This video is to show the machine completing a programmed engraving and to show the fault that occurred with the touch probe and how I rectified the problem.
Many thanks Tony. They sent the Z axis strip, not single switches. I will follow your steps this morning and hopefully get things working. Cheers from downunder.
Tony, I was so happy to see a Part 3 video today! I just received my 4040 less than an hour ago and have only opened the package for a quick inspection and all looks good. Surprisingly, the box has no damage after traveling all that way, especially at this chaotic time of year. Thanks for providing the information about the fault. I think I will address that preemptively with a bit of tape or heat shrink. It will be interesting to hear what SainSmart has to say. I am planning to at least go for the 300 watt spindle, or more likely the Makita router as soon as the bracket is released.
Hi Dan you wont be disappointed with the build I really do like mine. I would try your machine first with touch off as it might be ok You will know straight away once you connect the touch probe as it should be with the crocodile clip it will go from blue to red if it doesn't then it is ok. As I say in the video it still worked great but not the touch probe. I would have liked to have seen an alloy base board and a better spindle that would make it one of the best on the market. Let me know how you get on, a chap has mailed me to say that some of the bolts that bolt the frames together bottom out in the holes so just check that mine didn't. Hope to here from you soon Tony
@@Tonys.Top.Tips.Workshop Yes, I thought I would go ahead and build to the manual and just see what it does, but it's good to have the heads-up as to a potential problem. Have you seen anywhere if the Makita conversion is available now? They have pictures of a 4040 with a Makita mounted, but no info on a PS/control box, and bracket. That's the way I really would like to go I think. Amazon has the router for around $120 US. 1.25HP which is 930 watts or so! That'll move some wood!
@@danj3191 Hi Dan I am waiting for the offline controller and the larger spindle mounting bracket but you can fit a 52mm dia spindle in that bracket now as it has a sleeve in that you can remove. You can use a mobile phone connected by the usb cable to c port of your phone and use the offline controller on that. its called GRBL controller for a mobile. There are some vids on youtube I got it to work ok. Tony
Hi you could try pulling the y axis stepper motor plug and putting it in the right y axis cable and just gently energise the right then you will know if its that
@@Tonys.Top.Tips.Workshop thanks for taking the time to make your videos. I ordered the 4040 this week (arriving today!) added a larger spindle to my order as well. I saw the mounting bracket for the Makita router on Amazon yesterday but it's listed as sold out so 🤞 it's coming soon. Good to know about the mobile Grbl controller. I have plenty of old phones I could set up as a controller.
I have looking into this machine for about three weeks now. Wasn’t sure if it was worth it. After seeing your video I believe I have made my choice. I will get this one. Everything has little issues, but that doesn’t seem major enough to change my mind. The spindle was a concern for me. I have never owned a CNC so this one will be my first.
Hi thanks for watching my video You wont be disappointed with the quality, but for the money it nocks the spots off other machines out there. Enjoy your machine. Tony
Hi thanks for your feedback. Yes it is a good one to learn with and if you can get an offer on with the price its good value. I use mine different to most I use the offline controller all the time it works great but its all about what you want. If you are planning on cutting metal then I would go for the 3030 pro but it is a little more expensive but it comes with the offline controller
Glad it helped was it the same problem I had I have just had a reply back from Sainsmart and they have passed my video on to the engineers, he did say that they have had problems Tony
@@ChuckAloha Hi chuck I am speaking to them at this very moment as you are aware the machine is very well made I have no problems with that but to send it out with this fault is professional. Tony
Hi Tony Me again, CNC newbie from downunder. I have had an issue with the Candle software sending a "check limits" message after only 10-15 seconds of operation. It also happens with LightBurn and Laser GRBL software. SainSmart have sent me a replacement Z axis limit switch and mother board without instructions. Whilst I have some idea about what to do, I am not an electrical engineer and your help would be appreciated. BTW I have watched your helpful videos many times and your tips are very clear and practical.
