Would you buy 1F again

[Aiph5u (Aiph5u (not affiliated with Onefinity))]

Hey Kevin,

of course you have automatic spindle/router on and off on the buildbotics-derived Onefinity Controller too (1. spindle is controlled over Modbus 2. for router you buy the IoT relay (FAQ) that is activated by Tool-enable (pin 15)), so no advantage for the Elite Masso. Modbus control over a two-wire serial communication line on the buildbotics is even better because you really send digital data (spindle rpm exactly as specified, e.g. “18 500 rpm”, while with the Masso, you only use a 0–10 V analog voltage wire to control spindle rpm).

But adjusting feed rate on the fly is the most-missed feature on the buildbotics.

Also what I like is the variety of probes you can use and the many ways to probe a workpiece on the Masso.

Also there is out-of-the-box support for a toolsetter on the Masso.

I tend to agree with the others to take the Onefinity Elite, if you can afford it, and take Daniel’s @PwnCNC VFD/spindle kit as it is the only ready-to-use spindle kit I know (DISCLAIMER: I have no personal experience with this VFD/spindle kit), so this means spindle as plug and play.

BUT please be aware that the problems I linked above (lack of shielding on all stepper cables, general susceptibility to EMI causing step losses (also on Elite), unreliable connectors, missing or too small drag chains, etc.) apply to both Elite Masso G3 Series and Original X-35/X-50/PRO Series with buildbotics-derived Onefinity Controller.

Also it is a matter of price and budget. If you compare

• Onefinity Woodworker X-50 (32"x32" Cut Area)

  • without display	$2,740.00	$2,329.00 Sale Price
    with 8" HD Touch Display*	$2,865.00	$2,435.25 Sale Price
    X-50 ‘Stiffy’ 3rd rail		+    $197.50

• Elite Woodworker (32"x32" Cut Area)

  • * with 3rd ‘stiffy’ rail	$4,122.50	$3,504.13 Sale Price
    * without ‘stiffy’	$3,925.00	$3,336.25 Sale Price

  (All prices as of Fri 2023-11-23 00:00 UTC)

  (*) Note: I would avoid to choose the 8" Touch display except you are a child or a very small person. If you want to use a Touch display, make sure that it is so big that the buttons on the Jog Pane are at least as big as the tip of your index finger, or you may often unintentionally touch the wrong button on the display. Users reported that here (see also Confirmed Aftermarket Screens/Monitors that work with the Onefinity). You may however not use a touch display at all, but any HDMI (or DVI-D or DVI-I which is compatible to HDMI) computer monitor and a normal USB keyboard and a mouse or trackball instead (e.g. the Kensington Orbit with Scroll Ring (usable for both right/left-handers)), which also has many advantages as the on-screen keyboard lacks some keys.)

So if your budget is limited, you could very well buy the Original X-35 / X-50 Series with buildbotics-derived Onefinity Controller and you will get a CNC machine that will do what you expect it from.

If you bought a Onefinity Original X-35/X-50 Series machine with buildbotics-derived Onefinity controller, you can later buy the Onefinity Elite Upgrade kit which is also an excellent offer.

On the other hand, if you ever thought of buying a Masso G3 Touch directly at the Masso shop,

• MASSO G3 Touch – CNC Mill / Router 5 Axis Controller
  US $1,290.00

but then this is a bare one! It lacks…

1. a power supply,

2. a relay control box for switching router and vac on and off,

3. a plug-and-play spindle/VFD control output like Onefinity’s 6-pin GX-12 connector (currently matches only @PwnCNC’s spindle enclosure):

@Aiph5u

Onefinity Elite Series Installation and Operation Instructions (PDF) , page 38

For wiring other VFDs to this connector, see here.

If you get the Masso G3 Touch as part of an Onefinity Elite Series machine, not only you get it to a favorable price, but it has all these accessories included!

However should you want to upgrade to a Masso G3 Touch without the Elite Upgrade kit, but by doing that yourself by just buying the Masso G3 Touch at the Masso shop, then…

@Aiph5u

…you can buy the Masso G3 Touch (US $1,290.00 without power supply), build a custom power supply and relay box for the Masso G3 Touch and for your machine, and as it is a universal CNC controller, you could make it fit your existing Onefinity Original X-35/X-50/PRO Series machine. You could still use your existing open-loop steppers, however as you would no more benefit of the four Texas Instruments DRV8711 stepper drivers inside the Onefinity Original X-35/X-50/PRO Series Controller, so you would need to buy four external stepper drivers separately (see also explanations here). You could also buy some closed-loop, stepper motors like the Stepper motors that are used on the Elite Series, here you can choose among easily available Stepper Motors with Integrated Stepper Drivers (the little black box on each of the stepper motors), and by the way also choose whether with or without brake.

You could in every case easily Retrofit Hardware Limit Sensors to the Onefinity Standard X-35/X-50 Series which I would recommend anyway, to get rid of unreliable Stall Homing (=machine bumps the axis carriage to the end of travel until the stepper driver detects it = poor homing repeatability)

@Aiph5u

Image: Onefinity Elite’s Power Supply and Relay Box
(Left: Version for North and Latin America. Right: Version for the rest of the world)

@Aiph5u

Here you can get 24 V DC for five stepper drivers and motors, that are produced by a step-down converter from the 36 V version of the Meanwell LRS-350 switching power supply inside.

@Aiph5u

You know the Masso G3 (without ‘Touch’) was already presented in this forum, and also its stand-alone version with Touchscreen, the Masso G3 Touch, that you can get to an excellent price in bundle with the Onefinity Elite Series. There was also presented in this forum the DDCS, the Centroid Acorn, and surely I forgot some.

Be also sure to be aware of…

• …What the Elite’s Masso G3 cannot do or does not have

  (in comparison to the Buildbotics CNC Controller Controller and the buildbotics-derived Onefinity Controller).