Excellent 😁

Thank you 👍

You to Norm! Thanks for your comment 👍

Thanks 🙏

Hi Jim could you please share the VFD and 800 watt spindle you used. And would you recommend over a router?

General rule of thumb is buy the best you can afford. So if you can jump up a level then do so 👍

​@@JamesDeanDesignsagreed sir

It can be unbolted on one side and swung out the way 👍

I unbolted it completely and screwed it on further from the bed

Perhaps. I was speaking to Ooznest last year but my work shop is just so small. I do know the workbees are good machines though

The vasto is a lot more powerful than the Sainsmart 4040 Pro, they are in different leagues but as you pointed out, also a different price range

It has not been mentioned to me yet. I think in terms of accessories like that,Foxalien and Sainsmart are trying to make sure they do different things to save clashing and ultimately making sales harder

​@@JamesDeanDesigns Thanks for coming back to me James. Yeah, I can see the logic in not duplicating on the accessories to much. So that tips the scales towards the 4040 with a Makita. Already have a dedicated 40w CO², so as you point out the 4040 is more biased towards router than the FA which is aimed at giving the best of both worlds. All in all looks like I'll be heading to Sainsmart - if I can work out a way to get it squeezed into the workshop that is! Thanks again James

The Sainsmart 4040 Pro has a dedicated true 4th axis. In theory it should be able to machine aluminium as long as you can hold/support it correctly

Usually laser of that size will have their own mounting plate and it genuinely will depend on what laser as to whether the holes align or not. However the reality is on either of these machines, it would be a fairly easy job to make your own mounting plate if it didn't fit.

Thanks for quick reply. I have just been watching your 20 laser tree video and think I will go with that.@@JamesDeanDesigns

Neither one is 100% designed for milling aluminium, but the Sainsmart 4040 Pro had the better torque for driving the spindle so that would be the one to go for

Thank you for the speedy reply! I've been trying to decide between these 2 machines for a while now, and your video was great for side by side comparison. I would mainly be doing wood projects, but there are a couple of things I want to try in aluminium( I'm getting used to saying it that way). I'm just starting your videos on using Carveco, so thankyou for those as well. Have a great evening.

The 4040 Pro is probably better suited to the task. You would need to lower the spindle/router down and potentially use longer bits but it should be able to do it

@@JamesDeanDesigns Many thanks. For the project boxes I can make an opening in the spoilboard, for the bigger enclosures indeed I may have to lower the spindle. Strange that I cant find videos about this very common use case.

The box can be moved out of the way. You can either undo 1 bolt and swing it out the way, or take both bolts out and move it completely but I get what you mean

@@JamesDeanDesignsI think the fact that the sainsmart runs off of ball screws and rods instead of belts and rails is a much bigger plus for the sainsmart, than that box being in the way. I was going to say it should be very easy to modify to move that box out of the way.

Move the box. Wow

Out of the two, the Sainsmart 4040 Pro (blue one) will work better with metal, however if machining metal is your main goal then you'll ideally need a more rigid machine than either of these

@@JamesDeanDesigns what would you recommend for a beginner that wants to do metal work?

It shouldn't be but it could be. Is it just metal that it happens on? You could potentially look to ground your machine and even ground a clamp that touches the material

@@JamesDeanDesigns yes, thank you, it happens only when I work on metal sheet

I can't immediately think why grounding issues might be doing that, although grounding and RF are tricky dance partners. I'm wondering what machine and setup you have. Not having any view of what you have, my instinct is pointing towards metal chips - might they be finding a way to the controller or other bits of wiring (eg limit switches). More clues might be gained by seeing exactly what state it is in after it freezes. Are the motors still holding torque ? can you get any g-code response ? What does it take to bring it back to life - hardware reset / re-plugging the serial / power cycle ?

@@transientaardvark6231 I`ll make a video of it send it to you.

