Using the Tooli Control App
About Tooli Control
Tooli Control is a Java application developed specifically to communicate with your Tooli machine.
Connect
Tooli connects to your computer via a USB cable. Simply connect the USB cable, turn on your Tooli machine and launch the Tooli Contol App. You will be greeted by the dialogue box shown above. For Windows operating system - select the COM port that Tooli is connected to and click Connect Tooli. See left column for Mac OS-specific instructions.
Once Tooli Control has connected to your Tooli machine you will be presented the main Tooli Control screen.
The main screen
We will break the main screen down into sections for the purpose of simplifying explanation.
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Connection
Disconnect - Click to disconnect communication with Tooli.
Online - Shows connection status. The status shown in this screen shot is 'Online' (in green) - this means the Tooli Control App is has established communication with the Tooli machine - if communication had not been established it would display 'Offline' in red lettering.
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Status
Blue text - Displays status and provides instruction.
Seek limits - Click to command your Tooli machine to 'seek limits'. This instructs Tooli to move the gantry slowly toward the back of the work area, until the Y-axis limit switch is triggered. Next the toolhead carriage will move right, along the gantry until the X-axis limit switch is triggered. If a toolhead is installed, the toolhead slide mechanism will move upwards until the Z-axis limit switch is triggered. The seek limits proceedure is now complete, and Tooli's control system knows the bounds of the work area and the actual position of each axis. Tooli will not be fully operational until the limits are known. You will also need to seek limits whenever you change toolheads.
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Toolheads
By default, when you connect to your Tooli the app assumes the Multitool toolhead is installed. For this reason the Airbrush Toolhead button is greyed out. The default toolhead can be set in 'Settings'
Disable Multitool - Note: if the Airbrush tool is loaded the button will say "Disable Airbrush'. Click to unload whichever tool is currently loaded. This button should be clicked prior to removing the cable that is attached to the fitted toolhead. This will disable the toolhead motor drive, reducing the risk of electronics damage.
Multitool - Click to enable the Multitool toolhead. The multitool toolhead should be installed with cable connected, prior to clicking the Multitool button. Once the Multitool has been selected, and the 'Seek Limits' routine run, this button will now reveal the Multitool-specific controls.
Airbrush - Click to enable the Airbrush toolhead. The airbrush toolhead should be installed with cable connected, prior to clicking the Airbrush button. Once the Airbrush has been selected, and the 'Seek Limits' routine run, this button will now reveal the Airbrush-specific controls
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Job Control
GCode File - Click to selct a GCode file to run as a job. To create a GCode file use Toolbotics Art2Gcode software. Once a file is loaded it will show the path and filename in the corresponding path field.
View - Click to view a preview of the GCode file. The preview shows all XY moves Tooli will perform to complete the job, including rapid moves between shapes.
Run - Click to run the selected job.
Pause - Click to pause the job. The job will not stop instantly as it will need to run whatever data has already buffered. There will be a small time delay - which can vary from one to several seconds depending on moves stored in the buffer. If you need to stop the job instantly you should use the 'Emergency Stop' button. When paused, Tooli will shut off all auxcillaries (except the Hot Knife), and if fitted raise the Multitool slide. Once the pause has been implemented, and Tooli has stopped moving, Tooli will enter manual control mode. You can now jog the toolhead around, and also make adjustments to job overrides. To resume the job click 'Run' - Tooli will return to the pause position, turn on any necessary auxcillaries, and continue the job.
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Cancel - Click to cancel the job, this option is only available when a job is paused.
Progress - The bar along the bottom of this panel shows job progress by displaying the time the job has been running, and displaying a progress bar (in green) indicating the percentage of Gcode lines processed.
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Emergency Stop
Emergency Stop - Click to stop all Tooli actions immediately - will stop all motion and deactivate all auxcillaries. After and Emergency Stop has been executed you will need to reconnect communications with Tooli, select which toolhead is loaded and then seek limits. You will not be able to resume the job from where it stopped.
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Move
Park Toolhead - Click to move the toolhead carriage to the 'Park Toolhead' position. The default 'Park Toolhead' position is the back-right corner. The default park position can be changed in 'settings'.
Present Toolhead - Click to move the toolhead carriage to the 'Present Toolhead' position. This action is typically used to move the toolhead to an easily accesible position. The default 'Present Toolhead' position is the the centre of the gantry (X-axis) and 150mm back from the front of the machine (Y-axis). The default can be changed in 'settings'.
Move to origin - Click to move the toolhead carriage to the 'Origin'. The default 'Origin' position is the left-front corner (X0, Y0). This is Tooli's hard-coded origin. If a job origin offset is applied, Tooli will move to the offset origin when the 'Move to Origin' button is pressed.
Manual Move - The Manual Move button open a screen to reveal controls that allow you to jog and move all relevant axes.
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Tooli
Job Overrides - Click to open the 'Job Overrides' screen to reveal controls that allow you to override some of the instructions in the GCode file - including speed, tool power and paintflow. The overrides will remain active until a new job file is loaded, or set back to 100%.
Console - This area displays messages direct from Tooli - lets you see what Tooli is doing, or has done.
Clear Console - Click to clear the text currently displayed in Tooli's message console.