[pepperwood]

In the process of setting up a cnc Taig 2019 ER. I believe it is also referred to as a MPS 2000?? It has 4 axis and its own controller. Stepper system. I'm using a desktop PC with windows XP. Need help configuring the mach 3 controller so I CAN get it up and running and tested?

Would like to know, or where to start, with the settings under the ports & pins & motor tuning section of mach3 controller program that others have found to be successful an are using?

Have the latest mach3 software downloaded and would like to know the essential settings - port & axis setup - motor output, input signals, output signals, encoder, spindle setup, mill options???? (what NEEDS to be checked enabled, etc)

This is my first cnc adventure and I have read, watched videos, experimented with configurations and done just about everything to get it working. Hopefully someone has been there & done that.

Appreciate your patience & understanding concerning this matter and for taking the time to share your knowledge. Looking forward to getting up and running so I can enjoy it even more. Thank you very much! PS

[awerby]

[QUOTE=pepperwood;1150284]In the process of setting up a cnc Taig 2019 ER. I believe it is also referred to as a MPS 2000??

[No, that's the name of the old DOS-based software it used before they went to Mach.]

It has 4 axis and its own controller. Stepper system. I'm using a desktop PC with windows XP. Need help configuring the mach 3 controller so I CAN get it up and running and tested?

Would like to know, or where to start, with the settings under the ports & pins & motor tuning section of mach3 controller program that others have found to be successful an are using?

[Where did you get this machine? Does it use the Taig/Microproto controller, or something else? If it's a third-party controller, the pin-out is likely to differ from Taig's.]


Have the latest mach3 software downloaded and would like to know the essential settings - port & axis setup - motor output, input signals, output signals, encoder, spindle setup, mill options???? (what NEEDS to be checked enabled, etc)

[Didn't whomever sold you this machine include a disk with the XML file that sets all that up for you? Did they ever have it (or another mill using that controller) running under Mach3? If so, an XML profile would have been written to their computer; you should ask for a copy.]

Andrew Werby
ComputerSculpture.com — Home Page for Discount Hardware & Software

[B-RAD]

Did you check out my thread on the Taig (just above this right now), I have just set mine up and it runs smooth as butter now! My suggestion is go to YouTube and type in "mach 3 tutorial" there are maybe... 7? videos from the creator of Mach3 on there that will get you going.

[pepperwood]

Just a bit of an update from PM on Taig Mach3 Configuration. If I was more familiar, had previous experience, and knew what I was doing with CNC & Mach3 I probably wouldn't have to bother you guys.

Talked to Dr. Daley who put together the Operation Manual, ETC. Everything for setting up mach3 for the Microproto Mill 2000/3000 is included in the his manual. I actually made it more difficult than it should of been. Dr. Daley put everything needed on the CD that even automatically configures all the settings in mach3 for the taig controller to run the machine. It was there all the time. Very nicely done!

Just to let you all know that everything is now working very smoothly. Thanks for taking the time to reply. As a matter of fact, in the process of setting up my cnc sherline to run using mach3. Will have to look into this further, if I'm not mistaken and somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the sherline 8760 controller is wired the same as the taig controller using the parallel port. I think about the same setting should work??? I'll find out later today. PS

[B-RAD]

Can I ask what your motor tuning settings look like with what he gave you.

[pepperwood]

[Where did you get this machine? Does it use the Taig/Microproto controller, or something else? If it's a third-party controller, the pin-out is likely to differ from Taig's.]

Have the latest mach3 software downloaded and would like to know the essential settings - port & axis setup - motor output, input signals, output signals, encoder, spindle setup, mill options???? (what NEEDS to be checked enabled, etc)

[Didn't whomever sold you this machine include a disk with the XML file that sets all that up for you? Did they ever have it (or another mill using that controller) running under Mach3? If so, an XML profile would have been written to their computer; you should ask for a copy.]

Hi Andrew - Got carried away a bit with the machine and didn't get around too posting you a note to thank you for your input. Little by little this senile citizen is picking up & understanding some of the cnc essentials & terminology.

Thanks for correcting me on the NAME & Model. With confidence I can verify that I have the Taig Controller, Taig CNC, Etc that Dr. Daley put together for me in a package with the disk an all the essentials. It was there all the time! If I was PC & Windows literate I could have had it up and testing in short order.

When the controller is on I noticed that the motors (200 oz) get quite hot even when they aren't running?? Not sure if that's normal?

