[LeeWay]

The Z axis motor is the high point on the Torus. It can be removed and then the control panel would be the high point. You can unattach and lower it temporarily. You would have to tie it off lower.
It is hinged and has a couple pins on the hinge side that you can pull out. Then it is disconnected.
That should give you sufficient clearance I would think.
The mill ships with the head lowered as in this photo.

[Titaniumboy]

The Z axis motor is the high point on the Torus. It can be removed and then the control panel would be the high point. You can unattach and lower it temporarily. You would have to tie it off lower.
It is hinged and has a couple pins on the hinge side that you can pull out. Then it is disconnected.
That should give you sufficient clearance I would think.

Lee,

Thanks for the photo.

What is the distance from the base to the top of the Z-axis motor on your Torus? Is it 80" like Novakon lists on their website?

Titaniumboy

p.s. just heard that the Professor from Gilligan's Island passed away at 89. There is no way Russell Johnson could be 89 because that would make me....
oh crap.

[LeeWay]

I just sat a level on the Z motor and measured to the floor.
It is sitting 77.5" high off the floor at the highest point, which is the top of the Z motor. Give or take .25".
It is sitting on the pads and not the wheels. Add in the plate between the casters and base. You should be good to go with it and not need to disassemble anything.

[Titaniumboy]

I just sat a level on the Z motor and measured to the floor.
It is sitting 77.5" high off the floor at the highest point, which is the top of the Z motor. Give or take .25".
It is sitting on the pads and not the wheels. Add in the plate between the casters and base. You should be good to go with it and not need to disassemble anything.

Thank you for taking those measurements. Getting this beast into the shop might actually be possible!

I see that you made your aluminum beam such that the casters are outboard of the stand. Did you do this mainly for ease of attaching the casters, or were you specifically trying to make the stand more stable?

On another note, has anyone tried to use a touchscreen monitor with Mach 3 on a Novakon machine? I found a bunch of reasonably priced used touchscreens on eBay. Here is one example of a 19" infra-red touchscreen for $106 delivered. No Stand BK Sems 19" Multi Touchscreen 2 Touch LCD Monitor Windows XP 7 and 8 | eBay


Attachment 219092

Titaniumboy

[waltpermenter]

On another note, has anyone tried to use a touchscreen monitor with Mach 3 on a Novakon machine? I found a bunch of reasonably priced used touchscreens on eBay. Here is one example of a 19" infra-red touchscreen for $106 delivered. No Stand BK Sems 19" Multi Touchscreen 2 Touch LCD Monitor Windows XP 7 and 8 | eBay




Attachment 219092

Titaniumboy

thanks for the link, may have to grab one of those too. you don't have to make your own screenset, there are some available for download that will work with the touchscreen like the one at the bottom called Touch Screen by Hood. Screensets - Newfangled Solutions Gerry's Auqa Screenset will also work. Also the 3 Axis Simple Screen.

Unless you either make your own screenset, or get a HUGE monitor, Mach3 is unusable with a touchscreen - far too many tiny little controls.

Regards,
Ray L.

try looking on youtube, plenty of people using regular mach 3 screen with NOT huge touchscreen monitors.

[HawkJET]

has anyone tried to use a touchscreen monitor with Mach 3 on a Novakon machine?

I have Mach3 with a touchscreen but my machine is a Bridgeport BOSS conversion. I LOVE the touch screen! Although as Ray mentions, I made custom screens. Yes, there are also touch screen screensets available on Mach3's website and even 'aftermarket' sets from other vendors that are not free. You may also find that making your own screens makes Mach3 much easier to use. If you make your own screens, it isn't too difficult, but it takes a lot of time.

I did use the stock Mach3 screens with the touch screen at first. It wasn't too bad actually - even with my 15" monitor. Also, with a 19" monitor, you can expand the image to fill the entire screen and it will be even more manageable.

