Nighthawk

Scribe
(Production Version Only)

User Manual
Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 1
Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
 Safety precautions
• Please read this entire manual before using your new Nighthawk Scribe
controller or CNC3D Commander software.
• Please ensure any relevant PPE equipment is worn or used when operating
any CNC machine. This includes safety glasses for using any lasers.
• CNC machines can be dangerous and must be operated with diligence and
safety in mind.
By using this controller and or any associated software, you acknowledge
and agree that you are taking full responsibility for any damage to
property, machinery, person, or persons that could potentially occur as a
result of using this product. CNC3D PTY LTD will not be held liable or
responsible in any way for the misuse or use of this product.

All 240V wiring MUST be done by a licensed electrician. Failure to

do so can cause fire or electric shock!

DO NOT ATTEMPT ANY 240V WIRING WITHOUT

AN ELECTRICAL LICENSE

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 2

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
 Table of Contents

Scribe Version Identification Page 4

Specifications Page 5
I/O Pinouts Page 6
Display Information Page 7
Stepper Driver Setup Page 9
Microstepping Page 10
DRV8825 Page 11
TMC2208/9 Page 13
Connecting Stepper Motors Page 15
Using External Drivers Page 16
Spindle and Laser Setup Page 17
Onboard Protections Page 19
Connecting to Your Scribe Page 21
WiFi (Existing Network) Page 22
WiFi (Direct Access) Page 27
Bluetooth Page 31
USB Page 34
Additional Resources Page 42
Need Help? Page 43

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 3

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
Prototype vs Production Scribe Controllers

There are currently 2 different versions of the Nighthawk Scribe

CNC Controller – Prototype and Production.
You can easily tell them apart with a quick visual check.
The Prototype version does not have a screen/display.

This manual is for the Production version of the Scribe controller.

There are some differences between the two in terms of operation
so if you have the prototype version of the Scribe you should switch
to the prototype version of the manual.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 4

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
 Nighthawk Scribe (Production)
Specifications
Input Voltage* 24V DC (max)
Power Usage 90W (max)
Fuse Rating 7.5A
Onboard Protections Reverse Polarity +
Overcurrent (Fuse)
Onboard Driver ‘Polulu’ or ‘StepStick’
Compatibility Stepper Drivers
Total Axes 3 (XYYZ or XYZ)
SD Support Class 4-10 (Up to 32Gb)
SD Format FAT32 Required
WiFi Frequency 2.4GHz
Operating Frequency 240MHz
Onboard Antenna 2dBi Gain
Enclosure Smoked Acrylic
Mounting Mounting Slots in Enclosure
Cooling 12v Fan

* WARNING: The Nighthawk Scribe does not come with a DC Power supply. CNC3D PTY LTD only recommend
using certified power supplies for operating your Nighthawk Scribe. The use of an uncertified power supply will
be deemed as improper use and void your warranty. If you are unsure if the power supply you plan on using is
certified or have not yet selected a power supply, please confirm with a licensed electrician in your region.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 5

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
 Power Input
The Nighthawk Scribe has 2 options for input power for flexibility of installation. These options are a
barrel-type DC power jack, or a 2-pin green screw terminal on the board. Both connection options are
protected by the on-board safety systems.

Some things to remember

If using the barrel-type DC power jack the centre pin is positive
If using the green screw terminals pay close attention to the power orientation as marked on the
control board
If you see the “REV PWR” LED illuminate, you have your power wired incorrectly. Immediately turn
the power supply off and reverse the connections! Refer to page 20 for more information on the REV
PWR warning.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 6

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
 Nighthawk Scribe Onboard Connections

3x 6-Pin Green I/O Connectors

LIM X: X axis limit switch. No polarity needed – either wire can go to either hole.
LIM Y: Y axis limit switch. No polarity needed – either wire can go to either hole.
LIM Z: Z axis limit switch. No polarity needed – either wire can go to either hole.
Hold: Triggers a Feed Hold command to pause your machine.
Start: Resumes the job after a Feed Hold.
Abort: “Soft” Emergency stop. Will immediately stop the machine movement and deactivate
attached peripherals such as a laser but will not turn off the electrical power.
GND: Common DC Ground
PWM: 0-5Vdc Analogue Output
Motor - : “GND” or “Negative” side of a 12v Spindle Motor
Motor + : 0-12Vdc for 12v Spindle Motor Speed Control – Maximum 3A across 12v Rail
Laser-Sw: +12Vdc Activates/Deactives with M3/M5 Commands – Maximum 3A across 12v Rail
+12v: Constant 12v Output for 3-Pin Laser Modules – Maximum 3A across 12v Rail

2-Pin Green I/O Connector

Probe: Connection for touch probe. No polarity needed – either wire can go to either hole

White JST Connectors

3-Pin: 3-Pin Laser Connector for 12V Laser Modules – Maximum 3A across 12v Rail
2-Pin: 2-Pin Laser Connector for 12V Laser Modules – Maximum 3A across 12v Rail

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 7

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
 Nighthawk Scribe Display Information
Please Note: All production versions of the Nighthawk Scribe CNC Controller will have a screen
onboard to display information about the current machine configuration.
If your Scribe did not come with a screen installed, you likely have a prototype board, and you
should switch over to the prototype version of this manual

