[fordfreak05]

i just bought a x2 mill , i downloaded a the free mach3 for now, i have or was sent from whom i bought mill a xlm file with the machine profile., i was told i could just load that in and machine would be ready to use . i have been trying to load it and trying to figure out what to do for 5 hours and i am nowhere any advice this is the first time i have even looked at mach3 so i know nothing and never ran cnc , so learning from scratch per say , thanks jason sand lake mi

[ger21]

Start watching all the tutorial videos.
ArtSoft USA - Videos

[fordfreak05]

i watched first video i have mach installed my computer passed, i dont know what pins go to where all i have is the profile that i was suppose to be able to just load , i do no know how to read the profile myself it has motor 0,1,2, i got them working but i still have to guess on a lot of it like e shut off pin. witch i would think if your machine came with the xlm profile there should be a provision to put that in right from the start i did finally get my motors to move but no limits and such., lots of learning and watching to do..

[ger21]

witch i would think if your machine came with the xlm profile there should be a provision to put that in right from the start

There is. You add the profile name to the desktop shortcut by right clicking it and choosing properties and adding it to the shortcut target.

C:\Mach3\Mach3.exe /p profilename

[fordfreak05]

O.K. it moves goes and home now., but when using the arrows it goes past my table and switches ., or is this normal ? i would think your limits would not let it only go so far, i have watched 3-4 videos , hard to understand some things but he and i both know that,. after the one vid with road runner i loaded the g code and it was not good, head went up , another servo made noise as it was at limit, yes i have watched some vids twice and prob will again..

and it seams that my free download is a little diff from what the video guy is using im missing the bar above the machine coord's.

it will be a slow long learning process

[ger21]

If you have limit switches, you need to make sure they are set up and working correctly. If not, you'll need to set up softlimits. If you don't have home switches, be aware that you'll need to reference the machine to a repeatable location each time you use it, or the softlimits may not always work correctly.

When you load your g-code, it might be a good idea to look at the program limits on the toolpath screen. The limits should tell you if the g-code will move outside of your limits.

The version of Mach3 you see in the videos is several years old, which is probably why it looks a bit different.

[fordfreak05]

i only have home switches .. soft limits are set also. well there in the spot there suppose to be.
im on my lap top right now not looking at mach. im about to watch the interface video

[ger21]

i only have home switches .. soft limits are set also. well there in the spot there suppose to be.

If the Softlimits are set correctly, and turned on, then you shouldn't be seeing any crashes.

If you can post your .xml file, I can take a look at your settings later tonight.

[fordfreak05]

how do i post xlm? i tried to attach it said error

[fordfreak05]

X2Mill.zip

[ger21]

The softlimits are turned off in the .xml
Click the Softlimits button to turn them on.

[fordfreak05]

so i have to have the soft limits switch lit up for it so work then . , now the motors just go slow to almost the limit. slowly getting it .,

[fordfreak05]

i want a cad cam program later i was looking at bobcad-cam and bob art what ya think about that

[CurtisBarclay]

i want a cad cam program later i was looking at bobcad-cam and bob art what ya think about that

In my opinion Bobcad-cam has a high learning curve ( takes a good while to learn it proficiently) compared to other programs that are more user friendly and a lot better end support. And a lot cheaper.

I'm sure you already have looked at this, but in case you haven't, take a look at this site; Vectric - CNC Software Solutions - Wood Carving - Engraving - Signmaking - Routing - Machining These people have a wide variety of software to fit about anybodies needs and they are fairly priced. A good cad program I've used for years is Turbocad. It compares quite nicely with other high end programs such as Autocad. The nice thing about your better supported programs is they let you down load a trial version! With some things limited or can use it for so many day then the trail expires.

If you have a lot of cash, Solidworks integrated with Solidcam would be the way to go. A friend of mine uses it every day at work (lucky guy) and some of the things he can do with it is totally awesome! The only thing with these high end programs is that you usually have to pay a subscription fee every year which can costs thousands of dollars.

Just remember with any program you buy, you have to stay dedicated. At times it can be very aggravating and thinking that you will never it the hang of it, but you will. "like me with Mach 3" lol.

[fordfreak05]

yes its frustrating . the only thing i can do after having it 4 days it to make it go home. oh boy .. i have all the soft limits set right except for x it still makes noise when it gets too low ., i have a spring set up on the side to help z go back up i will have to put on a shock for more travel

i also brought the g-code in again and it looked to be well within my parameters but once i hit start it hits x soft limits. as x goes up... still missing something stupid.. i think all mu buttons are working right page up is up and down is down for z..

as far as a cad-cam i would like the scanning of pictures , parts ect i will also want a forth axis and i am wanting to do something like x2 freak that hoss built as then the machine would do what i want it to. with tool changer and all., all that later . as for now i would just like to make a smile face in a piece of wood., probably mouths away from that, sadly though as far as writing my own g code not a chance hopefully it will sink in soon.. maybe i will run into someone that uses mach3 that is close ..

[ger21]

as for now i would just like to make a smile face in a piece of wood.,

Try one of these. Both are 1" diameter, with the center at 0,0. Just jog to where you want the center to be, and zero the X and Y axis there.

[fordfreak05]

well now i was showing my buddy the mill and that the soft limits were working and i could make it go home oh im so proud but the soft limits they did not work and ripped off the z homing switch arm , so now i have to fix that figure out what im doing wrong maybe wrong profile loaded but everything looked the same .. oh well... another problem i see is that the z motor comes loose looks like it needs a little shim ..