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Hi Gerry,

Did you have a chance to take a look?

Ok, no rush. It's getting late here so I won't be doing any more today anyway.

I appreciate the help!

Any ideas why?

I'm not sure if this is what you mean but the outline around the 'Spindle CW F5' button flashes yellow after an M3 command and is off after an M5. It's never permanently on, it just flashes.

It...

OK, so I checked the diagnostics screen and 'OUTPUT 1' flashes red when the M3 command is given and goes off for M5. I assume it should be a solid red, not flashing?

I measured the voltage at pin...

It's a desktop PC which goes directly to the BOB via the parallel port. It's a good quality cable, I didn't skimp on it. Mach3 is configured as per figure 8. I will check the diagnostic screen next...

Double checked all the mach3 settings and they're as per the instructions. I'm beginning to wonder if there's an issue with pin17 on the parallel port.

Thanks for your reply John, that's exactly what happens. I'll check Mach3 again. Is there any other setting (other than those specified in the PDF) that could be causing the issue?

Just had a thought, if the active low/high setting was wrong wouldn't it just do the opposite? E.g. close when low rather than high? If M3 = high and M5 = low.

Yes that should have said can't. I'll give that a go tomorrow and report back, thanks

I found if I have the USB connected the relay is always closed (the 5v from the USB is directly connected to the relay) and if it's not connected it's always open. I can control it through mach3 even...

Thanks for explaining, that is what I thought. So I don't wire anything to pin17 and just use the two relay terminals like a switch. But when I use M3/M5 it doesn't switch the relay? I've noticed the...

Hello,

Please can someone explain how to use the relay on the eBay 5 axis break out boards?

I know how to wire and use a normal re-lay but I can't figure out how to use the one on the break...

Hello,

Please can someone explain how I should wire my BOB to my VDF.

I have attached the manuals for both.

I have tried wiring DCM to one side of the spindle switch and REV to the other....

Have there been any developments or new pieces of software released in the last couple of years?

I'm looking for something free or cheap for hobby use.

I use Vectric VCarvePro for my CNC router...

And now it's burning again.

Any ideas?

I've just run some test cuts and its now working perfectly again. Not sure what happened there. Possibly control related? The computer has been switch off over night.

double post

What plunge rate do you use?

I have a 2.2kw spindle which doesn't have enough power to cut at 3,000 rpm. The spindle would stop.

Obviously there is too much heat hence the burning but I'm still...

I assume its something along those lines. Although I couldn't spot anything by visual inspection.

I'm not sure what causes boring bits to burn. Even if the spindle wasn't square to the bed I...

I've been using boring bits (15mm and 35mm) on MDF without issue until today.

For some unknown reason the bits started burning the MDF badly but only on the right hand side of the machine bed...

I'm not sure if this is of any help to you but... If your CAM software doesn't support TrueType fonts you can use a program like Adobe Illustrator to convert the text into a vector format. You can...

Hello,

Does anyone own, run or know of a manufacturer in the UK who is capable of small production runs of 100-1000 products made from 18mm MDF?

Each product uses one full 8'x4' sheet of 18mm...

Thanks for the formula. The critical speed for the 950mm ballscrew is much better at 2830RPM which translates to 14150mm/min.

As this is my first CNC machine I don't really know what speed I would...

Some very useful comments, thanks.

Victorofga - Having a wider gantry is a great idea and something I hadn't considered. It also makes upgrading much easier if I decide to go to a 8'x4' machine.
...

Hello,

I'm currently in the early stages of designing my own CNC machine and i'm stuggling to position my X axis ballscrew.

I currently have 1250mm, 950mm and 450mm ballscrews with supported...

Following on from the original question, do SBR rails and linear bearings preform better in any particular orientation?

I'm struggling to settle on a design for my machine. I can't decide how to...

You need to use 2 rails.

The bearing blocks rotate around the rail by roughly 20-30 degrees.