[SwampDonkey]

Looking for the "right" computer to run my machine on. Ive been through 4 computers so far and they all have issues with running the machine. Is anyone using this model with any success?

I cant run a driver test without actually buying the machine and installing the software so Ive ended up with a stack of computers that dot perform well.

Thanks in advance!

[RussMachine]

I don't know the answer to your DELL question, but.....
If you've already gone thru 4 different computers without any success, why not just buy the 'right' computer directly from TORMACH, and let them do all the configuring, setups, and hard work?
Just plug it in & go.

[LRF]

Russ
Plus one :wave:

[SwampDonkey]

I don't know the answer to your DELL question, but.....
If you've already gone thru 4 different computers without any success, why not just buy the 'right' computer directly from TORMACH, and let them do all the configuring, setups, and hard work?
Just plug it in & go.

Because its around a grand uses off the shelf parts. I cant afford that, especially after spending so much trying to get the thing running. Plenty of people run their machines perfectly on desktops (and even laptops) with no issues for a fraction of that. I cant afford to dump another grand into this machine.

[KSky]

I use the Dell Optiplex 755's on my CNC Router, an epilog laser retrofitted to use Mach 3 and my Tormach. All three work great. One big thing is to remember to set the parallel port in the bios to EPP mode other wise weird missed steps will surely result.

[pickled]

It's not about the "off the shelf parts" that are in the box it's about the custom configuration of the windows embedded operating system that they developed in house. Keeping the Kernel near empty is the goal. The recommendations that are in the Tormach machine users manuals didn't come out of someone's nether region...they came from pain felt during the product development cycle. I went down the path you are on once in the beginning- trying to just use a computer that "should work" and I soon realized that until Linux CNC had a few more Tormach coal mine canary types I would just have unquantifiable risk every time I hit cycle start due to Windows and Mach 3 wanting to fight for the core of each other's being. This was unacceptable to me because I wanted to make good parts. To make a long and painful story short- I bought the evil Tormach controller. Fast forward to today and I now own two of them. One has been humming without issue since 2009 on my 1100 and the other since 2011 on my 770. I can't complain about the cost of these units because they enabled me to make parts/equipment that I could sell to clients versus sitting in a back room uttering "WTF?!? WHY?!?" as expensive stock was trashed and deadlines were missed.

[Steve Seebold]

It's not about the "off the shelf parts" that are in the box it's about the custom configuration of the windows embedded operating system that they developed in house. Keeping the Kernel near empty is the goal. The recommendations that are in the Tormach machine users manuals didn't come out of someone's nether region...they came from pain felt during the product development cycle. I went down the path you are on once in the beginning- trying to just use a computer that "should work" and I soon realized that until Linux CNC had a few more Tormach coal mine canary types I would just have unquantifiable risk every time I hit cycle start due to Windows and Mach 3 wanting to fight for the core of each other's being. This was unacceptable to me because I wanted to make good parts. To make a long and painful story short- I bought the evil Tormach controller. Fast forward to today and I now own two of them. One has been humming without issue since 2009 on my 1100 and the other since 2011 on my 770. I can't complain about the cost of these units because they enabled me to make parts/equipment that I could sell to clients versus sitting in a back room uttering "WTF?!? WHY?!?" as expensive stock was trashed and deadlines were missed.

At last, someone who is not trying to reinvent the wheel. have read countless posts in which someone thought they had a better idea than what the manufacturer of the equipment is producing. Well, I hate to tell all the would be/wanna be folks who think they have a better idea, but what Torch sells works. It works ALL day, EVERY day. All you need to do is run it like the manual says it should be run.

I have been running my machine for 3 1/2 years, doing it the way the manual says to do it, and all I have ever done on my machine is make parts.

Enough said.

[klaas123]

A Dell optiplex 755 with some minor tweaks will run Mach3 fine without any problems, what's different about setting up a Tormach compared to any other CNC machine?

[Steve Seebold]

I don't know the answer to your DELL question, but.....
If you've already gone thru 4 different computers without any success, why not just buy the 'right' computer directly from TORMACH, and let them do all the configuring, setups, and hard work?
Just plug it in & go.

GOOD ANSWER, RUSS.

