Hello All!
I am trying to identify the used machine i bought. I have tried to initialize the machine and the router just goes up and down until it errors out. I am wondering if perhaps I have initialized the wrong machine. I believe the a shapoko 3 XXL.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
You have a Shapeoko 3 with Belt Z axis. From the picture it is not a standard but possibly an XL or XXL.
The SO3 is a great machine but the Belt Z not so much. Eventually C3D replaced the Belt Z with the Z-Plus. I have an SO3 XXL and upgraded to the HDZ. That is a great combination. You can certainly do a lot with a Belt Z but I would recommend you buy the Z-Plus and if you still have the mechanical switches for homing (or none) then to upgrade to the Z-Plus you have to install proximity switches.
The SO3 is getting a little long in the tooth but is still supported by C3D. However if you want to upgrade I would do it sooner rather than later. Most companies do not announce their next new model because of legal issues but eventually there will be less and less parts available for older machines. That is just basic economics and nothing bad about C3D.
The SO3 with the Makita router has a router that is 69MM. The Makita is a 66MM router so there is a reducer ring that the Makita and reducer ring can be removed and replace the router with a Dewalt 611. The Makita is a good router but like most things it has things that go wrong. So if your router ever goes out you can replace it with a Makita or a Dewalt. I have a Dewalt and it is a great router. In 5 years I have only had to replace the brushes once and one 1/4" collet. I use my SO3 a lot. People here on the forum have to replace their C3D/Makita brushes more often and the bottom bearings on both seem to go out with some frequency.
From the picture it is hard to tell but you should have a spoilboard on top of the base board. Do not use the MDF baseboard that from the factory because it is harder to replace than an MDF spoilboard on top. For an XXL the center of the steel frame may sag and you can fix that one of two ways. The first is to simly put a block of wood in the center. The second way would be to remove the leveling feet and place a 3/4 and/or 1" piece of rigid foam under the whole machine. That supports the whole machine and may help reduce noise.
Lastly download Carbide Motion and connect but do not initialize. Check what firmware your controller has and upgrade if necessary. If you cannot connect get an older version of CM because there is a minimum version of CM required at some older firmware versions.
Hey Guy!
Thanks for the reply! So theirs a chance its a firmware issue? Once i tried initializing the machine the z axis just keeps going down until it errors out. It seemed more software related to me.ignore the old spoil board i will be putting a new one on as soon as the machine is functional.
I have attached a couple more pictures, one of the error and an overall of the machine to help identify it.
I really appreciate the advice. I will look into the upgrades you noted.
Go through configuration and pick belt z as z axis. The belt z and hdz runs in opposite direction of z- plus. So if z goes down instead of up you picked wrong z. On initialization z goes up first to homing switch then gantry moves to right rear to home x and y. So z going down means you picked wrong z in configuration.
You Sir are a gentleman and a scholar! That worked! I appreciate your help so much!
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