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Author Topic: Which Mach version will work with MAXNC42 Router?  (Read 5723 times)

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Offline maxpath42man

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Which Mach version will work with MAXNC42 Router?
« on: June 10, 2007, 04:56:44 PM »
I have a dual reason for posting here and I hope that someone more experienced than I am can help me. I would greatly appreciated. I need to find some help today Sunday if possible, so if you are reading this and can get me an aswer or direct me in the right path I would be very thankful.

First of all I have read that Mach Version 3 might be suitable for use with a Maxpath 42 router, and this is what has been on my mind for a while now. I've been running this router I purchased from MAXNC just fine for a few years now with the original program it came with, but I want a more graphical control software and I think Mach 3 might be the answer.


The second part of my reason for coming here and signing up is, that I need a little help trying to find out if maybe my controlller went bad.  I know this is not a MAXNC forum, but I have tried elsewhere and have not being able to get help. So maybe some of you can helop me out here.   I was trying to cut a part last night and all of the sudden my router stopped working in the middle of a job, so I figured it might the controller,  the cam program ran  fine,  but it gave me  an error message "cannot communicate with computer" , so I think it is the controller board, but  I have no diagram or schematic to trouble shoot it.

If anyone has a diagram or schematic for the MAXPATH 42 controller board I would appreciate it, so that I can determine if anything is blow out.  First thing I need to do, then get it running again with the original software and then I am going to try to configure it for Mach 3, or anything that is more grpahically suited  for this machine.

The only think I miss about this MAXPATH 42 router is not having good technical documentaion with the machine, the original manual I received with it, is very basic and I have found that trying to get the company to asnwer questions is a little difficult. 

I hope I can get an aswer today, so that I can at least check some things and determine what indeed went wrong with my machine, then take it from there.


Thank You.



« Last Edit: June 10, 2007, 05:01:35 PM by maxpath42man »
Re: Which Mach version will work with MAXNC42 Router?
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2007, 09:43:10 AM »
Hello,
You will have to mail MaxCN about the pinout of the cable connecting the controller to the computer. Is there a 25 pin cable going from the controller to the computer?

I think if you run your drives with Mach3 that should fix your maxNC software problem ;)

Thanks
Brian
Fixing problems one post at a time ;)

www.newfangledsolutions.com
www.machsupport.com

Offline maxpath42man

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Re: Which Mach version will work with MAXNC42 Router?
« Reply #2 on: June 12, 2007, 04:25:17 AM »
Thanks for the reply Brian,  I took the board to MAXNC today for servicing and will probably hear from their board tech tomorrow.

Yes there is cable that came with the controller that has specific pinouts, but I have to wait a few days to get them  directly from the owner of the company when he gets back. I did print out a copy of a similar pinout schematic for a MAXNC Mill,  from a thread in  this forum.  I don't think the router is any different, because it uses same controller boards.

I am planning on running Mach 3 and if I need to get a much better controller board I think I migh even go with Geko or  Xilotex setup. But I need to understand  more how to interface it with the motors and opto encoders in a CL system. 

If anyone has done a similar retrofit with a MAXNC machine either mill or router I'd like to hear from you.

Thanks.
Re: Which Mach version will work with MAXNC42 Router?
« Reply #3 on: June 13, 2007, 02:23:58 PM »
I am a maxnc user.  Unfortunitly.   My control box to suffered an ill fate.  While I am open loop.  I can tell you that I will never ever EVER buy anything again from MAXNC.  Their support sucks.  For lack of a better term.   
Anyways.   I have replaced my OL driver with a zylotex board.  Had some issues due to MAXNC`s canny ability to cut corners on the design and construction of their machines.  I wont go into it here.

But I did manage to get my maxnc15 OL mill to go from 15 ipm MAX rapids to close to 50 IPM.  I cut wax for jewlery.
I replaced the driver board  with the xylotex, replaced the under sized steppers with the 269 oz`s from xylotex as well.  Even got me the new power supply.  under $400 for the setup  and maxnc wanted $475 for just the control box.
I also made thrust plates and flex couplings for my machine.   Did away with MAXNC`s wonderfull solid state collar couplings.  I really dont think a stepper motor should be used as a thrust bearing.  Could be just me  though  :)
The xylotex controller was pretty easy to setup and the support is wonderfull!   Did have an issue with resonence that took forever to finally work out.

