# Dual Monitors



## MoHawk (Dec 8, 2013)

Since I started assembling my cnc about 2 years ago, I had intended to use dual computer monitors. Recently, while digging thru some packing crates, I found a spare monitor. I immediately ordered mounting brackets from Amazon and when they arrived I added them to my "to do pile". It rained all morning so I decided it would be a good time to get the 2nd monitor mounted. I've made a lot of changes to my machine since starting and I hope this is the last one for a while! Rotary axis?


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Very nice setup Bob. Hopefully someday I get my Pro 5x5 ordered . If it’s effected by tariffs next year, I guess I’ll never own one


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

Nice setup, Bob. Are you using one computer for both Mach and your design software? It's hard to tell if that's two computers below the CNC or a UPS and a computer.

David


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## MoHawk (Dec 8, 2013)

difalkner said:


> Nice setup, Bob. Are you using one computer for both Mach and your design software? It's hard to tell if that's two computers below the CNC or a UPS and a computer.
> 
> David


The unit on the left is a UPS.


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## MoHawk (Dec 8, 2013)

RainMan 2.0 said:


> Very nice setup Bob. Hopefully someday I get my Pro 5x5 ordered . If it’s effected by tariffs next year, I guess I’ll never own one


 Let's hope this tariff mess gets resolved!


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

MoHawk said:


> Let's hope this tariff mess gets resolved!


Well I should have been on this a few years back , so no one to blame but myself.
Have you had any issues at all Bob with the mechanical part of pro version router table ? 
I haven’t heard a bad thing about the Pro version yet ,and I’m liking that they upgraded to linear bearings


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## MoHawk (Dec 8, 2013)

Rick, 
My cnc is for personal hobby use, so it likely has a less hours than some of the crp machines. To this point I've had 0 problems with mine. I've had 2 problems that were software related and of my own making. A call to CRP had them corrected within a matter of minutes. They have great technical support. 

I have a wireless camera mounted above my machine so I can leave the basement occasionally. It gets very boring watching that spindle move back and forth if you don't have any other projects in the shop. I recently ran 2 projects that both had 4 tool changes and ran for 6 hours each with no problems.

Bob


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Bob, I know you have this system in your basement and have air-conditioning how are you dealing with the dust generated when you run the CNC? Is the air conditioning separate from the house AC?

Nice looking setup by the way.


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## UglySign (Nov 17, 2015)

Bob, too bad one of those packing crates didnt have a 75" tv

here's what it'd look like if it did:





MoHawk said:


> ... Recently, while digging thru some packing crates, I found a spare monitor.


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## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

MEBCWD said:


> Bob, I know you have this system in your basement and have air-conditioning how are you dealing with the dust generated when you run the CNC? Is the air conditioning separate from the house AC?
> 
> Nice looking setup by the way.


That was what I was thinking up to your post, it all looks a very neat set up but how will you keep all the dust out? You need to deal with that and put the PC's into a dust free air filtered box. nice looking CNC and I would like to play with one but I have no time. N


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## MoHawk (Dec 8, 2013)

MEBCWD said:


> Bob, I know you have this system in your basement and have air-conditioning how are you dealing with the dust generated when you run the CNC? Is the air conditioning separate from the house AC?
> 
> Nice looking setup by the way.


The cnc is at one end of my workshop next to my workbench. At the opposite end is a 2HP duct collector with Super Dust Deputy Cyclone/micron air filter and the rest of my equipment. I have a dust shoe, not in pic, connected to the dc.

I had to post the attached pics for you!


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## MoHawk (Dec 8, 2013)

UglySign said:


> Bob, too bad one of those packing crates didnt have a 75" tv
> 
> here's what it'd look like if it did:


That would be great for an old man who wears progressive lens glasses!


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## MoHawk (Dec 8, 2013)

neville9999 said:


> That was what I was thinking up to your post, it all looks a very neat set up but how will you keep all the dust out? You need to deal with that and put the PC's into a dust free air filtered box. nice looking CNC and I would like to play with one but I have no time. N


Honestly there is not that much dust, mainly chips if your using the right spindle speeds and feed rate. As you will see in another post, I have a good dust collection system


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## dayzman (Nov 29, 2009)

Me thinks I go check packing crates... dang, what a find!