Below is an example of a typical screen on a Nighthawk Scribe when powered on and

no limit switches are triggered.
An in-depth explanation of each of these par ameters is on the next page

Typical screen example on a Nighthawk Scribe

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 8

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
 Data Field Description Possible Options
LIM-X, LIM-Y, LIM-Z Limit Switch Status Green Bar (ok) / TRIGGER
+ Flash and Buzz
PWM PWM Power Level 5x Bars to show current
power output
MOTOR STATUS Power Output to Motors DISABLED / ENABLED
MODE Operation Mode LASER / SPINDLE
SD CARD SD Card Read Status READ / blank
USB USB Connection Status DISABLED / CONNECTED
WIFI WiFi Status DISABLED / ENABLED
SPIN-EN Spindle Enable OFF / ON
PROBE Touch Probe Status OPEN / TOUCH + Buzz

VMOT Current Voltage Output to Motors

V-12 Current Voltage on 12v Rail *
V-5 Current Voltage on 5v Rail *
V-3.3 Current Voltage on 3.3v Rail *

There is a buzzer on the Scribe which will activate at certain times during normal operation. It will
activate for a short duration when the board is turned on, when any limit switch is triggered, and
when the probe is triggered.
You can disable the buzzer using the small switch located in the top-right corner of the Scribe board.

* These voltages should stay fairly stable and within a small window of the intended voltage. If these
voltage readings drop or raise significantly the reading will change colour and the buzzer will activate.
Immediately power off the controller and check for any damage to the board or any attached
electrical components.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 9

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
 Nighthawk Scribe Stepper Drivers

If you received your Nighthawk Scribe with a pre-assembled

machine such as a YouCarve, you will not need to perform this
step as our team has already configured driver current and
microstep settings for you prior to shipment!

The Scribe uses ‘Polulu’ or ‘StepStick’ style driver cards as they are easily sourced, easy to use and can
be easily replaced if they get damaged. There are also different drivers that operate in different ways
so you can tune them to your motors, allowing you to set up your Scribe with the drivers to suit your
specific purpose.
To access the drivers and DIP switches, you will need to remove the top cover of the Scribe. This is
easily accomplished by removing the 4 screws in the corners, then gently lifting the entire top off
the board. Note: Power off the Scribe before starting!

Be aware of the cable that powers the fan and unplug it from the board to give yourself more room
to work.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 10

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
Setting Micro-Stepping
Before setting microstep switches, make sure the Scribe is powered off! The Scribe does not need
power to perform this step, and you risk damaging the drivers if adjusting microsteps while powered.
Each drive has the option of 1 / [1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32] micro-stepping settings. For most CNC routing
applications, a 1/8 ratio is a good balance of torque, accuracy, and maximum speed.
There are 4 DIP switch blocks on the Scribe’s PCB which will allow you to set your micro-steps for each
driver. Each block is associated to the driver it is closest to on the board.

Each of these switch blocks has 3 small switches for

setting your micro-stepping.
The default on your controller will be 1/8.

Please note the ON position and switch number:

Micro-stepping settings chart

Set the switches for each drive in the order as per the table below to choose your micro-stepping options.

DRV8825
SW1 SW2 SW3 Pulse/Rev Microstep (1 / ..)
Off Off Off 200 1
On Off Off 400 2
Off On Off 800 4
On On Off 1600 8
Off Off On 3200 16
On On On 6400 32

A4988
SW1 SW2 SW3 Pulse/Rev Microstep (1 / ..)
Off Off Off 200 1
On Off Off 400 2
Off On Off 800 4
On On Off 1600 8
On On On 3200 16

TMC2208/2209 StepStick drivers do not have a way to physically override microstep settings using
DIP switches. You will need to refer to the user manual of your driver to set this via UART interface.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 11

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
Setting the current for each driver (DRV8825 Only)
This section is only for users with DRV8825 only. For TMC drivers skip to page 13.
Each driver will need to have its current set to match the motors you are using on your machine.
You should always set the current of your motors slightly lower than the value as listed in your
motor’s datasheet to avoid overdriving the stepper and increasing the motor’s lifespan. A good rule of
thumb is 10%.
For example: if your stepper motor is rated for 2A, it’s a good idea to set your driver to 1.8A. You will
very likely not notice the difference in performance but will see a noticeable drop in motor and driver
temperature.

The current output from your driver is determined with the following equation.

𝑰𝒎𝒂𝒙
𝑽𝒓𝒆𝒇 =
𝟐
Vref is the voltage you will set the driver to
Imax is the required current of your stepper motor in Amps (1A = 1000mA)

This equation is only listed as a reference, keep reading further for simplification of this formula.

To set your motor current, you will need to provide 12V power to the Scribe. You will also need:
- Multimeter (Alligator clip on the + lead will be helpful!)
- Small Screwdriver (Must be conductive along the shaft)
- 4x Driver Cards (Your choice of driver)
Step 1: Plug in your driver cards paying close attention to the orientation. Both the Scribe
board and your driver card will have VMOT and GND printed on them, and it is crucial
that they line up. If your driver card isn’t in the correct orientation before powering
up, you will cause driver failure. Picture below shows where to find orientation
indicators.

