Mach 2 user manual

Mach 2- Easy start guide

Additional help and videos can be found at www.machsupport.com
Step 1- Load the C.D. provided by K2 and load the program on to your computer. Once you are done
opening and loading the program it is necessary to reboot your computer immediately.
Step 2- Once your computer has been rebooted copy and paste the profile into the mach 2 folder which
should be located on your C drive. (If it was not done already. If profile was on the Cd it should have put
it into the mach folder for you. The mach profile looks like this.
It will be a xml file.

This screen shows what is inside of your mach2 folder, including the license and profile

In case you need a profile they can be located on this page. Pick the profile that you need and right click
on it, pick save target as, and locate it in your Mach 2 folder.
The link is http://www.k2cnc.com/Mach2_setup.asp

K2 Devices Inc.-790 E. Debra Ln., Anaheim, CA. 92805

(714) 999-1156 or fax (714) 999-8640
www.k2cnc.com
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Mach 2 user manual

-Click the Mach 2 icon to open Mach 2. The box below will appear, pick the profile for the machine that you
have. In this example we are choosing the KG3925

Below is a shot of the Mach 2 interface .

K2 Devices Inc.-790 E. Debra Ln., Anaheim, CA. 92805

(714) 999-1156 or fax (714) 999-8640
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Mach 2 user manual

All setting for Mach 2 are done in the config drop down menu

Click config-ports and pins- to set certain configurations for your machine. The first page that
appears will be the port setup. If your machine came with a parallel port then you will not have to do
anything. If you had to add a PCI card then you will need to change the port address. In the lower left

K2 Devices Inc.-790 E. Debra Ln., Anaheim, CA. 92805

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Mach 2 user manual

hand box you should have X,Y,Z enabled checked. If your machine has four motors than you will also need
to have A checked. If you used the correct profile this should already be done correctly. At the bottom of
the page you can select the kernel speed. 45000Hz will allow your machine to operate at its fastest
potential. You may operate your machine at any kernel speed you desire. Whenever you make changes
to a page hit apply or the change will not take effect.

The screen shot below is from the third tab input signals. The only thing that should be checked is home
X,Y,Z and A if needed. Also the Emergency Stop which should already be checked.

Input signals
In the below screen shot the important factors are the pin #s for the home X,Y, & Z.
X should be 11, Y-12, Z-13, & A-15 if required.

K2 Devices Inc.-790 E. Debra Ln., Anaheim, CA. 92805

(714) 999-1156 or fax (714) 999-8640
www.k2cnc.com
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Mach 2 user manual

Input pins
On this screen shot it is important that the charge pump safety line box is checked

Output signals
In the below screen shot the important factors are the step and directions ports & pins. As you can see
below they all use port 1, and the pin order is 2,3,4,5,6,7 & if A is required 8,9. A new feature is the
charge pump safety pin should read 17. You will need to change this if it is not.

K2 Devices Inc.-790 E. Debra Ln., Anaheim, CA. 92805

(714) 999-1156 or fax (714) 999-8640
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Mach 2 user manual

Output pins

The below screen can be found at Config-Motor Tuning, You need to make sure the steps per unit
are at the correct number. At the end of the guide will be a listing of the steps per unit per machine. Also
you can adjust the acceleration and velocity on this page as well as the pulse width. After making an
adjustment for a particular axis click Save Axis Tuning.

How to set mach to millimeters: for those in countries using millimeters

K2 Devices Inc.-790 E. Debra Ln., Anaheim, CA. 92805

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Mach 2 user manual

Config-state-G80 G21 in the initializing string box as shown below

Ready to Run your machine

Once you have your machine set up correctly you are ready to begin running it. First step is to make sure
the Reset button is not flashing, if it is flashing click it to stop it. If it does not stop flashing go back and
double check the setting and check the E-stop and plugs. If you have a servo model machine you will need
to hold the enable button down on the control box for about 3 seconds to engage the motors. If you have
steppers this is not necessary. At this point the motors should be engaged and you can verify this by
attempting to turn the ballscrew or leadscrew by hand; the motors should resist it.
-Begin moving the machine by pressing the arrow keys and the page up and page down. The page up and
down controls the Z axis. If you are not satisfied with the direction that the machine moves you may
change it by going to config-motor reversals and either checking or unchecking a particular axis.

K2 Devices Inc.-790 E. Debra Ln., Anaheim, CA. 92805

(714) 999-1156 or fax (714) 999-8640
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Mach 2 user manual

Once you have moved your machine around and feel confident that everything is working correctly the
next thing we need to test is the homing. On thing to mention first, the space bar is a pause button and
Esc key is stop. When testing your machine always be prepared to stop the machine in case of failure or
mistakes. It is easier to reset if you use the pause key, after pausing you will have to click stop before
restarting. First step is to go to the diagnostic screen the button is located in the lower right corner. The Xhome, Y-home, and the Z-home buttons should all be gray, and as you press each switch they should turn
yellow. If this is correct move on to referencing your machine. Start with reference X-Note- If the

machine is moving in the opposite direction than the micro switch (which is
usually located on the side of the machine with the motors) pause the
machine, then press stop and go to config-homing- and either check or
uncheck each axis to swap the direction it travels. Normally you will home
your machine from the main screen using the reference all button.