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

MEBCWD said:


> Bob, I know you have this system in your basement and have air-conditioning how are you dealing with the dust generated when you run the CNC? Is the air conditioning separate from the house AC?


I have mine in the basement too, and you know I cut a lot. Also have all the other WW tools down there. We have a Space Guard air cleaner hooked up to the furnace and AC which uses accordion paper filters. Furnace/AC man is out here once a year to check each one and says my filter is cleaner than most of the units he sees. We have no problems with dust upstairs.


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## MoHawk (Dec 8, 2013)

I also forgot to mention I have Jet air filtration unit in my shop.


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## UglySign (Nov 17, 2015)

MoHawk said:


> That would be great for an old man who wears progressive lens glasses!



Nix it! I foresee one sitting dead center in a tennis match. Possible neck strain.
Unless there's a tall person in front and get a pidgeon neck.


Dual monitors sound like a good idea. Keep the controller on one and design on the other?


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## MoHawk (Dec 8, 2013)

UglySign said:


> Nix it! I foresee one sitting dead center in a tennis match. Possible neck strain.
> Unless there's a tall person in front and get a pidgeon neck.
> 
> 
> Dual monitors sound like a good idea. Keep the controller on one and design on the other?


Yes, great for working on a new design while keeping an eye on the file running on Mach3. In my previous life, part of my job was maintaining our electrical transmission/distribution system over-laid on a USGS Landbase. I had a special built computer system with 2 - 27" monitors. Now days it would probably be 2 - 60" monitors!


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

I do photo retouching and have had 3 monitors on the PC. It's great to have the work being done on the center monitor, a second copy on the right monitor showing the "Before" image, and my tools menus on the left screen. The Windows operating system makes it easy to drag files from one monitor to another very easily, so anything can be anywhere. I don't have a CNC, but if the operating system is Windows, doing this should be very easy. Anything can be on any monitor that you want.

Charley.


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## 4DThinker (Feb 16, 2014)

I've never used more than one monitor with a PC. I perceive two or more monitors would be dueling for my attention, and as my brain sucks at multitasking one of the dual monitors would always be unused and thus unneeded. At work I have an extra-wide monitor that came with my office PC. It has room for two critical apps on the screen fully open at the same time. Even so, the reality of what I do with a PC has rarely taken advantage of that feature. 

I often have more than one program running though. It is easier to keep any I'm not currently using minimized but easily accessed than having them all open on the screen at the same time. As I said before, I don't multitask. I will let the PC do that whenever it doesn't need my attention for more than one task. 

4D


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## BalloonEngineer (Mar 27, 2009)

I will often mirror my CNC control control computer display to the shop TV to make it easier to see from the CNC.

https://www.routerforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=358001&thumb=1


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

BalloonEngineer said:


> I will often mirror my CNC control control computer display to the shop TV to make it easier to see from the CNC.
> 
> https://www.routerforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=358001&thumb=1


I have a mirrored monitor in the shop above my CNC because the laptop is in a cabinet on another wall and usually can't see the laptop.


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

4D I thought you would be a 4 monitor man.

A lot of people will use 2 monitors with a tutorial running on one and actual hands-on learning on the other.


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

I have 3 monitors on my desk in the office plus the dedicated one on the CNC. This way I have stock quotes, a chat room, and one to work on. I got the plug for a 4th, but no room........ yet.


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## 4DThinker (Feb 16, 2014)

I do have 4 monitors. One in front of me as I work in my bedroom office. One out in the garage next to my CNC Shark, Two in the basement with one running the Meteor, and another in the closet of that room that runs Aspire so I can change the g-code quickly if I need to. 

My college students often are using 2 monitors at the same time though. One to run a video so they can catch up with their favorite netflix/hula/amazon prime/whatever shows and the other with their school work on it. 

4D


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## MikeMa (Jul 27, 2006)

I have been using 2 monitors at work for nearly 10 years now, and it drives me nuts to work with only one screen now. This is especially true when I am working in window, but have another window where I am referencing something that is related to what I am working. I rarely use them for two separate tasks.


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