If you take the standard parallel cable BoB (Break Out Board), then you will need control software (Mach 3 or EMC2) and CAM software to make your G-Code (such as CamBam). Personally I use CamBam and Mach 3, they work beautifully but don't expect to turn them on and know how they work out of the box. Give yourself a few weeks to get familiar with the basics. CamBam is VERY powerful software for it's price. I'm surprised how much I keep learning on what I can do with it...I highly recommend it if you want as much control as possible.

Mach 3 + CamBam as a bundle costs $310. EMC2 will give you a free replacement for Mach 3 and is exclusively for Linux.

If you use the USB BoB, it will cost an extra $75 + $75 for the software. This is an all-in-one package so no need for Mach 3 or CamBam.

For etching rasters (jpeg, bmp, tiff, non-vectors, photos), I highly recommend PicEngrave. It has been a labor of love for the past 9 years and John has done a wonderful job with it. It easily compares in quality compared to software that is in the $200-$300 range. John's software runs $40 and can be found here: http://picengrave.com/ (don't let the modest website fool you, this stuff can do amazing things). DotG and the Mach3 engrave plugin are two other options and instructions can be found on Dustans page in the gallery on buildyourcnc.com website.

Additional Information:



Additional Information:



Additional Information:

Click the link to add information to this solution:
WHAT SOFTWARE CAN BE USED WITH THE BLACKTOOTH LASER CUTTER?

I don't see anything in the datasheet for the relay that indicates an overheat condition. While the relay is engaged, the power consumption is 400 mW and I don't believe this is enough to raise the temperature faster than the heat dissipation from the metal on the leads through convection or radiation outside of the rated temperature working ranges providing that you maintain an ambient temperature range within -40°C to 85°C (with no icing or condensation).

http://www.omron.com/ecb/products/pdf/en-g2rl.pdf

Click the link to add information to this solution:
IS IT OK TO LEAVE THE VACUUM PRESSURE CONTROLLER PLUGGED IN ALL TIME WHEN PUMP SWITCHED OFF?

Shipping crate size 121" X 36" X 92"

Weight 511 LBS

Click the link to add information to this solution:
WHAT IS SHIPPING DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT FOR THE VERTICAL LASER.

Depth of Field. This is how far the focal point goes before re-expanding again. With a 2" lens, you have approximately 2-3mm of DOF. This means that you'll have 2-3mm of perfectly focused laser before it starts to re-expand again. If you have a 4" lens, you will have up to 7mm of DOF.

Additional Information:

Click the link to add information to this solution:
WHAT IS D.O.F OR DEPTH OF FIELD FOR THE BLACKTOOTH LASER AND LENS?

Hour meter. This will tell you exactly how long your system has been 'on' giving you a more accurate bead on the length of your tubes life.

Click the link to add information to this solution:
WHAT CAN ADD TO MY BLACKTOOTH LASER CUTTER MEASURE THE TIME OF USE?

blackToe requires a minimum cable length of of 15 ft for X, 17 ft for Y and 18 ft for Z for the redLeaf to be positioned at midpoint along the long axis and under the table. Each axis would need have 6 feet extra (form the midpoint)

Click the link to add information to this solution:
IF WE ASSUME DESIRE TO PLACE THE RED LEAF 6' AWAY FROM TABLE, HOW MUCH CABLE IS NEEDED CONNECT MOTORS ON TABLE ITSELF?

The password is: 608

Click the link to add information to this solution:
WHAT IS THE SYSTEM PASSWORD FOR LASER CONTROL UNIT?

Temperature probe monitor. Very valuable. This keeps you up to date on your coolant temperature levels.

Voltage meter. This will tell you the exact level of voltage/power you are running telling the laser to run at instead of an arbitrary mark on a drawn wheel around your POT.

Ammeter sensitive to 1mA. This will be sure your not over driving your tube and reducing it's life significantly.

Hour meter. This will tell you exactly how long your system has been 'on' giving you a more accurate bead on the length of your tubes life.

Exhaust fan upgrade. The current fan included is 100CFM. You can buy 120mm fans that push 250CFM and I have included a guide on how to go about doing this here. http://buildyourtools.com/phpBB3/viewto ... 8cdd1802bf

To push the exhaust fan even further, if you have the room/power, I would highly recommend investing in a 600+ CFM "Dust Collector" system. 250CFM is still not suffice to draw all the smoke that can come off of 3mm or 1/8 MDF cutting job.