Scribe DRV8825
Driver Mounts (Viewed from underside)

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 12

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
Step 2: Once all 4 driver cards are inserted correctly, ensure no motors are currently plugged
in, then turn on the power to your Scribe.

Step 3: Set up your multimeter. You will need to have the COM touching any GND pin on the
Scribe and the positive will need to be reading the voltage in the centre of the
potentiometer on the driver card. The easiest way to do this is using an alligator clip
onto the shaft of the screwdriver. See picture below for example.

+ve to centre of
potentiometer

-ve to GND pin

Picture was taken with a prototype Scribe board; however the process is the same. You can leave
the screen attached when tuning the drivers on a production board.

You can tune the driver by turning the potentiometer clockwise or anticlockwise to
raise or lower the voltage being read on the multimeter, known as Reference Voltage
(Vref).
The current output from your driver is determined with the following equation.
(DRV8825) Voltage = Current ÷ 2

Current is the required current of your stepper motor in Amps (1000mA = 1A)

Using the example above where our stepper motor is to be run at 1.8A on a DRV8825
driver, after putting 1.8A into the equation we get a result of 0.9. This is the number to
look for on the multimeter when tuning the driver.
Step 4: After tuning all 4 drivers to match your required motor current, you can move on to
connecting your stepper motors.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 13

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
Setting the current for each driver (TMC2208/TMC2209 Only)
Each driver will need to have its current set to match the motors you are using on your machine.
You should always set the current of your motors slightly lower than the value as listed in your
motor’s datasheet to avoid overdriving the stepper and increasing the motor’s lifespan. A good rule of
thumb is 10%.
For example: if your stepper motor is rated for 2A, it’s a good idea to set your driver to 1.8A. You will
very likely not notice the difference in performance but will see a noticeable drop in motor and driver
temperature.

The current output from your driver is determined with the following equation.

𝑽𝒓𝒆𝒇 = 𝑰𝒎𝒂𝒙 × 𝑹𝑴𝑺

Vref is the voltage you will set the driver to
Imax is the maximum required current of your stepper motor in Amps (1A = 1000mA)
RMS is the maximum current your driver can provide in Amps (1A = 1000mA)

This equation is only listed as a reference, keep reading further for simplification of this formula.

To set your motor current, you will need to provide 12V power to the Scribe. You will also need:
- Multimeter
- Small Screwdriver
- 4x Driver Cards (Your choice of driver)
Step 1: Plug in your driver cards paying close attention to the orientation. Both the Scribe
board and your driver card will have VMOT and GND printed on them, and it is crucial
that they line up. If your driver card isn’t in the correct orientation before powering
up, you will cause driver failure.

TMC2208 Scribe
(Viewed from top) Driver Mounts

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 14

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
Step 2: Once all 4 driver cards are inserted correctly, ensure no motors are currently plugged
in, then turn on the power to your Scribe.

Step 3: Set up your multimeter. You will need to have the COM touching any GND pin on the
Scribe and the positive will need to touch the Vref pin on the driver. See picture below
for example.

+ve to Vref Pin

Vref Pin -ve to GND pin

Picture was taken with a prototype Scribe board; however the process is the same. You can leave
the screen attached when tuning the drivers on a production board.

You can tune the driver by turning the potentiometer clockwise or anticlockwise to
raise or lower the voltage being read on the multimeter, known as Reference Voltage
(Vref).
The current output from your driver is determined with the following equation.
(TMC2208) Voltage = Current x 1.2
(TMC2209) Voltage = Current x 1.77

Current is the maximum required current of your stepper motor in Amps (1000mA = 1A)

Using the example above where our stepper motor is to be run at 1.8A on a TMC2208
driver, after putting 1.8A into the equation we get a result of 2.16V. This is the number
to look for on the multimeter when tuning the driver.
Step 4: After tuning all 4 drivers to match your required motor current, you can move on to
connecting your stepper motors.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 15

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
 Connecting your stepper motors

The Nighthawk Scribe supports the connection for 4-wire stepper motors. Generally, these motors
have 2 pairs of motor poles. Connecting them to your controller should be relatively straight
forward. You can confirm which wires are pairs using a multimeter in continuity mode.

**PLEASE NOTE**
Always ensure the unit is powered OFF and the USB cable is disconnected before connecting or
disconnecting any motors from your controller. Failing to properly power off the board while
working on the motors can cause irreparable damage to the controller.

The Scribe has 2 options to connect your stepper motors.

