Request support for Fixed Tool Sensor strategy between separate Gcode files

[rudderfeet]

I would like to utilize gSender 1.2's Fixed Tool Sensor support between separate Gcode files, because often I prefer to view each sequence as a separate set of movement commands for easier visualization and editing, instead of a single monolithic bundle.

I tried to "fool" gSender into doing this by programming a Macro with a single "M6" command that I would click at the end of one Gcode file before running the next, but that only raised a dialogue prompt and didn't follow the strategy set in Settings -> Tool Change -> Fixed Tool Sensor. I wonder if Macro M6 commands are not flowing through the same path as M6 commands executed from file?

[kglovern]

Ultimately the toolchange wizard is set up as a way to handle toolchanges within files, not between files.

What you're describing almost sounds like a job queue, which is something we're looking at for the future but don't have a definite date on.

Is there a reason you can't setup a custom macro that handles the automated portion that you can run between jobs?

[rudderfeet]

Hi Kevin. I'd challenge wither an M6 between files should be handled differently than an M6 from a Macro or even the console if a user has told gSender they want a specific strategy to be executed upon (any?) tool change command. At the very least, it might be useful to clarify on the Settings -> Tool Change screen that the user's preference only applies to intra-file M6es, but again, why not combine them? I'm struggling to imagine a use case when someone would want to send an M6 via Macro or console and only ever see a pop-up, when they've told gSender to use a fixed tool sensor, or a script.

Definitely I could also set up a custom macro that handles the automated portion, but wouldn't that be duplicative of what you (impressively!) engineered into the Tool Change strategy? I'm just thinking about the opportunity to reuse that work instead of having to maintain separate settings and code, with room for users to get things wrong.

[rudderfeet]

Here's a specific use case if/as it helps:

• For Carveco Maker to generate tool path files for the Longmill Mk2, the manufacturer recommends the "UGS GRBL (inch)" or "UGS GRBL (mm)" machine file translators, but unfortunately those do not support tool changes. Therefore, if a model uses multiple bits, one must export separate tool path files instead of a single one with an M6 command separating the bit sequences. This results in at least one file for the first bit (e.g. a rouging pass), and another for the second bit (e.g. a detail pass) and so on. As such, one cannot effectively use Carveco Maker for the Longmill and a Fixed Tool Sensor and leverage gSender 1.2+'s new built-in support for the sensor. There is a workaround by crafting one's own macro, but it would be great to use this new feature between Gcode files.