Messages

2091

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: The Laser Project.

« on: January 10, 2018, 05:19:40 AM »

Over the years this thread has been running I have been contacted by many users of the K40 Laser Cutter / Engraver. They do not use Mach3 or are even likely to use it in the future but they have come here to gain knowledge and information. Because I am happy that the following software is not in any way in competition with Mach I have posted this information as it may be of interest to followers of the thread.

I am a great admirer of Scorch and his excellent software solutions. He was the first to enable free V-Carving for CNC routers and now he is setting the standards for free K40 compatible laser software.

K40 Whisperer is an alternative to the Laser Draw (LaserDRW) program that comes with the cheap Chinese laser cutters available on E-Bay and Amazon. K40 Whisperer reads SVG and DXF files, interprets the data and sends commands to the K40 controller to move the laser head and control the laser accordingly. K40 Whisperer does not require a USB key (dongle) to function. K40 Whisperer also handles Gcode files.

K40 Whisperer is a free open source program released under the GNU General Public License (GPL).

http://www.scorchworks.com/K40whisperer/k40whisperer.html

Tweakie.

2092

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 for Large CNC Router Table - or Not?

« on: January 09, 2018, 08:17:48 AM »

I am using Mach3 for serious CNC machine control and it is more than earning it's keep.
I am using Mach4 as a 'one day' replacement for Mach3.
Price / cost of the machine has little to do with it.

Tweakie.

2093

FAQs / Re: new to this and getting nothing

« on: January 09, 2018, 02:38:00 AM »

Check the Target properties of your desktop shortcuts,
If the profile for /p Mach3Turn works and /p dans_cnc does not work then, in the Mach3 folder, delete dans_cnc.xml (make a backup first) and rename Mach3Turn.xml to dans_cnc.xml
Then, to correct the screen, in menu View / Load Screens select 1024.set to recover the Mach3 Mill screen. Close then restart Mach3.

Tweakie.

2094

General Mach Discussion / Re: Wizard program stopped performing/machining correctly?

« on: January 08, 2018, 04:31:54 AM »

Perhaps try Operator / Restore Settings and follow the on-screen instructions. It may be that, for some reason, you have a corrupt .xml file and an earlier backup could fix the problem.

Tweakie.

2095

Works in progress / Re: Super simple single screen for Mill or Router

« on: January 07, 2018, 06:40:33 AM »

Hi Graham,

Is the Super Simple Screen for Mach3 .zip file available for download please ?

Tweakie.

2096

General Mach Discussion / Re: Code stops at line 488

« on: January 07, 2018, 01:36:32 AM »

If you are using Mach3 in Demo mode then it is limited to ~500 lines of code.
The Mach3 license removes this limitation; http://www.machsupport.com/shop/mach3/

Tweakie.

2097

Finished Plugins for Download / Re: Plugin to run script on Shutdown

« on: January 06, 2018, 11:08:12 AM »

That sounds very interesting, thanks for sharing.

Tweakie.

2098

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: pulse train not smooth

« on: January 06, 2018, 01:37:39 AM »

I don't think so 

Tweakie.

2099

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: pulse train not smooth

« on: January 05, 2018, 02:42:53 AM »

Hi Frankg521,

Mach4 is quite demanding on a PC, particularly if that PC is required to provide the pulse train for Darwin operation. Some PC's can handle it and some can't so the best all-round solution is to use an external motion controller. OK it's a bit more expense but, you will find, it is well worth it in the long run.
There are many Mach4 motion controllers for you to choose from. I started out using Darwin now I use an ESS on one machine and a 57CNC on another, it is just a matter of choice (and of course, selecting one that offers good customer support).

Tweakie.

2100

General Mach Discussion / Re: denford novamill and lathe conversion to mach three

« on: January 05, 2018, 01:43:28 AM »

The Gecko G540 would be an excellent controller - check out the Gecko website as there are many informative articles that explain in detail what you will need to get everything working. http://www.geckodrive.com/geckodrive-step-motor-drives/g540.html

Tweakie.