[Biggs427]

GRBL is the gcode interpreter and is free.

Compiling and burning GRBL on your Arduino would be a good start.

Once it is done you need a GUI (Graphical User Interface)

For GRBL there's a couple of good ones:

- bCnc: https://github.com/vlachoudis/bCNC/wiki
- USG: UGS
- Ciliipeppr: ChiliPeppr - Hardware Fiddle

Only problem is that I don't think GRBL support rotary axis without source code modification.

[jahnj0584]

GRBL doesnt do 4th axis yet.

Uninversal GCode sender is the best GUI to use.

Check the GRBL github for properly installing grbl to your arduino

[chucketn]

I use grbl v1.1 and grbl controller v3.6.1. I tried universal gcode sender, but didn't like it. I will check out bCNC and Chilipepper. Thanks for the links.

Chuck

[109jb]

There is a 4th axis fork of Grbl available that can run on an Arduino Mega 2560. It won't run on an Uno though. It is a work in progress and may have some issues though. Here is a link to the github for it.

https://github.com/dguerizec/grbl-Mega-4axis

[wyzarddoc]

Your Chilipepper link has been hijacked to another website selling furniture

[109jb]

Your Chilipepper link has been hijacked to another website selling furniture

I just tried the link on 3 different computers in my house and on all 3 the link works fine and takes me to the Chilipepper app for controlling a CNC machine. No furniture in sight. I'm thinking maybe your link in your computer has been hijacked.

[A_Camera]

Your Chilipepper link has been hijacked to another website selling furniture

The link works fine for me. Perhaps it is your computer which is infected with something which likes furniture... wood worms...?

[wyzarddoc]

LOL link has been fixed. Thanks Biggs427. Running Linux Mint so hijack is not so easy. If you want to see the furniture link click on the copy of my post by A_Camera
Update seems that my firefox browser is doing a key word search and replacing some key words with weblinks. Like spell check

[wyzarddoc]

Ryand88
1. Have you check your mechanical alignment on the z axis to be sure it's able to move with little effort. Should be able to move with 2 fingers twisting the drive screw.
2. Steppers like any electric motor draws maximum current at startup so if your software is trying to move the axis to fast it will heat up
3. Do you have heat sinks on the driver chips?? they heat up fast. Also stepper motor windings decrease resistance when they heat up thus drawing more current.
4. If your gear ratio of the lead screw driving the z axis is too high it will draw more current.

I won't use an Arduino for a CNC router or mill they are just too slow to be usable. They work fine for 3D printers because they need to go slow to deposit plastic. The minimum processor I would use for a CNC router is either a Raspberry Pi or Beaglebone Black. They do a nice job and can be wired/programmed to communicate and drive the steppers at reasonable speeds using the same drivers as you have for the Arduino.

[A_Camera]

LOL link has been fixed. Thanks Biggs427. Running Linux Mint so hijack is not so easy. If you want to see the furniture link click on the copy of my post by A_Camera

I am using Firefox and see no link to any furniture in my post above. Must be your computer which is infected...

[A_Camera]

Even your post #10 is infected with links...

[109jb]

LOL link has been fixed. Thanks Biggs427. Running Linux Mint so hijack is not so easy. If you want to see the furniture link click on the copy of my post by A_Camera
Update seems that my firefox browser is doing a key word search and replacing some key words with weblinks. Like spell check

Not sure what you mean that the "link has been fixed". Biggs427's post hasn't been edited, so if the link is performing different it has to be something about your computer. Not sure if that is what you meant in the 2nd part of your post or not.