New To CNC , Sydney Australia

[nikonwalker]

Hi guys, new to CNC , haven't a machine yet but been doing lots of research, have honed in on the Probotix " ASTEROID ".
This is a huge investment for me but it is going to be my retirement project. I would really like to hear from an Aussie that has purchased from Probotix to give me some advice with getting machine from USA to Australia etc.
Many thanks

[politicaldog]

Welcome!

[nikonwalker]

Just an update, have purchased the Probotix Asteriod machine and expect to take delivery of it this week , been a long journey with freight, Australian Customs and Australian Quarantine.
Hope it has all been worth it
Terry

[o2photo]

I have an Asteroid. Best value for the money in desktop CNC machines, easily. While there may be more robustly built desktops out there, at $8-10k for a similar sized unit with comparable capabilities, those are just overkill to me. I've had one for a good while now, and I couldn't be happier.

I use a 5x8' Shopbot at work. While it is quite an amazing machine, it is nowhere nearly as reliable (software wise) as the LinuxCNC that runs my Asteroid. I'm working in a small 500sf garage, and if the things I'm working on take off, I may just get several smaller Probotix machines rather than a larger machine just for flexibility. With their price/value ratio, it's much easier to scale up that way, and it would be more versatile to have several smaller machines running different processes simultaneously.

Be sure to keep the rails and drive screws lubed properly. And if you are using a standard router that uses brushes, go ahead and pick up a couple pair of brushes now. It's a real buzzkill (pun intended) to hit start and *pfffft* nothing. It doesn't take long for them to wear down.

Enjoy your machine. You won't be sorry.

Marc

[nikonwalker]

Hi Marc,
I took delivery of my Asteroid machine yesterday and set it up.
Very impressed with the quality, but they didnt load the software that I bought , ( Vectric2D Desktop ), I am finding LinuxCNC rather difficult to work with.
I tried to download Vectric's trial version but not successful , a huge learning curve I expect, .......

Terry

[4DThinker]

Welcome, Nikonwalker.

Linux is pretty similar to windows. LinuxCNC uses a few terms that may be foreign to you but aren't hard to grasp the meaning of.

The basics include:

Be sure your e-stop switch is not engaged. Sometimes it comes that way. Twist clockwise and it should pop out.
Once you have LinuxCNC running, turn the controller on before taking control of it (orange square icon, second from left on top menu bar) within linuxCNC. When shutting down click the orange square again to disengage the software from the controller before shutting off the controller. Then you can close the software and power down the PC.

I'm not sure why you can't download the trial version of VCarve. If you bought an asteroid you may need v-carve pro to have access to your whole cutting area. The folks at Probotix should help you get things straight. You won't be able to create files you can cut (except for some of the tutorial files) with any trial version though.

4D

[o2photo]

What do you find difficult with LinuxCNC?

Marc

[4DThinker]

Vectric has tutorial videos on their web site you can watch for free. I highly recommend you watch them all, and work alongside in another window (or screen) on your PC.

http://support.vectric.com/training-material

Probotix posted a video on using LinuxCNC with their CNCs.

https://vimeo.com/121212918

4D

[nikonwalker]

Wow, what an adventure to get to this stage , everything is up and running, spent the weekend making some plaques for family, made a couple of mistakes but managed to put them down to experience, they say you learn by your mistakes.
So impressed with the Probotix Asteroid , what a quality piece of machinery.
Downloaded some Vectric software which I am finding quite easy to learn , most of it is common sense when you realise what the router whats to do.
I am so glad I spent the extra and got an air cooled spindle , so quiet.......
Looking forward to many projects
Terry

[4DThinker]

Great to hear, NW! Glad to see you are up and running.

4D