Computer ?

[twocik]

Do you need to the computer they sell in the package deal or can this be configured on your own ?


If it can how hard is this to setup ?


Can I run a laptop with this machine ?

[rwexec]

You can purchase your own computer, it comes with the required software to run the machine.
I purchased my own new but there price is comparable.
They recommend not to use a laptop.
This is all on the Tormach website.

[HMB3000]

Originally Posted by rwexec . I purchased my own new but there price is comparable. They recommend not to use a laptop. .

Just be advised that if you set up your own PC and you have an issue...the first question that you will be asked when a call for service occurs....is did you buy the PC from us....where the price is about the same I would get it from Tormach...The reason you should not use a laptop is grounding

[300sniper]

i bought my own computer and it has worked just fine. i am terrible with computers but i was able to figure it out easy enough with the tormach manual. i really liked the service in the computer store where i bought mine and like the idea of driving a couple miles with the computer if i have a problem instead of shipping it off somewhere.

[ataxy]

i bought some used hp d530 sff with some ati radeon 9200 and it works fine here are the spec of my hp
p4 2.8ghz
1gig ddr2
40gig hdd
radeon 9200 128mb
with it i can run the kernel at 45000 and i have absolutly no problem

[BlueFin]

I bought a rebuilt PC from Blair Technolgy group (eBay), this PC probably came from a Bank or a Hospital somewhere. They rebuild them like new with Windows XP and it was only $180.00 with shipping. I already had a keyboard and monitor laying around. Works great, if it goes bad ever from chips and coolant for any reason I figure I can just get another one.

[R.DesJardin]

I bought the one from Tormach. Didn't want something so simple to be an issue. I found security in that.

[twocik]

Thanks guys.

The reason I ask is I already own like 10 monitors and and really don't need another, did any of you purchase just the computer ? If so how much was it ?

[justgary]

You can download the complete machine manual on the Tormach web site. The machine really only needs about 1 GHz or so, which means you can use a stripped junker computer. I grabbed one off of the junk pile at work and freshened its brain with a clean install of Winders XP.

The plus side:
1) It was free.
2) I wound up removing all of the covers and plastic junk on the case to get the most air circulation and easy access to the guts, and I might not have done that to a new one.
3) With the front cover of the case off, I could rip the power switch and LED harness out and remote it to the arm, just under the monitor. No more crawling under the stand to turn on the computer.
4) With an older computer, I didn't have to investigate and learn the hard way about turning off hyperthreading in the CPU.
5) If it breaks, I'll go scrounge another one. Did I mention it was free?

The minus side:
1) My free computer only has USB 1.1 instead of 2.0. The G-Code files are generally really small, so I don't care, but Bill (the guy inside of Winders) complains every time I plug in a thumb drive to transfer a file. A small price to pay.

You can download the Mach3 test software, allowing you to see if a particular computer should work before you even hook it up to the mill. The manual mentions other issues with laptops, such as power monitoring, that can give you trouble. I personally think that some laptops would work, but you'll have to test them to be sure.

It really isn't hard to configure a computer for use with Mach3. Just follow the directions in the manual and you should be fine. I'd be willing to bet that you could visit just about any business in your area and ask for an old 1 GHz computer. When you explain why you want it, they might just give you one. Heck, with Vista out now, they might give you a license for XP with it! It's worth a try.

From the rest of the responses, it looks like everyone has done their own thing for their own reasons. The bottom line is that the computer is probably the least of the worries you'll have. Once you get it set up properly, it will run without issues until the hard drive crashes (which it will, eventually). You'll have far more problems with breaking tooling, or coolant drips, or in my case, rust.

Regards,

- Just Gary

[Cairns]

My experience was exactly the same as Gary's, even to the point of wiring a remote power switch. You don't need a beast, just a basic machine with a fresh install of XP and then go through the instructions in the Tormach manual. I've had no problems with Mach.

