[Crashbox]

Howdy-

I've been looking at the Taig CNC mills because they appear to do what I want, mainly milling of metal and plastic parts. Since I'm a hobbyist, speed in production is not of the essence but precision and accuracy, are. The DSLS 3000 mill with a 4th axis looks like a real gem, but everything I've been able to find indicates usage of now-long-obsolete Windows XP. This is unfortunate as although I do have XP on a very dusty PC, I use Win 7 and in fact prefer Linux over any Window$ product.

I looked at the Sherline and Tormach offerings; the Sherline does not seem very stout (although it may be) and the Tormach was simply out of my price range, but left me drooling.

My main question is: does the DSLS 3000 actually require WinXP? I sure hope not...

On another note, I'm new to CNC and have been studying G-code, especially via Peter Smid's books; G-code seems pretty straightforward (I do have some prior programming experience) and being a surveyor by profession, multidimensional coordinate systems are something I deal with on a very regular basis.

Any and all advice on the DSLS 3000 would be appreciated, thank you very much in advance.

[awerby]

You're right; it is a real gem of a machine. The Taig DSLS 3000 uses Mach3 as its CNC controller program, and it comes with a Mach3 license. Mach3 runs fine on Windows 7. The reason so many people use XP is that it's the version that's usually on the older computers that have parallel ports, which are usually used to run the Taig. But if your Windows 7 machine has a parallel port that can run in EPP mode, then you should be fine. If not, you can get a converter like the UC 100 to run it off your USB port, or something like the Smoothstepper that would run it on ethernet. However, that "dusty" (blow out the dust first) XP machine might actually be your best choice, since you could wipe out anything that conflicts with Mach3 and dedicate it to running the Taig . You might not want to do that to your Windows 7 box.

I'm sure it's possible to run the Taig with LinuxCNC, but it would take some figuring out, especially since the DSLS 3000 relies on the limit switch function of Mach3 to trigger the shutoff when the servo band is exceeded. LinuxCNC has a limit switch function, but you'd have to make sure it's called up when the error occurred. And if you were running LinuxCNC, you'd be on your own for tech support, since I doubt the folks at Taig would be familiar enough with it to offer much help.

It's great that you're learning to speak "G", but I think you'll eventually realize that it's a lot more time-efficient to use a CAM program to go from your drawings and (especially) 3D models and the CNC control program of your choice.

[Crashbox]

Mr. Werby, thank you for all of the information you provided. My Win 7 PC does have an EPP port to drive my 1996 vintage HP5P printer (built the PC myself) and of course my old XP machine does... excellent idea about dedicating the old PC to run the Taig. Certainly do-able. Great to hear that Mach3 will run on Win 7 just in case I do go that route. I'll probably hold off on LinuxCNC at least for now, until I actually get the mill and thoroughly understand the interfacing protocols.

I'll research more into CAM vs. manual coding; I figure knowing G-code is beneficial for me as a foundation, but that's just my opinion.

I'm definitely one step closer now to snagging a DSLS 3000 mill. Thanks again.

[awerby]

Mr. Werby, thank you for all of the information you provided. My Win 7 PC does have an EPP port to drive my 1996 vintage HP5P printer (built the PC myself) and of course my old XP machine does... excellent idea about dedicating the old PC to run the Taig. Certainly do-able. Great to hear that Mach3 will run on Win 7 just in case I do go that route. I'll probably hold off on LinuxCNC at least for now, until I actually get the mill and thoroughly understand the interfacing protocols.

[I admire people who manage to keep their treasured old workhorses running, and out of the glue factory. As long as your old XP box has a processor that can run at 1 ghz or faster, it should be able to run Mach3 just fine. ]

I'll research more into CAM vs. manual coding; I figure knowing G-code is beneficial for me as a foundation, but that's just my opinion.

[You're right - knowing how to write G-code by hand is a valuable skill, and it will help you in using CAM intelligently, just like it helps to have run a manual mill before jumping into CNC.]

I'm definitely one step closer now to snagging a DSLS 3000 mill. Thanks again.

[We sell them at a discount, so maybe you're two steps closer...]

[fretsman]

Just thought I'd chime in here with one drawback with the dsls3000. There are no more input functions to be used so you will not be able to add limit or homing switches unless you get another parallel port add in card to create more inputs and outputs with Mach 3.

Not a dealbreaker by any means, but thought you shout know as it may not be plainly obvious. While some folks work without these switches (at the very least, homing switches), I can't imagine machining something for hours (or 2 or 3 different sessions for REALLY long jobs) without being able to re-home the machine to make sure when I fire up the machine that day, it is in the EXACT some position on the job that I need it to be. Not just positioned by eye.

Dave

[Crashbox]

Very useful info, thank you for sharing it- it was indeed not readily apparent to me. It might be an issue adding a second EPP port to my old PC, but my new(er) one has plenty of room for expansion. I do like repeatability with respect to precision and accuracy, and this is something I will need to look closer at- especially for future, more complex and potentially (semi)-mass produced projects where such capabilities are desirable. I'm sure I can make do with the 'as-built' configuration for now, we'll see...

[leh]

I went with a Gecko G540/ESS (Ethernet Smooth Stepper) setup on my Taig mill. The ESS lets me use a Win7 64-bit computer for control. The G540 has inputs for limit and/or homing switches. I'm running without right now but is nice to know that I can add them later. The G540 comes with a 4th driver so I can add a 4th axis in the future.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[GregGleason]

I use Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit on my Taig DSLS 3000 with a Warp 9 USB SmoothStepper.

Greg

[JasonF]

I have a Taig DSLS 3000 that I run with LinuxCNC via a parallel port. I have LinuxCNC configured to treat the servo error signal as a limit switch, and second parallel port on a PCI card for homing switch inputs.

I'm quite happy with this setup.

[awetmore]

You might consider just getting a Taig CR model and doing the CNC conversion yourself. It isn't a major project, is cheaper than buying one that is already finished, and you won't be paying for a Mach3 license that you won't be using.

I use LinuxCNC with my Taig and like the combination. I've also done LinuxCNC conversions of other machines, but have no experience with Mach3 to compare them.

If you are using LinuxCNC you might consider using a Mesa 5i25 and 7i76 combination instead of a parallel port to drive the steppers. You'll get faster rapids, increased stability (fewer issues with machine latency), and tons of general purpose inputs and outputs. Homing switches and limits are a must, but in the future you may also find yourself wanting to add a probe input (or two), spindle indexing, or other things that you haven't considered. The Mesa cards aren't very expensive (around $200) and work very well.