Sorry to here about your problem, if it's a limit switch it is easy to replace if you know which one of the two it is. Replace one and try the machine if it cures the problem great if not swop it back again and swap the other one. If that does not work shop the board. When swapping the board take photos of the connections I use coloured felt tip markers on connector blocks and number them. I will try and do a video on changing the board in the next few days. It's not as hard as you think to change it but try the limit switches first.
Great video I have 3 questions for you 1. How well do you like this Machine 2. Can you engrave a Shamrock (the inner of The shamrock 5 mm Deep 3. Would you purchase this Item
Hi thanks for your feed back I like the machine quite a lot, I had some quality control issues at first but I sorted them. This machine is still hobbyist quality but well worth the money. Regarding the shamrock I don't see why it cart do what you are asking given the right design and gcode, and I have purchased this from SainSmart direct I pay for all the equipment in all my videos. Thanks Tony
@@jim6402 Hi Jim its not included with the machine the software you receive with the machine is Candle that controls the machine when you load a design file into it. There are some Free ones out there so I am told but I stick with the one I paid for. Cheers Tony
Hi if you can get it at the right price its a good purchase but dont pay over the odds for it. There are quite a number of facebook sights that have created lots of great work and advice on this machine. I like mine inspite of it flaws but please shop around.
HI Anthony , I ordered my machine yesterday based on some really good reviews and now Im watching your videos. This machine will be my 2nd CNC. Did you have to calibrate the axis's at all or is it good out of the box? What I would have done is draw a square and a circle to exact dimensions and see how far off the machine is. Does Candle allow tweaking of the stepper motors?
Hi Skotty I tend to cut 3 different circles out of 5mm material and check the size and roundness then I cut 3 squares at the circle sizes then a trench or groove and check the depth. When I did mine it worked out to be 0.1mm out at its worst but for me that was ok so if I wanted to I could build that difference into the design. Tony
@@SpottedDogDesigns Hi no I have not touched the calibration, If you were machining metal parts that have to be precise then you would but I do not need mine to be that accurate my 6090 does that. Tony
Thank you for posting these videos. I bought a small desktop router years ago I think it was a Shark. It was very poor quality and could not cut a true circle no matter how slow and multiple passes. Question for you, can this thing cut a true circle? Is there slop or movement once the bit gets under a small load? I need a small desktop cnc for my at home hobby use cutting small 2-3mm thick carbon fiber parts, and bulkheads for building out of 6mm plywood. Your input on this would greatly be appreciated.
Hi Thomas my machine cuts well but I am getting reports back from other uses that are having problems with movement or slop in the z axis bearing rails and a little flex in the x axis linear Rods but my machine is not like that. This is what happens with new machines that are produced you dont know what the problems will be. I received one of the first and its great. I made the videos on my experiences but believe me I can soon make another one on other uses experiences and I dont think they would like that. Tony
Hi what made me choose this one is it runs on steel rods not rollers and it is a lot cheaper. I paid £454 from sainsmart with some discounts and coupons I searched for where as the 4030 is nearly a £1000. It is a decision only you can make. Tony
Hi thanks for your question. They said that they were fixing the fault that I discovered for the new batches I have only had a few people ask about how to fix theirs but none for a while now so they must have fixed the problem. If your not sure message someone else with one on youtube and see if theirs was ok
Hi Tony, kind of a disappointing day today. I have all the assembly done and I was jogging the spindle and found that I have no movement of the stepper on the right Y-axis rail. The left side goes but immediately binds of course since the right does not move. The stepper appears to be dead, or is miswired somehow. The instructions in the book regarding the connections of the Y axis, to me, are not clear. They refer to a connector labeled Y-R which I don't have. On the left side, I have two plugs, an R and an L, plus the extension socket coming from the right side stepper. I would like to email you so I can send pictures, etc. if that's alright.
