Topics

1

Mach4 General Discussion / Upgrade from 4.2.0.3804 to 4.2.0.4517 with ESS

« on: February 22, 2021, 12:49:19 PM »

Hello,
I guess it is time for me to upgrade to a newer version of Mach4.  My  system uses and ESS and has a spindle controlled by Mod bus. I will be going from Mach4 version 4.2.0.3804 with ESS 232 to I believe Mach4 build 4517 with ESS 270 is the latest.  Is it as simple a installing the new software over the old version?  I some how do not think so.  Is there some information on how to perform this upgrade?
Thanks,
Todd

2

Mach4 General Discussion / help! lost in space

« on: February 23, 2020, 02:56:34 PM »

Getting back to Mach 4 after some time off.  Simple project is cut some shapes out .5 inch plywood.  The tool paths in V carve pro look fine and simulate fine.  when I load them in to Mach 4 the display does not look right.  This is just cutting out a circle about 3.5 inches in diameter. The display looks tilted at an angle.  Is there some setting in mach 4 that I messed up?   I am running version 4.2.0.3084  should I upgrade to the newest version? install the latest will it keep all my current setting and such and just install over the old version?
Thanks for any help.
Todd

3

Bargain Basement / USB smooth stepper

« on: February 02, 2019, 09:29:48 AM »

I have a USB smooth stepper for sale (used).  I upgraded to a ESS to go to Mach 4.  The USB smooth stepper does not currently work with Mach 4.  $75 or make an offer.
Thanks,
Todd

4

Mach4 General Discussion / Finial switching over to Mach4 amd Ihave a few question.

« on: January 21, 2019, 08:00:46 PM »

Hi,
I gave up waiting for a Mach 4 USBSS plugin and bought a ESS to switch over to Mach 4.  I first got Mach 3 running with the ESS with little trouble but I did notice that homing my X axis sounded a little different.  My X axis has a slave motor and I could not tell if they were both homing.  I did not know it this was a difference between the USBSS and ESS or if only one motor was homing.  I went a head and got Mach 4 up and running with the ESS and my X axis homing is the same.  In Mach 3 their was a check box in the configuration page where you could check to say if you want both motors homed.  It squares up the gantry.  Is there something I am missing in Mach 4 to tell it to do the same thing?

My second question has to do with the rotary tool path display. So far it is much better the Mach 3 but is there way to adjust the diameter of what is displayed?   I did very little rotor stuff on my cnc router in Mach 3 but want to do more with mach 4.  The tool path look correct but the proportion is not correct.  In CAM it is long and thin but when I load the G code it is short and fat?  I think it may run ok if I ran it. 
Thanks for any help,
regards,
Todd

5

General Mach Discussion / 4 th axis tool path problem

« on: November 14, 2017, 07:10:34 AM »

I am trying to get a rotating 4 th axis working.  I think I must be missing a setting in mach 3.  My v carve tool path looks correct in V carve but when I save it and load i into Mach 3  it does not match .
Any Ideas what I am doing wrong?
Thanks,
Todd

6

General Mach Discussion / Homing the wrong direction

« on: March 23, 2017, 08:13:12 PM »

Hello,
I did some MDI cutting on my router and now the X axis is homing the wrong direction.   The limits and homing is still set to home negative but it goes positive when I ref all.  Could have I typed something in the MDI limit that caused this change?  I powered everything off and on and it still goes positive when I home the X axis.  Any ideas
Thanks,
Todd

7

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / The CNC router that ate the family room

« on: January 05, 2016, 09:50:59 PM »

Here are some picture of the CNC router that I constructed.  Like my small routers I posted before I use a lot used biomedical research equipment.  All the T-slot aluminum and the white .5 inch plate aluminum came from an old Q-bot. The linear rails came from 3 Sagian 3 meter  robotic arm rails and the Z axis from a Sagian Mutiipet. The rack n pinion drive systems came from CNC router parts.  The electronics are a USB smooth stepper driving a PMDX-126 and the power supply is also from PMDX.com   The stepper drivers are Geckos.   I do have more work to do.  I want to add a tool touch plate and a rotary axis at the one end and dust collection system.
Regards,
Todd

8

General Mach Discussion / PC not booting with iMach P2-S pendant pluged in

« on: October 18, 2015, 12:39:48 PM »

Hello,
I am running Mach 3 with USB smooth stepper on a Asus VM-60 PC.  If I have my iMach P2-S pendant  http://www.vistacnc.com/b08_pendant_P2/pendant_p2-S.htm  plugged into a USB port  the PC will hang up at the BIOS screen.  If I unplug it the PC will boot.  I have updated to the latest BIOS, no help.  I have had to reinstall Windows 8 once on the PC and I am not sure if it is related to this problem.
Thanks for any help,
Todd

9

General Mach Discussion / Gantry Size

« on: August 30, 2011, 09:16:00 PM »

Hi.

I have looked at many different builds on this forum and want to start building a large CNC router.  I would like some comments on how to determine the size of the material for the gantry.
For example if the gantry is 5 feet long and I use a 6 inch square tube of aluminum or steel how thick should the walls be?  I am not a mechanical engineer and am looking for some practical input.

Thanks.
Todd

10

General Mach Discussion / dispensing liquid with Mach 3

« on: March 25, 2010, 11:07:18 PM »

Hello,

I want to dispense liquid with Mach 3 . I have a peristaltic pump that is driven by a stepper motor (X ul per step) so the hardware does not look like a problem.  Is there a way to use the spindle controls to run the pump? or could I use the A axis?  The G code should be relatively simple. I need to be able to select the wells to add the liquid to and how deep the wells are.  The wells will all be the same size and evenly spaced in a 10 by 12 format. Any ideas.

Thanks,
Todd