You can find all the USB files here www.foxalien.com/en-gb/blogs/news/foxalien-cnc-and-laser-machine-user-manual?fbclid=IwAR0OrjdfWDUn1TAMX3ZFHeWUFRwFUxoL_t2BszHWwV2Yv1k6xAKpgA6gHnk

That's good to hear. Glad you're enjoying it

They are in two different leagues so for the most part the Proverxl 4030 will win every category. Also there is the new ProverXL 4030 V2 about to be released which is even better so truthfully its not much of a comparison which is also why they are different prices

The 4040 Pro will be better for machining metal than the Masuter Pro. Machining stainless will be slow and you will obviously need to upgrade from the standard 70w spindle

Thanks for your amability.

No, the Sainsmart has higher torque lower acceleration. The FoxAlien has higher acceleration but lower torque

The general rule of thumb is get the best you can afford so if you can afford a ProverXL v2 then I would not be looking at these. The ProverXL willl out perform these machines in nearly every aspect.

Thanks a lot @@JamesDeanDesigns

Yes, the only difference is the Masuter Pro comes with a 65mm holder, where as the Genmitsu has to be purchased separately for about $30

@@JamesDeanDesigns man so many things to take into account…sorry for all the questions…first time buyer and I’m trying to maximize my dollar on the purchase

@@HyPex808-2 better to ask questions than regret the decision later 👍

Very valid point, it shouldn't be a race. I think the overall message for that one though is essentially there is less to assemble with the Sainsmart and therefore less to go wrong.

Like the 80w laser on the FoxAlien, the Makita is an after market addition which can also be added to the FoxAlien as well. Its probably difficult to see but in the thumbnail they both have their standard spindles fitted.

So there's a lot in there and you need to narrow the issue down. Firstly, does the controller think it is moving the stepper the right distance and the motor is physically failing to perform, or is the controller doing the wrong thing. To fault find this I would say you are at the very least going to need to talk g-code directly to the controller. I have no idea how easel works but there is bound to be some console somewhere that lets you type g-code commands. If you can't find how to do that then there is always the software called "candle" that has a fairly obvious g-code console, or many others. The first thing is that in the controller it has an idea of how many steps of the motor is 1mm or 1 inch or whatever of travel. This is stored in config items $100,$101,$102 (one for each axis). In your g-code console, type "$$" and press return and you will see all the config item values printed. Look for the numbers against these 3 settings. I don't know what they should be for you - it depends on your gearing, micro-stepping etc (but I would have thought they should be set up right for what you bought). I guess about 1000 should show you some movement, but "correct" could be way more or less than that. In any case, if you try moving an axis and then doubling that setting then the axis should reliably move twice as far etc. You move axes with commands like "G1 X10 F100" which is move X axis to position 10 at a speed of 100, so you could move back and forth using that and eg "G1 X20 F100". Note there are other codes that may be confusing the issue - G20 / G21 switch between imperial and metric and G90 / G91 switch between absolute and incremental movement. If all that checks out, my next move would be to uncouple the stepper motors from the drives and see if they do something different (ie move further) - that would indicate either the mechanics is jammed or you are driving them too fast (note - if you remove a stepper from its mounting then ensure you clamp it down - they have a bigger kick than you would expect). James has done a great video on tweaking the max speeds and accelerations. It may also simply come down to the motor cables not being properly connected, so the motors move but are weak and miss steps. I'm afraid that is really just some starting points for you to start googling from - without actually seeing what you have and seeing what it is doing it is impossible to be more specific. Remember we've all been there at the foot of the mountain looking up, but it's all soluble with a bit of research and a methodical approach.

@@transientaardvark6231 Cheers for that, you were absolutely right it was an issue with the console which I seem to have solved by sending this command that I found online in a thread by someone who had a vaguely similar issue: $RST=* It was a shot in the dark but it's worked and I'm finally carving away without asking why. But nah, thanks for the response. I've saved it in a word document so I can come back to it if I have another trip up 🤜

You probably have a bad limit switch, or wiring fault to a limit switch. Break out a multimeter and check them out.

