I'm upgrading my system to include
Mach4 + C11 + Warp9 ESS Smooth stepper. (Possibly add another BOB C10)
I already have Aspire 4.5 (Cant stretch to the upgrade yet)
I have fitted an Endurance 10W+ Laser head

I need some help on hooking up the new electronics, a simple schematic would be gret.

I have seen reference to Lightburn Software!  Can this be used with my new setup ? How is it configured.
Am I going to gain $200 worth of improvement by moving to Mach4 from Mach3

George

Am I going to gain $200 worth of improvement by moving to Mach4 from Mach3

In my opinion yes you will - bearing in mind the Mach4 / ESS laser support.

Tweakie.

Hi,
this is a good place to start.

https://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=29878.0

Its a bit dated but still it will get you started.

First download the latest ESS mach4 plugin (and the signature file) and load them into Mach4Hobby/Plugins directory.
Now open Mach4 and open the Mach4 Control page, enable all thye plugins you might require. Restart Mach.
Note that certain fundamental settings when made in Mach then Mach needs to restart BEFORE those new settings take
effect, they're read in at startup........no startup.....no read.

Now select the ESS as 'Selected Motion Device'. Restart Mach.

Don't try to hook every thing up at once...you'll confuse yourself, do one small item and then test it. Once you have it right
THEN add another item.

When you use the ESS configuration page many of the settings you make there will simultaneously be made in the Mach Control
plugin also. Thus you need only set the item once in the ESS plugin and can leave Mach to take care of itself. Regrettably that
is not entirely true, there are some settings that can ONLY be made in Machs Control plugin, unfortunately you will have
to experiment to find out which.

Another trick to which I have already alluded is the occasional restart of Mach. When you close Mach all settings get flushed
to your .ini file. When you restart all of the settings will be read anew from the file.

On the ESS Ports & Pins page set up in input pin for an Estop. Connect that pin to the Estop signal on the Inputs page.
Hook up an Estop switch and you should have a working Estop. Test it....don't move on to other inputs
or outputs until you've worked out how to get the Estop button working.

Thanks JO,
I have 2 PC's the one in my workshop which runs my machine is not normally connected to the Internet. Is this an issue ??
My second PC is in the house, that's about 100Mtrs from my workshop. This PC is permanently connected to the internet. It's on this PC that I run Aspire for my designs and usually put them on a memory stick and then load them on to my workshop machine.
I don't think Mach4 Hobby can be loaded on to 2 different machines, is that correct ??

George

Hi.

I don't think Mach4 Hobby can be loaded on to 2 different machines, is that correct ??

No, you may have up to five licenced PCs for one Mach4 Hobby purchase.

If you get a new PC, log on to the NFS website and release the licence form the outgoing PC and licence the new
one. You may have up to seven such transactions in a two year period, so it pays not to be profligate but within
that limitation licencing is flexible and generous.

Craig