New 1100 owner

[brian257]

Just picked up a used 1100 machine Saturday and got it in my shop. It is a Series 2 and looks like it already has the new VFD on it. Ordering the Leadshine motor upgrade and power drawbar now. I will be upgrading to PathPilot, but have not decided if I will keep the old computer or just get a new controller. For now I am going to get the new motors and PDB running on Mach 3 instead of making all the changes at once and I can make sure hardware is all OK before I change software.

I already have a Bridgeport I converted to CNC with Mach 3, servos, and Ethernet Smoothstepper, but I have had reliability issues, can't use flood coolant on it, no limit or homing switches yet, spindle speed is not fast enough, and I needed something that just works correctly all the time. Looking forward to making chips instead of working on machine.

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[brianbonedoc]

I would go to path pilot asap. It will be well worth it.

[brian257]

I will do the Pathpilot very soon, just thinking it would be better to make sure the hardware is all working before I do the software. Also still need to decide if I want to convert the existing old controller or just buy a fresh new Pathpilot controller, even thinking of doing both so I have a back.

[tmarks11]

Also still need to decide if I want to convert the existing old controller or just buy a fresh new Pathpilot controller, even thinking of doing both so I have a back.

What I did was just get another HDD and put it in the controller. Did a fresh installation of PP with only the new HDD connected. That way I could switch back to Mach 3 by just swapping the HDD connections; kept both HDD in the computer.

Haven't ever had to swap back to the Mach3 HDD....

And PP isn't very demanding of computer hardware, so no need to upgrade to a modern computer.

[R.DesJardin]

Series 2 had the new VFD, getting the S3 stuff is a good upgrade, I've only done it to one of my S2 machines. I never had issues with Mach3, but I did PP just to keep the M3 controller for backup. One machine I bought used so it got the new PP setup right off. Good luck and enjoy.

[Steve Seebold]

My 1100 is 6 years old and I'm still running Mach III. I have read too many horror stories from guys who switched to Path Pilot too early.

I am a firm believer in "IF IT AINT BROKE, DINT FIX IT".

[popspipes]

My 1100 is 6 years old and I'm still running Mach III. I have read too many horror stories from guys who switched to Path Pilot too early.

I am a firm believer in "IF IT AINT BROKE, DINT FIX IT".

Steve,
Pathpilot has not made a miscue yet, I can trust it to run unattended, thats a big plus for me.

[brian257]

Ordered the PP update for the existing controller. Once I get it set up I might also give it a try on my Bridgeport conversion. I think I can get it to run fine on that machine also and I had been thinking about converting it to PP or LinuxCNC anyway. Will have to get the Tormach fully up and running first before I mess with the Bridgeport control box and have it unusable while I am reworking it.

[eltejano]

For sure get Pathpilot. I have not had one problem with it. I had problems with Mach on Z before. 3 times is decided it was time to plunge. All 3 times I was right next to the machine and hit the spacebar just in time to avoid a bad crash. One of those times it put my cutter right through my part. When the machine was switched to Pathpilot, the difference was immediate. The machine just sounds different, a lot better. I dont know what it is about it but the steppers just do not even sound the same. I am not the only one to have had the random Z problems, just ask around. Mach3 had me to where I was not comfortable walking away from the machine more than 10 feet. Pathpilot is super easy to learn and use. I like the conversational programming for quick facing or drilling. And one more thing that really should not matter because it does not affect the functionality is the user interface, it is a lot more pleasant to look at day in and day out. Plus this controller is taylor made for the Tormach machines with frequent updates and bugfixes having to do with Tormach machines. There are a ton more things I could mention but I don't want to ramble on more than I already did. If you do get PP, notice how much better the machine sounds after you replace Mach3.

[MichaelHenry]

I've had no significant problems with PathPilot either. Mach3 was much worse, by comparison. If it's broke, fix it <g>.