How am I supposed to live up to introductions like that? Oh well, I’ll try my best.
@EVH5150 Your welcome here. I started on a Genmitsu 3018 upgraded to 3040. My Stepdad had a Genmitsu 4040 that he upgraded to 6060. I’ll help if I can.
First off I think the profiles in gSender are just for flashing the firmware and restoring the default firmware settings. I don’t recommend using gSender to flash the firmware because I’m not sure if SainSmart has modified grbl for use in their machines.
Flashing the firmware shouldn’t be needed unless there is an upgrade. I would follow the instructions here if I did decide to flash.
I suggest using this list to check the firmware settings against the default values. I would use all the default values and only change a setting if you discover a need to do so.
SainSmart has a resources page for your machine that might be useful to you.
As far as a project goes you might want to try an older version of Carbide Create. Awhile back I found a link to the last version that allowed creating G-code for free. The files are still there and when I checked they were what they claimed to be, at least the Windows one as I don’t have access to a Macintosh. Might be a good idea to scan them for viruses just in case though.
I use Vectric VCarve for most of my CNC needs but it’s not cheap. I don’t have any experience with Carbide Create but the process should be something like:
- Create a design in 2D, a square or circle will do for starting out.
- Create a toolpath using that design. Maybe a pocket for removing material inside the shape or a profile for cutting out the shape. You’ll need to setup/select the right bit in this step.
- Output the G-code using a grbl postprocessor.
- Load the G-code in gSender and run it.
If you want to skip making your own design you could try one of Sienci’s starter projects for the LongMill. Download the sheep, it’s not very big, dimensions are in the link, and pay attention to the information that gSender provides to make sure the machine is going to do what you want. Examining the job dimensions and the path in the visualizer goes a long way in preventing accidents. It’s also not a bad idea to set the Z zero a bit high and just ‘cut’ air to make sure the machine is acting correctly before cutting the first time.
Most importantly be safe and keep the emergency stop button handy! Just post back if you have problems and we’ll try to help. If it works post about that too!