[JackWilliam]

Hi,

I am in the process of building my first CNC machine. The frame is assembled with motors attached. All the electronics and power supplies are attached.

I have watched some tutorials and I have played around with Mach 3 for a while. I think I understand the basics.

When I connect the computer up with the CNC machine, is there anything I have to do before Mach 3 will control the motors? For the moment I just want to see things moving on the machine.

Thanks
Jack

[LeeWay]

There are many things to set up correctly to get Mach 3 working. It is a process. It would be helpful to know more about the machine specs and electronics type.
I think that most importantly, you should start with getting the correct port address. You input that under Gen Config, ports and pins. Doing a Driver Test is also one of the first steps to insure that the computer can even output fairly smooth timing without a bunch of large spikes.
Estop and limit pin setup would be next, followed by motor pin assignment, then tuning. Axis calibration, spindle tuning if needed, safe Z and limit switch setup etc with give you a good starting point I think.