Option 1: White JST Connections
Most small stepper motors like those on the 3018-style machines and diode laser engraver frames will
come with white plugs on the end of the stepper motor cables. These should plug straight into the
white connectors on the Scribe board.
Option 2: Green Terminals
If your motors do not have pre-attached connectors or your connectors are a different shape and
don’t fit you can use the individual green screw terminals. To use them you will need to cut the
existing connector off and strip the end of each wire.
Use a small flat head screwdriver to attach your motor wires to the green plugs.
The motor connections are shown here, check your motors datasheet for the wiring colours of your
motors to match them to the controller.
If your machine is set up to use separate motors for each Y axis (XYYZ) then your Y2 motor will go into
the Y2 plug.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 16

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
 Using External Drivers
While the on-board StepStick drivers are suitable for most applications of the Nighthawk Scribe, you
may choose to use the Scribe to control high powered stepper motors through external stepper
drivers such as DM542 or DM556.
To do this, take the STP, DIR and GND pins from the Scribe board and connect them to the
corresponding pins on the stepper driver. See below for an example.
Not all drivers use or require an EN signal. If you want to use it, wire the EN pin on the Scribe to the
EN- on the driver, then connect SLP from the Scribe to the EN+ on the driver.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 17

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
 Laser and Spindle Motor Setup

LASER SAFETY WARNING!

Always ensure you are wearing laser safety goggles and

other appropriate PPE when using any high-powered lasers.
Please ensure the laser is pointing away from people and
sensitive materials.

Remember when plugging in or unplugging any wiring

INCLUDING the laser connector, it is vital to ensure the
board is NOT powered. So called “hot-swapping” can cause
irreparable damage to the laser or the Scribe Controller!

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 18

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
The Nighthawk Scribe can run either a 12v Spindle Motor or 12v diode laser module without any
external power if your power supply can provide enough current.
Be sure to turn off and unplug your Scribe before doing any wiring, including plugging in, or
unplugging any connectors! So called “hot-swapping” can cause irreparable damage to the laser,
motor or the Scribe Controller!
Please Note: The Scribe has not been designed to interact with a VFD and does not have any logic or
connections related to VFD use.
For a 12v spindle motor to run from the Scribe board, it must be 12v and no more than 2.5A.
Your motor can connect to the Scribe using the Motor+ and Motor- terminals on the 6-pin green
connector, with the + being the 12v connection to the motor and the – being the negative. The Scribe
can control the speed of the motor by raising or lowering the voltage being supplied to the motor.

When it comes to laser modules, there are both 3-pin and 2-pin laser connections to ensure a wide
compatibility range with different laser modules available on the market.
If your laser only has 2 wires coming out of it you will connect it to the white plug labelled Laser- and
Laser+, pay close attention to the orientation of the wires. Red will most likely be positive however
you will need to refer to your laser’s documentation to confirm.
If your laser has 3 wires coming out of it you can choose to use the white 3-pin plug or the 6-pin
green terminal block.
If using the white JST plug, ensure the wires are in the correct orientation before powering up or you
risk damaging your laser or the controller.
If using the green terminal block, you will use the pins labelled GND, PWM and +12v. The +12v will
always be active while the Scribe is powered on and the PWM signal will control the intensity of the
laser beam.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 19

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
 On-Board Protection
The Scribe has a few built-in protections to protect itself from overcurrent or reverse polarity on the
power input side of the board.

Reverse Polarity Protection

This is a situation where the positive and negative wires coming from the power supply are connected
to the Scribe inverse to what they should be ie: positive 24v is connected to the GND input.
When this happens, the Scribe will not allow itself to power up and there will be a red LED light on
the board with the label REV PWR. To correct this, turn off the power supply and ensure the positive
is connected to the + terminal and the negative is connected to -.
If you are using the barrel-type connector the centre pin is positive and the outside of the barrel is
negative.

Overcurrent Protection
Overcurrent protection is provided in the form of a 7.5A automotive fuse located just near the power
input on the Scribe board. If there is a short circuit and the board is put into an overcurrent situation,
the fuse will blow and remove power from the board.
If power is supplied to the Scribe with a blown fuse, or if the fuse is not inserted correctly you will see
a red LED light under the FUSE label.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 20

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
If you ever see the FUSE LED light up, power off your Scribe and look for any signs of short circuits
through your machine wiring, such as charring or blackening on any connectors or any metal swarf or
chips lying across any electrical connections.
Once the machine is clear of any swarf and all electronic connections are clean and repaired (if
needed) you will need to replace the fuse before you can continue to use your Scribe.

Never attempt to insert anything other than a 7.5A blade fuse into the fuse holder.
Using anything other than a blade fuse rated at 7.5A has a high chance of causing
overheating or fire in the case of an overcurrent.
Using anything other than a blade fuse rated at 7.5A will void your warranty.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 21

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
 Getting connected
Now that your hardware is set up, let’s take control!
The first step is to connect power to your Scribe controller and download our
Commander control software by clicking the link below or typing it into your internet
browser.

https://www.cnc3d.com.au/commander

To use your Nighthawk Scribe CNC Controller, you will need to have a way of communicating with it
from a PC so you can give it GCODE files as well as commands like movement and of course, running
your jobs!
There are multiple options that you can use to connect to your Nighthawk Scribe CNC Controller – USB,
WiFi, and Bluetooth.

USB (Not Recommended)

Your first instinct may be to use USB however this is the least reliable way to control and run your
machine and it is heavily discouraged! While it’s running the spindle will create lots of Electromagnetic
Interference (EMI) and electrical noise which can cause the USB connection to drop out resulting in
random job stoppages or irregular machine behaviour. We only recommend using the included USB
cable for setting up wireless communications, then unplugging the cable and storing it in a drawer.