A cutting surface. I bought myself a aluminum 'egg crate' mesh from my local HVAC company. They are used a cover for fluorescent lights and work great for low impact cutting surface. They come in 4'x8' sheets and are easily cut to fit. The other side is if you can find a steel honeycomb cutting bed to fit. These can be quite costly or fairly affordable depending where you are looking. The benefit of a steel honeycomb is you can use high power magnets to hold material down.

Click the link to add information to this solution:
WHAT ARE SOME USEFUL MODIFICATIONS CAN APPLY TO THE BLACKTOOTH LASER CUTTER?

What is the model number of the laser controller?

Additional Information:
Hey - the model number on the laser controller is
AWC708C
S/N:708014243

Additional Information:
Do you need any additional information here? I really want to get going on it this weekend!

Additional Information:
Sorry about that. If you are referring to the CN1 and CN2 connector, I don't believe it is needed if it didn't come with the connector. The components that we send to the customer is the same package that is sent from the manufacturer of the product. I would try connecting it to the CN1 connector of both units and test the interface (control panel).

Additional Information:
The manual for the AWC 708 shows the two ports CN1 and CN2 connected, but that may just be for thorough documentation if the CN2 is needed for some reason. Do you have a copy of the manual or know where to find it? If not, I will put the document link here.

Click the link to add information to this solution:
LASER CONTROLLER PASSWORD?

You will need to build the table unit for your machine. There are instructions on how to do this at the bottom of the product page here, https://www.buildyourcnc.com/Item/cnc-machine-blackFoot-v4
There is no estimate on how much this will cost though, since there are too many variables involved to do this.

- PC with parallel port and USB port
- 20awg stranded wires for the motors - http://www.buildyourcnc.com/electronicscombo.aspx
- 18awg stranded wires for power supply to drivers
- 24awg stranded wires for breakout board to drivers
(location and spacing of components varies from one person to another, so we do not provide cables/wires)
- General purpose extension cord (cut the female end off) to provide power to power supply
- USB cable to power breakout board
- Parallel cable to communicate to breakout board
- Router
- (optional - instead of router) Spindle with power inverter http://www.buildyourcnc.com/SpindlesAndAccessories.aspx
- (if purchasing spindle with inverter) General purpose extension cord (240v) (cut the female end off) to provide power to power inverter
- End Mill(s) http://www.buildyourcnc.com/ProductsEndMills.aspx
- CAD, and/or CAD-CAM software (to produce geometry, machine operations, and g-code) http://www.buildyourcnc.com/CNCsoftware.aspx
- CNC control software (to read g-code and control machine) http://www.buildyourcnc.com/CNCsoftware.aspx

This answer is applicable to most of our machines with the exception of the greenLean and the blueChick since those machines are equipped with a table structure.

Additional Information:



Additional Information:



Additional Information:

Click the link to add information to this solution:
IF I PURCHASE A GREENBULL 6X LONG Z CNC MACHINE KIT AND MACH3, WHAT ELSE WOULD BE REQUIRED TO ASSEMBLE THE WORKING MACHINE? HAVE CAD SOFTWARE.

This video will illustrate how to test for laser power:

Click the link to add information to this solution:
HOW TO KNOW IF THE POWER SUPPLY OF THE LASER TUBE IS DAMAGED

The blackTooth Laser cutter and Engraver can be built in a weekend. Take a look at the build instructions and try to determine if you feel you have sufficient capability to put together the laser system.

Click the link to add information to this solution:
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO BUILD THE BLACKTOOTH LASER CUTTER?

The Greenbull machine can cut a very wide variety of materials ranging from foam to aluminum. We recommend the use of our 2.2kW spindle to allow the greatest flexibility. Aside from that, the most important thing is to use an appropriate end mill for the material you are cutting and to use appropriate speeds and feed rates.



BYCNC Response:
Our 40W laser can cut up to about 1/4" materials ranging from wood and acrylic down through lighter materials such as leather, fabric, foam, etc. Speed and final cut are greatly enhanced by an air assist upgrade. We also offer an 80W laser which has approximately twice the capabilities of the 40W.

Additional Information:

Click the link to add information to this solution:
WHAT MATERIALS CAN THE GREENBULL MACHINE CUT? LASER ETCH?

