Sainsmart 3018 PROVer Cnc. Candle, Grbl & Axes Calibration Tutorial. Part 2.

[@bkslavin]

Sainsmart should be paying you to build content. Amazing.

[@Tod_Unctious]

I think you can understand how much this video is appreciated by all the great comments. I agree entirely, great video 👏👏

[@wolfgangzeisig6313]

best video on candle on the net

[@jeremypringle5368]

Excellent video. I learned all of these things by watching dozens of videos but here they all are in one place. Great job. Very informative.

[@timnielsen3450]

Thank you so much for doing these, they are invaluable to a newbie like me!

[@ballzybaits4414]

Best video on KZbin on this subject!!

[@bami2]

This is probably the best setup guide on youtube for any 3018 or other smol hobby cnc machine

[@sieira]

Great guide! Quick note to say that, after setting the axis limits, the default z probe instruction should be changed to Z-30 instead of Z-50. Otherwise, z probe setting won’t work and you’ll have to reset the board.

[@robnilson3613]

I've watched several videos on these devices and this has been the most informative, I can now finally get get mine configured. Thank You

[@techydiy]

Thanks

[@idiotburns]

I have been using your videos and my cousins experience as a journeyman and I been able to springboard my development into creation! Thanks alot!!!!

[@heeder777]

I purchased the prover control board and this video was a great help setting it up on my machine. Thanks for making it easy!

[@mohanad70]

To say the least, this video is described as creative. I don't need to install my device except watch this great video. Thank you from the heart.

[@izemanevobike]

Wow. That's what i call an excellent tutorial. Helped me A LOT!!!

[@bernym4047]

Excellently produced and extensively informative videos. Many thanks.

[@willi80636]

I can only agree with the other comments: This is an excellent introduction to the 3018 CNC, thank you for your work. I've watched a lot of videos about the 3018, but this is by far the best.

[@MikeNewham]

Great video on calibration and g-codes, etc. Looking forward to seeing how you plan to attach 'clamps' (or not) to the wasteboard for projects that you're planning.

[@jeremypringle5368]

Painters tape and super glue is the way to go. I never use clamps anymore and don’t have to deal with tabs or worry about hitting the clamps. 😎

[@leonelloriondato]

Thank so much! Simply perfect!!

[@Audimeisterable]

Thank you for your effort! Outstandingly explained in Detail. Realy appreciate it! Regards from Germany, Benjamin

[@lynnhaste5225]

Thank you so much for this thorough video! You solved so many problems in our setup.

[@hanilove302]

Can a laser head be added to this machine, please?

[@Diasx]

Excellent videos. Thank you very much for your time doing these. Starting my CNC journey and your videos are helping my anxiety levels. :)

[@juliet926]

Really wonderful video, very detailed. High definition quality, clear explanation.

[@Shenepoy]

that was quite an amazing video, very detailed. the caliber trick is amazing.

[@DucNguyen-wt7eu]

Thank you so much for this video! it helped me tremendously.

[@hansjurgen9971]

Thank you, you just saved me from a headache!

[@techydiy]

Glad I could help!

[@ProtoLancer]

I recently bought a Comgrow ROBO. The documentation leaves much to be desired. I totally messed up my machine from functioning properly. It wouldn't home and without knowing I turned off the over travel switches. Your calibration video tutorial saved the machine from becoming a boat anchor. Thanks for taking the time to show how any machine with this controller can be calibrated. I'm on my why to loving this machine for model railroading work.

[@techydiy]

Good stuff

[@chriswesley594]

Superb, no bull, no fluff, clear audio & video, exactly as long s it should be, and packed with quality content. Thanks. The Banggood link for the surfacing bit no longer works, and - bizarrely - I can't find a UK supplier. Anyone know where I can get one fast and cheap?

[@techydiy]

UK link ebay.us/kes1hr

[@dd884e5d8a]

Really good tutorial. Thank you!

[@williambrown4675]

Great introductory to CNC. I'm new to CNC, not even bought machine, yet. Like the Prover being particularly assembled.

