Topics

1

Mach4 General Discussion / trouble with rotary axis tool path

« on: July 04, 2023, 09:18:04 AM »

Hello,
I  am having a problem bringing a rotary from from V carve pro into mach 4.  The tool path looks fine in V Carve.  When it comes into Mach 4 it is not correct.  It is stocky and has a pentagon like tool path in it.  Not sure if the is a mach4 setting I have wrong or something in V carve post processor.  Any Ideas?
Thanks,
Todd

2

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

3

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

4

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

5

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

6

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

7

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

8

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

9

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

10

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