Originally Posted by justgary You can download the complete machine manual on the Tormach web site. The machine really only needs about 1 GHz or so, which means you can use a stripped junker computer. I grabbed one off of the junk pile at work and freshened its brain with a clean install of Winders XP. The plus side: 1) It was free. 2) I wound up removing all of the covers and plastic junk on the case to get the most air circulation and easy access to the guts, and I might not have done that to a new one. 3) With the front cover of the case off, I could rip the power switch and LED harness out and remote it to the arm, just under the monitor. No more crawling under the stand to turn on the computer. 4) With an older computer, I didn't have to investigate and learn the hard way about turning off hyperthreading in the CPU. 5) If it breaks, I'll go scrounge another one. Did I mention it was free? The minus side: 1) My free computer only has USB 1.1 instead of 2.0. The G-Code files are generally really small, so I don't care, but Bill (the guy inside of Winders) complains every time I plug in a thumb drive to transfer a file. A small price to pay. You can download the Mach3 test software, allowing you to see if a particular computer should work before you even hook it up to the mill. The manual mentions other issues with laptops, such as power monitoring, that can give you trouble. I personally think that some laptops would work, but you'll have to test them to be sure. It really isn't hard to configure a computer for use with Mach3. Just follow the directions in the manual and you should be fine. I'd be willing to bet that you could visit just about any business in your area and ask for an old 1 GHz computer. When you explain why you want it, they might just give you one. Heck, with Vista out now, they might give you a license for XP with it! It's worth a try. From the rest of the responses, it looks like everyone has done their own thing for their own reasons. The bottom line is that the computer is probably the least of the worries you'll have. Once you get it set up properly, it will run without issues until the hard drive crashes (which it will, eventually). You'll have far more problems with breaking tooling, or coolant drips, or in my case, rust. Regards, - Just Gary

[zephyr9900]

Originally Posted by justgary With the front cover of the case off, I could rip the power switch and LED harness out and remote it to the arm, just under the monitor. No more crawling under the stand to turn on the computer.

?? If your PC is setup as a standard PC rather than ACPI (per Tormach's Windows optimization advice), just plug it and the monitor into the switched AC outlets closest to the parallel port on the Tormach. When I shut down my PC, it says "It is now safe to turn off the PC" or words to that effect and then I just kill the Tormach power. The PC and monitor power/boot up automatically when I turn on the main power switch on the Tormach. (My PC is in the "hobbit hole" in the machine base...)

Best regards,

Randy

[justgary]

True indeed, Randy. Unfortunately, my particular PC doesn't possess the BIOS settings needed to let it work that way. It pretty much only wants the power button on the front to turn it on [insert wife joke here]. I soon grew weary of crawling under the drip pan just to tap the button. As long as you have all of the sleepy things in Winders turned off (screen saver, disks, etc.), Mach 3 seems to work just fine.

As it is, I remoted the power button, two power LEDs (I have no idea what the amber one means except that maybe always off is good), and the hard drive activity LED. I kind of like to see the drive one flash when I plug in a thumb drive or start a Mach "Wizard" (in quotes because I'm underwhelmed by most of them; only a few of them are great).

As a result of all of this fiddling, I don't turn off the red power switch any more. I simply block the Z-axis up, let the PC power itself off, and press the e-stop on the mill. During thunderstorms I unplug both cords.

Regards,

- Just Gary

P.S. (Waaay off topic) Your avatar kills me, Randy. Every time I see a post from you I laugh at the picture. I'm sure you have your own story, but it sure strikes a chord with me. I've used cave-man tactics for machining all of my life, and getting the Tormach was a huge paradigm shift.

I'm embarrassed to say, but my "other" mill is a 1958 Shop Smith model ER (no such thing as a Mark V back then) with a chinese cross-slide vise clamped to the table. I was working on making a cross-slide vise for my 6" Craftsman (Atlas) lathe when I decided to buy the Tormach. The only good part of using the Shop Smith was that it is horizontal or vertical. Gravity can be your friend sometimes, and horizontal milling doesn't suffer the chip pilup the way that vertical does. It's happy as a table saw again, I'm sure.

Oh, for the good old days when feed was "crank" or "don't crank" and speed was "on" or "off." Funny, I have broken as much tooling in a month as I did over several years doing it the hard way. Of course, I've probably removed 10 times the metal in this month as I did the whole rest of my life.