[@derekrevell]

Excellent video, very helpful with my first venture into CNC programming and NC M/c setting up and calibrating, many thanks for putting this info on KZbin

[@hermansugiharto7543]

Thank you so much, it can help me to understanding the machine calibrate...very detail. Waiting for others. Thanks😘👍😉

[@sorena1973]

i listened to you sir and bought one just now .whish me luck

[@jacobselem9599]

Thank you so much for coming out with a part 2!!!

[@petecooper3701]

You certainly set the precedent for clarity and ease of assimilation. Well done. Perhaps you might do something on a 60 40 for us oldies as I'm still in a quandary as to what to buy. Thanks a lot, Pete on the Isle of Wight.

[@techydiy]

Thanks. I have a 3040 coming next.

[@ThisChannnel2]

Thank you so much for making this perfect video!

Thank you for the important information, details that are not in the manual :)

[@herrzyklon]

Brilliant, @techdiy thank you so much. I'm using this machine in my PhD and I'm working on a paper right now. It's a cheap, reliable (so far), and well made piece of kit. While I wish it had a bit more z-clearance (I removed the spindle and am installing something else in its place), it's very promising. The software etc is all new to me, so I really appreciate your straightforward guide, thank you again!

[@techydiy]

Cool, now I am intrigued by what your using it for! See here for an easy way to increase the z height kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5-Te4eEn8-grcU

[@herrzyklon]

@@techydiy Wow thank you so much for linking that video - I saw that it existed already, but didn't know from the title that it involved increasing the z clearance. So, so helpful! While I am short of time, I might actually be able to follow your approach. I don't know why I never considered it myself actually. :) I'm not using the machine as a subtractive manufacturing device, quite the opposite. I'm trying to automate the preparation of mechanical samples of a very specific material using a bespoke technique linking Standards from different industries and applications. It's a by-product of my actual research, but still worth sharing. The fact that the kit is small, easily and cheaply available, accurate, and uses extrusions as a base is a real positive. Once my paper is written, I'll be presenting it at the Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium in Texas later this year. If I'm able to, I'll share a link Thanks again for the excellent guides!

[@hanilove302]

Can a laser head be added to this machine, please?

[@herrzyklon]

@@hanilove302 yeah they do a laser kit that is designed for this machine

[@markhayward1990]

Great video, really ideal when starting off. Having a problem with the Z probe step...nothing seems to happen when I press the Z-probe button on candle. changed the depth etc all as described in video but nothing happens. it also crashes everything else so the manual buttons for moving stop working. No idea what's happening. I turned off soft limits also

[@idiotburns]

Same here

[@fierceflyer5]

Thanks for this easy to follow information

[@JordanMalan255]

Made my first pcb ever today, thank you!!! (It was a 555 circuit, I only made a few mistakes 😁)

[@techydiy]

Well done!

[@timnielsen3450]

I would love you to make a video showing the process to upgrade the 3018 to a 3040!

[@techydiy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5-Te4eEn8-grcU

[@electronic7979]

Excellent

[@raziel3726]

Another good video!!

[@bourdeaux21]

What a good vidéo thanks a lot!

[@billmartin6687]

Thank you for making these videos ... Brilliant...... I took the liberty of sending you an email about a problem I'm having I hope you don't mind...

[@DanielH]

Looks promising

[@michelebenini8125]

Nice video! Really detailed video, but i dont understand if in the machine is possibile to mount the laser ,in example 5,5w or 7w

[@techydiy]

Yes there is a 5.5w laser module. It just fits in the spindle mount.

[@michelebenini8125]

@@techydiy thnk a lot bro!!!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@cire411]

For Z probe script, keep getting "[MSG: Reset to continue]" Using sainsmart 3018 PROver

[@techydiy]

It's probably hitting the limit switch. You will need to reduce the clearance height in the probe script. If you post it here I will edit it and post it back.

[@khatisource3496]

Thanks for your details

[@user-fp1lw3yv4g]

It looks like you are the only one who ties everything together. It would have been nice if you said to uncheck the Keyboard ox before continuing on. The Console will not take any commands until that is unchecked.

[@WheelChairWorria]

How good is this machine at doing small intricate work?

