I’ve been considering the 1500MX since it came out, and purchased a different used machine since, but I’m looking again, so reviewing what’s new with the 1500MX since I last looked.
I was previously saddened by the lack of nearby “MX” machines in my area, and nobody except a few sponsored YouTubers to give positive reviews. Sales numbers are a closely held secret, maybe for good reason, but I don’t want to be the only one I know with one. And I was perplexed by the “proprietary” nature of the probing and auto-level interfacing on the 1500MX, which doesn’t allow cheap generic probes or level setters to be added. (I like using cheap probes, as precision is less important than replaceability if dropped or broken.)
Now over a year later, there still don’t seem to be many machines out there. No armies of users sharing information and ideas/solutions. I had hoped Tormach would have a cheap interface, so generic probes and level setters, and other hardware could be integrated easily.
But I was going through the Tormach site, and saw that there’s now a “plug in passive probe” for $599.99 which supposedly works on the 1500MX with “ML Serial Numbers.” Not sure where this would plug in, but I didn’t think this was available last year. This makes me think a smart hacker could maybe get a cheap probe interfaced, though the same plug? Does the phrase “ML Serial Numbers” suggest an interface was added in recently made 1500MX machines?
I understand the 1500MX has a completely different electrical system, where all digital controls go through some special ethernet-like signaling lines, so a user can’t just interface new hardware. For example, the “USB M-Code I/O Interface Kit” which is listed as available for the 1100MX is not available on the 1500MX, But this type of function seems necessary to many users and gave the interfacing that made Tormach famous. How hard would it be to make a similar interface for the 1500MX?
Is there any way to interface crude/generic hardware, like probes and tool levelers to the 1500MX like we can with the 1100MX? It seems this USB M-Code I/O interface would do the trick, then it’s just a matter of making up macros to interface with the signals.
I’m not complaining. Tormach has a fine product, which is about 95% of what I need, but that last 5% is a killer. I just want to double check, that I understand things, before I buy another old used VMC.
- Thomas.
