Just got a Shark Pro Plus, axis cables not labeled.

[waynevan]

Howdy all, this is my first post here, though I've been reading threads for a couple of weeks now. There is a ton of information here.

Our Shark Pro Plus arrived a couple of days ago and assembly went smoothly, (thanks to the extra info I got here) but the laptop that will be dedicated to the machine has not arrived yet. I have a few questions of course, as I am a total newbie to CNC routing, though I am a very experienced woodworker. The first one involves the dang axis cables, only one of which was labeled when we took it out of the box.

1-The "Y" cable has a sticker on it, the other two have nothing, and seeing as the both come out of one flexible conduit thingy, I can't tell which is which. One comes out 12 to 14 inches before the end of the flex conduit and one is at the very end. As I'm sure other machines must have the same set up, which is which?

I've been messing around with the trial version of Aspire and can see it has a ton of capabilities, but it is a bit of cash as well. We (my wife and I) intend to use this machine almost strictly in a commercial capacity, so I'm sure we will be needing the Aspire or something like it, though I can't imagine another program being as friendly to the machine itself based on what I have read.

2-I guess every newbie has questions about software, and I have more or less been leaning towards getting the Aspire software, but how much can be done with the package that comes with the Shark Pro Plus? It has Cut 3-D and V-Carve 6.0.

If I could get some direction on these two matters, that would help me get started. The laptop should arrive today and I expect to be out in the shop probbly right up to bedtime, this is exiting stuff. Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you much. I'm leaving for work now so please, don't let my lack of reply during the daytime make you think I am not interested in whatever thoughts you might be inclined to share. Thanks again, I look forward to many interesting discussions here.

Wayne Van

[CountryWoodCrafts]

Which way do they go . . .Which way do they go . . . (I know not really funny but cartoon characters can be cruel)
The Z on mine is the longest . . . so by elimination the shorter will be X.

Best bet though is after your laptop arrives and you get the basic panel up and running on it. . . jog the x,y,and z and make sure of the directions they travel.
Even before you could turn on the controller after plugging in one. . . .say the z . . .when you turn it on you will not be able to turn the lead screw by hand . . .this will also confirm you have the right one.

Also since you are new . . . Some of us have found that the orientation of x and y can be not as nice as swapping them. Right now you can see the Y and X

untitled.JPG

(5.63 KiB) Not downloaded yet

If you look in your vcarve and see y and x you will see that the way the cnc is wired you can have tall signs but not long ones.
If you swap your x and y plugs and take your gantry off turn it around and put it back on you can have signs and etc that are unlimited in length. . .

You can also do this at a later date if you choose to look at this later.

I am now running aspire. . . I used the other quite a bit. . . the only thing it could not do was creating 3d. . . making your own . . . I have a extensive background in vectors and such and had to go further. . . If you are willing to buy your 3D art that you want to carve. . . . you may not need aspire now. . . but if you later want to create you can get discounts because you already have Vcarve pro.

[waynevan]

Which way to they go which way do they go. I was tempted to guess, but not until I know the machine better. Thanks for the reply, it seems an obvious answer in retrospect, I don't expect any trouble figuring it out now.

I love the idea of being able to make things longer than the table too, the will be a definite in the future. The things we want to carve are most definitely not available, as they are of my own design, I just wasn't entirely sure of the capabilities of the software that comes with the machine. I guess we need Aspire immediately. Its a pricey thing, but it isn't a question of whether or not I need it anymore, clearly I do.

Wayne Van

[Irish Lark]

Wayne,
Maybe download the free trial version of Aspire. Since you already have 3DCarve and Vector 6 you can do a comparison to each other and see if you really need the much more expensive Aspire.
Just a thought. Happy carving!
Terry