Messages

1

General Mach Discussion / Re: Locked motors

« on: July 31, 2019, 06:42:49 PM »

Here are my settings:
Steps per: 2000
Velocity: 120
Accel: 4
G's: 0.0103607
Step Pulse: 0
Dir Puls: 0
I can turn the jog feature on and off from the keyboard, but the arrow keys don't move the motors.  I also get a little bit of an electrical smell.

Thanks

2

General Mach Discussion / Locked motors

« on: July 29, 2019, 08:15:38 PM »

Although I registered awhile ago, I haven't been able to play with my CNC.  Quick background: I bought a cheap Chinese CNC years ago, with the promise that it worked over USB.  Well, that was a lie.  To get it to work, it said I needed a hacked version of Mach3.  I don't like the sound of that, so I bought a Gecko unit to act as a controller, and bought new motors to boot. 
I really don't know what I'm doing, so don't judge too harshly.  At one point, I was able to get the motors to jog using the arrow keys.  I was never able to load G code or get the computer to even make a circle or square on its own.  Now, when I turn on the computer, the motors, which I can spin by hand when the power is off, get locked up and make a squealing noise.  The jog control arrows don't work.  Can anyone point me in the right direction, or let me know what I have to tell you to help me?

Thanks

Phil

3

FAQs / Re: Should (Can) I buy Mach 3

« on: July 10, 2017, 04:23:58 PM »

Thank you Joe!  I'll research these.  I have always planned for this machine to be my entry model.  Once I get up and running, and understand the intricacies, I'll build my own, and will convert this unit to a laser.

4

FAQs / Re: Should (Can) I buy Mach 3

« on: July 08, 2017, 11:34:26 PM »

Gee, thanks.  I'll just junk the $600 I spent on hardware.   Not gonna happen.  I'm trying to do the right thing.  I don't want to pirate software.  Why doesn't Mach3 support USB?  Do you know what a pain in the ass it is to find a computer with a serial port these days?  I'll probably just get the pirated version but pay for a Mach3 license.  My hardware will work and I'll sleep just fine at night.

5

FAQs / Re: Should (Can) I buy Mach 3

« on: June 28, 2017, 04:33:13 PM »

I don't want to pirate Mach3.  Can anyone point me in the direction of a solution?  I accept that I got a lemon, but I got the steppers, lead screws, table, etc for a decent price, even if the controller doesn't work.  My confusion is that the serial port connection even supplies the power to the spindle.

6

FAQs / Re: Should (Can) I buy Mach 3

« on: June 23, 2017, 03:42:47 PM »

Where do I find the USB plugin?  I've looked in the Mach3 folder, and don't see it listed at all.  Can it be called something different?  Do I need to buy some kind of card for my computer?

Here is the CNC I bought:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/400W-4axis-3040-CNC-Router-engraver-engraving-milling-machine-Mill-Drill-Machine/162356323409?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

Thank you.

7

FAQs / Re: Should (Can) I buy Mach 3

« on: June 21, 2017, 04:05:14 PM »

How do I check for that?  My other disadvantage is that I'm a Mac guy, and not familiar with Windows.

8

FAQs / Re: Should (Can) I buy Mach 3

« on: June 21, 2017, 03:10:52 PM »

Life has delayed my project, but last night i was finally able  to hook everything up, but it didn't work.  I think the problem is that Mach 3 doesn't see my computer over the USB port.  I used a sample G-Code for a simple circle, and the software was doing its thing, but no movement from the CNC.  Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks!

9

FAQs / Re: Should (Can) I buy Mach 3

« on: May 01, 2017, 05:02:37 PM »

An additional question:
I finally got my computer up on a WiFi network, and was about to download Mach3, when I noticed that it says not to use 64 bit operating systems.  My computer is 64 bit.  Also,  I don't have a serial port, but the CNC I bought is USB compatible.  Is Mach3 still the program for me?

Thanks!

10

FAQs / Re: Should (Can) I buy Mach 3

« on: April 27, 2017, 12:53:07 PM »

The controller came with the CNC and is USB.  I wasn't sure if I could download to my Mac or not: lots of times they detect the OS you're downloading on.  I want to make sure I get the right version for my OS.