Issues with version 1.4.9 upgrade

The 1.4.9 version has lost some features, damaged others and has a VERY confusing Save data option !!

  1. First and foremost are issues with the internal Surfacing functions. This is great for not just surfacing a board but a variety for leveling functions. We run it several times in a row on the same work piece. This successive usage has shown problems we did not have before in prior versions:
    a) Surfacing setups are lost - in older versions, the last settings used, were
    saved as the defaults for the next use. VERY helpful. However, new version
    defaults to random numbers for all fields !! X an Y never return the previous
    number, but are ā€œroundedā€ up/down (randomly) by as much as 0.5.
    Example: User Sets X=7.0 Y=3.0
    Next Surfacing defaults to X=6.76 Y=2.83
    itā€™s never the number originally entered and usually NOT the
    same random number
    We REALLY would like ALL fields to re-populate with EXACTLY the
    previous settings - like it used to.
b)   **Surfacing Step Over** -  any value greater than 78% results in a cutting 
       pattern that does NOT make the last pass to clear any remaining material
       when using the Spiral pattern.   It always leaves a thin line standing. 
      Not tested for the Back and Forth pattern.  
  1. Save SETTINGS vs. Save FIRMWARE - We figured out why gSender always
    loses the ā€œsavedā€ user data.
    Both menu functions SETTINGS and FIRMWARE have a ā€œSave SETTINGSā€
    function, but each menu function is completely different in what it
    does and each ā€œsavesā€ completely different user data. This is deadly since they
    both save to the SAME output file !!! Thus, each Save function KILLS the data
    from the other function - WITHOUT the user knowing it.
    Obviously multiple programmers worked on the gSender program - WITHOUT
    first defining common use of words and the user functions. This is further
    complicated because each menu function uses a different User Interface and menu
    structure. One has menu Selections and the other has Option Buttons.
    The words Save Settings in both do NOT mean the same thing.
    In ALL other programs - saving User Data means saving ALL user data - not just
    the data from one module or the other. The user rightfully assumes (and expects)
    Save Settings to save ALL user data from the ENTIRE program regardless of where
    the data was captured or how itā€™s used.
    Currently - saving FIRMWARE will kill ALL saved SETTINGS data.
    - saving SETTINGS data will kill ALL saved FIRMWARE data.
    You can never have ALL of your data saved.

  2. Restoring the PROBE Touchplate Type in the SETTINGS menu always defaults to
    factory option Standard when importing ā€œSaved Settingsā€.
    On second thought - This maybe related to the issue in #2 above.
    We save using the FIRMWARE function. Guess we are shooting ourself in the foot ??

  3. Whenever we hit the PAUSE button or the EMERGENCY stop button, all motion stops
    leaving the bit burning into the wood. Is there a way to force the Z to back off the
    the wood when these happen ?? We need something like the Safe Clearance option
    used in jogging for these kinds of ā€œstopā€ functions. Most of us do not have the
    for SuperDuper controller board.

  4. If the Surfacing function is used too many times in a row the program crashes !!
    At some random point if you go in and out of Surfacing too many times (our guess
    at the cause), selecting Run on Main Visualizer will result in the work area turning
    all white with NO data or program info or buttons (Test, Run, etc) . At that point the
    program can still can reenter Surfacing but the work area never recovers. A complete
    closure and restart of gSender is required and all data is lost.

Looking forward to any and all feedback on these. Anyone else have these issues ??