By design, routers are not made to run for long periods of time. A real brushless vfd spindle has less runout, more torque, higher accuracy. Quieter, more power capability. Imo a spindle out beats a router any day if comparing 2 of same power. Then you get into brushed spindle vs brushless🙏 thats just my opinion though based on what ive learned. What one prefers over another is all preference😸🙏

That is a good video I could do. Thanks. In essence, a router is cheap, easy to get and easy to setup. A proper spindle usually requires a VFD to run, a little more setup time and configuration but equally they are usually more powerful, quieter and have a longer lifespan as they are brushless

@@JamesDeanDesigns some options of vfd spindle kits come pre programmed nowdays too, what a time to be alive 😂

Accuracy is a difficult one because there are so many variables. What spindle or router has been used, how much runout it has, what collets and bits, whether the machine has been calibrated, whether the machine has even been setup correctly and square. And most importantly the user. There is usually some reference to the accuracy in the full reviews but I'd say realistically with either of these machines your talking around a 0.1-0.2mm out the box, this can be lowered if you take the time to dial them in

@@JamesDeanDesigns always great and concise explanations. Thank you for your insights and great videos

Not sure what they are doing with the 4040-XE to be honest, it can be extended but is certainly more of a DIY job

They sell an offline controller for the Genmitsu 4040-Pro on their website...

Get internet

If you're watching this video and trying to put an industrial grade CNC machine into the conversion then there is little point in me trying to debate with you so I'll leave you to be 👍

@@JamesDeanDesigns wasn't trying to slight ether machine i just prefer lead or ball screws to a belt ... i have a FA laser and for the money it's great ...now which do you prefer the sain smart 6050 or the FA Vasto?

@@vinragemania9312 if I had the slightly larger Vasto (the XL) then probably that. The stepper motors I the 6050 are stronger but I felt overall the frame was probably stronger (or more stable) than the Vasto.

I do not speak Spanish so I'm not 100% how I would do this accurately 😕. I thought KZfaq automatically translated translated English subtitles I upload but I guess not. I'll look into this

Thank you for answering, you can check in your next video, if you can activate the subtitles in Spanish, before uploading the video, please, they only appear in English, on KZfaq there is a way to listen to the audio in Spanish but the subtitles must be there in Spanish

Like the tumbnail 👍

Thanks for the feedback. First, that quote isn't accurate. Also probably a little harsh as there are enough examples on my channel of me telling manufacturers what they have done wrong. And after that quote, I dont stop talking do I, its just a bit of dialogue for the video. Accuracy is a difficult one because there are so many variables. What spindle or router has been used, how much runout it has, what collets and bits, whether the machine has been calibrated, whether the machine has even been setup correctly and square. And most importantly the user. If I say I've got these machines to run with 0.01mm and others users can't match that, I then get accused of being sent better machines (which has happened) so its a no win scenario for me. There is usually some reference to the accuracy in the full reviews but I'd say realistically with either of these machines your talking around a 0.1-0.2mm out the box, this can be lowered if you take the time to dial them in

@@JamesDeanDesigns thank you for the honest reply. Yes I did get the quote wrong. But I'm not convinced it changes my view that you hold your relationship with your manufactures who send you free goods in high regard.

@@davidnelson1322 and that's ok. Everyone's entitled to their opinion but I'm guessing this is probably the only video of mine you have seen. I have a great review policy in place giving me the right to openly review any machine as say what I like. I've called manufacturers out like Xtool for trying to narrate what they wanted me to say, but it sounds like your opinion is already set so very little reason in me trying to convince you otherwise.

Misspelled your comment mate 😀

Feel free to be useful and suggest another CNC for around $600 that comes largely assembled, can be up and running in under 30 minutes and will out perform these.