Was able to configure the Sherline the same as I did the Taig with Mach3 and found that it worked very nicely. With all that said WHAT I'm looking for now is free/free trial, and/or cost effective CAD & CAM software for beginners to just get started? Your name comes up quite often as an authority and dealer of this kind of software. What say ye? Feel free to PM if I'm out of line? Thank you an all that posted. Have a long way to go. Kindest regards. PS

[awerby]

Hi Andrew - Got carried away a bit with the machine and didn't get around too posting you a note to thank you for your input. Little by little this senile citizen is picking up & understanding some of the cnc essentials & terminology.

[Great - it's not really hard; it just takes a little work.]

Thanks for correcting me on the NAME & Model. With confidence I can verify that I have the Taig Controller, Taig CNC, Etc that Dr. Daley put together for me in a package with the disk an all the essentials. It was there all the time! If I was PC & Windows literate I could have had it up and testing in short order.

[It'll all get a lot more familiar with time.]

When the controller is on I noticed that the motors (200 oz) get quite hot even when they aren't running?? Not sure if that's normal?

[Yes, that's normal. Steppers exert maximum force at standstill, that's why they're denominated by "holding torque". As long as they aren't smoking, they should be fine.]

Was able to configure the Sherline the same as I did the Taig with Mach3 and found that it worked very nicely.

[That's interesting to know. I imagine the tuning is different, but if the motor output pins are all the same, that would make converting a Sherline from Linux to Windows a lot easier (especially if you already had a Taig.)]

With all that said WHAT I'm looking for now is free/free trial, and/or cost effective CAD & CAM software for beginners to just get started? Your name comes up quite often as an authority and dealer of this kind of software. What say ye? Feel free to PM if I'm out of line? Thank you an all that posted. Have a long way to go. Kindest regards. PS

[No problem; there's starting to be a fair amount of free software available, and you can do a lot with free demos before they time out.

On the CAD side, you can download Hexagon, Studio Pro, and Bryce 3d modeling software from Daz for free- but you'll have to contact their tech support for an unlock code unless they've fixed that.

http://www.daz3d.com/

Seimans has made their SolidEdge 2d drafting software available for free:

http://www.plm.automation.siemens.co...idedge/free2d/

Dassault, another big European company, offers their 2d Draftsite software free:

http://www.3ds.com/products/draftsig...-cad-software/

There's less free CAM software, but Freemill from Mecsoft might work for your 3d designs:

http://www.mecsoft.com/freemill.shtml

And G-Simple might work for 2d:

http://www.gsimple.eu/index.html

As for demos; Rhino is a very powerful 3d modeling program, and you can use it until you've saved a certain number of times:

http://www.rhino3d.com

And on the CAM side, DeskProto, which supports a rotary 4th axis, will post code for a month before timing out. They have special hobbyist pricing for people who aren't using it commercially.

http://www.deskproto.com

Most programs will offer free demos, although some of them are crippled to some extent. But if you like trying new things, there's all sorts of free stuff on the Web to download and mess around with - Google sketchup, Blender - the list goes on and on. If you do find anything you like, please let us know.

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

[B-RAD]

Remember the software only knows what date its told.....

[pepperwood]

[No problem; there's starting to be a fair amount of free software available, and you can do a lot with free demos before they time out.

On the CAD side, you can download Hexagon, Studio Pro, and Bryce 3d modeling software from Daz for free- but you'll have to contact their tech support for an unlock code unless they've fixed that.

DAZ 3D Home

Seimans has made their SolidEdge 2d drafting software available for free:

Free 2D: Siemens PLM Software

Dassault, another big European company, offers their 2d Draftsite software free:

Free CAD software * for your DWG files: DraftSight - Dassault Systèmes

There's less free CAM software, but Freemill from Mecsoft might work for your 3d designs:

MecSoft FreeMILL: 3D Milling package

And G-Simple might work for 2d:

G-SIMPLE --A Simple CAD-CAM for 3 Axis Milling Machines--

As for demos; Rhino is a very powerful 3d modeling program, and you can use it until you've saved a certain number of times:

Modeling tools for designers

And on the CAM side, DeskProto, which supports a rotary 4th axis, will post code for a month before timing out. They have special hobbyist pricing for people who aren't using it commercially.

DeskProto: 3D CNC machining for non-machinists. STL file milling for any CNC milling machine

Most programs will offer free demos, although some of them are crippled to some extent. But if you like trying new things, there's all sorts of free stuff on the Web to download and mess around with - Google sketchup, Blender - the list goes on and on. If you do find anything you like, please let us know.

Andrew Werby
ComputerSculpture.com — Home Page for Discount Hardware & Software

Haven't had much time on the Taig today but you're links will give me a good start. Possible in time that I may check you out for some pricing when I find out what will work for me. Hopefully we may be able to do some business when I get better organized. Thanks for sharing! PM