Hi, I just purchased a used gen 1 crossfire 2x2. I got it for a decent enough deal and I know it will not be able to use Firecontrol without the upgraded controller. That said I’m just going to be learning and probably will upgrade it at some point but just want to do some test runs and learning the table and cutter nuances before commiting the money to upgrade. I don’t foresee needing the THC too soon so in the meantime I have downloaded the Mach3 trial software and I’ll struggle bus it through that for the sake of learning. I’ll probably regret it after upgrading. It looks like firecontrol is easy mode, but in the meantime I am just curious if anyone can give me an idea of what is capable with the 500 line gcode limit of the Mach3 trial and then if Mach3 is able to still be purchased from the Arcsoft group. They still had it online and able to add to their shopping carts and its far cheaper then the upgrade I don’t need yet, so just asking for the sake of some feedback from those who might be kind enough to a CNC plasma novice and just trying to learn on a budget before investing more $$$ unnecessarily. Thanks anyone and everyone!
The trial version is only good enough to cut some test pieces, not enough to do anything useful.
If you’re not getting THC or need Z positioning, I see no reason to get FireControl. The Mach3 system is very reliable.
I still use my gen 1 table with Mach 3 and no THC. The 500 line limit may or may not be an issue for you, it all depends on what you plan on cutting with the table. If you are going to use it for hobby stuff like i do (One off custom brackets, cut one part at a time, ect…) there is a good chance you will be fine.
If you want to cut 2x2 sheets full of parts in one shot or make signs/artwork that take up the whole table and have a lot of detail, then you will hit the 500 line limit REALLY quick
Unless you want to cut anything with a curve on it… Most CAD programs break curves into many small segments, far exceeding the 500 line limit.
I’m probably going to have a few follow up questions as I work through this but I will try to check the forums before doing so. In that regard is there still a legitimate setup guide for the mach3/gen 1 machines? The previous owner gave me a box and there is some documentation in there but I had to leave out of town before I have gottten a chance to see what all was in it and I am starting over with a PC that has never run the table, so no license, mach3 installation, and similar issue. Thanks everyone.
If I do the post process from fusion will it tell me how many lines the cut file is before I bother to mess around with mach3, or will it show me in mach3 before atempting to print? I am probably just going to do some simple rectangles and simple shapes to start with but I still need to get a new plasma cutter that is CNC friendly so that is the expense I want to handle before getting too concerned about buying the upgrade bundle. Also I plan on cutting things that are like 1/16 and 1/8 thick so not overly concerned about the torch height issue to start with.
Yes, I’ll dig up the link and post it, but just Google “Configuration Mach3” will get you what you need. You do need to download the Mach3 configuration file from Langmuir site. Look for Downloads Legacy. That will have the download file and a brief description of installing it.
Virtually any text editor will be able to show line numbers so you can open the file and look at the last line. Some GCode includes line numbers but they generally skip by increments of 5 or 10. Rather pointless in my book.
So it literally is line by line then. I am sure the new notepad tool in Windows 11 might work or notepad++. I did see the legacy downloads and just was unsure how plug and play things are overall. I guess I am overthinking it now and just have to find something else to occupy my thoughts until I get home this weekend and start figuring things out. Thanks Tom.
Actually I am NOT sure about that. I know there is a limit, whether it’s by number of lines or number of bytes in the GCode file I don’t remember and I’m not in a position to test it.
Hey Tom I just wanted to say thanks for the info. I’m hoping to get home and fiddle some this evening but I did have one question I forgot to mention and you may have enough knowledge to answer. If I have a gen 1 setup and fine with running the mach3 software can I use the XL expansion kit in the future or will it only be adaptable with the newer hardware and firecontrol setups? Thanks again!
Sorry for the delay, I was traveling. As far I know, the XL kit is completely hardware, and can be added to a Gen 1 or 2 2x2 table.