter. I truncated the 8.2 and 8.3 files. Only the 8.2 file has the probe codes, which are the same as in the 8.3 file. And you can see at the end of 8.3 where it begins to differ and repeat itself.
TL;DR The AL 8.3 output from a G-Code file that contains G2 and G3 commands and many little zigs and zags began to repeat the same two G3 clusters without end. I have attached the offending files.
Now to the point, I have used AL 8.2 to good effect on these Gcode files. Both on Gcode files with G2 and G3 commands, and those that have been converted to straight lines. The only problem I have had is when the arc is very large, a circle for example. Then the AL output gets a little wanky.
But with version 8.3 I've had some other problems with Gcode files that contain G2,G3 commands. The first G-code file I tried was processed from a fairly densely populated 5"x7" PCB. Quite a large number of traces and thus many little arcs. The result was a success. The second G-code file I tried was the top layer of the same PCB, not nearly as many traces but still in the same area. When I pressed the "create leveled G-code" button, the designated file appeared in the appropriate directory, and I could load it with Mach3, but it wasn't complete. Also, it appeared that AL had hung up, as it wouldn't respond to further prodding. Upon further inspection though, AL was still working on the same leveled G-code file. Curious, I let it go for upwards of 5 minutes while I watched the output file get bigger and bigger. After 115 megs worth of data, I figured it was probably in a loop. Which it was.
Next I tried the same file with AL 8.2. It worked. So I looked at the original G-code file, the AL 8.2 output, and the AL 8.2 output side-by-side. Besides for the leveling calculations, the original and 8.2 were exactly the same. Now, the original and 8.3 were exactly the same up to a point. At this point, 8.3 began to output an endless repetition of two lines, one after the other. Neither of these two lines were in the original. I looked at where exactly this was on my drawing, and lo and behold, it was precisely where one of those jagged little edges were on my brush stroke. It may be coincidental, as there are hundreds of such tiny little zigs and zags that didn't cause an error.
I did try this several times with 8.3 , all with the same result. So I wonder if you can have a look at my files and maybe you can see something the matter. I truncated the 8.2 and 8.3 files. Only the 8.2 file has the probe codes, which are the same as in the 8.3 file. And you can see at the end of 8.3 where it begins to differ and repeat itself.
TL;DR The AL 8.3 output from a G-Code file that contains G2 and G3 commands and many little zigs and zags began to repeat the same two G3 clusters without end. I have attached the offending files.