[Steve Seebold]

Tormach tells you in their manual not to add any programs or accessories to their control computer. They say don't even add a multi port USB hub. I have been running my machine for a little over 3 years and have had absolutely no trouble with my controller. The only problem I had with the machine is when the Z axis stepper died. That was remedied within about 3 days,

I have renewed the extended warranty on my machine twice, and for the price, I think I will do it every year.

[mountaindew]

Tormach tells you in their manual not to add any programs or accessories to their control computer. They say don't even add a multi port USB hub..

Good advise, I would never connect a computer to a network that does not have virus protection, yet alone one dedicated and optimized to control a expensive machine.

Couple things the manual should be very specific on and tell you! imho

#1 When finished shut mill off "completely" the red master switch on side!" DO NOT RELY on E-STOP button! And of course the machine control computer power.
This insures a clean boot and connection to machine at start up. "this one tip has saved me so many pains and tormach tech support should start with this IMHO "

#2 Do not interrupt mach during a canned cycle like drilling "wow" who knows what its going to do next.

Some simple observations .

md

[TurboStep]

#1 When finished shut mill off "completely" the red master switch on side!" DO NOT RELY on E-STOP button! And of course the machine control computer power.
This insures a clean boot and connection to machine at start up. "this one tip has saved me so many pains and tormach tech support should start with this IMHO "

Please explain how this ensures a clean boot.
Step

[mountaindew]

Please explain how this ensures a clean boot.
Step

I found that it acts like some electrical state is retained in the mill. And if I boot controller computer and the mill has not been shut off it can cause the controller with mach to act erratically.
First time this happen I called tormach they almost had me adjusting my gibs of all things . Then one person advised to reinstall control software. Im like wow that wont fix nothing, well it did.
Problem is, it has happened a couple other times after that and each and every time the master power switch was not turned off. I did not want to reinstall mach and found this fixed it also.
Not clear why! maybe the parallel cable or some noise "I just know if I shut mill off it turns on with no problems"
md

[jcposada]

Can you elaborate on "don't perform well"? I have successfully run Mach on much lesser specced machines, which makes me wonder if it's not something else.

[AVRnj]

I have a Dell Optiplex 755 that I use for my CNC lathe, and it works great. I have tried it out on my Tormach, I installed the Tormach software and it seemed to work great.

I have the Tormach controller, and at one point I thought I had a problem with the controller so I was contemplating getting another 755 for my Tormach, rather than spending the money, so that is why I tested it out. I only ran a few cuts with it, so I did not do extensive testing, but from what I could tell it worked every bit as good as the Tormach controller. I did follow the instructions in the manual about using a non Tormach PC.

It turned out that the problem with my Tormach controller was my wireless software I installed, and once I un-installed it it was fine, so I obviously used the Tormach controller, but I was all set to use a 755.

Do keep in mind however that I did not do extensive testing, and cannot verify there would never be an issue.

[MichaelHenry]

SD - if your time is worth anything, buying the Tormach controller would make the most sense.

To echo jcposada - what "doesn't work well"? It's easier to find solutions when the problem is well defined.

Mike

[O_Clark]

Slightly at a tangent but I set up a Dell Optiplex 960 to run with LinuxCNC recently (4 core CPU). The initial numbers were horrible, 170000ns jitter on the 25us base thread. Adding the kernel parameter idle=poll brought the max. jitter down to 5000ns. Presumably there was some sort of power saving CPU state saving going on beforehand. So it might work ok, I don't know anything about controlling a Tormach, I just my experiences with linuxCNC to report.

[sharpshooter90]

My Shopmaster runs Mach 3 on a Dell 745 computer that they supply with the machine. They clean the hard drive of all programs except Win XP and Mach 3, set the parallel port to EPP and tell you not to add any other programs or hook up to internet etc. Basically keep the computer totally isolated and dedicated to the machine. Any programs you write on another computer and then load them with a flash drive. So far I have no problems. If you are trying to run the machine and watch You tube or surf the internet at the same time you will have nothing but trouble with Mach 3.

[Peter Neill]

FWIW I run my PCNC 1100 on a Dell Dimension 8200 that I bought back in 2000.

[KSky]

I know I am not alone in running dropbox to share files with my design computer and the dedicated machine controller so I am not a big believer in having the control computer non-netorked. I only share one folder that has the tap files. I also turned off everything non-essential in windows. I would think plugging in and unplugging a USB drive would be much more risky than having the network plugged in. That brings in new hardware drivers and is much more intensive for windows than running already highly optimized network code.