I really wanted to eliminate the mouse and keyboard completely on my machine. But I found that every once-in-a-while, I need them.

[Titaniumboy]

I have Mach3 with a touchscreen but my machine is a Bridgeport BOSS conversion. I LOVE the touch screen! Although as Ray mentions, I made custom screens. Yes, there are also touch screen screensets available on Mach3's website and even 'aftermarket' sets from other vendors that are not free. You may also find that making your own screens makes Mach3 much easier to use. If you make your own screens, it isn't too difficult, but it takes a lot of time.

I did use the stock Mach3 screens with the touch screen at first. It wasn't too bad actually - even with my 15" monitor. Also, with a 19" monitor, you can expand the image to fill the entire screen and it will be even more manageable.

HawkJET,

Thanks for the reply. I ended up getting the eBay touchscreen that I posted about a month ago. This touchscreen is encased in a very heavy-duty metal frame. There was some slight debris - particles really - behind the outer screen. I was able to disassemble the touchscreen in order to give it a nice cleanup.

------------------

In other news, my Torus was supposed to be delivered at the end of January. At least partially because of the nasty weather that Toronto has seen this winter, the mill didn't actually ship until last Monday, February 10. The freight company contacted me last last week and the mill is scheduled for delivery tomorrow (Wednesday).

I'm getting really excited about finally seeing the mill after all placing the order in mid-December. I wish I was completely ready for the delivery, but I fear that the shop cleanup hasn't gone exactly according to schedule.

Pictures to follow tomorrow!

Titaniumboy

[HawkJET]

I ended up getting the eBay touchscreen that I posted about a month ago.

Thanks for posting that! I got one too! Well... I got a 17" not the 19". If you hadn't posted it, I wouldn't have known about it.

It has 65% more area than the monitor I'm now using. I plan to make new screens for MACH3 and have everything I do on two screens instead of six. I hope to make it so I will rarely change screens.

Thanks for posting your question about the monitor - because of you, I now have A LOT of work to do on some new screens!

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Unless you either make your own screenset, or get a HUGE monitor, Mach3 is unusable with a touchscreen - far too many tiny little controls.

Regards,
Ray L.

[LeeWay]

I tried a touch screen long ago and didn't really care for it. It was a smaller CRT type though. If you have at least a 19" wide flat screen, it would probably work better.
Making your own or using one of the existing screens should help with the small stuff.
There is a lot of stuff on the Mach screens that I never touch. Then some that are used all the time.
I did make my own mill screen for my small mill and a plasma screen. Those came out good, but not really good enough for touch.
You really want square buttons or large buttons with a touch screen. The accuracy of the screen is also important.

I would not do it again unless I needed a monitor and ran across a deal like you have.


"I see that you made your aluminum beam such that the casters are outboard of the stand. Did you do this mainly for ease of attaching the casters, or were you specifically trying to make the stand more stable?"

It was just the ease of use really, but the bonus was better stability when moving it around. What I did was just use the original leveling pads that came with the Torus to mount the plate to the bottom with. It was all pretty logical and dead simple.

[LeeWay]

Post some screen shots of the new screens when you get them done. I always like looking at Mach screen shots. Sometimes it helps me see how other actually use Mach 3 and what is important to them. Maybe there is a better way than I am currently doing.

Looking Forward to seeing some candid Torus poses as well.

[hjl4]

Here is the screen I made with machscreen.Attachment 224788
I posted a short video on you tube, but its not for everybody.
The problem I had with Mach3 screen sets is that everyone is big into 3D. From buttons to backgrounds.
It continuously made me look and search for buttons. With this screen everything is quick and to the point.
Besides that, I liked the old Omnicron look and feel that came with the original Tree mill.
It would be perfect for a Touchscreen. Its not everybody's cup of tea.MyScreen - YouTube

[rlockwood]

Here is the screen I made with machscreen.Attachment 224788
I posted a short video on you tube, but its not for everybody.
The problem I had with Mach3 screen sets is that everyone is big into 3D. From buttons to backgrounds.
It continuously made me look and search for buttons. With this screen everything is quick and to the point.
Besides that, I liked the old Omnicron look and feel that came with the original Tree mill.
It would be perfect for a Touchscreen. Its not everybody's cup of tea.MyScreen - YouTube

HOLY CRAP. I like what I see here alot, maybe even enough that I could deal with Mach.

