MACH 1..the BEST choice in affordable software for CNC control

[WOODKNACK]

I am thinking about trying mach2. I have tried turbocnc with my Xylotes board and it works great. Just would be nice to use a mouse instead of the keybaord to do things. also dont care to much for the jog option on turbocnc. I have read alot of people that are happy with mach2 or mach1. Will this work for any mother board?

[Art Fenerty]

Yes, most motherboards will run the Mach series. Let me know if you have any trouble and I'll help you through the trouble spots...

Thanks,
Art

[WOODKNACK]

Hey Art,
I am trying to set the program up on my laptop its a pII400. I did the ocr test and the pulse frequency is 25380. Is this any good?

Also has any one set this up with there Xylotex boards yet?

[Art Fenerty]

Yup, thats perfect. Next test is to run the program and see how you do. You could also run MAch2 which will display more statistics on its diagnostic pages, such as "worst-time" and actual frequency, but it sounds more like your ready to run some motor tests and see how everything works.

I am not familiar with your controllers, but I know others have used them.

Good luck,
Art

[coherent]

this is kind of a delayed response to an earlier question... but yes the xylotex board and mach1 work perfect together. With a 28v power supply I get great torque and cutting speeds even with smaller nema 23 motors... smooth as silk! The best results I have gotten with any software... and I've tried a few of them now. I guess I'm lazy, but the windows GUI and mouse control makes it much easier than most DOS type softwares to learn or use. Of course having a toolpath display is nice too.
-Marc

[lsfoils]

Add my name to the list of happy customers! Art answered my questions right away and setting up was a snap! I have 3 steppers dancing around on the floor, humming away happily. I can't wait to get my machine finished!

Great software, Art!

[cncmojo]

I have mach2 on my mill, I am using Gecko drives and servos. It seems to work well, but I need to find a good source for tech support, I am trying to digitize a part, and I can't figure it out. Any one have any suggestions?

[Art Fenerty]

To digitize, run the digitizng wizard. It will create a G-Code file of the matrix required and the probe commands required.

You then need a spring loaded switch as your tool. This program will create a file (it will ask for the name) and it will create a point cloud file of the object. You then need a cam program to create toolpaths or objects fromthe point cloud. (Rhino..etc..)

Art

[kenlambert]

what if my laptop doesnt have a printer port i have usb's is there a card i can plug into my laptop so i can use it? it has a p4 2.6 i think it would be nice to run my cnc mill with i am going with mach 2 with xp