Introduction

Pocket NC’s Kinetic Control is the software that controls Pocket NC’s Penta Machine Co.'s 5-axis CNC machines. 

Kinetic Control provides a variety of fresh new features to the Pocket NC V2 machines, including a new, updated user interface (UI). This tutorial will walk users through the new UI and demonstrate how to use it and the new control software effectively.

This tutorial does not cover how to install Kinetic Control on machines that were shipped with the original V2 control software and UI. If installation of Kinetic Control has not been done yet, users should follow the steps lined out in the “V2 Kinetic Control Installation Guide” that came with the purchase of the Kinetic Control upgrade. 

Initialization

The startup of the V2 machines remains the same and is outlined in the Quick Start Guide that was shipped with the machine. That guide can also be found in the User Resources space of the Pocket NC website. 

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If the machine is a V2-10, it is now initialized and ready to use. If the machine is a V2-50, a spindle warm up sequence must be run. To do so, ensure that the air pressure to the spindle is 20 psi or higher as read by the gauge in the upper left corner of the page and then click the WARM UP button. The machine will begin the spindle warm up sequence it determines is necessary based on the amount of time elapsed since its last spindle warm up. A notification will pop up in the lower right hand corner displaying the warm up sequence it is going to run. 

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Status Bar

The status bar at the bottom of the screen is where users can get information about the active status of the machine. This bar is always visible, no matter what page of the user interface a user is on. 

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After a message has been cleared from one of these indicators, it can still be read on the HISTORY page that will be discussed in more detail later in this guide. 

Setup Page

The SETUP page is where users can find all the tools and functionality needed for setting up the machine to run a specific part or program. Each section of this page is outlined below. 

Work Offsets Section

The WORK OFFSETS section allows users to set a Work Coordinate System (WCS) origin to a location other than the machine’s center of rotation and then assign that location to a work coordinate system g-code (G54 - G59.3). 

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Lastly, the Active Tool column of this section will show what tool number is active based on recent g-code execution or selection of the tool in the tool table below. When a tool is active, its tool length offset will show up in the editable field of this column. This value can be altered using the same method as the other editable fields, but caution should be taken to make sure there is a full understanding of what effects the change will have on other pieces of the machine setup process. 

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Jog Section

The JOG section of the SETUP page allows users to move the different axes of the machine in selected increments. 

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Lastly, at the very bottom of the upper right Jog menu, users have the option of turning on keyboard and mouse wheel jogging. Keyboard jogging allows users to continuously jog the machine using the keys on their keyboard. Key bindings can be found on the CONFIG page. Mouse wheel jogging allows users to jog the selected axis by the selected increment using the wheel on their computer mouse without needing the mouse to be over the selected digit (it essentially binds mouse wheel up to the + button and mouse wheel down to the - button). 

Tool Offsets Section

The TOOL OFFSETS section, sometimes known as the tool table, is where users can define and record data on the tools that will be used to run a part. 

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Lastly, the Description column of the TOOL OFFSETS section allows users to add any additional information about the tool assigned to that tool number. Things like type of tool, coating, manufacturer, etc. 

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Manual Page

The MANUAL page is where users can manually manipulate the machine in a variety of ways, including jogging and executing MDI (manually written g-code) commands. 

Spindle Section

Under the spindle section of the MANUAL page users will find gauges and buttons related to the machine’s spindle. 

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Lastly, at the bottom of the SPINDLE section, there is the WARM UP button. This is the button that was mentioned and used in the Initialization section of this guide. This button is only present on V2-50 machines and is used to warm up the spindle after periods of inactivity. It will be green with a triangular warning sign on it when a warm up is needed and dark grey when a warm up is no longer needed. If it appears “greyed out” it is likely that the machine needs to be taken out of E-stop and/or homed. 

Feed Section

The FEED section of the MANUAL page is very similar to the SPINDLE section, it displays the various values related to how fast the machine is moving (typically through a material). 

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In the center of the 4-in-1 radial gauge is the feed rate readout. This value is displayed in the units that have been selected in the CONFIG page. The upper left third of the gauge displays the total power that the machine is consuming in watts. The upper right third of the gauge displays the calculated chip load of the current cut based on the feed rate and the number of flutes defined in the tool table for the active tool. And lastly, the bottom third of the gauge displays the calculated surface speed of the tool based on the spindle speed and the diameter input in the tool table for the active tool. Just like the gauges in the SPINDLE section, the gauges in the FEED section change colors as they reach the end of their range. 

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Jog Section

The JOG section of the MANUAL page functions the exact same way as it does on the SETUP page. Refer to that section above for a detailed walkthrough. 

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Control Section

The CONTROL section of the MANUAL page allows users to override the velocity of commanded moves as well as the spindle speed.

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The CONTROL section is made up of four override sliders. Each slider allows users to override the nominal or commanded value of that particular parameter. The percent by which the value has been changed is displayed below the slider and the refresh button to the right of each slider resets it back to 100%. The sliders can be adjusted in 1% increments. Max Velocity controls the maximum speed at which the tip of the tool can move. Max Rapid refers to how fast the tool can move during G0 commands specifically. Feed Rate is how fast the machine is moving the tool during feed rate moves (F values).  Finally, Spindle Rate is the speed at which the spindle is rotating. 

