Just saying 'hi'.

[SirRustalot]

So, here I am. Only just passed the phase where I've broken the news to my wife that I've bought another piece of capital equipment and it's Pot Noodles for tea for the foreseeable. I'm one engineering tool away from helping her load a suitcase into the boot of her car so she can go and stay with friends for a few days to 'think things over'.

Anyhoo, I've bought myself a nicely looked-after 260 VMC with a few upgrades. Therefore, I thought it a worthwhile thing to do by registering on a relevant forum to pick folks' brains or just hover over a few threads like a red kite and learn stuff for free.

Thanks, and looking forward to having my brain fried.

[magicniner]

The Boxford is a nice little machine, I'm sure you'll find good answers here to any queries you may have.

Regards,
Nick

[SirRustalot]

Well, the CNC is installed in the workshop. Thank goodness I have an engine crane with expandable jib 'cos it's frightfully heavy. And that's the polite version. My Denford lathe only just tops it in sheer weight...

Anyhoo, this machine has been converted to USB etc. so I booted up Mach3 and connected everything up. Flicking the on switch, the CNC lit up like New York at Xmas and I can twiddle the spindle speed knob on the front panel with great success. Then, I ran a few G-codes...and nothing happened. It seems the program isn't talking to the machine. I pressed a few of the 'printed' buttons on the machine panel (my finger went right through one and it appears the board behind it is no longer in existence) and hit tab on the laptop to try and jog a bit but no luck.

The machine came with two connections (if I can work out how to post pics I will do so later. I apologise in advance if I inadvertently post holiday pics, posed shots of my dogs or saucy snaps of my motorcycles). Oh, yeah...the connections:

- One coming out of the side with a USB on it's end. This looks like the conversion part.
- Another coming out of the original parallel port with an adapter (parallel to tiny USB2 mini b type to full-sized USB). The adapter has a green LED that lights quite satisfactorily, but that's about it. This could be the original input adapted to work on gawd knows whatever.

The G-code on Mach3 appear to run nicely it's just that the CNC itself appears dormant.

I did a bit of studying and found that I cannot run a driver test as the program doesn't seem to have DriverTest.exe installed.

The laptop is a recent(ish) T-400 Notebook running Windows 7. I'm a Mac person so Windows is like gibberish to me. Nonetheless, I think I can work it in time, with the help of 15yo Balvenie.

Discuss (please!!) I'm existing on a mix of frustration, disappointment and abject excitement.

[magicniner]

DriverTest is for the Parallel Port interface driver in Mach3

[SirRustalot]

DriverTest is for the Parallel Port interface driver in Mach3

Right-oh. I hear you. I dropped the back off the machine and it's packed PACKED with electronics. Lots of leds lit up, a Gemini controller, boards left, right and centre, miles of cables and a small digital display the reads '10.1'. The list of gizmos goes on and on and on. So, I'm going to try an post pics.

Strap yourselves in...

[cropwell]

The only things I recognise is the Boxford power supply and the gemini controller, and maybe that 10.1 disco light is a voltage controller. The motion controller board - ???? Presumably the USB connection just provides 5v for the optos and the rest is a standard LPT connector that you infer is run by a USB to Parallel adapter (UMMMM).

Anything printed o the board in pic 2 ?

Fairly recent conversion, judging by the Wago connectors.

Did you see it working before you bought it ? That is the pivot point as to where to look.

Cheers,

Rob