[OhioGuy]

I just bought a small table-top CNC machine at an auction to use for hobbyist woodworking. My problem is that the machine has no manufacturers identification so I have no idea what kind of software to use to get started.

It has three AnChuan (Chinese I assume) 57HD0401-15SB 1.8* 3 OA N2001 motors. There is a (Mini-CNC Engraving Machines) T-D 3 Axis Controller with a USB and a parallel port.

My main questions are as follows:
- What software can I use to control the machine?
- Are there minimum hardware requirements for the computer I attach it to?
- Will the software walk me through how to set up the machine properly? If not, are there recommended sources?

Thanks! Tom

[joeavaerage]

Hi,
need to see a picture of the socket to which the PC plugs into the controller. I rather suspect it is a DB25 parallel port, in which case you'll use Mach3, but here's the tricky part
you need to run a 32 bit Windows 7 or Windows XP PC, and it pretty much has to have a parallel port built in. You can add an extra parallel port, but only a few boards actually work.
A USB-to-parallel converter WILL NOT work.


Take the cover off the controller and post some pics. I suspect the parallel port is the main control port and the USB is just to get a power supply from the PC.

Craig

[routalot]

There used to be lots of that type of machine on ebay or AliExpress and I believe most were supplied with the demo version of Mach 3.Which doesn't actually help you very much because you still have to calibrate the machine,regardless of software and if it does have a DB25 plug you will have to determine the pin assignments.It is possible to run the machine from LinuxCNC via a DB25 plug and again you need to sort out pin assignments and calibration,but you won't have the program length limitation of Mach3's demo version and it won't cost anything.Most people get nervous about leaving the Microsoft ecosystem,so you may not go that way.

[OhioGuy]

I appreciate both of your help!

I have attached some pictures of the back and inside of the controller as requested.

If I understand correctly, essentially the controller is good for a boat anchor and that is about it. Is it possible to get a different controller to work with this machine? If so, any suggestions?

Thanks again!
Tom

[awerby]

You might be able to use one of these motion-control adapters to run it off your computer's USB port: https://cnc4pc.com/uc100-usb-motion-controller.html It looks like you'll need the gender-changer as well. You'll still need to figure out the ports and pins.

[peteeng]

Hi Tom - Look at Knighthawk from CNC3D. A one box solution that's very good. Plus the support is excellent. https://www.cnc3d.com.au/nighthawkcnc-controller Its a good 3 axis controller, has laser output and plasma control capabilities. My other suggestion if you want excellent motion control and 3D printing capability is Dynomotion see dynomotion.com it has a forum here. Peter

[OhioGuy]

I appreciate everyone's help but as a newbie to CNC some of this is going over my head.

- What does a motion control adapter do? They look fairly pricey for a maybe.
- When you say I need to figure out the "Ports and Pins" what does that mean and how do I go about doing that?
- What is a gender changer and why do I need it?
- If i get a new controller do I still need additional software?

Thanks!
Tom

[peteeng]

Hi Tom:
1) a motion controller adaptor. I think this is as follows. If you buy a machine controller these days (like Mach3-4 UCCNC others) these use a path planner (or motion controller) to drive the motor controllers (drivers). eg UC100, easystepper etc. If you buy knighthawk or dynomotion you do not have to consider any of those things. These are a one box solution.
2) using a multimeter you have to test each plug pin, identify where they go into the controller and figure out what that pin does
3) a gender changer is a device that converts say a parallel port into a USB port
4) Knighthawk and Dynomotion have their own free machine controller software

If your not into electronics and don't want to muck around getting the current system going, look at Knighthawk (KH), I found it simple to install simple to run, its wireless and you can run your machine from your phone. It's an up-to-date system well supported. If you go discrete devices then support is difficult as each device supplier will potentially push issues onto other device suppliers or yourself. Sometimes integrating various BOB's, machine controllers, motor drivers, velocity planners etc is a big steep learning curve. I found that to be the case when I got into it. Something like KH is simple, reliable and if there is an issue its the single suppliers issue not something spread over many suppliers... Good Luck Peter

In broad terms this is how CNC works

CAD (virtual model of what you want to make) export a file to CAM
CAM (generates the g code for the router to work) connects to the BOB
Break out Board (BOB) discretises the signals into axes, machine commands and device commands, BOB connects to
Motor Drivers and other devices signals get processed to create motion, turn things on and off or sense positions eg homing
Result - real object that you created in CAD, plus lots & lots of sawdust or swarf
cable chain 1 - typical discrete device build. Lots of wiring and devices
rewire 1 - knighthawk all in one box build.