[@7469626572696F]

Thank you

[@ryanfeeley2407]

For people who are skeptical that these machines have ~1% errors in axis travel out-of-the-box, I can confirm that they do. I'd guess that these cheap lead screws are made via rolling dies. That's just not going to achieve the sort of accuracy obtained by cutting the thread on a reasonably accurate lathe or using precision grinding. But it's fast and cheap. I have a 3018 Prover MX3 from sainsmart. To assess the calibration, I took the electronics out of the loop by just using my fingers to rotate the x axis exactly 32 rotations. You can feel the macrosteps, so this is accurate to less the 1.8 deg in 32*360. So about 0.02%. I measured the total carriage travel with my calipers as 129.15mm. The two carriage positions were both approached from the same side to eliminate the influence of backlash. So calculated the leadscrew pitch is 4.0359mm/rev, rather than 4.0mm (0.89% error). Similarly I rotated the y-axis exactly 30 rotations. Here the bed travel was 120.83mm. So the calculated leadscrew pitch is 4.0276mm/rev (0.69% error). We conclude that the leadscrew fabrication tolerances are pretty bad. If they are that wrong at full span, the error is probably not linear along the length, to even a two point calibration is probably not enough for accurate work, but it should improve things quite a bit. The 3020-PRO MAX advertises itself as having a 0.1mm accuracy, so perhaps it uses more precise components.

[@ryanfeeley2407]

I did a real multipoint calibration on my axes and they are quite linear. The residuals are under 0.025mm. So contrary to the speculation in my original post, a two point calibration over a large distance as demonstrated in the video should get a machine pretty dialed in. The manufacturing process must just have some sort of error that accumulates in a systematic way. Likely some sort of rolling die where the position of the portion of the thread currently being made is gauged from, and thus a function of, a few mm prior.

[@techydiy]

Thanks. As you say basic calibration can give a good improvement. Here is a nice little article about lead accuracy: www.helixlinear.com/blog/acme-screws/what-puts-the-precision-in-precision-acme-lead-screws/

[@mobboss715]

Is there supposed to be a Red light on the back when you plug the USB cord in?

[@Terry_Genereaux]

Your Video has everything I have been looking for on how to get started thanks so very much.. just one question from a newbie why not make the spoil board the same size as the bed?

[@techydiy]

The bed is larger than the cutting area and you want to level the whole board rather just cut a pocket out of it.

[@ybritoh]

Great and fantastic video, as all of you. I have followed it and everything go well with straight lines in x and y. But I have not achieve a perfect circle (always a little flattened in two side of the same horizontal diagonal). Could you please help me? I really appreciate it. Model: Genmitsu PROVerXL 4030 Thank you very much.

[@dchurch911]

Your videos are incredibly polished and informative. I truly appreciate the editing work. I recently became interested in CNC work and luckily stumbled into your channel. To be honest I am considering buying either the Sainsmart 3018 PROver or 3018 PRO largely due to how well you have covered these machines in your videos. With either machine I plan to do the upgrade to the 500W spindle. I am capable of designing and 3D printing spindle mounts... I would greatly appreciate your opinion and any pros or cons to consider. I am leaning towards the 3018 PROver with the assumption that it is a better built machine and more user friendly. Your thoughts? Thank you, Dave

[@kennel1952]

私も一緒の物だけど、仕上がり寸法と、取り代、粗削りの兼ね合いが、難しので今研究中です😁ソフトはfusion360だけどね。😁🤡

[@jest2927]

tiene algun video con explicacion desde 0 del control offline

[@HMomber]

What thickness is the spoil board used? I'm just cautious of the limited Z axis travel. Cheers

[@tommuc442]

in this video there is a mistake in the setup of the softlimits and the probe-command. you can't set 34mm for the z-axis in the softlimits ($132=34) - and then set 45mm as maximum travel in the probe-command (2Z-45F100). this will always trigger an alarm with stop at the start of the probe. the value in the probe-command must be smaller than the softlimit for z - e.g. (2Z-30F100).

[@techydiy]

True, I probably turned off soft limits when I was testing it.

[@markhall3323]

Superb thank you

[@Lloyd.B.]

Interesting...

[@davegee124]

awesome video,looking for a small machine like this to cut some 4mm carbon fibre out 293mm x180mm,would this do that?

