How is everyone liking their altmill ?
I have had a gen2 onefinity on order and a nightmare
It’s been three months a month late and the redline realtimecnc team just released their no hmi(computer version ) says it should cut lol
In the process of getting a refund and looking at the altmill as a possible replacement down the road when work slows down
@022580 Love my Altmill. Great hobby for my retirement. Not intended to be an income generator but it’s certainly is good enough for that if that’s what you are looking for. The design aspect of the hobby keeps me busy and my mind sharp.
I wasn’t even looking for a CNC but I came across a post for a contest to name their router, now called Auto-Spin. I was intrigued so I took a look at their web site, forum, etc. I liked what I saw. Not just the machine, but the company. Pretty much everything is open source. They have been forthcoming on just about everything from product development to the issues with tariffs. They don’t appear to censor this forum or the Facebook site, other than to keep political comments out. Unlike what I’ve been hearing about Onefinity, Sienci doesn’t delete the complaints about their product. This forum community is very helpful as well.
There have been occasional issue with parts. But users usually report back that they have been taken care of by Sienci, even when out of warranty (within reason of course).
I’d have no issues recommending them.
I’ve had mine for over a year now and it is excellent with no issues or problems (not created by me). I built a WoodSmith CNC machine (wood based) 4 years ago and ran it untilI I got the AltMill. Fantastic machine. Very accurate and stable.
I sold my gen 1 Onefinity Woodworker and got an Altmill after the shady business practices of the Kimbre company through Onefinity and Redline. The whole debacle with PWNCNC pushed it over the edge for me.
Haven’t looked back since. I’ve had the machine for about a month. Build quality is great. Assembly is a bit worse than the Onefinity, but that’s a result of having such a sturdy machine that includes a frame and legs.
The fact I can buy a Canadian made product, from an actual Canadian company, in CAD, with shipping prices that won’t make my wife divorce me is a huge win too. As someone who is into design, having most of the ecosystem open source is the biggest win.
Jump in, you won’t regret it.
How do you find the gsender ? Any issues ?
I was being told by the realtimecnc person on the forum that they were disappointed with me complaining lol. Dude it’s a month late and you said the software should cut haha
I love the hardware but I am scared about the software over there
@022580 No complaints about gSender functionality. But I would like more customizations based on user preferences. For example, I’d rather have big buttons and a smaller visualizer.
But the best part about gSender is that Sienci has a development team and come out with bug fixes and new versions on a regular basis.
You don’t need to use gSender. Any control sofware that supports Grbl/GrblHal should work.
@022580 Also note that you may need to wait for your Altmill as well. It looks like things have improved a lot but they order parts in batches and assemble in-house. They don’t ship on the same day that you order. I waited 6 months for mine. But that was last year. Take a look at their order tracking to see what current wait times are like: Order Status Tracking | Sienci Labs
And check out their monthly blog to get the latest news and see what’s coming down the pipe.
There’s a number of modern grblHAL compatible senders apart from gSender that are seeing frequent development (like ioSender, formerly OpenBuilds Control, ncSender) as well as a number of grbl-specific senders that work well enough (like UGS). You are in no way locked into our ecosystem (although gSender is great, you should try it and form your own opinion) and can use what you want.
grblHAL I feel is probably the best choice of the modern firmwares as a platform and I’m sure you’ll see lots of other options pop up over time. That said, we do really focus on compatibility and QoL features for our specific machines, so gSender is our recommended choice - but again, try out the options and use what you want.
My only complaint is GSender is that the default ISO view doesn’t match that of popular CAD programs like SolidWorks and Fusion 360. I use SolidWorks professionally and Fusion recreationally so when Gsender loads up oriented differently it always takes me a few seconds to calibrate myself.
It’s also worth noting that I came from the Onefinity fork of the BlackBox which had some of the worst Software I’ve ever used in my life. So GSender is a god send compared to that.
There’s also the thing to note that you likely need a computer to be hooked up to the machine to drive it, which is a change from the BlackBox/Masson/Redline on the Onefinity side. I currently use a 2013 Microsoft surface for mine, which is not ideal due to the screen size. That problem is easily solvable based off your budget. Having the GControl Panel available through Sienci all but negates that complaint.
I make guitars. These cuts can last for hours and the BlackBox was straight up not reliable enough for the job. I could get 3/4 through my operations and suddenly the controller would freeze, or throw a fit, or lock up, or randomly forgot it’s machine coordinates and risk scrapping a project.
Because I have been burned so many times I inherently didn’t trust the Altmill either, but it’s slowly winning me over. I haven’t done a guitar yet, I may not until the tool changer is delivered, but I’m trusting the machine more and more not to nuke itself, and that’s all a result of my trust in GSender.
Thanks everyone I’m loving the community forum
Has anyone installed a z tool setter probe ? Like the easy z setter onefinity sells ?
I noticed this site doesn’t show that, I have a tour on Friday at the siencilab shop
@022580 I haven’t seen one, but then again, I haven’t looked for one. But since they now sell an ATC, I’m guessing that a tool setter is a must. Best to ask them during your tour I guess.
And it runs with no issues off a 2013 surface ?
Staples has a touchscreen on sale right now …I think the sale is still on.
I have three Lenovo tinys still around. Once I setup whatever machine I end up with I’ll get the touch after
Yes it runs flawlessly. Full visualizer and everything. I would recommend bigger touchscreen than what’s on the surfaces of that era, but that’s not the programs fault.
Do you connect via usb or rj45 ?
I’ve tried both, but I primarily connect via Ethernet through a USB dongle. No idea if that’s any more reliable than just straight USB. I suspect not.
I have gone above and beyond and have a fully grounded dust collection system to minimize static discharge.