This might not apply to European customers, but

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Lloyd
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This might not apply to European customers, but

Post by Lloyd »

OK...
This, I think, is the 'final followup' on the ShopSabre upgrade to Mach3. Today, I'm running an 'actual' job on the machine.

Some of you know I run a 'loaned' ShopSabre CNC bed router, and I gave up on ShopSabre support... so I converted the whole machine over to a Mach3 system, and re-named it "The SharpSabre". Yesterday, until just after noon, was spent reviewing top speeds and acceleration/deceleration of axes, comparing the old ShopSabre controls to the new SharpSabre setup.

I haven't lost any steps or positions yet at the speeds I manually set up, but spent a little more time running test jobs, so I know that I'm on the conservative side of everything.

I finished-up a G53-driven tool-change macro, also. It works, and stops in a more convenient place than the ShopSabre control did.

----

This might sound mean-spirited (if so, I'm sorry), but I really intend to rub ShopSabre's nose in the fact that they refuse to support their older machines and software. Given how many folks around the country rely on their systems for primary income, and how expensive new machines are, their attitude has caused a lot of financial hardship on folks who didn't deserve it.

The ShopSabre users' community - et al - deserves to know that there are economical (and now documented) options. Heck, even the editing between ShopSabre .tap file format and Mach3 .tap format is automated for me now... just a simple .vbs script. And, I'll be glad to share my documentation with anyone who needs it.

ShopSabre requires that for ANY support, you must upgrade the computer to a faster, more-capacious model running Win10. They require that you upgrade their expensive, proprietary, and undocumented old control to a new, more-expensive, proprietary, and undocumented control. Some of their old systems require new stepper-drivers, and some even require new steppers. (No trade-ins or discounts offered -- they want you to buy a whole new system from the ground-up)

So, what could be a $18K + five hours' job through ShopSabre, now costs (all-up with Mach3), just over $900, and realistically about 8-12 hours' time to physically install and configure (now that I know how). It fits in the stock SS enclosure, runs on the stock SS computer, and runs under XP (and all versions up from there).

If you're in the market for a bed router, unless you want to upgrade an 'obsolete' ShopSabre, I'd suggest avoiding them -- they won't support older machines without upgrade costs nobody can reasonably afford.

PMDX.com
$174.00 USD PMDX-126 multi-port breakout board
$ 57.00 USD PMDX-107 analog spindle speed controller
Warp9 technologies
$180.00 USD Warp9 ESS Ethernet smooth-stepper control
ArtSoft
$175.00 USD Mach3 professional

I also had to mill some custom connector adapters (during 'billable hours'), new cables, one new Power Supply (just to be sure), and wires/solder/etc.

'raw' parts cost including shipping was under $700.00 USD.

Lloyd
"Pyro for Fun and Profit for More Than Sixty Years"
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