MDI Section

The MDI section of the MANUAL page allows users to manually enter lines of g-code to perform various operations or put the machine into certain modes or positions. 

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Lastly, the Quick Access folder provides users a way to quickly select and issue commands by clicking on buttons named for the command they perform. For example, instead of searching for “M3 S45000” in the Favorites folder, clicking on it to put it in the command bar, and then pressing enter to issue the command, a user can simply click on the button labeled “Spindle on - 45K” and the command will be issued. As mentioned above, Quick Access buttons are created by naming a command that has been added to the Favorites folder. 

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Production Page

The production page is where users have the ability to upload, start, monitor and manipulate the g-code program that will be run. There is no way to manually move the machine on this page. 

Spindle Section

The SPINDLE section of the PRODUCTION page is the same as it is on the MANUAL page. Refer to that portion of this guide for a detailed description and walkthrough.

Feed Section

The FEED section of the PRODUCTION page is the same as it is on the MANUAL page. Refer to that portion of this guide for a detailed description and walkthrough.

DRO Section

The DRO section of the PRODUCTION page is very similar to the JOG section that has been discussed previously. The main difference is that this section does not allow users to jog any of the machine’s axes. The only way to move the machine’s axes from this section is with the Home all button. 

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The Velocity option allows users to see what each axis is reaching for velocity during the moves the machine is making. This allows users to see if the machine is actually able to reach the feed rates that are being commanded. 

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Control Section

The CONTROL section of the PRODUCTION page allows users to start, pause and manipulate the active or running program. 

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The rest of the CONTROL section is made up of four override sliders. Each slider allows users to override the nominal or commanded value of that particular parameter. The percent by which the value has been changed is displayed below the slider and the refresh button to the right of each slider resets it back to 100%. Max Velocity controls the maximum speed at which the tip of the tool can move. Max Rapid refers to how fast the tool can move during G0 commands specifically. Feed Rate is how fast the machine is moving the tool during feed rate moves (F values). Finally, Spindle Rate is the speed at which the spindle is rotating. 

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G-Code Section

The G-CODE section of the PRODUCTION page is where users can upload and manage the g-code programs that are intended to be run on the machine. 

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The rest of the G-CODE section is simply a window that shows the actual g-code of the active program. Here users can look through the code and track with the machine as it runs the code. This window can also be helpful when errors arise and the machine stops running, allowing users to see what line and code(s) the machine stopped on. 

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History Page

The HISTORY page provides users with a place to review the various errors, warnings and info panels that a user may encounter while operating the machine.

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Message Log Section

Under the MESSAGE LOG section, users can see the chronological log of all the messages that have come up since the machine was powered on. Each log can be expanded by clicking on the small “More>>” text that is at the end of the message title. 

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Green messages serve as notifications and confirmation messages, yellow messages are warnings and red messages are errors. 

Config Page

The CONFIG page allows users to adjust the configuration of both the user interface and the machine.

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Client Tab

The CLIENT tab is where users have the option to make changes to the way the machine’s user interface looks and functions

Keybindings Section

In the KEYBINDINGS section of the CLIENT tab users can bind the keys of their keyboard to certain machine commands. 

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If a user wishes to unbind a command completely, the button with the trash can symbol can be pressed. 

Units, Audio and Language Sections

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The UNITS section of the CLIENT tab gives users the option to change the units of the various values that are displayed throughout the user interface. 

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The LANGUAGE section gives users the ability to change the base language of the user interface as well as change the dialect (lingo) that is used throughout. The “Industry” dialect option will display components of the UI with their common industry name, the “Intuitive” option will display certain components with their more common-language names. 

Server Tab

The SERVER tab is where users can update their machine’s software and make changes to their machine’s back end configuration. 

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Software Section

The SOFTWARE section of the SERVER tab is where users will find the ability to update their software. The active version will be shown at the top. If the machine is connected to the internet, the latest version will be shown below the active version. In order to update the software, the main PocketNC and Rockhopper services need to be shutdown, so the first step to updating is to click the Shutdown Services button. Once the services have shutdown, if updates are available, an update button will be shown that can be clicked to download and install the updates. The update process can be interrupted at any time and will not affect the current state of the machine (i.e. beginning the update process and not finishing it, will not leave the machine in a broken state). After the update process completes successfully, the active version will switch to Pending Version, which will become active after rebooting the machine. The PocketNC and Rockhopper services will start automatically after rebooting the machine. The Shutdown Machine button can be clicked to ensure a complete shutdown of all software services before removing power, but it isn’t required to do so.

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Machine Config Section

The MACHINE CONFIG section of the SERVER tab is where users can edit the back end configuration of the machine as well as upload and download the machine’s calibration and configuration data. 

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Editing the INI overlay is not something a user should do without a full understanding of the effects it could have on the machine or having consulted a Pocket NC service and support team member. 

Additional Resources and Support

There are additional resources on Kinetic Control and the Pocket NC V2 machines available under the Help tab on the Pocket NC website: http://www.pocketnc.com  

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