Some newbie questions

[hispeedbinder]

Hi everyone, I am very new to cnc and have only done a limited amount of manual mill/lathe work so please be patient as some of my questions may seem pretty ignorant.
How do the older cncs work? For example, the 1900 dollar older Bridgeports you see on ebay. Do you write the program onto a disk and enter it in the machine or just type the movements right into the control on the machine? Basically most of what I will be working on will be 1/4" to 1/2" depth cuts in aluminum. Mostly for hobby use because I enjoy the hell out of milling and lathe work. Not looking to sink alot of cash in a machine right away. Maybe something with around a 9x32 table? Maybe a round coloumn machine? Thanks for the help.

[rlwoodjr]

I bought a BP Series 1 CNC added gecko drivers and an old laptop. I run TurboCNC. I can enter a program on file, G/M-godes, or jog the machine.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/bridge...tml#post902991

[vidio1]

Most of the time when you find a good deal on an older CNC machine something went bad with the electronics. A board burnt or drive failed, etc. Most often it's not cost effective to replace the part so it's sold for cheap. I mention this because getting an older machine back up and running with original parts can become an expensive proposition. This is one of the most popular reasons to "upgrade" to a more modern setup.

[rlwoodjr]

Originally Posted by vidio1 Most of the time when you find a good deal on an older CNC machine something went bad with the electronics. A board burnt or drive failed, etc. Most often it's not cost effective to replace the part so it's sold for cheap. I mention this because getting an older machine back up and running with original parts can become an expensive proposition. This is one of the most popular reasons to "upgrade" to a more modern setup.

I started with a PII in she shop, now I have a P4 with dual LCD monitors...I have more spare parts than I could ever need. Put the word out that you need old computers and you might be surprised how many you would get.