I just got one of the those CNCEST 6040 cheap Chinese engravers off ebay. I added a wireless pendant is all so far. I'm actually fairly impressed with it.  1.5kw water cooled spindle etc.  I've used Mach3 with a lot of other machines that I've retro-fitted.  But this problem has me stumped.

I calibrated the machine's "steps per unit" setting (factory 320=x, 320=y 400=z) using the tool in the setting tab.  Came out close to factory.

When I test movement accuracy on all axis it's very good. So it seems the steps are correct.

So I set the home, work offsets and tool offsets correctly.  Then when I move off 0,0,0 to say 100,200,300, and hit GOTO ZERO (not machine coordinates) with tool 5 a 1.7mm endmill, (or any tool), the machine moved to the Z and Y zero position correctly.  But the X is off by -0.7mm... which sounds like 1/2 of a the tool diameter.  However, if I repeat the process of "move off zero" and "goto zero", the X position is even further off between -0.4 and -0.8mm each time and it grows.

Yet, Z and Y are correct!  So why isn't X?  And why does it get progressively worse.  Yet when I calibrate it again, the resulting steps per unit do not change and moves are perfect.

What is that can cause just the X to be off when moving to zero only?  Could it be related to cutter compensation?

I verified all the factory settings in the controller are correct.

I had no such issues with the Bridgeport Discovery retrofit I did two years ago.

Thanks in advance!
Scott

RESOLVED!  So I did some testing....  using the pendant to move position on the Z was also changing the X!!!!!!! 

I got the 6 axis SHINA via Amazon.  "SHINA New CNC 6 Axis Wireless Mach3 MPG Pendant CNC Handwheel Manual Pulse Generator"
I loaded the standard macros etc and it seemed to work pretty good.  But we could not get X to GOTO Zero at the same point every time.  Then I finnally noticed that the X moved a little everytime the Z moved!!!!!  THe more the Z moved, a little tiny more the X would move!  But only with the pendant.  Moves with the soft-pendant were fix, as was the G-Code programs I ran.

SHINA REALLY!?!?!?!?!  I paid $130 for a true-6 Axis Pendent and was super excited to get it. The last pendant I bought for my huge CNC was $1200 from the OEM and it wasn't as nice.

Anyway, I'll look at the macros and see what is going on, or return it to Amazon's seller for a refund.

Arg!

Hi,
I have and like a VistaCNC P1A.

Craig

How did you get the limits to work on the 6040?