WiFi (Best Option)

The best possible way to run your Scribe controller is via WiFi and connecting the machine to an
existing WiFi network such as a house or factory network.
The next preferable option is WiFi – Direct Access Point Mode which allows you to connect directly to
the Scribe instead of connecting the Scribe to an existing network. This will be the best option if there
is no network in the area where your Scribe is located or if you are using a mesh network/WiFi range
extenders as the Scribe cannot connect to these networks. This works the same as connecting to a
network, but the drawback is that the computer running the machine will not have access to the
internet while running the machine.

Bluetooth (Backup Option)

The third option is connecting to the Scribe via Bluetooth from a compatible PC or Laptop (not a
smartphone!)
Bluetooth works the same as USB without the physical cable so it will eliminate the risk of EMI and
unpredictable machine behaviour.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 22

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
WiFi (Connect to Existing Network)
Connecting your Scribe to an existing wireless network is the best and most reliable way to
communicate with and control your Scribe controller. Keep in mind that your Scribe DOES NOT need
internet access, it only needs access to the network so that computers and devices on the same
network can communicate with it.

Note: There are some network configurations that the Scribe will not work with or will have limited
connectivity.

• WiFi routers are often capable of putting out signals in both the 5.8GHz and 2.4GHz frequency
bands. Your Scribe is only capable of interacting with and connecting to the 2.4GHz band. If
you are unsure which frequency band your network is you will need to contact the person
who set it up for you as our support team cannot help with this.

• Mesh networks are common in large properties where a single router isn’t powerful enough to
provide wireless signals to the entire property. You will need to make a simple setting change
to use a WiFi mesh network.

• WiFi range extenders are common in large properties where a single router isn’t powerful
enough to provide wireless signals to the entire property. You will need to make a simple
setting change to use a WiFi network with a range extender.

To get started with this process you will need to have a Windows PC located near the machine so you
can connect to it with a USB cable.
Plug in your USB cable, turn on your PC, turn on the Scribe and open CNC3D Commander.
Note: If your Scribe is not installed automatically or detected by your PC, refer to the USB setup
section of this guide.
Select COM in the first drop-down menu. In the second drop-down menu select the correct COM
port, it should be the one that has CP210x in the description.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 23

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
Once connected, you will need to clear the Alarm by clicking the E-stop button and then “Unlock” so
the Alarm box changes to green, then click on the Connections/ESP32 tab to access the wireless
settings.
In the drop-down box you will need to select WiFi – Connect to Existing Network and the relevant
options will highlight in the bottom of the window in the WiFi (Station) section.

With the correct options highlighted, click on the “Show WiFi List” button to bring up the list of
available WiFi networks that your Scribe can see.
Pro Tip: Your network will usually be the one with the best signal, but not always!

WiFi 1
WiFi 2
WiFi 3
WiFi 4

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 24

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
Note: You may need to refresh the list by closing the window and clicking the WiFi list button again
Highlight your network name, then click Select. This will put the network name you selected into the
SSID box; you will then need to enter in your WiFi password. For now, you can leave the other boxes
with numbers in them alone, and do not update settings just yet.
The next step is to click the WiFi Wizard button. This will automatically grab some details about your
network from your computer and put them into the IP Address, Subnet and Gateway boxes. To do this
your computer MUST be connected to the same network that you are setting up on your Scribe
controller.

If your computer is connected to your WiFi network, you can click “Yes” on the popup box.
The window that pops up next is asking you if your network is a mesh network, or if you have a range
extender in use. Make sure you answer this correctly. If you are not sure you may need to contact
your network administrator or the person who set up your network – CNC3D’s support team can likely
not answer this question for you.
The next box allows you to set the Scribe controller’s IP Address. For most users the default of 155 is
perfect. If you do not need to assign a particular number here, you can leave it at 155.
Click OK to update the numbers and look for the popup to confirm it has been completed and click
“OK”.

If you did not get a popup box telling you the settings have been updated, check to see if your
machine is in an Alarm state in the bottom left corner of the Commander window next to the E-Stop.
If you are in Alarm state you will need to clear it by clicking the E-stop button, then “Unlock” and re-
do the process to update your settings.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 25

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
You will see the numbers in IP Address, Subnet and Gateway may have changed to best suit your
network, and the Mode box will read STATIC.
Pro Tip: Keep a note of the number in the IP Address box. All 4 number sets and ‘.’ are vital!
You can now click “Update Connection Settings” and look for the popup box confirming the settings
have been updated.

Keep a note of this

number, you’ll need it
for the next step!

You should now click “Disconnect”, turn off your Scribe controller, wait 10-20 seconds, and then turn
it back on.
After powering the controller back on, you can click “Connect” to re-establish a connection via the
USB cable after selecting the correct COM port, then switch over to the Connections/ESP32 tab. If
your connection was successful, you will see green text at the top right of the tab.

