Re: Newbie help wanted!!

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "Johan" <wykj@m...> wrote:

>
>
> Good day everyone, I just joined this list and already it seems that
> some valuable info can be gained. I recently finished most of the
> mechanical work on my homemade cnc router, I'm now starting off with
> the electronic drivers.
>
> What I need is advice or a pointer to some software that's free and
> runs from the parallel port so that I can start testing the machine
> after the drivers is done. I would really like the software to have a
> proper help file since I'm REALLY new to G-code and all such things
> related to the software aspect of it.
>
> any help would be much appreciated !!
>
> P.S. I'll post some pictures of the machine once it's painted, the
> welding work is still a point of embarrasment....nothing a lick of
> paint can't hide ;)

I don't know about absoulutely free forever but there is a DOS program
called TurboCNC (60 reg fee shareware) and a lot of guys use it.

EMC is absolutely free if you don't mind dealing with running Linux as
the OS.

Either of those will take g-code files. Google for G-code and you can
get all the information you want. It's not hard just tedious. In the
age of cheap computers and cheap software it's hard to justify hand
coding anything more than simple shapes.

At some point you will want to be able to visualize something, draw it
on your computer and run it through a CAM program that let's you define
the toolpaths and spits out g-code. None of this is very expensive
unless you get into the commercial software area.

Get your machine running with some form of PC parallel port based
approach and get to the point where you can jog the axis (a real
exciting event much like the birth of a child!). By then you will have
had time to look at:

TurboCNC
DeskCAM
MACH2
SheetCAM


And decide if you want more learning experiences or you want to make
stuff.

Welcome to the HSCNC world! Ask questions.