Gcode or digital files are not available for our machines.

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I have the build your own CNC kit 3 Axis CNC Machine 2008, were can I get the Gcode or vector files for it ? I wanted to have it laser cut

Hello, I was wondering if the Blactooth laser cutter can engrave in 3d, different depths in the same piece of wood?

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I was wondering what the max depth is for something to go into the 40W C02 Laser cutter and engraver with blacktooth

We can supply all of the laser components, but you will need to determine how to mount the components.

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Alternatively, you can purchase our greenBull machine that has the laser/spindle combo head. You can see the laser/spindle head here: https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/cnc-machine-laser-spindle-combo-head

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Can you supply a "KIT" to convert my 4060Z CNC to a Laser Cutter? What is the difference capabilities between the 40Watt and 80Watt?

We can supply all of the laser components, but you will need to determine how to mount the components.

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Alternatively, you can purchase our greenBull machine that has the laser/spindle combo head. You can see the laser/spindle head here: https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/cnc-machine-laser-spindle-combo-head

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Can you supply a "KIT" to convert my 4060Z CNC to a Laser Cutter? What is the difference capabilities between the 40Watt and 80Watt?

For the blackTooth laser cutter and engraver, it is not possible to lengthen within its existing enclosure dimensions. The cable management is a bit tight. Call us to discuss.

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I am interested in your laser cutter package. Can you create a machine with custom length requirements? ie. 36" length

Exhausting the blackTooth laser cutter is a very important consideration and should be taken seriously, especially if you are cutting materials that give off toxic fumes when the material is burned. You will want a 4 inch hose to connect from the blackTooth to a blower, and another 4 inch hose to connect from the blower to the outside. The blower should be sufficient to provide completely negative pressure within the laser enclosure so there will be no escape of gasses.

The connections at the machine, at the blower and at the location the hose exhausts outside should be thoroughly checked for leaks. Use a gasket, or silicone. Once complete, try cutting a non-toxic material that will give off an odor (wood, or non-toxic plastic) and try the system and determine if the smell is present.

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I have been asked to provide an exhaust for the Blacktooth Laser Cutter CO2 40W. I see no specifications or guidelines for exhausting fumes from the machine. Can someone help me?

The electronics combo with the sku of 101 on Amazon.com includes a parallel interface.

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I am looking at your 3 axis CNC machine kit(part #101) on Amazon. Is the interface on this kit USB?

Sure, the USB interface has a place for 4 axes of limit switches.

Each axis can have two limit switches: one for the ++ (positive) end and one for the -- (negative) end. The positive end would be the limit switch at the end of the machine that, say the machine has a 4'x8' area, reaches a bit after the 8 foot mark. The negative end would be the limit switch behind the 0 foot location behind the origin. If the origin is in the middle, the negative would be at a little more than the -4 foot end and the positive would be at a bit more than the +4 foot end. Note that you can have more than one switch on each pin where the NC is connected in serial fashion and the NO is connected in parallel fashion (this can be seen on the diagram in the multiple limits switch section). The software configurations for the limits switches are under File -> Settings -> Limit.

A typical limit switch has three connections on it. These connections consist of COM (common), NC (normally closed) and NO (normally open). The COM would generally go to GND and the NC or the NO would go to the pin. If the NC is used, then the the switch is constantly connected until the switch is pushed (engaged) then the connection from the pin to gnd is broken (open). Use the settings in software to set whether in NC or NO configuration.

Let me know if this information was helpful (or not) by adding information to this question. Thanks.

User response:
Thank you very much for this helpful information. I'm still a little fuzzy on how the 6 limit switches physically connect to each other and to the USB breakout board. You've stated one switch (home) goes to positive and another switch (limit) goes to negative. Are all the GND prongs from all 6 switches connected to each other and going to GND on the breakout board, or no? And the NC prongs, how exactly are they connected to each other? And to the board? There has to be a diagram somewhere shows this visually, no? I don't know how to wire the switches in series or in parallel. I have already physically installed all the switches on the machine and ran the wires to where the board is. Now I just need to know where to plug these wires into the board. Also, taking into consideration that I'm using the Planet CNC software, the only settings I have pertaining to limit switches is "Enable/Disable" for each axis, and the actual limit for each axis. Nothing about NC or NO. Is that only in Mach3?
Thank you.

buildyourcnc response:
On the USB interface, the COM on the switch connects to GND and the NC or NO connects to the input pin (i.e. x++, y--, etc.)

Limit switch configuration is rather difficult to understand, especially with series and parallel. You can think of series as a single wire going from GND to the axis letter input terminal (i.e. X++ or X--). If the wire is broken, then the circuit is open (or the switch is engaged in a normally closed scenario). Normally closed is like an actual wire, and when engaged, the switch "opens" (breaks the wire). This is why we recommend in some systems that you can put many switches in series on a single pin. When one of the switches is engaged (breaking the connection) then the entire circuit of switches is broken and the machine stops.

In a parallel scenario, the state of the circuit is always broken until the one of the switches is engaged and the circuit is then closed or connected. The topology looks like a ladder. All the switches connect to both sides of the ladder and the switches are like the runs of the ladder (the horizontal bars that the feet are placed while climbing). Imagine all of the switches broken in this scenario (normally open). It would be like the ladder could be split in two, but if one of the ladder runs (switches) is closed by engaging it, then that run would connect both sides of the ladder and the two sides of the ladder would have a connection.

There is a diagram on the USB page of the various limit switch configurations. If you need more information (visual and/or otherwise), please let us know and we will immediately add that information to benefit everyone.

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How can I convert from Xylotex to yours, four axis with limit switches. Have parallel PC and steppers on machine.