‘WiFi 1’ XX.XXXX

You can now click “Disconnect” at the top left of Commander, then change that first drop-down box
to IP, type in the IP Address that was specified in the previous step and click “Connect”.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 26

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
If everything was successful, Commander will light up and you will have full control of your machine.
You will also see “Connected.. NighthawkCNC…” in the coloured bar above the “Disconnect” button.
You can ignore the description in the brackets eg: 4 Axis.

You can now unplug the USB cable from both the PC and the Scribe and continue to control your
machine via your WiFi connection.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 27

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
WiFi (Direct Access Point)
This connection method is only recommended if the one above does not work. We recommend
trying the WiFi (Connect to Existing Network) option first.
If you do not have access to an existing wireless network, or your existing network setup is
incompatible with your controller, you can connect directly to your Scribe using its own built-in WiFi
signal.
Note: The PC used to run the Scribe will not have internet access while connected to your machine
if using the Direct Access Point method.
If you’re using Easel or another web-based design suite to create your toolpaths, you will need to
ensure you have downloaded your GCODE file or job file BEFORE connecting to your controller as you
will not be able to do so while connected to your Scribe.

To get started with this process you will need to have a Windows PC located near the machine so you
can connect to it with a USB cable.
1: Plug in your USB cable, turn on your PC, turn on the Scribe and open CNC3D Commander.
Note: If your Scribe is not installed automatically or detected by your PC, refer to the USB
setup section of this guide.
2: Select COM in the first drop-down menu. In the second drop-down menu select the correct
COM port, it should be the one that has CP210x in the description.

Once connected, you will need to clear the Alarm by clicking the E-stop button and then
“Unlock” so the Alarm box changes to green, then click on the Connections/ESP32 tab to
access the wireless settings.
3: In the first drop-down box you will need to select WiFi – Direct Access Point and the relevant
options will highlight in the middle of the window in the WiFi (Access Point) section.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 28

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
 The SSID, IP Address and Channel boxes should match the ones in the image above, these are
the defaults and will work just fine. The Hostname box should be the same as the SSID, which
is NighthawkCNC by default.
The Pass box is blank, though the default password has already been set on the controller. You
do not need to put anything in the Pass box unless you want to change the default password.
If you do want to change the password from the default you can enter your desired password
into the box.
4: If all your settings are correct, you can now click “Update Connection Settings” and look for
the popup box confirming the settings have been updated and click “OK”.
If you did not get a popup box telling you the settings have been updated, check to see if your
machine is in an Alarm state in the bottom left corner of the Commander window next to the
E-Stop. If you are in Alarm state you will need to clear it by clicking the E-stop button, then
“Unlock” and re-do the process to update your settings.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 29

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
5: You should now click “Disconnect”, turn off your Scribe controller, wait 10-20 seconds, and
then turn it back on.
After powering your Scribe back on, you will need to connect your PC to the Scribe’s wireless signal.
You will need to do this from your PC’s WiFi selection settings, not in our Commander software.

Please Note: Computers will vary due to the different versions of Windows/Mac
operating system that are available. Because of this yours might look a little different
to the pictures below. If you are unsure on how to navigate the next step on your
particular computer you may need to get help from your computer retailer’s
technical support as this is specific to your computer and is not a part of CNC3D
Commander software.
6: Look for the WiFi signal in the bottom-right corner of your computer screen. Open the menu
to see the available wireless networks and look for the NighthawkCNC network.

Windows 10 Windows 11

After selecting the NighthawkCNC network in the list, click ‘Connect’ and enter the password.
If you did not specify a password in the previous step, your default password will be 12345678 with
no spaces between the numbers and no other characters.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 30

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
Your PC may take a minute or so to connect to the Scribe as it is verifying the connection. Once your
PC is connected you will see “No Internet, secured” or “Connected Without Internet” written below
the “NighthawkCNC” WiFi name.
You can now switch back to our Commander software.
7: In the top-left corner of Commander you will need to change the first drop-down box to “IP”
and the second box will need to read 192.168.0.1 you do not need to enter the :23. Click
‘Connect’ and Commander will add the :23 to the end of the IP address and connect to your
Scribe.

If everything was successful, Commander will light up and you will have full control of your
machine. You will also see “Connected.. NighthawkCNC…” in the coloured bar above the
“Disconnect” button. You can ignore the description in the brackets eg: 4 Axis.

You can now unplug the USB cable from both the PC and the Scribe and continue to control your
machine via your WiFi connection.
Note: When the connection to your Scribe drops by either turning off the machine, moving your PC
out of range or by using the Emergency Stop button, you may need to repeat steps 6-7 to reconnect
to your NighthawkCNC WiFi Network before attempting to reconnect to your Scribe in Commander.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 31

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
Bluetooth
This connection method is only recommended if neither of the WiFi options work for you. We
recommend trying the WiFi (Connect to Existing Network) option first.
Bluetooth connections work the same as a USB connection without the drawbacks of having a
physical wire plugged into the Scribe, so it is impervious to EMI interruption.
Bluetooth and USB connections work by sending every line of code to the Scribe one-by-one so if
anything interrupts that connection you run the risk of your machine stopping mid-job or
uncontrolled machine movement. This can be something as simple as your computer going to sleep
or a laptop losing power so if you are certain you must use a Bluetooth connection to control your
machine make sure you have disabled all power saving options in your PC and are plugged into power
if using a laptop.
Contact your PC retailer’s technical support if you need assistance with disabling these features.
Please Note: Bluetooth will only work with a Windows laptop or desktop computer with Bluetooth
capabilities, it is not intended for use with a smartphone or iPad.
Most modern laptop computers will have a Bluetooth adapter built into the computer, however if not
you can use a plug-in Bluetooth adapter which are readily available from most electronics retailers.

