Mach 3 / CNC Router help

[BarryD]

Hi,
My name is Barry and I have just purchased my first CNC router and associated software.
I am a complete novice re CNC and expected some teething issues but I think I would have more chance of launching a space shuttle than getting my machine to work!




I am using RhinoCad with a 3rd party program, which is then linked to meshcam and then to Mach 3. No major issues with Rhino or meshcam but I purchased a router from China (1/5 the cost of comparable Australian machine) and requested and received Mach 3 from same supplier. It came on a generic CD which contained the files which I loaded onto my computer. The Mach 3 opens and seems ok but I cant find anywhere to configure my router.
Installation guide tells me to add an xml file to folder if I have one -will this bypass the need to configure everything manually? Of course I dont have an xml file!
Router is too big to convert to a coffee table so I would really like to get it working


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers


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[ger21]

The Mach 3 opens and seems ok but I cant find anywhere to configure my router.

If you didn't receive an .xml file with all the settings, then you'll need to configure everything manually. Do this by going to Config > Ports and Pins and entering the pin and port numbers for your motors and switches.

[BarryD]

If you didn't receive an .xml file with all the settings, then you'll need to configure everything manually. Do this by going to Config > Ports and Pins and entering the pin and port numbers for your motors and switches.

Thanks Gerry - I assume the xml file comes from the machine manufacturer. Are they a standard type that would apply to any milling software or are they a dedicated file for Mach 3?

[ger21]

It's a special Mach3 configuration file, that stores all the Mach3 settings. The machine manufacturer is where you'd get it, or from someone with an identical machine.

[BarryD]

It's a special Mach3 configuration file, that stores all the Mach3 settings. The machine manufacturer is where you'd get it, or from someone with an identical machine.

Received .xml files from router supplier, installed and machine is now talking to Mach 3
I am able to move all axis with jog controls but they dont seem to stop until it bogs down at end of range. Should there be stops programmed at edges of actual machining area?
I am trying to work out how much I need to learn about Mach 3 configuration given that I am using meshcam as a link from RhinoCad

Any advice or direction would be greatly appreciated..

[ger21]

You can set up Softlimits in Mach3 to stop motion at the ends of your travel. For softlimits to work correctly, you'll need Home switches to provide a repeatable machine coordinate system.

Since mach3 controls the machine, you at least need to learn about work coordinate systems and how to zero the axis.

[Fabricator08]

The machine shouldn't continuously move without you pressing the GUI button on the jog control. If it does you need to find the setting to make it just move when you press the button. If your moving it with manual gcode inputs, make sure you don't input coordinates that are beyond the capability of the machine. The little dot to the left of the three distance windows zero the axis's. I normally setup my machine to work from zero at the bottom left of the table.

[cfunderburgh]

When you start Mach 3 are you starting it using the Mach 3 loader?