Using Anti-Freeze in the cooling system with either our spindle or our laser tubes will not have any problems and we recommend using a small amount in locations where temperature is freezing or below.
Although we do not recommend using an entire gallon of anti-freeze rather just a small quantity with tap water will be sufficient.

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All last winter, the temperature was below freezing and sometimes below zero. I used 100% antifreeze for the spindle coolant. Worked great !! All the spindle needs is any type of coolant flowing through it to take the heat away. I use three gallons of antifreeze in a tub with a fish-tank pump to push the antifreeze through. 100% antifreeze works great in cold or hot winter.

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Excellent tip. Thank you for this correction. So it is OK to use antifreeze solely as a cooling method.

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Can anti-freeze be used as a coolant for your 40W laser tube? I live where winter temperatures are below freezing and my CNC machine is in my unheated garage.

The settings that will have to be change will be your steps per inch in motor tuning (mach 3), or settings/axes(planetCNC). But we do not have the actual numbers/specs that will fit your 10 TPI 5 start lead screw, here is a tutorial video which explains how to get the exact numbers you need! (

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On the book build machine I changed the Z axis from a 13 tpi lead screw to an acme 10 tpi 5 start lead screw. What numbers do I put into the motor tuneing boxes.

The frame size difference of the NEMA 23 and 24 is very slight and, depending on the motor mount both will most likely fit. The bigger difference between these stepping motors is the torque. Make sure that the motor that you purchase has the appropriate torque for the axis that it will move.

Is is safe to go with the higher torque? Or if the torque is too high for what i need is that bad?

You can use a motor with higher torque. Just make sure to select the correct driver for that motor.

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The frame size has nothing to do with torque. Nema 23 means a 2.3" frame. Nema 24 means a 2.4" frame. That's all. Either could have more or less torque depending on speed and power.

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What is the difference between a NEMA 23 and NEMA 24 motor? can I use either one on a machine?

The frame size difference of the NEMA 23 and 24 is very slight and, depending on the motor mount both will most likely fit. The bigger difference between these stepping motors is the torque. Make sure that the motor that you purchase has the appropriate torque for the axis that it will move.

Is is safe to go with the higher torque? Or if the torque is too high for what i need is that bad?

You can use a motor with higher torque. Just make sure to select the correct driver for that motor.

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The frame size has nothing to do with torque. Nema 23 means a 2.3" frame. Nema 24 means a 2.4" frame. That's all. Either could have more or less torque depending on speed and power.

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What is the difference between a NEMA 23 and NEMA 24 motor? can I use either one on a machine?

It sounds like you got a misprinted book. If you purchased it from us, please contact us directly for a replacement. If you bought it from Amazon or a third party, you'll need to contact them. General information about lead screws is available on this website and at buildyourtools.com.

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Just bought Build Your own CNC Machine book. It is missing the chapter on lead screws that is described on page 181 at the end of Chaprer 16. Where can I get this info?

Decreasing the speed of acceleration in the cutter? Meaning of your router/spindle?, To modify the speed of a router will be going to the router itself and modifying the speed, but if a spindle is being used modifying it will be done either manually in the VFD (VFD Setup:
Change PD001 to '0' (source of run commands)
Change PD003 to 300 (main frequency - Hz)
Change PD004 to 300 (base frequency - Hz)
Change PD005 to 400 (max operating frequency - Hz)
Change PD006 to 2.5 (intermediate frequency - Hz)
Change PD008 to 220 (max voltage - V)
Change PD009 to 15 (intermediate voltage - V)
Change PD010 to 8 (minimum voltage - V)
Change PD011 to 100 (frequency lower limit - Hz)
Change PD142 to 7 (rated motor current - Amps)
Change PD143 to 2 (motor pole number)
Change PD144 to 3000 (rated motor revolution))<- make sure these are your settings in the VFD. If the spindle is wired to the breakout board and is working through Mach 3 then the modification will be done in your CamBam/Feed rate settings.

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How can I decrease the rapid acceleration of the cutter from a completed cutting operation to a new location so that the stepper motor will not lose its steps and mess up the machine zero settings? I am using CamBam and Mach3 on my machine with a chain drive. what is the best way to reduce accleration

The specifications for the book build can be found on the flowing URL: https://www.buildyourcnc.com/Item/cnc-machine-scratchbuild

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Where can I get the spec for the Cnc machine for the machine in the book build your own Cnc machine I tried the web page but no mesurments that I found

The blueChick v4.2, is accurate at 1000's of an inch, with the roller chain, the v3.0 with the timing belt will increase the accuracy by 5%-10%, but to the expense of structural integrity.

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If I wanted to use the blueChick for isolation routing, what accuracy could I expect from v3.0 and v4.2?

For our greenLean CNC vertical machine, was built and controlled using 2 651-oz in motors/425 oz-in motor.
The 651-oz motors runs both the x/y axis, as our 425-oz motor controls the z axis.

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What size motor is powering the y axis on the greenLean CNC machine?

Which linear slide bearings are you referring?

The ones that come in the pack of 24 or 30

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Are the linear slide bearings good quality? Should I expect all 30 to be equal in quality and use them to produce a very accurate CNC machine?

We are developing plans for our machine, but they are not completed yet. Please let me know if you would like to be added to our list of customers wanting plans. Thanks,

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If you have specific questions regarding CAD, CAM and Control, please add another question to the customer service and I will answer them in detail.

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How do I get started I would like to build a cnc router. Making the machine I can do, but I am weak on cad,cam and mach3. I am thinking about a 4’x4’. Do you have plans I can buy?