Messages

1

Mach4 General Discussion / Could somebody just spell it out for me?

« on: August 18, 2019, 04:14:06 PM »

Guys, I am not a computer expert and I am really struggling with this,
I had a 32bit dell machine which worked fine with mach3 and my gecko g540, I say `worked` as the dear old thing(12y/o) is no more.
I decided it was time to make the move to 64bit, windows 10 & mach4, as support for 7/8 ends shortly and my machine is on`tinternet and I figured the learning needed, will see me through beyond retirement.
I did some reading up on the parellel port and plugins, smooth steppers and uc100s and I now wished I hadn`t bothered as there is so much confusing and conflicting info on this subject that my head is spinning.
So if some kind soul would just TELL me what I need, I`ll be able to get my router table up and running again.
Thanks in advance.

2

Share Your GCode / Re: "Manners... Maketh... Man..."

« on: May 22, 2018, 01:14:07 PM »

"nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future"
Au contraire starving to death in a broken down bus in the middle of nowhere is way more dangerous  
Nice job though

3

General Mach Discussion / Re: Have I been had?

« on: May 22, 2018, 01:04:28 PM »

I thought about it at the planning stage of my foray into cnc(I liked the price) but ruled it out as there was already so much for this old dog to learn. I now know enough of how not to keep crashing into everything that I may have another look -  I still like the price 

Thanks

4

General Mach Discussion / Re: Have I been had?

« on: May 22, 2018, 12:16:00 PM »

Mach4 will not run on the parallel port.
There is a parallel port plugin, but it's limited in functionality, and costs an extra $20.

So yes, you'd need a motion controller.

Thanks v much for your help, much appreciated.  but as much as I like mach3, mach4s extra costs are a non-no for me. I don`t suppose this is the right place to ask about alternatives 

5

General Mach Discussion / Re: Have I been had?

« on: May 22, 2018, 11:38:32 AM »

Thanks, that`s what I thought, however as I`m running a 64bit machine(which doesn`t run mach3, apparently) and a parallel port g540 - does this mean I would need and external controller? If this is right, I may need to consider other options(financially) which is a shame as I was just getting to grips with mach3

6

General Mach Discussion / Re: Have I been had?

« on: May 22, 2018, 11:27:59 AM »

It looks like you were on the money over the price. as the difference between 3 and 4 is only about $25, would I be better off going for the newer version do you think?

7

General Mach Discussion / Re: Have I been had?

« on: May 22, 2018, 11:07:08 AM »

Bummer.... living on a shoestring forces me to cut my cloth accordingly, fortunately I paid with a credit card so can get my money back. I only noticed as I looked for the reg details as it wouldn`t save setting changes to the .xml file

8

General Mach Discussion / Have I been had?

« on: May 22, 2018, 10:46:04 AM »

I bought, what was claimed to be a "100% Original ✔ Official ✔ License ✔ Trusted Seller" version of mach3 from fleabay but now fear that it isn`t as claimed - the `licenced to` box on the about page has some random squiggles in it.

9

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: DRO reads in Centimeters

« on: April 20, 2018, 02:59:14 AM »

 

If the difference is truly mm to cm, you should just be able to go in and add a zero to your steps per. I.E. if your setting is 200 change it to 2000.
Isn't Metric supposed to be easy??

It wasn`t metric`s fault, it was my lack of understanding of cnc machining, mach 3, the driver, the protcols, the meaning of life, Uncle Tom Cobley and all
It was all irrelevant though as I scrapped the fleabay machine as it wasn`t up to the job, an expensive mistake but  it can`t be undone. I salvaged everything of value from it and bought an Ox mechanical kit, which I`m setting up atm.

10

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: DRO reads in Centimeters

« on: January 25, 2018, 11:54:35 AM »

If the difference is truly mm to cm, you should just be able to go in and add a zero to your steps per. I.E. if your setting is 200 change it to 2000.
Isn't Metric supposed to be easy??

originally - the cutter would travel 24cm for 24 on the dro which is why I assumed it was in cm. the steps per was set at 2000 so required amending to 200. the dro works accurately now(I think) but the cutter is painfully slow to travel.