older minimill2

[jpatter@bellsou]

This is my first post here and am new to cnc. So, please excuse my ignorance. I have just bought an older minimill2 made by minitech. It is only a three axis and I wish to make it a 4 axis machine. What would be a good inexpensive card to replace the older one. Also, I have got to replace the belt (MB-330). Where is a good source for buying after market parts? Thanks in advance for your help and patience.

Jimmy P
jpatter@bellsouth.net

[Harryman]

I've got a Minitech as well, a Minimill3, different model. I use Wincnc to control my mill, my motors are programable servos.

Does the belt drive your spindle or are your axis belt driven?

What card do you have on there now?

[jpatter@bellsou]

It is a belt driven spindle. It is only a 3 axis minitech card as far as I can tell. I have tried to call Minitech several times and can't get past the operator.

[mehran]

I enjoy to find the documents for your machine,, & if you could find, write here please,, that could be a good job if we could do what you intrest...

[Harryman]

If you can't find the belt by googling it, you can always use a reasonably fat o ring.

I'm not an electronics guy, nor do I have any experience with any of the popular setups such as using Geckos. You might have better luck getting an answer to what you need by posting in this forum:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/controller_cards/

You'll need to include what type of motors you have and someone should be able to steer you in the right direction.


Good luck trying to find out anything from Minitech, they have the worst customer support I've ever dealth with. Great machines though : )

Ask for Jack, that's your best bet.

[jpatter@bellsou]

Thanks for the info. I wish I could get through to anybody, but Debbie, the operator. I wish my business was that strong where I didn't have to call people back.

[jpatter@bellsou]

Thanks for your advice MillingJeweler. I wish I could get through to somebody other than Debbie, the operator. I have tried emailing through the forums and directly and no response that way either. I guess the best way is to dive in and learn from your mistakes. I wish my business was that good I didn't have to return customer calls.

[Harryman]

Debbie is nice but Jack is the only one with answers. It boggles my mind sometimes how they treat people and still stay in business. From other posts I've read, it seems they treat half their customers great and ignore the others. Seems like your in my half.

Regardless, it's a nice mill you've got and once you've got the electronics sorted out, you'll be happy with it.

When you get around to getting a fourth axis, sherline makes the best btw.

[minitech]

Jimmy P,

Upon review of your recent purchase of a Minitech machine with serial number 11376, we have determined that you purchased a 17 year old machine from EBay for $2,550. We needed to have this information in order to know how best to service your machine and determine what is needed to bring it to the latest technology.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... &rd=1&rd=1

Your machine was originally sold to a company in Florida in 1990 for $3,795. It used our CNC Program that runs under MS-DOS, and an IBM PC 286 computer. Our records show that the software was updated in 1994 and other services were performed on the machine during the same time. We do not show any other history, but it could have bee resold or not used since then. I do know that the EBay seller was not the original owner.

Minitech does not charge for customer support, and has always supported our customers regardless of the original owner, and/or age or condition of the machine. You can check other posts in this forum and see that we have gone above and beyond to assist our customers.

Customer support is a challenge for most companies big or small. Try calling IBM for support for their computers that are 17 years old and see what you get. Microsoft is the same on their DOS operating system. Minitech has been making desktop CNC machines since 1983, and has sold thousands of machines in over 40 countries worldwide. We pride ourselves on making the best quality desktop CNC machines, while providing the best service and support we can.

There are several ways to contact us regarding support:
1. Office 800-662-1760 during our office hours currently 8:30 to 3:00 EST
2. Email – sales@minitech.com 24/7
3. We request that you have your serial number, date of purchase and name of the company you purchased the machine from.

You can also get help from these forums:
1. http://www.3dcadjewelry.com
2. http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/minitechcnc/
3. http://www.millinghelp.com
4. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/miniature-machine-tools/

Minitech welcomes you as a valued customer and looks forward to supporting you with any issues you may have.

Sincerely,

Jack Heald, Founder and President

Minitech Machinery Corporation
http://www.minitech.com
"Out of intense complexities intense simplicities emerge."
~ Winston Churchill ~