[joeavaerage]

Hi,
the motion controller recommended is a UC100 made by CNCDrive and has been on sale for over a decade with tens of thousands of users.

It plugs into the PC by USB and outputs signals via a DB25 connector. You might like to think of it as a USB-to-parallel converter......but it is not....it is a genuine motion controller.

A motion controller takes the numerical trajectory output of a program like Mach or UCCNC and converts that into to accurately timed pulse streams to drive motors. In the early days Mach3 had a 'parallel port driver'
which is a motion control, ie it took numerical data from Mach3 and converted that into pulse streams but WITHIN the PC. It was something that many said would never work, but Art Fenerty got it to work and Mach3
became the hobbyist CNC software. The truth is that while it worked, it was quirky, and sometimes failed and was very (PC) hardware dependent. Then there came a rush of external motion controllers like the UC100
and the Ethernet Smoothstepper. These are external to the PC and have electronics that is suited to the task. They have become the norm with the parallel port becoming a thing of the past.

One advantage of an external motion controller (aside from speed and smoothness of motion) is that you are no longer required to stick to a desktop 32 bit OS like Windows XP. That hardware requirement was because
of the parallel port driver, not Mach3 the application so you can use a Windows10 PC including a laptop....provided you have an external motion controller..

A UC100 would allow you to use your machine pretty much as is. Run either Mach3 or UCCNC on the PC to run the UC100 and plug the UC100 into the parallel port socket of your controller.

If that appeals, then make sure you get a genuine UC100, not one of the Chinese knock-offs on Ebay and Amazon. Get the real thing or don't bother, the cheap Chinese stuff is junk.
The real deal is 88Euro....if someone tries to sell you one cheaper than that, then smell it first. If it smells of ChopSuey walk away.

https://cncdrive.com/UC100.html

Craig

[routalot]

I appreciate both of your help!

I have attached some pictures of the back and inside of the controller as requested.

If I understand correctly, essentially the controller is good for a boat anchor and that is about it. Is it possible to get a different controller to work with this machine? If so, any suggestions?

Thanks again!
Tom

I don't have any issues with the recommendations people are making but they will all require you to do an amount of work before machining is possible.The controller you have isn't a boat anchor and unless something is broken inside the box,it will work.The matter you need to deal with is that the computer you have for the machine may not be old enough to have a parallel port.It is a common fallacy that a basic CNC machine needs a high spec computer when it isn't a highly demanding activity such as 3D gaming.The difficult part is determining which of the connections on the back of the controller are controlled by which pin of the DB25 plug and you have some detective work to do.Tracing back from the connections for X,Y,Z and spindle back to the board isn't too difficult,but determining how those terminals are controlled by the board is the problem.You need to find out and make a note and then you will still need to determine the amount of axis travel for one rotation of the steppers.I will say again that you will need to do this regardless of whether you stick with the box you got with the machine or any substitute.There were so many of this type of machine sold that somebody,somewhere may have a manual they could scan for you,or possibly a disillusioned owner may have listed one on an auction site.It could be worth buying such a machine as both a source of information and spares.Of course,if you can get the machine running,there will still be the challenge of learning the software to produce the programs.

It may e worth a bit of your time to search through youtube as many answers can be found there-as well s some silliness.This will show you some of the steps that have already been done to your controller and may lead to further clues about what needs to be done next https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_9LpHoEgvU.These steps will still be relevant if you decide to change elements as the computer will still need details of steps/mm and pin assignment or you may feel like a USB based solution.

[OhioGuy]

You have all given me a lot to think about; and do! I appreciate the time you have taken to explain my various questions! I am sure there will be more as I attempt to dive in.

Thanks!
Tom

[OhioGuy]

Will the motion controller suggested by several folks get around the lack of a parallel port issue and still work with the controller I have?