Hi Dan if it is connected and it still does not move then take the cover off the control panel there are 4 screws and check the plugs are pushed all the way in on the mother board for the y axis
@@Tonys.Top.Tips.Workshop Hi Tony yes I have all connectors plugged in but I will check inside the box. Does yours have anything labeled Y-R as stated in the instruction booklet?
Hi Dan you can email. If they are connect ok then on the mother board it is marked Y Left and Y right at the top left of the board 2x plugs. Just watch the fan and power connector cables on the cover
Hi Mike if you have watched the last video on the alloy table I fitted you can see that they are clamps that I use from my other cnc 4040 they are just T bolts or you can use 6mm bolts that I have ground the heads thinner so they just slid in the T slot groves. I have a number of different bolt lengths so that depending on the thickness of the material there is not too much protruding up from the bed so your cutter is less likely to catch. I also have some 5mmx25mmx80mm flat bar with a 6.5mm hole 25mm from one end in the centre I use these as clamps and use a piece of the same material to pack out the other end if you understand me. You can make a bunch of them for under £10. Thats the beauty of this type of table.
Many thanks Tony. They sent the Z axis strip, not single switches. I will follow your steps this morning and hopefully get things working. Cheers from downunder.
Hi keep me informed
Tony, I was so happy to see a Part 3 video today! I just received my 4040 less than an hour ago and have only opened the package for a quick inspection and all looks good. Surprisingly, the box has no damage after traveling all that way, especially at this chaotic time of year. Thanks for providing the information about the fault. I think I will address that preemptively with a bit of tape or heat shrink. It will be interesting to hear what SainSmart has to say. I am planning to at least go for the 300 watt spindle, or more likely the Makita router as soon as the bracket is released.
Hi Dan you wont be disappointed with the build I really do like mine. I would try your machine first with touch off as it might be ok You will know straight away once you connect the touch probe as it should be with the crocodile clip it will go from blue to red if it doesn't then it is ok. As I say in the video it still worked great but not the touch probe. I would have liked to have seen an alloy base board and a better spindle that would make it one of the best on the market. Let me know how you get on, a chap has mailed me to say that some of the bolts that bolt the frames together bottom out in the holes so just check that mine didn't. Hope to here from you soon Tony
@@Tonys.Top.Tips.Workshop Yes, I thought I would go ahead and build to the manual and just see what it does, but it's good to have the heads-up as to a potential problem. Have you seen anywhere if the Makita conversion is available now? They have pictures of a 4040 with a Makita mounted, but no info on a PS/control box, and bracket. That's the way I really would like to go I think. Amazon has the router for around $120 US. 1.25HP which is 930 watts or so! That'll move some wood!
@@danj3191 Hi Dan I am waiting for the offline controller and the larger spindle mounting bracket but you can fit a 52mm dia spindle in that bracket now as it has a sleeve in that you can remove. You can use a mobile phone connected by the usb cable to c port of your phone and use the offline controller on that. its called GRBL controller for a mobile. There are some vids on youtube I got it to work ok. Tony
Hi you could try pulling the y axis stepper motor plug and putting it in the right y axis cable and just gently energise the right then you will know if its that
@@Tonys.Top.Tips.Workshop thanks for taking the time to make your videos. I ordered the 4040 this week (arriving today!) added a larger spindle to my order as well. I saw the mounting bracket for the Makita router on Amazon yesterday but it's listed as sold out so 🤞 it's coming soon. Good to know about the mobile Grbl controller. I have plenty of old phones I could set up as a controller.
I have looking into this machine for about three weeks now. Wasn’t sure if it was worth it. After seeing your video I believe I have made my choice. I will get this one. Everything has little issues, but that doesn’t seem major enough to change my mind. The spindle was a concern for me. I have never owned a CNC so this one will be my first.
Hi thanks for watching my video You wont be disappointed with the quality, but for the money it nocks the spots off other machines out there. Enjoy your machine. Tony
Thanks for this video Tony. I will check for the fault you have discovered.