To get started with this process you will need to have a Windows PC located near the machine so you
can connect to it with a USB cable.
1: Plug in your USB cable, turn on your PC, turn on the Scribe and open CNC3D Commander.
Note: If your Scribe is not installed automatically or detected by your PC, refer to the USB
setup section of this guide.
2: Select COM in the first drop-down menu. In the second drop-down menu select the correct
COM port, it should be the one that has CP210x in the description.

Once connected, you will need to clear the Alarm by clicking the E-stop button and then
“Unlock” so the Alarm box changes to green, then click on the Connections/ESP32 tab to
access the wireless settings.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 32

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
3: In the first drop-down box you will need to select Bluetooth and Commander will switch over
to the Bluetooth settings tab.

From here you can set the Device Name, however leaving it as the default NighthawkScribeBT
is perfectly fine.
4: This will be all the settings you need to change in Commander so you can now click “Update
Connection Settings” and look for the popup box confirming the settings have been updated
and click “OK”.
If you did not get a popup box telling you the settings have been updated, check to see if your
machine is in an Alarm state in the bottom left corner of the Commander window next to the
E-Stop. If you are in Alarm state you will need to clear it by clicking the E-stop button, then
“Unlock” and re-do the process above to update your settings.

5: You should now click “Disconnect”, turn off your Scribe controller, wait 10-20 seconds, and
then turn it back on.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 33

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
After powering your Scribe back on, you will need to connect your PC to the Scribe’s Bluetooth signal.
You will need to do this from your PC’s Bluetooth selection settings, not in our Commander software.

Please Note: PCs will vary due to the different versions of Windows operating system
that are available. Because of this yours might look a little different to the pictures
below. If you are unsure on how to navigate the next step on your particular PC you
may need to get help from your PC retailer’s technical support as this is specific to
your computer and is not a part of CNC3D Commander software.
6: Look for the Bluetooth symbol in the bottom-right corner of your computer screen. You may
need to click the ^ to see it. Open the menu and select ‘Add a Bluetooth Device’ and another
window will open. Click ‘Add Bluetooth or Other Device’ then ‘Bluetooth’.
It will then search for available Bluetooth devices and should find the NighthawkScribeBT
device. If you changed the device name in the previous step then you should see that name
show up now. Click on it and it will attempt to connect. Once it shows as ‘Paired’ you have
successfully connected, and it will show up in your ‘Other Devices’ section of the window.

Windows 10 Windows 11

It may be necessary for you to wait a minute or two while your computer installs the device after the
first time connecting. After the installation is complete you can switch back over to Commander.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 34

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
7: Select COM in the first drop-down menu. In the second drop-down menu you should now see
the option for ‘Standard Serial over Bluetooth link’. There will be two different COM numbers
associated with both links.

Unfortunately, it is not currently possible for Commander to tell you which the correct COM
port is to select as your computer doesn’t differentiate between them. One of them will work
and the other will not, though often it’s the lower number that is the correct one.
8: Choose one of the available Bluetooth link COM ports and click ‘Connect’. If Commander stops
responding for a few seconds then it is likely the wrong one and you can click ‘Disconnect’.
Select the other Bluetooth link and click ‘Connect’.
If everything was successful, Commander will light up and you will have full control of your
machine. You will also see “Connected.. NighthawkCNC…” in the coloured bar above the
“Disconnect” button. You can ignore the description in the brackets eg: 4 Axis.

You can now unplug the USB cable from both the PC and the Scribe and continue to control your
machine via your Bluetooth connection.
Note: If the connection to your Scribe drops by either turning off the machine, moving your PC out
of range or by using the Emergency Stop button, you may need to go through the steps 6-8 to
reconnect to your NighthawkScribeBT Bluetooth connection before attempting to connect to your
Scribe in Commander.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 35

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
USB
This connection method is only recommended if NONE of the wireless options work for you. We
recommend trying the WiFi (Connect to Existing Network) option first.
USB is the last resort when choosing how to run your machine. We recommend USB for initial setup
ONLY and NEVER for running jobs.
Spindles, routers, or plasma torches will create lots of Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) and
electrical noise which can cause the USB connection to drop out resulting in random job stoppages or
uncontrolled machine behaviour.
If you have no other choice but to use USB, for example in a secure area where wireless devices are
not permitted, then you must use a high-quality USB cable that has iron ferrules attached to it, as
well as disabling certain features of your PC.
USB connections work by sending every line of code to the Scribe one-by-one so if anything interrupts
that connection you run the risk of your machine stopping mid-job or uncontrolled machine
movement. This can be cause by something as simple as your computer going to sleep, a laptop losing
power or even just turning on the cutting tool. So, if you are certain you must use a USB connection to
run your machine make sure you have disabled all power saving options in your PC and are plugged
into power if using a laptop.