[@KaungAungplus]

Great Videos. I watched the Pt. 1 and it was informative. I just want to ask how much depth can this machine go? I make printing blocks with rubber and wood to print of textile. I hav been using hand held tools and a chipper which takes long and the process tedious.

[@herrlau1123]

Danke!

[@techydiy]

Danke

[@PCFM100]

Having a problem with the origion position on Candle Grbl on my 40 x 40 McDriot CNC machine If I zero the position, then move the X and Y to another position, then click to go back to origion position, it goes back to the origion position OK, but the readings and the actual positions for the origion position are now wrong, the readings on Grbl can be out by1 or 2 mm Cant get to fix this problem, and help would be appreciated

[@jasonrhoades4122]

When the calibration has been completed, are the changes saved to the router or are they only saved to candle? I guess what I'm asking is, when I use Candle to change the steps/mm then use the offline controler to cut a project, are the changes still saved? Thanks, great video, by the way.

[@techydiy]

They are saved to the microcontroller, they will still apply no matter what you use to send the gcode/

[@sophietaz]

Hi I am quite new to hobby cnc But after weeks of trying I have finally got my 3018 grbl machine up and running, I use candle, Please can you help me, When I draw and save say a simple 40mm circle and save it as a cn file in carbide create, I then load it into candle, My question is when I open candle then spindle is a long way from the drawing and when I click send the spindle doesn't go to the exact place on my piece, Can I get the spindle to start closer to the piece also move to the right place on my cnc table, I read your article on travel settings and I actually understood it lol, Thankyou for that explanation, One last thing I have bought 3 limit switches but not fitted them yet, I have configured safe position finally but not the home button in candle, Can you advise please,

[@techydiy]

You have the set the zero / origin position in candle. Jog to where you want the zero position to be and hit the Zero XY button, then jog the z axis down uintil it just touches the surface of your material and hit the Zero Z button, then run you gcode.

[@bigcountryvet5984]

Your videos are very informative. I am haveing trouble with the cheap 3018 Pro I bought off Amazon. I don't understand the set up. and calibrate.

[@techydiy]

James Dean Designs does some nice videos on the 3018 Pro

[@bigcountryvet5984]

@@techydiy Yes he does I followed on one where he use UGS and a sample g code to do a square and my machine finally worked

[@jabberdoggy4444]

Incredibly helpful video. Thanks so much for making it available! Timely, too... setting up my new machine right now. How did you know? :)

[@clivetaylor2764]

Very instructive videos... Using candle to calibrate the cnc movement, does this new calibration carry over , so if you go back to the offline controller, should the new steps per MM be used by the machine? From now on?

[@techydiy]

Yes it does carry over. The configuration is stored on the microcontroller on the printed circuit board and used by anything connected to it, pc, offline controller etc.

[@mandobass]

Hello sir! Can you help? I'm about to surface my spoilboard, is it Okay to do it with the Sainsmart Spindle? 10k rpm are more than enough to do the job? Using de feed and rates that you are sugesting us

[@dutchandbilly]

Amazing Video Thank You! Ive bin having a problem with my bed not being leveled is there any fix besides adding shims to the bolts underneath? Thanks

[@techydiy]

Levelling a spoilboard as shown in the video is the normal method or for conductive materials you can probe the material surface and use a height map.

[@bigcountryvet5984]

So, if I buy the 3018-PROVer off the amazon link you get a little help? I plan to get one since I am having so much trouble with the one I have. Thank you for the great videos. Keep up the good work.

[@paullyie82]

Excellent Videos, have watched part 1 and part 2 I have a question on this CNC Can it cut through wood? like cut shapes out of say 15mm to18mm MDF Looking at the last part of the 1st video where you deep cut a tree out of slice of log - i'm assuming it can (with multiple passes) ? Cheers

[@techydiy]

Thanks. Yes it will cut 18mm mdf.

[@HaiderAli-ok8wv]

sos supar

[@brucenorton3864]

Can I use a 150w Hanpose 775 spindle motor on the 3018 Pr0-Max? It's rated at 12A. My current board is a Cronos board and the machine came with a 100W spindle.

