Messages

3871

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Getting concentric circles from the file

« on: August 10, 2013, 05:41:07 AM »

Sounds like you need to change the IJ Mode in the Mach3 General Config page. 

Tweakie.

3872

General Mach Discussion / Re: lookin for a windows 2000 camera driver

« on: August 10, 2013, 05:36:47 AM »

Ahhh - the joys of USB camera's.

In general, the later USB2 camera's contain their driver software and load it automatically as part of the device recognition procedure.

As I found, this does not always work as intended and it took me 3 different camera's before success was achieved - this thread relates http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,22932.msg161339.html#msg161339

If it's any help a general camera driver has been attached.

Tweakie.

3873

General Mach Discussion / Re: To XP or not to XP

« on: August 08, 2013, 11:06:40 AM »

Hi Nick,

If it was me and this is just my preference, then I would purchase an older (cheap) 32 bit PC (which has a spare PCI slot) and fit a PCI parallel port card then install WinXP Sp2 as the OS. The onboard Ethernet and USB as well as the PP then cater for just about every occasion.

Tweakie.

3874

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach4 Wizard screen shot

« on: August 08, 2013, 10:57:52 AM »

Nice work Brian (and the team) I just can't wait. 

Tweakie.

3875

General Mach Discussion / Re: loading problem

« on: August 08, 2013, 02:28:14 AM »

That's a strange one Rod. 

I don't even have a file 'probediag.dat' on my PC although I do have 'probediag.txt'.

Perhaps make a back-up copy of your existing Mach3 folder and store it somewhere safe, then delete the original Mach3 folder and re-install Mach3 (following any special recommendations / instructions if you are not using the WinXP OS).

Tweakie.

3876

General Mach Discussion / Re: New people welcome !! Come in here and introduce your self!

« on: August 07, 2013, 06:54:15 AM »

Hi Mike,

Welcome to the forum.

Probably best to post your question as a new topic in the general section where it will get more views (and hopefully, suitable answers). 

Tweakie.

3877

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

« on: August 06, 2013, 08:29:14 AM »

Hi Mike,


Assuming you are going for a CO2 laser then…

1) Laser tube and matching high voltage PSU (most likely from China).

2) Gold plated FS mirrors and suitable, adjustable, mirror mounts (the USA made product is superior in quality).

3) Focus lens - GaAs is more hard wearing but I use ZnSe most of the time. Short focal length (small spot size) is good for engraving, longer focal length (larger spot size) is good for cutting (again the USA made product is superior in quality).

4) Water circulating pump for tube cooling – others generally use a submersible pump in a tank of de-ionised water. I use a closed loop system with forced air radiator.

5) Water flow sensor and means of water temperature monitoring.

6) Oil-less compressor to provide ‘air-assist’ when cutting and also to keep the detritus off the valuable lens.

7) Countless number of other bits and stuff to cobble it all together.

Hope this helps.

Tweakie.

3878

Third party software and hardware support forums. / Re: CAD CAM Software Advice

« on: August 06, 2013, 01:57:10 AM »

I will be doing signage, engraving etc. Any suggestions/ advice on which CAD CAM software  I should consider?

There are so many different CAD / CAM software's to choose from but I think that the Vectric range offers excellent value for money. http://www.vectric.com/
And, as you would expect, they have demo versions and video tutorials so you can 'try before you buy'.

Tweakie.

3879

General Mach Discussion / Re: Spindle starts on closing Mach

« on: August 05, 2013, 06:44:33 AM »

My view is that the machine should always be shut down, or put into a safe mode, before closing Mach.

Obviously there are exceptions but if, for example, you are using the parallel port for machine control then the state of the port pins, when Mach is closed, reverts to Windows control and can be a total unknown quantity.

Tweakie.

3880

General Mach Discussion / Re: problem with mach2

« on: August 05, 2013, 03:16:53 AM »

Jaime,

It’s a long shot but something additional you may wish to consider…

If you have one, try replacing the BIOS battery and reconfiguring to the optimum settings for your PC, graphics card, etc.(when these batteries go down, the BIOS can reset to default or cause other strange problems with a system that has previously run perfectly).

Tweakie.