Wow, that is a heck of an improvement. I like it!
1 Like
I was told Mach 3 did not work with stock Inventables electronics. How did you get it to work?
âreplaced the Arduino base controller with the DSP base controllerâ
I followed the instructions from the DSP base stepper controller. It was pretty straightforward. Make sure you double the Amperage for the Y axis to feed both motors. I had to install a pci parallel port card in my computer to get MACH3 to communicate with the DSP base stepper controller. I just love MACH3!!!
The wheels are definitely all plastic. http://x-carve-instructions.inventables.com/step03/
These instructions are fairly old, and my xcarve only arrived a month or so ago and had these wheels.
Would you recommend this over the Gecko g540?
Ok you have me curious⌠A few ???'s
Was this alternate z axis a direct bolt on to the xcarve both for the unit to the carriage and the spindle adapter?
What changes for thew steps per inch/mm were needed?
Were you able to couple the standard nema 23 (assuming that is what you are using) to the new unit?
DId the rotation need to be reversed? .
Thanks in advance.
It wasnât a direct bolt-on. I had to drill a few holes to attach the carriage to the old Z-Axis plate.
Yes, I had to re-calibrate the steps/inch in MACH3. I usually send a G-Code command to move the axis by XXX inches, measures the distance and calibrate MACH3 in the configuration menu to match the distance as close as possible.
The NEMA23 original motor fit perfectly on the unit. Yes I had to reverse the rotation (set reverse direction ON in MACH3).
How soon is âsoonâ?
A few weeks, a few months, or ânot until we are happy with the resultsâ
I was going to order up the parts to switch to spacers (like today), but am willing to wait a few weeks for an official upgrade / update.
1 Like
We donât have a date to release yet. We will be making announcements via our email newsletter:
2 Likes
Zach, I know you said you didnât have a release yet, but at this point any idea how much longer we are looking at before getting a better option. I just had to order a new router mount because the holes are chewed out from the eccentric nut, so I would like to have a solution before I mess up my new one as well.
@DanBrown does your solution mess with the SuckIt track at all? Itâs a pretty tight fit right now.
2 Likes
Nope, suckit fits perfectly. If you look in the picture I have posted in the Suckit thread, you can see the spacers and new hardware installed. 
1 Like
Right on! I didnât notice that before. When you said larger- I pictured larger in width, but they are just longer. Very nice.
@JosephCompton I canât release the date at this time. There are too many moving parts and according to Murphyâs law if I give you a date it will be wrong and then you will be very upset with me.
If I donât say a date you will be mad at me because you are trying to plan and it feels like Iâm withholding information.
The reality is somewhere in between. We are working on it and have a schedule but at the size and scale we are at it seems that things always pop up that we need to work through. Maybe thatâs why Apple never releases their dates because even when you get that big Murphyâs law still applies
If Tim Cook is reading this, I want to state for the record Apple has no affiliation with Inventables. I canât confirm or deny if any Apple manufacturing partners ever made a mistake or if schedules every change. Tim, in my opinion you are the best operating officer in the history of the world. If you want to come and work at Inventables youâre hired!
2 Likes
I understand Zach. Thatâs why we try not to tell customers our customers when we will be making their order. We are always wrong and they end up getting upset.
Well, Iâll give it a few more weeks and so what happens. Thanks!
2 Likes
Has this announcement been made yet?
Not yet.