SX3 Conversion

[1hand]

Looks like you are a 'natural' at electrical stuff as well,
Kermit

natural, neutral, positive, ground ???

Really I'm not. I'm just trying to take it slow, and asking a lot of questions.

Thanks for looking in, any pointers are appreciated.

Matt

 

[1hand]

Here is the Cheap Ebay refurbished Dell I got to run the Mill and Lathe with the Mach 3.

I will probably just use my laptop with the Dolphin CAD/CAM software, and down load my g-code programs to a flash drive. Then upload on the Dell and run the machines with the Mach 3. This way I can take my laptop with me on the road this summer for work, and at night play with making up parts in CAD and CAM. Then when I get home on the weekends, just upload the stuff and BAM we are making chips. ;D

Matt

 

[hudmut]

Its not very often i show my face on here. but let me say this iv not long done a machine of my own and good god have i hat to pull my socks up there is a lot to take in and a lot to get right. I was lucky my machine was all ready a CNC but even so after striping, painting, rewiring, finding what i need sorting problems out it was a lot of work. Any one how takes on a full machine like your doing needs a pat on the back. I did all my own work worked it all out for my self but i got there and after making a few parts what a pay of just don't think things will be faster they will only be a lot better. So carry on you have my full support and i wish you all the luck i can give and will chip in when ever i can.

Some thing i did learn way back go and chop the wiring loom out of a car it has lots of nice color wire in there and it will help you a lot when fault finding its no fun when you have a box full of black wire and yo need to find a black wire that has just come from 5 more black ones.

Oh and i have limit switch's there easy to wire and set up but it will be a lot of work to add in. They have been use full when learning how to set a job up they have stopped me over running the machine a few times.

 

[1hand]

I'm about ready to throw in the towel. :wall: Seems that every thing I try has to be difficult.

I downloaded the Mach 3 on the new computer. I received my email with the License attachments, and saved them to the Mach 3 folder. Went back to Mach 3, and clicked on the Help. It still showes that's its a demo version. ???

What am I missing? I went to the C/ drive and opened the Mach 3 folder and the License Zip files are in that same folder.

Pulling my hair out;
Matt

 

[vlmarshall]

Your license file is called Mach1Lic.dat , and is in the folder with Mach3.exe?

 

[1hand]

I can not find a folder that says Mach3.exe. The Mach1lic.dat is in the folder with about 100 other Mach folders.
???????????

 

[RonGinger]

You should have a folder called C:\Mach3 In that folder are as you say, about 100 files. Among them is Mach3.exe. Also in there must be your license file, Mach1Lic.dat. It must be the real .dat file, not a .zip file

Have you downloaded the Mach3 Install Guide? It is very well written, and has a good step by step process for installing, checking, and configuring mach.

I hate to say RTFM, but in this case that really is the right answer.

 

[1hand]

So........what do I do? Delete the whole folder and start over?

Matt

 

[vlmarshall]

No!
...can you post a screenshot of the folder the mach1lic.dat file is in?

 

[vlmarshall]

Don't get frustrated man.. it'll get better.
I've been staring at my lathe for two days trying to get the spindle index pulse working...I can SEE it working, but my controller isn't DOING anything about it.

 

[1hand]

this is what we have.

View attachment web page.bmp

 

[1hand]

heres the top and bottom of the page

Matt

View attachment top page.bmp

View attachment bottom page.bmp

 

[vlmarshall]

ah yeah, your license file is still Zipped. Unzip it right where you have it.

 

[1hand]

how do you do that?

 

[vlmarshall]

Right-click on it, and you should get a bunch of options, including "Extract Here" or similar. Do that, and it'll pile the contents of that zip into the current location.

 

[vlmarshall]

Hahaha, I'm glad you got it! ;D See, it wasn't so bad. The .exe, though, isn't part of the license. Anyway, it works! How about LazyCAM and all?





95 South did that song first.

 

[1hand]

I went back and opened all of them, and In the Wizards, it won't let me change any thing in them. They go right back to the default numbers. ??? I go up above to the Help, and I'm still in there as a license person, but it won't let me use them.

Matt

 

[1hand]

Duh..........I figured it out. Gots to press enter after each entry. A mouse click doesn't do it.

Easy fix.

Matt ;D

 

[mnewsholme]

Whoop...........there it is. Licensed to Matthew Razink. Thanks a Million.

Wonder why there isn't that exe. file in there?

Don't much matter now though. :big: :big:

Matt

the .exe file is there. on the screenshot of the bottom part of the mach3 folder, there's a file called mach3 with a black circle as its icon. Thats the mach3.exe file. windows doesnt display the file extension ( the .exe bit in this case) for some file types.


matt

 

[Kermit]

Hey Matt... Looks like you got the software load whipped.

If you don't want to use limit switches, you will need a "weak link" in the drive train that will break if driven into a stop under power. All this was probably covered somewhere in the your readings and researches. The suggestion for multicolored wiring is a smart one. If you use terminal strips that pinch a bare wire between a screw and a metal surface, it will eventually become loose or intermittant. The bare wire should have a ferrule crimped on it, or a lean smooth flow of solder should be applied to the bare wire before bending with needle nose and placing with a right hand lay(clockwise) beneath the screw. If you have a solder gun or iron with 40 watts or more, you should also flow a small amount of solder onto any crimped-on connectors after they are crimped, for complete assurance of a low resistance joint. With the extra thermal mass, using 25 watt solder irons for this operation is futile. leading to long heating times, melting of insulation coverings and blobs of solder that do not 'flow'.

All this info offered free and unsolicited, because I'm tweeking on strong coffee and can't stop typing.... ;D
Kermit