Hi, I'm a new member . I'm building an OX . I have the frame and motors all together and now at a stand still. I am using nema 23 steppers. I'm not sure what to do next as far as getting this thing to run. I've heard some stuff about Mach 3. Is this what I would use on a deticated pc for the machine? If anyone can help it would be much appreciated. Thank you
No ! I'm not sure ware to start. I was only told that a Mach3 was good, but that is all. I've also used the belt and pulley system.
Mach 3 is very good but it only runs on certain controllers. Best suggestion is to spend a little time in the Controller Boards section of the forum reading up on the options.
I recently built an OX and I went with the TinyG. It's not as expensive as some of the other boards, its easy to wire up and configure, and it has a USB to connect to a computer. You have to run it through your browser at chilipeppr.com which conceptually is a little weird but it works well and the support on their forum is great. As for the software, I use Fusion 360 for the its CAM component (I model is Rhino and export as IGES). Fusion is developed by Autodesk and is free for hobbyists- they also have a great forum to get technical support. Fusion gives you a professional suite of tools (CAD and CAM) and makes milling 3D shapes really easy.