I have notified Sainsmart with a link to the video I will post there reply. Enjoy your cnc machine. Tony
Your videos are awesome. Just learning CNC, Do you think the 4040 would be a good machine to learn with?
Hi thanks for your feedback. Yes it is a good one to learn with and if you can get an offer on with the price its good value. I use mine different to most I use the offline controller all the time it works great but its all about what you want. If you are planning on cutting metal then I would go for the 3030 pro but it is a little more expensive but it comes with the offline controller
Thank you for your quick answer
Thank you Anthony, great video and solved my problem with the z probe.
Glad it helped was it the same problem I had I have just had a reply back from Sainsmart and they have passed my video on to the engineers, he did say that they have had problems Tony
@Anthony Lofthouse the exact problem sainsmart could not figure it out until you came up with the solution
@@ChuckAloha Hi chuck I am speaking to them at this very moment as you are aware the machine is very well made I have no problems with that but to send it out with this fault is professional. Tony
Hi Tony
Me again, CNC newbie from downunder. I have had an issue with the Candle software sending a "check limits" message after only 10-15 seconds of operation. It also happens with LightBurn and Laser GRBL software. SainSmart have sent me a replacement Z axis limit switch and mother board without instructions. Whilst I have some idea about what to do, I am not an electrical engineer and your help would be appreciated. BTW I have watched your helpful videos many times and your tips are very clear and practical.
Sorry to here about your problem, if it's a limit switch it is easy to replace if you know which one of the two it is. Replace one and try the machine if it cures the problem great if not swop it back again and swap the other one. If that does not work shop the board. When swapping the board take photos of the connections I use coloured felt tip markers on connector blocks and number them. I will try and do a video on changing the board in the next few days. It's not as hard as you think to change it but try the limit switches first.
Thanks Tony. Will give it a go as per your steps. 😮
Hi just uploading a video to help you change the parts hope this helps and feel free to message me
Great video
I have 3 questions for you
1. How well do you like this
Machine
2. Can you engrave a
Shamrock (the inner of
The shamrock 5 mm
Deep
3. Would you purchase this
Item
Hi thanks for your feed back I like the machine quite a lot, I had some quality control issues at first but I sorted them. This machine is still hobbyist quality but well worth the money. Regarding the shamrock I don't see why it cart do what you are asking given the right design and gcode, and I have purchased this from SainSmart direct I pay for all the equipment in all my videos. Thanks Tony
@@Tonys.Top.Tips.Workshop
Thanks for the quick response
Is the software you mentioned included with the machine
Thanks for your help
@@jim6402 Hi Jim its not included with the machine the software you receive with the machine is Candle that controls the machine when you load a design file into it. There are some Free ones out there so I am told but I stick with the one I paid for. Cheers Tony
@@Tonys.Top.Tips.Workshop thanks for your info and have a great day
@@jim6402 Same to you Jim
Thanks for the info. I’m new to Cnc, and was considering this Cnc, should this scare me off?
Hi if you can get it at the right price its a good purchase but dont pay over the odds for it. There are quite a number of facebook sights that have created lots of great work and advice on this machine. I like mine inspite of it flaws but please shop around.
HI Anthony ,
I ordered my machine yesterday based on some really good reviews and now Im watching your videos. This machine will be my 2nd CNC.
Did you have to calibrate the axis's at all or is it good out of the box?
What I would have done is draw a square and a circle to exact dimensions and see how far off the machine is.
Does Candle allow tweaking of the stepper motors?
Hi Skotty I tend to cut 3 different circles out of 5mm material and check the size and roundness then I cut 3 squares at the circle sizes then a trench or groove and check the depth. When I did mine it worked out to be 0.1mm out at its worst but for me that was ok so if I wanted to I could build that difference into the design. Tony
@@Tonys.Top.Tips.Workshop So you didn't have to calibrate it? .1MM is acceptable tolerance for most projects I suppose. All the best to you.