[@techydiy]

No, you can't use a 775 motor on a Sainsmart 3020 Pro Max because the voltage will be different and the size of the spindle motor will be different. If your talking about another manufacturers 3018 pro max then I don't know; but the answer is probably the same.

[@mpmccurry]

How about a medium size cutting hoard

[@greekn1c]

Thank you for your helpful videos, they are a great help to newcomers like myself to the world of Cnc. Can this calibration be applied to the banggood 3018 mini cnc that you reviewed a couple of years ago?

[@techydiy]

Yes, the calibration method is the same

[@gregdittrich1206]

Why would the steps per mm be different than the calculated pitch of lead screw and the steps of the motor? Squaring the gantry should eliminate this discrepancy.

[@techydiy]

The pitch of cheap leadscrews varies quite considerably. Enough to make a 0.5mm or so difference over 200mm.

[@cvonp]

Extremely helpful video - thanks! 👍 One question: Where did you find an undersized spoilboard - or did you fabricate it yourself? Mine matches the size of the bed and even with the limit switches removed it isn't possible to mill the entire width of the board. Cheers

[@techydiy]

I made it

[@cvonp]

@@techydiy Nicely done

[@chrisanthoschrisinas617]

Good Evening! First I want to say that your videos are fantastic. I want to buy the cnc 3018 vevor basic machine . Can I then get the laser module separately? If so what watts does it need to be able to cut 3mm wood? Thank you very much

[@techydiy]

Thanks. I don't know, I have never seen a Vevor machine. To cut 3mm wood, I would get a 5W or greater OPTICAL output laser. Note that most Chinese suppliers list the electrical input power of the laser and not the optical output power. You should search the specification to find the optical output power of the laser.

[@chrisanthoschrisinas617]

@@techydiy Can you suggest me a cnc machine that also has a laser? A cheap and good for someone who wants to do amateur. A machine like the sainsmart 301

[@lukeermyeahman]

Great video, thanks so much. Quick question, how do you go about calibrating the machine if you only intend on using it offline? I'm guessing the calibration would need to be translated some how on to the scripts saved off on your micro SD?

[@techydiy]

Use a laptop, pc, mac, borrow one etc. to calibrate it first

[@bucker76940]

hello my machine is a Sainsmart 3018 PROVer: when I use the program from the memory card and I launch the program the Z goes up to the top stop and everything stops do you have the solution thank you

[@techydiy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIWblalnesahptU

[@lcarocks28]

I didn't buy the same Sainsmart router as you (mine is the 3018) which did not come with the touch probe z-axis auto setting. Can I get one online to work with the 3018?

[@techydiy]

Yes

[@mobboss715]

It's saying, serial port error 1: no such file or directory. Can someone please help?

[@davidjoaquin141]

Thanks, can I assume it will perform a 3 axis cutting path? Such as profile milling up and around varying surfaces? I have real CNC programming software, SurfCam.

[@techydiy]

Yes, as long as you can find or create a grbl 1.1 post processor for Surfcam

[@NeilHodgsonDARKHOURS]

Hello, Great video and easy to follow. I'm only running into one problem with my end stops as they seem to be not working when I send the home command its acts like the hard stops do. I have $22=1 on $21=0. Are the microswitches hooked up on the NO. side? my machine is the Sainsmart 3018 PRO I had to add the microswitches and 3D print holders. plus when I click Zprob it will not stop until it bottoms out hooked to A5 on the motherboard. Thank You for any Help

[@techydiy]

You might have to compile grbl with the right options enabled. There is some guidance on connecting limit switches on the gitHub grbl page

[@NeilHodgsonDARKHOURS]

@@techydiy Thanks for your information and I ended up finding what the problem was. It was the mainboard not working properly even the main power switch was not turning off the machine. "was on all the time". After I changed the mainboard everything worked and was able to set up like your video Thanks Again and Saintsmart for helping me out to find the problem with the mainboard.

[@hanilove302]

Can a laser head be added to this machine, please?

[@techydiy]

Yes

[@KJ7JHN]

Which oil do you use on the ball screws and rails?