Here is a line to my small write up and some pics ect.

Good luck dealing with Art and his "WONDERFULL" team!  I think its the heat in arizona  hahahah Just kidding.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30988

Also... the maxnc yahoo group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MaxNC-users/

Offline maxpath42man

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Re: Which Mach version will work with MAXNC42 Router?
« Reply #4 on: June 13, 2007, 10:04:14 PM »
Day two, has gone by and no reply from MAXNC, although I was promissed that someone would call me and let me know the status on my controller board yesterday.  I think I am just going to have to be patient and wait till tomorrow when the owner is back so I can deal directly with him.  Meanwhile,  the part I was cuttng is dead on the table and I am a bit frustrated and I also don't sit iddle well.

I have a control box from Griffin CNC controls that was running another machine but since It is iddle,  I might take that controller and attach it to the MXNC Router and load Mach 3 on the PC.

I hear what you are saying about the cutting corners on the MAXNC machines and  myself have made some minor retrofits to the MAXPATH42 router so that it operates smoother. Fortunately,  I have not had any issues with the couplers so I am leaving them as they are, for now, but the thought of the machine possibly vibrating if things were not aligned properly did cross my mind when I bought it.

However, I have twice repaired the BSA nut in the Z axis and drilled amd tapped the mount to hold the nut in place more securely with 2 small screws because this nut was coming loose from a semi-threaded pocket on the Z axis nut holder block.  Here is a perfect example of cutting corners, it qppears they miscalculated the CL distance of the thread  to the edge of the nut holder block clearance and didn't have enough alu material on the screw block to fully tap it and have enough material around to hold the nut better. IF you take your MAXNC machine appart look at this area you'll know what I mean. Maybe this is just on thier routers?.

The other thing  I did was to replace the dove tail  alu tensioner bars, the parts that provide some friction to hold the sliding blocks,  with ones I made from Delrin, and this improved the sliding of the axis mounts better. I suggested this to MAXNC  Monday to the Vice President lady, when I was there droping the board.  I also think, that the original alu tesioner bars are a potential  problem for trapping chips and debris easier than the delrin ones I made.

Also I had to replace the original bearings on the all Axis with better ones at my expense. 

If only MAXNC could spend a little more money and time and improve these areas on their machines, so let them charge a bit more,  they would have more supportive fans.  I personally like the router because it is of a size that fits my applications, no issue there, I don't care for whether it is anodized blue, more important is a solid machine.  But it is the lack of attention to  details into the assembly and even into the particular design that bothers me. 

One thing they did  improve on,  is the Y axis on their newer router,  the Y rides on Thompsons round rails,  not dovetails like on thier original machine , the one I have. But they should also put the same rails onthe Z axis to make it more precise and more consitent in design and appearance so that the machine doesn't look like it was pieced from smaller machines. 

"good luck dealing wiht Art and his wonderful team" is this a warning? which Art? from MAXNC or Artsoft? confused?
« Last Edit: June 13, 2007, 10:10:36 PM by maxpath42man »

Offline maxpath42man

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Re: Which Mach version will work with MAXNC42 Router?
« Reply #5 on: June 14, 2007, 08:32:45 PM »
OK I have downloaded Mach 3, and interfaced it with an older controller I had. Watching the videos was so easy! I feel kind of silly, afterwards,  asking people which version works with this Routerr now.  I think I can take it from here. Still have to try running with MAXPATH42, soon.



ART!, I will be thingking of you when I make the first parts running Mach3.

Thanks for a great program! and this forum.
Cheers all!



« Last Edit: June 14, 2007, 08:37:12 PM by maxpath42man »
Re: Which Mach version will work with MAXNC42 Router?
« Reply #6 on: July 27, 2007, 11:39:17 AM »
 ;D tech support heh
 sorry silly - ;D