@@SpottedDogDesigns Hi no I have not touched the calibration, If you were machining metal parts that have to be precise then you would but I do not need mine to be that accurate my 6090 does that. Tony
Thank you for posting these videos. I bought a small desktop router years ago I think it was a Shark. It was very poor quality and could not cut a true circle no matter how slow and multiple passes. Question for you, can this thing cut a true circle? Is there slop or movement once the bit gets under a small load? I need a small desktop cnc for my at home hobby use cutting small 2-3mm thick carbon fiber parts, and bulkheads for building out of 6mm plywood. Your input on this would greatly be appreciated.
Hi Thomas my machine cuts well but I am getting reports back from other uses that are having problems with movement or slop in the z axis bearing rails and a little flex in the x axis linear Rods but my machine is not like that. This is what happens with new machines that are produced you dont know what the problems will be. I received one of the first and its great. I made the videos on my experiences but believe me I can soon make another one on other uses experiences and I dont think they would like that. Tony
Would you recommend this over the 4030 provrxl for a first cnc. Hardly any info on this 4040. Nice videos btw thank you
Hi what made me choose this one is it runs on steel rods not rollers and it is a lot cheaper. I paid £454 from sainsmart with some discounts and coupons I searched for where as the 4030 is nearly a £1000. It is a decision only you can make. Tony
question, did sainsmart fix the problem that you showed, ive been holding off on getting one till the problems were fixed?
Hi thanks for your question. They said that they were fixing the fault that I discovered for the new batches I have only had a few people ask about how to fix theirs but none for a while now so they must have fixed the problem. If your not sure message someone else with one on youtube and see if theirs was ok
@@Tonys.Top.Tips.Workshop thankyou for you reply, ya im going to get one next month
@@mtz3843 I like mine and now have the rotary
Hi Tony, kind of a disappointing day today. I have all the assembly done and I was jogging the spindle and found that I have no movement of the stepper on the right Y-axis rail. The left side goes but immediately binds of course since the right does not move. The stepper appears to be dead, or is miswired somehow. The instructions in the book regarding the connections of the Y axis, to me, are not clear. They refer to a connector labeled Y-R which I don't have. On the left side, I have two plugs, an R and an L, plus the extension socket coming from the right side stepper. I would like to email you so I can send pictures, etc. if that's alright.
Hi Dan is the cable for the stepper motor on that side connected. Tony
Hi Dan if it is connected and it still does not move then take the cover off the control panel there are 4 screws and check the plugs are pushed all the way in on the mother board for the y axis
@@Tonys.Top.Tips.Workshop Hi Tony yes I have all connectors plugged in but I will check inside the box. Does yours have anything labeled Y-R as stated in the instruction booklet?
@@danj3191 Hi Dan it is marked up on the board but on the back of the L hand y axis its marked as a r and a L cable connector
Hi Dan you can email. If they are connect ok then on the mother board it is marked Y Left and Y right at the top left of the board 2x plugs. Just watch the fan and power connector cables on the cover
Could you show how you use the clamps?
Hi Mike if you have watched the last video on the alloy table I fitted you can see that they are clamps that I use from my other cnc 4040 they are just T bolts or you can use 6mm bolts that I have ground the heads thinner so they just slid in the T slot groves. I have a number of different bolt lengths so that depending on the thickness of the material there is not too much protruding up from the bed so your cutter is less likely to catch. I also have some 5mmx25mmx80mm flat bar with a 6.5mm hole 25mm from one end in the centre I use these as clamps and use a piece of the same material to pack out the other end if you understand me. You can make a bunch of them for under £10. Thats the beauty of this type of table.
What are the full dimensions once assembled?
Hi its approx 620mm long x 600 wide
would like to get one but price to high, if they would bring the price down to foxaliens level, 500, with laser included, i would get one.
Hi I understand about the cost but I got mine with a discount so it wasn't too bad. Hope you sort a cnc out in the future its a great hobby