Messages

5151

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Will MACH3 ever support 64-bit systems? Officially? FYI, it's 2010

« on: January 27, 2010, 06:16:26 PM »

A PC controlling a machine should always be dedicated to the machine. There are numerous software programs that can and will interfere with Mach3 operation, whether they are running or not. Be prepared to remove your anti virus software, quicktime, video editing software, and many others if you want to use your main PC to run Mach3.

And if you're using a stepper driven machine, a $100 used PC is more than adequate.

5152

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Strange Lockup- Solved

« on: January 27, 2010, 05:38:40 PM »

If I plug my camera into my PC, my mouse doesn't work. I need to place the camera as far away as possible to keep the mouse working. Apparently, the wireless signals for mice are easily interfered with.

5153

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Will MACH3 ever support 64-bit systems? Officially? FYI, it's 2010

« on: January 27, 2010, 05:20:34 PM »

If I wouldn't fear being called an ignorant, I'd suggest taking the source code and recompiling it for x64.

I believe it's far more complicated than that. :-) If it was that easy, it would already be done.

Still, an adapter can be purchased for $10 or less

If you mean a USB to parallel adapter, they won't work. You need to get a PCI parallel port card.

Or, you can buy one of the hundreds of $100 or less PC's on Ebay that will run Mach3 perfectly fine. The one I use was $20.

5154

General Mach Discussion / Re: Leveling the gantry and table

« on: January 27, 2010, 05:14:22 PM »

I'd make a bunch of ribs, notched around your screw, running across the table. The more the better. And use 2 pieces of 1/2" MDF laminated together. 4 pcs of 1/4" would be even stiffer. No matter what you use, it'll sag without support.

You should get it as level as possible by shimming, then surface it with the router. I've got a 2-1/2" slot cutter that came from an auction, that surfaces my 30x45 table in about 5 minutes. Amana make a nice surfacing bit, but it's around $200 or more. Her-Saf has a 2" for about $150. Cheapest is to by a 1-1/2" carbide tipped straight bit. About $25

5155

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: Routed Teak Tiger.

« on: January 27, 2010, 05:07:58 PM »

I got the same error when I had a bunch of other programs running, but when I closed them, it worked fine. I have 2 Gigs of ram. It looked like it might be using more than 1 Gig. Also, be sure you're using the latest version of MeshCAM.

5156

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Will MACH3 ever support 64-bit systems? Officially? FYI, it's 2010

« on: January 26, 2010, 09:26:21 PM »

Unnecessary details aside, why ArtSoft, is it so hard to make a 64 bit driver?

Maybe because only one person's been able to do what Mach3 does with the 32bit version, and it took him a few years for that one. Forget about the outsourcing, because no one else knows how to do it. :-)

5157

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: rough cut prob

« on: January 26, 2010, 05:19:11 PM »

https://www.onsrud.com/xdoc/FeedSpeeds

5158

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: rough cut prob

« on: January 26, 2010, 04:54:24 PM »

Oh, almost forgot. I wasn't being testy. Just trying to point out that I know what I'm talking about, and was disagreeing with the previous poster. And a few others. With wood, the general rule is to cut as fast as you can, provided you get acceptable cut quality. Disregard the quality of this particular part for now. Stepover is not really important when roughing wood, as you can easily use the full tool width. And if the chip load is not kept up near the recommendation, your tooling life will suffer.

5159

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: rough cut prob

« on: January 26, 2010, 04:50:29 PM »

I'm currently doing this with MeshCAM

That's some critical information. Not sure what you're part looks like, but it appears to me that MeshCAM is the wrong tool for that type of part. A 2D CAM program could give you much more efficient toolpaths, that would probably reduce machining time by up to 75%, maybe more. With MeshCAM, more than likely, you probably ended up with a lot of plunging, which is bad with your downcut spiral. And the rough cuts that I thought were play in the machine, were probably due to MeshCAM's roughing toolpaths.

You didn't show a picture of the bit, but did it have a lot of plastic on it? It's pretty hard to break a 1/4" bit in wood, unless you get it pretty hot. But normally you'd see a lot of burning, and I don't see it. So if there was plastic on the tool, then there's a good chance that's the reason it broke.

I've been a MeshCAM user since the very first beta, and am also a moderator on the MeshCAM form, so I have plenty of experience with it.

Can you show a pic of your part? Were you going to use a ballnose bit for your finishing passes?

5160

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: rough cut prob

« on: January 25, 2010, 10:51:16 PM »

I've been routing wood with a $150K cnc for over 10 years. The stepover is not the problem here. You can cut wood all day with a 100% stepover with no problems.

My homebuilt mdf and plywood machine has a fair bit of visible flex, and the worst cut's I've seen from it are infinitely better than those.