Contact your PC retailer’s technical support if you need assistance with disabling
these features as they are specific to your PC and not part of our Commander
software.

To get started with this process you will need to have a Windows PC located near the machine so you
can connect to it with a USB cable.
1: Plug in your USB cable, turn on your PC, turn on the Scribe and open CNC3D Commander.
2: Select COM in the first drop-down menu. In the second drop-down menu select the correct
COM port, it should be the one that has CP210x in the description.

If you do not have any COM ports, or no COM ports with the CP210x description then it’s likely that
you do not have the correct driver installed. You will need to download the driver by clicking the
link below or typing it into a browser window from your computer.

https://libraries.sharpsoft.com.au/nighthawk/ch340.zip
You will also need to turn off your Scribe and unplug the USB cable from your computer.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 36

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
When the download is complete, navigate to your downloads folder and look for the ch340.zip file.
You will need to ‘unzip’ this folder before you can use the contents. It’s as easy as right-clicking on the
file and selecting the ‘Extract All’ option. The next window will ask you to specify a location for the
files to be saved. Take a note of the location and click ‘Extract’. When the extraction process finishes it
should open the location of the extracted files.

Open the ‘CH340’ folder, then open the folder called CP210xDriver (Nighthawk Scribe) and look for
the file called silabser.inf.

Right-click on the silabser.inf file and select ‘install’

If you get a security popup asking if you would like to allow this program to run or make changes to
your device, make sure you click ‘Yes’ or the program will not run.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 37

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
When the driver is installed, and the message box pops up saying “Installation Completed” you can
click on ‘Ok’ to close it.
Now that your CP210x driver is installed, you can turn on your Scribe, plug the USB cable back into
your computer and switch back to our Commander software.
Select COM in the first drop-down menu. In the second drop-down menu select the correct COM
port, you should now see one that is labelled CP210x. Click ‘Connect’.

If everything was successful, Commander will light up and you will have full control of your machine.
You will also see “Connected.. NighthawkCNC…” in the coloured bar above the “Disconnect” button.
You can ignore the description in the brackets eg: 4 Axis.

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 38

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
Accessing via Web-Portal (Any device with WiFi and a web browser)
If you have your Scribe controller connected to an existing network or in direct access point mode,
you can use any device with a WiFi connection and a web browser to control your machine. For
example, a smartphone or tablet.
If your Scribe is connected to an existing network you can access it using the assigned IP address from
the connection steps listed above, so long as the device you’re using is connected to the same WiFi
network.
Note: Only one device can be connected to your Scribe through a browser at a time so if you can’t
connect from your mobile device, check to see if another device on your network is already
connected.
If your Scribe is in direct access mode, you can connect to the NighthawkCNC WiFi from your smart
device using the details set up in the steps above. You will need the WiFi name and IP address. The
defaults are listed below for easy reference but if you have changed them from the defaults you will
need to use those instead.
Pro tip for Mac users: We recommend using Chrome browser instead of Safari to get the most from
your Scribe Controller.
The default network details are:
Network: NighthawkCNC
Password: 12345678
Default IP: 192.168.0.1
Assuming you are using a browser on a PC, the interface looks should look like this:

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 39

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
To start configuring your controller Click on the “Settings” button at the top right. This will expose the
network configuration options and general CNC settings. It is possible from the Web portal to
configure any settings you would like to change including your connection type.
Note: If you have already set up your Scribe through our Commander software, do not change any
of these settings.

Network settings

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 40

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
CNC Settings

Do not change these setting unless you are certain that you must! Setting these to
the wrong values can cause your machine to behave unexpectedly or crash!

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 41

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
 Additional Resources

Below is a list of other resources we recommend for further information on your machine use,
specific guides/manuals for parts or general tips and tricks for your machine or software usage.

Nighthawk Scribe cnc3d.com.au/support/scribe

Information
User Manual / USB Driver

NC3D Commander cnc3d.com.au/commander

Download / Information / Guides

CNC3D TV cnc3d.com.au/cnc3dtv
“How-To” Videos / Video Guides youtube.com/@cnc3d

Post Processors cnc3d.com.au/postp

For Common CAD/CAM Software

Tool Libraries cnc3d.com.au/tool-libraries

Tool Lists for Common CAD/CAM
Software

Facebook User Group facebook.com/groups/cnc3dplayground

Show Off and Chat!

Support FAQ cnc3d.com.au/forum/support-faqs

Common Questions and Answers

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 42

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023
 Need help?

Reach out to our friendly Support team.

Phone: +617 5522 0619
(AEST Mon-Thurs 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-1pm)
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.cnc3d.com.au/contact-us
OR via the “Let’s Chat” bubble
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cnc3dau
Our FB https://www.facebook.com/groups/cnc3dplayground
Community:

We are always looking for feedback! If you have any suggestions regarding
how we can re-word our manuals or support pages to make them easier to
understand please let us know using the links above!

Nighthawk Scribe (Production) 43

Nighthawk Scribe Manual (Production) – Revised 19/10/2023