A standard 40W CO2 laser will cut up to 1/4" thick of material, be it wood, acrylic, card stock, leather, fabric, foam, cork, etc. (Decent speed and final cut are heavily dependent on a strong air assist upgrade)

Metals cannot be cut due to the power level and wavelength of the CO2 laser. But it can be marked with special solutions like Cermark or Thermark.

Click the link to add information to this solution:
WHAT THICKNESS OF MATERIAL CAN THE BLACKTOOTH LASER CUT?

Shipping crate size 121" X 36" X 92"

Weight 511 LBS

Click the link to add information to this solution:
WHAT ARE THE SHIPPING DIMENSIONS FOR VERTICAL LASER

There are several CAD/CAM programs out there for MacOS. Here is a list of a few: http://www.macuser.de/forum/f53/3d-2d-cad-395058/#post4499316
I've also read good things about punchCAD: http://www.punchcad.com/
Of course, there is always SketchUp if you are in a pinch. There are a few CAM plugins for SketchUp as well, but I've never used them, so I can't vouch for them.

CAD/CAM will get you as far as designing your parts and producing the g-code, but if you also want to run the CNC machine with your Mac, you will need a piece of software similar to Mach3 or EMC to run the g-code. I haven't been able to find anything like these programs that runs on Mac, so you may have to run Mach3 or EMC in Windows using Boot Camp or a virtual machine such as VMware or Parallels.

Personally, I would use the Mac to do all the CAD/CAM, then use a cheap PC to run the CNC machine.

Additional Information:


Additional Information:
EasyDNC for OSX
www.dnc-x.com

Additional Information:


Additional Information:
Hi guys I’m new to the cnc and I’m beginning to learn how to operate and cad-cam software also my cnc runs on Mach3 my questions is if I should use MacBook to do all designs if I can have all this software to run on Mac or I have to use windows software to operate it? I have separate small computer connected to the cnc table who have Mach3 on it please help. Also if you know any other software much easy for beginners please let me know thank you guys!
My email if needed is r1jastrzebski@gmail.com

Additional Information:


Additional Information:
Hi , thank you for your advise!

Additional Information:
Hi , thank you for your advise!

Additional Information:
Hi , thank you for your advise!

Additional Information:
Hi , thank you for your advise!

Additional Information:

Click the link to add information to this solution:
DOES ANY OF THE SOFTWARE THAT COMES WITH IT COMPATIBLE MAC 10.6?

If you purchase the greenLean, you will get everything you need except a router, computer to operate the machine, and software to control the machine. You state that you have a computer. You can use this computer, but you will need to determine if it has a parallel port, or if you are going to need the USB controller option. As for the software, there are too many different options for you to choose from. We would not be able to tell you which to get, and how much it will cost you. This is a matter of preference. I can tell you, however, that you will need 3 types of software to complete a CNC project. You will need CAD software to design your design, CAM software to add tool paths and convert the design to g-code, and then control software to take the g-code and operate the machine.

Additional Information:
20

Click the link to add information to this solution:
Hello  We would like to buy a greenLean Vertically Oriented CNC Machine we start from scratch and want to make sure that we get all the pieces, we need  hardware and software we have a PC and a Mac

If you purchase the greenLean, you will get everything you need except a router, computer to operate the machine, and software to control the machine. You state that you have a computer. You can use this computer, but you will need to determine if it has a parallel port, or if you are going to need the USB controller option. As for the software, there are too many different options for you to choose from. We would not be able to tell you which to get, and how much it will cost you. This is a matter of preference. I can tell you, however, that you will need 3 types of software to complete a CNC project. You will need CAD software to design your design, CAM software to add tool paths and convert the design to g-code, and then control software to take the g-code and operate the machine.

Additional Information:
20

Click the link to add information to this solution:
Hello  We would like to buy a greenLean Vertically Oriented CNC Machine we start from scratch and want to make sure that we get all the pieces, we need  hardware and software we have a PC and a Mac

You can determine if the country is serviceable by:
- selecting the items you want to purchase on the website
- go to the cart (shopping cart top left of any webpage)
- log in, or register
- Enter the address and click on calculate shipping.

The webpage will return the direct rates and whether your area is serviced or not. Feel free to enter any address as long as you are able to receive the package from that address.

The shipping times are determined by the service you select in the shopping cart. If a machine is purchased, we generally have a one week lead time unless otherwise stated in the description of the machine's product page.

Additional Information:

Click the link to add information to this solution:
WHAT IS THE SHIPPING COST OF MACHINE TO AUSTRALIA?