For our machines 20 IPM is a good base to test movement, with higher speeds being capable through Stepper Motor Tuning. Depending on the settings of the CNC controller, power and stepper motor size, this number can range from 1 IPM to 600 IPM. 'Velocity' is the speed that the CNC can travel, in inches per minute. For most of our machines, the setting is 4800 for the X & Y axis, and 9600 for the Z axis. A formula for determining the setting can be found on the Stepper Motor Calculations page. It is based almost entirely on the type of leadscrews used in the machine. 'Steps per' is the number of steps per inch, which is the number of steps the motor needs to turn in order to move the CNC one inch. 'Steps per', 'Velocity' and 'Acceleration'. There are three main settings you need to set for each motor. The motor configuration can be set by going to Config > Motor Tuning and Setup on the Mach3 main screen. This will enable your control board when your Mach3 is running. Place a check mark in the 'Enabled' for the Digital Trigger. (This will simulate that the EStop button is always released.) If you do not have an EStop switch, you will need to place a check mark in the 'Active Low' box. Place a check mark in the Enabled box, assign the Port as #1, Pin as #13. You will need to do this, the machine will not run without the EStop setup. On the 'Input Signal' screen, you will want to scroll down and enable the EStop button. If you want to reverse the directions of any of the axes, place a checkbox in the 'Dir Low Active'. Place a checkmark in the X, Y, & Z 'Enable' boxes, and apply the following pins: On the 'Motor Outputs' screen you can enable and disable the axes. Use the Driver Test program (see 'Testing Computer Speed' section) to test how your computer performs when you increase the Kernel speed.

If your computer is faster, you may be able to set this higher. On the main 'Port Setup and Axis Selection' screen, you will want to select a Kernel Speed of 35000 Hz. Opening the main connection configuration for the input and output using 'Config > Ports and Pins' allows you to setup your controller to communicate with Mach3.

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