KD7BBJ:
I need help interfacing my windows XP machine with th grbl shield and an UNOr3 with a grbl Chip. I have all the parts to go but I dont know how to setup my computer. Yes I have read all the grbl and wiki sheets and they dont help.I would like someone to say "plug this here, type this here, do this and that" so I can get this going.
thanks
GM and vasquo hit the nail on the head. We can definitely help you out with the pieces but ultimately it's probably going to be more complicated than you'd like or imagine.
GM's advice is very good; divide and conquer. Chop the problem up into smaller and smaller pieces until you can solve the little pieces, then start solving the little pieces, then start assembling them into more complicated tasks.
Vasquo's advice is also very good. I built a CNC machine last year and thought it would take a few weeks; it was more like 6 months before I knew what I was doing, and even now I'm still working on things like backlash and runout.
I'm not trying to discourage you from your project; I think they're incredibly useful machines and now can't imagine not having one, but I do think it's important to realize the road ahead is long. There is a huge difference between knowing how to drive a car and how to rebuild a carburetor; think of it like that.
Having said all that, back to your original issue. What do you need help with right now? Installing the drivers on your computer so it can see the Uno? Communicating with GRBL? Exporting something from CAD into G-Code?