Pocket Tracker
The Masso G3 does not tell the tool change subroutines which tool is in the spindle. The Pocket Tracker keeps track of it instead. Each I/O pair is a Masso auxiliary output wired to a Masso auxiliary input. Together the pairs hold the number of the pocket the spindle's tool belongs to, as on/off bits: every tool change turns the outputs on or off to record the new pocket, and the next tool change reads it back through the inputs.
Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| I/O Pair | The pair's number, or Sync for the extra pair Ensure Sync adds. The tracker's error messages name pairs by their input and output. |
| Input | The Masso auxiliary input the pair's output is wired to: Auxiliary 1 to Auxiliary 16. |
| Output | The Masso auxiliary output the pair drives: Auxiliary 2 to Auxiliary 16. |
| Sync Mode | Shown on the first row. See below. |
Inputs and outputs already used elsewhere in the profile, such as the IR sensor's input or the dust cover's output, are disabled in the lists.
How many pairs
| Pockets on the profile | I/O pairs |
|---|---|
| 1–6 | 3 |
| 7–14 | 4 |
| 15–30 | 5 |
Ensure Sync adds one more pair. The section adds or removes pairs to match when you save it, and when the profile's pocket count changes. A new profile wires pair 1 to Auxiliary 2, pair 2 to Auxiliary 3, and so on: wire your Masso to match, or change the pairs here to match your wiring.
Sync Mode
| Mode | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Ensure Sync | Uses one more I/O pair, which records that the tracker has been synced. A tool change does not start until it has: it stops with "Sync current pocket - not synced". The default. |
| Prompt Sync | No extra pair. When the tracker reads an empty spindle, the tool change stops with "Spindle empty? Cycle Start". Check that the spindle really is empty, then press cycle start: nothing is unloaded and the new tool is loaded. |
| Assume Sync | No check. You are responsible for syncing before any tool change. |
Syncing
The tracker must agree with the spindle before a tool change runs. Sync it when you first set up, whenever the Masso has been switched off, and whenever you change a tool by hand outside a tool change. Run the program that matches the spindle:
| Program | Run it when |
|---|---|
| Sync Empty Spindle | The spindle is empty. |
| Sync Pocket n | The spindle holds the tool that belongs in pocket n. |
| Sync Pocket Manual | The spindle holds a manual tool. |
Each sync program then reads the pairs back. It ends with "Active Pocket: n", or with "Check I/O" and the input and output of each pair that did not follow, such as "Check I/O 3>3".
Show Active Pocket shows the pocket the tracker holds, without changing it.
If the tracker shows an empty spindle while a tool is loaded, the next tool change goes straight to the new tool's pocket with a tool still in the spindle.
Testing the Pairs
Run Pocket Tracker Test after wiring. It turns each pair's output on and off and checks that its input follows. It ends with "Success! Pocket Tracker is working", or stops at the first pair that fails, such as "Pair 2 Failure: In 3 Out 3".
If a pair fails, check its wiring and that the input is not inverted in the Masso's F1 SETUP.
If the tracker reads a pocket number that no pocket has, a tool change subroutine shows "ERROR: Pocket n is invalid!" and returns to your program without changing the tool.
If you see "ERROR: Pocket n is invalid!", stop the job yourself: your program carries on with the tool that is already in the spindle. Sync the tracker before you run the job again. See Syncing, above.