K2 Devices Inc.-790 E. Debra Ln., Anaheim, CA. 92805

(714) 999-1156 or fax (714) 999-8640
www.k2cnc.com
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Mach 2 user manual

K2 Devices Inc.-790 E. Debra Ln., Anaheim, CA. 92805

(714) 999-1156 or fax (714) 999-8640
www.k2cnc.com
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Mach 2 user manual

On the right side of the main screen lies the jog controls. This picture illustrates the
jog controls and what is normally should look like. A couple of things can be done from this screen; you
can change the steps in which the machine jogs. At this moment it is set at 0.0100. You can switch from
continuous jog or move at step jog. To switch these you can click jog mode, or as a shortcut you can hold
the control button down and then push the arrow key and it will move in steps. You can also control the
speed of the continuous jog. To do this you would change the percentage of the jog rate, and if you have
it at 20% and want to jog at 100% simply hold the shift key down while jogging and it will jog at 100%.

This is the controls panel. You will use this panel to load,
play, pause, stop, and rewind your code. Below is the coordinate panel. In this panel you can view,
manage, and edit the machines coordinates. Currently the machine is set at origin. To the right of each
axis coordinate is a Zero button for each axis. When at the coordinate you want to Zero simply press the
Zero button to zero your part. Above the Zero button is the scale button. A part at full dimension is at
1.00, to scale it by half click in the box and type .50 and enter. You can scale one, two, or all three axis.

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(714) 999-1156 or fax (714) 999-8640
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Mach 2 user manual

Beneath the Coordinates is the Ref All- Home button. Click this button to reference your machine, all three
axis should end at each home switch.

At the bottom of the screen lies the screen tabs. Each tab represents a different screen available to use,
primarily you will use the Program run button. (The shortcut is Alt-1)
The g-code and m-code screens give you the g & m codes used by this machine. This tutorial will not
cover the different screens you will have to learn them for yourself.

Run a Sample:
Safety: Always wear ANSI approved eye wear when operating the
machine, and always check that the machine path is clear of objects that
can interfere with its movement. Please keep all observers hands away and
at a safe distance. Owner/operator is responsible for the safety of all
involved with the machine.
We will now go through the steps to run mach 2. If you have your CNC Router please connect it
and prepare it to do a live cut, and if you do not have your machine yet follow along so you are familiar
with the process.
Step one- Press file-load G-code- you should now be prompted to select a file, search for your mach 2
folder and open it, then search for the file named scorpion and double click it.
You should now see the G-Code in the controls panel box. Your screen should look like this.

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Mach 2 user manual

Step Two- Move the tip of your bit to the appropriate position to zero all three axis of your machine.

(Depending on how your machine is set the zero position may vary, if you are standing in front of your
machine it should be the front left corner at the top of your piece. Assuming that your bottom gantry is Y
and the top gantry is X.)
Once all three axis are zeroed you are ready to begin. I recommend raising your Z by one inch and re-zero
it. This will allow us to air cut above the part in order to check direction and dimensions of operation in
comparison to your material.

Step 3- Now press Play (Always

keep your hand on the E- stop or the pause button in case of error.) if
everything looks right you should now lower the Z to touch the box stock and press Zero Z. After you zero
the Z raise it up and inch, turn on the spindle and press play. Please follow all safety suggestions
mentioned above.
You should now be ready to operate your router on your own. Please take the lessons learned and apply
them to your routing endeavors. The value of the machine is the operators, machines are great but they
need to be programmed. K2 thanks you for your business and wishes you luck and good wishes.

Trouble Shooting Tips:

-If your machine is not responding to commands or hand jogging.
-Verify that motors are engaged; hold down the enable button for 5 seconds.
-Check screen- is there any flashing, bars should be green
-Make sure jog mode is in continuous mode and at least at 50%
-Check all plugs. All plugs should be secure

K2 Devices Inc.-790 E. Debra Ln., Anaheim, CA. 92805

(714) 999-1156 or fax (714) 999-8640
www.k2cnc.com
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Mach 2 user manual

-Check on/off switch on controller
-Restart Mach
-Restart computer
-Check power and or fuses. Check fuse in control box
-Is your machine off its coordinates?
-If you are off your coordinates please re-zero your part
-Also check distance of travel (you may have the wrong steps programmed)
-Reboot your computer if it continues to be off
-Make sure all other programs on the computer are closed and those includes security software
and unplug any dongles.
Replace G61 with G64

K2 Devices Inc.-790 E. Debra Ln., Anaheim, CA. 92805

(714) 999-1156 or fax (714) 999-8640
www.k2cnc.com
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