Does Mach3 give direct access to a tool/fixture offset table?

[hjl4]

HOLY CRAP. I like what I see here alot, maybe even enough that I could deal with Mach.

Does Mach3 give direct access to a tool/fixture offset table?

Yes Mach3 gives you direct access to your tools(tool Table).

Thanks for the compliment. In this screen set I just wanted to recreate the old CRT colors and interface. It worked well with machscreen.
You know how it is, when you're used to something, it's hard to change, especially when there was nothing wrong with it.

[rlockwood]

Yes Mach3 gives you direct access to your tools(tool Table).

Thanks for the compliment. In this screen set I just wanted to recreate the old CRT colors and interface. It worked well with machscreen.
You know how it is, when you're used to something, it's hard to change, especially when there was nothing wrong with it.

Not to be rude, especially as I probably wasn't entirely clear with my question anyhow.. but what about fixture/work offsets table? And I know.. "Not to be rude" is almost always followed by some rude comment, but I genuinely mean it..

Is this something you've made available online? I didn't read everything, just saw the screenshots and got a warm feeling inside..

Anybody else have trouble uploading photos to CNCZone today?

Havent tried uploading pictures, but have been having odd issues where the forum keeps re-directing me to the main page instead of the page i'm clicking on.. getting annoying.

[HawkJET]

Post some screen shots

This is my current main screen. With the larger monitor, I want to add to it so I don't need to switch between it, MDI and OFFSETS. I'll combine SETTINGS and DIAGNOSTICS, and eliminate TOOL PATH since I'll have room to make the tool path window larger.

Attachment 224806

[FineLineAuto]

This is my current main screen. With the larger monitor, I want to add to it so I don't need to switch between it, MDI and OFFSETS. I'll combine SETTINGS and DIAGNOSTICS, and eliminate TOOL PATH since I'll have room to make the tool path window larger.

Attachment 224806

I really like this set. Nice contrast, clear, and minimalistic. What size monitor do you have?


Nate
Fine Line Automation
Home - Fine Line Automation

[HawkJET]

What size monitor do you have?

That one is a 15" with 1024x768 resolution. I am now working on my new 17" wide screen with 1440x900 resolution.

[Titaniumboy]

The truck arrived around 12:30 PM yesterday. We live on a cul-de-sac and the driver, after initially driving up, changed his mind and backed out of the cul-de-sac and then backed up to our driveway.

Attachment 224926


That big crate is mine!

Attachment 224928


See how the wheels of the pallet jack are off the end of the liftgate? He did that while pulling the crate out onto the liftgate while IT WAS UP IN THE AIR. Found out later he did it on purpose, but I think I needed to change my shorts afterward.

Attachment 224930


It took both of us to pull the palletjack up the sloped driveway. The crate barely fit underneath the garage door. We had to push up the garage door to gain that last 1/2" to 1" of clearance. The crate looks huge in the garage, and dwarfs the G0704 mill.

Attachment 224932


Crappy pic due to the afternoon sun. I was able to snip the metal straps and remove the carp load of screws in less than five minutes in order to inspect for shipping damage. Luckily everything looked pristine after shipping.

Attachment 224934


Anybody else have trouble uploading photos to CNCZone today?

More pics to follow in a couple of hours.

Titaniumboy

[LeeWay]

Looks good.
That is the beauty of Mach screen. You an make them as simple or as elaborate as want or need.
For lathe, I found that the blue screen someone designed is excellent. No excess baggage in it. Nice, clean and simple.