SainSmart CNC Router Z-Axis Tool Setting Touch Probe, Compatible with Grbl/Mach 3

quality

Seems well made. Not really that much to it but does exactly what it says on the box.

I thought this would be a nice little addition to my CNC. It does work fine, but using it is time consuming. You have to configure your CNC software to work with it, which can be problematic depending on how your software works. If your job board is too thick, it can be tricky to fit this thing to git on top of the board on your machine. Really not something a beginner on the CNC should be using.I cannot blame the device itself. It does work. But in the end I realized that simply eyeballing the z-depth was just about as accurate and much faster.

Thicker than necessary. Works fine on the first try. It's better than trying to guess with paper or other methods. You need accurate calipers to determine the thickness. Mine is at 0.554". That doesn't mean all them are.

you will need a very precise caliper to measure its height. You will need to find out which commands you have to send to the machine to get it working, or what commands you have to input into the sender software to make it to work, and its height measurement is the core of those commands. I made a grbl file to make the zeroing easier for me and my machine. In my 3018 pro, it connects into the A5 labeled port, and it works flawlessly.

Works great to add an additional limit switch to a Sainsmart CNC machine.

I bought this to work with a cheap 3018-Pro CNC. I had to switch the included JST connector to a 2-pin Dupont in order to connect it to my board, but fortunately I had some on hand. It would be nice if the listing included what connector was included. With the Dupont connector, it connects to the A5 pins of most control boards.The probe plate portion its self is sufficiently weighted to stay down and in place on it's own. The alligator clip has a jacket which can cause the clip to slip out of your fingers when trying to pinch it open. It clips well to my bits though, even up to 1/4".The biggest issue is that these do not seem to be precision made at all. The thickness is listed as 0.79", which is an odd measurement. That would equate to ~20mm, but mine measured with calipers is closer to 0.54" (13.65mm). There's a slight deviation across the probe's surface, but not enough to affect most work.If you buy this product, make sure you have a set of calipers so you can find the actual thickness of your probe plate.

Seriously wish I would of bought this ages ago . It makes setting the z zero so much easier . Speeds up my workflow alot and honestly is more consistent compared to using a card