[@techydiy]

On ballscrews lithium grease on leadscrews dry lube. The 3018 has leadscrews

[@nick99995]

When entering changes in the console, such as steps per mm, does Candle retain these values each time you start the software? Or are these values sent to the control board on the 3018 and stored there?

[@techydiy]

The microcontroller on the control board stores the settings.

[@wijnhardchivano1545]

Why is my machine cuttibg letters all messed up please someone help

[@owenpatrick874]

Question on the probe script provided by Sainsmart. If we go with your limits for $132=34, then the script won't run, no? The script says plunge Z to 38.2, but can't go beyond 34.... When I measure as well, I get 20mm for the limit blocks and total of 54 between the limits, so I agree on the 34.... but then the script's off.

[@techydiy]

G38.2 is the probe command but your right it tries to probe downwards -45. I turn off soft limits, so won't have noticed.

[@markwylam5213]

@@techydiy To all: This is key...I had the same problem. If the probe script Z motion > than soft limit Z motion ($132=x) then one gets a crash.

[@ballzybaits4414]

I'm having a problem. My "zero" isn't zero even after I zero it. When I start my cut, itll over travel to some setting that is no where close to my settings... any idea on how to fix this?

[@techydiy]

Check your gcode, look up the gcode commands, see what it is doing. Check the calibration.

[@MrFloquette]

Hello, I've just received mine and when I use it, if a limit switch is hit, the machine stops and I can't do anything else... I have to switch off/on, unlock, move once, the machine stops again, switch off/on and then I can move...is this normal? when I see you video I would say no...

[@techydiy]

If you hit a limit switch you should reset and unlock, jog the axis in the correct direction and then it will probably trip again, so repeat. The limit switches are there to stop you damaging the machine. You can setup soft limits but its normally more hassle than its worth. You will get the hang of it after a while, I hardly hit the limit switches now.

[@bucker76940]

bonjour ma machine est une Sainsmart 3018 PROVer : quant j'utilise le programme de la carte mémoire et que je lance le programme le Z monte en butée haute et tout s'arrête avez vous la solution merci

[@techydiy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIWblalnesahptU

[@willtato8778]

Hi, I find that the PROVer is around £100 more than the base 3018 model (without the acrylic baffles). I know that this one comes with the offline controller, but is the extra cost worth it? Thanks

[@larryprocunier8744]

Also comes with limit switches and emergency stop.

[@rickp.8056]

Would this Sainsmart 3018 PROVer be able to engrave .003 depth on HRC 40 steel using a 3/64 ball end mill?

[@techydiy]

I wouldn't recommend it for that

[@LuisPa247]

Hello, have you tried to upgrade the spindle to the gs-775M? sainsmart recommended upgrade? i have been looking up and down for guide for tbe 3018 prover, but none found. I bought the kit, but theres no documents, no idea if i need to change something at the gcode or how do i set the max speed from 10000rpm to 20000rpm. read a comment on the Sainsmart website someone asking the same question, but they answered saying would create a guide, but nonthing yet. thanks for any help or future video on the subject.

[@techydiy]

Type the following command into your gcode sender console window: $30=20000 To check the setting has changed type: $$ and scroll through to $30 These are the settings for grbl: github.com/gnea/grbl/blob/master/doc/markdown/settings.md You might find that the spindle overloads your controller power supply. Someone created some ramp up code to fix it, probably best to ask on the Sainsmart facebook forum if you find that happening.

[@ICHLIEBEmusic]

your videos are great! im new and i need your help . i send code command to machine. machine will respond and move except spindle motor will not spin.

[@techydiy]

Turn the spindle on with the spindle on-off button in candle: If it turns on, then its a problem with the gcode. Check your software and set the spindle speed. If it doesn't turn on then its probably a problem with the wiring or a component (mosfet) on the controller.

[@ICHLIEBEmusic]

@@techydiy i imported a different code and it started working just fine(xyz and spindle spinning) except spindle rised z direction about 20mm above the wood.

[@ICHLIEBEmusic]

@@techydiy thank you. With your suggestions narrowed to the gcode. I imported a new code and this time spindle turned on except it moved z axis about 10mm away from wood. so was following the commands except not touching the wood

[@techydiy]

@@ICHLIEBEmusic you have to zero the Z axis on the surface of the wood.