[DOT]

My pc is dying or dead. I'm running Mach 3 on my Taig CNC. Trying to find a Windows XP computer today is difficult. I'm thinking of moving to Mach 4. As I understand it, I will need a motion controller as well? Is this all plug and play? Cause I'm better with a hammer then with a computer. What motion controller works well with Mach 4, Windows 10, and a Gecko 540.

[dazp1976]

My pc is dying or dead. I'm running Mach 3 on my Taig CNC. Trying to find a Windows XP computer today is difficult. I'm thinking of moving to Mach 4. As I understand it, I will need a motion controller as well? Is this all plug and play? Cause I'm better with a hammer then with a computer. What motion controller works well with Mach 4, Windows 10, and a Gecko 540.

I have original retail discs of xp from 2005 so all I do is buy a used motherboard with parallel port. Good option if you can find xp on disc.
Other than that:
I have a uc300eth controller now, works with mach3/4 & ucnc.
If the gecko just needs a normal step/dir and relay on/off style signal etc via the parallel input. I would suggest a UC400eth and idc26 to db25 cable on port1 then just have to figure out your pin no's.
You could then use a cheap bob on port2 for your spindle controls.
Be cheaper than say a smoothstepper and more reliable than going to a USB type controller.

[Dean448]

Not the USB smoothstepper!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CNCMAN172]

Ethernet smooth stepper works well with Mach4

[Dean448]

uC100 plugs into the G540 but I found issues where the two Y axis steppers became out of sync. Never found a solution. Suspected USB which tends to be noisy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[joeavaerage]

Hi,
I've used Mach4 and an Ethernet SmoothStepper for seven years. Its light years ahead of Mach3 IMHO.

When you use an external motion controller like an ESS or UC100 or UC300 or....whatever, it relieve the PC of having to generate pulse streams. PCs are not good at
that at the gest of times. It also required that the PC run a 32bit OS like WindowsXP.

Once you get an external motion controller to do the pulse streams then you can use any PC to run Mach. Note that a Windows 10 machine will run Mach3 OR Mach4
equally well, provided you have an external motion controller.

The simplest way forward for you is to get an external motion controller, ESS recommended ($190USD), and still use Mach3. The ESS has a Mach3 plugin which largely
replicates 'Ports and Pins' tab in Mach3.

Mach4 is quite a different beast and there is a learning curve, which may or may not be what you want. Mach4 is so much more flexible and stable than Mach3 I've never
regretted making the change....not that the first few weeks weren't hard though.

Craig

[DOT]

Joe i did not know i could run mach 3 on a windows 10 pc. sounds like i just need a external motion controller and a new pc

[DOT]

this ESS external motion controller, is it basically a plug and play or does it take a good deal of setup?

[dazp1976]

Joe i did not know i could run mach 3 on a windows 10 pc. sounds like i just need a external motion controller and a new pc

Correct.
I wouldn't discount UCCNC either. It is a pretty good control software.
Best options in my view are:
ESS smoothstepper, works with Mach3 & 4.
UC300eth, works with Mach3 & 4 & UCCNC.
UC400eth, works with Mach3 & 4 & UCCNC.

All of them connect to breakout boards using idc26-idc26 or idc26-db25 cables. Then you wire all your axis, sensors, switches etc to the bobs and set up your ports and pins of motion controller in the program.
Basically, instead of connecting a Bob parallel port to a pc you connect it to the controller instead. Then connect controller to the pc via ethernet port.

I'm happy with my switch to uc300eth, ucbb breakout, uccnc. Can run any of the 3 cnc programs listed above from a laptop on win10 or win7.

However, to throw a spanner in the works!!. If you want an easier all in one solution check these out:

https://cncroom.com/product-category/interface-cards/

[joeavaerage]

Hi,

this ESS external motion controller, is it basically a plug and play or does it take a good deal of setup?

It is not plug and play, it does require set-up. This could be done in under half an hour....if you know what you are doing. The problem will be that at first it seems strange
or different to what you are used to so I would guess you will find, as others before have found, that its a learning curve. After some time however, once you become familiar with
it, you'll realise the essential similarities and that its not nearly as hard as you thought initially.

The bottom line is 'do you want to ditch the parallel port so you can use a modern PC or not?' If you do; get yourself an external motion controller, whatever challenge that may be,
OR persevere with the parallel port and a 32 bit OS like XP or Windows7.

Craig

[sclelectronics]

Win10 Pro 64bit...
G540 w/ ESS..
Also a C69 PWM speed controller

Never skips a beat... Running a GlockCNC 750w motor and headstock

Stuart

[kawazuki]

Win10 Pro 64bit...
G540 w/ ESS..
Also a C69 PWM speed controller

Never skips a beat... Running a GlockCNC 750w motor and headstock

Stuart

This addition of an ESS is confusing me! I get that Win10 doesn't generate the required pulse stream like the old XP and Win7 PC's did, and so the ESS replaces that role via USB from the PC and then outputs via what? the Parallel port ?

The picture doesn't make it any clearer - I assume the G540 is the black box with gold heatsink? And I see a ribbon cable that I guess is plugged into it? Then it gets a bit 'muddy' with about 2 feet of ribbon cable in different directions
and possibly ending up being plugged into the card on the Power Supply. What is this card? - as it only appears to have the single connection (other than power connections?) Then there is another card under the bundle of ribbon cable
which is what ? I spy a USB plug there - which goes where? The PC maybe and is this the ESS - if so what is the card on the power supply?

This maybe entirely logical to the builder / anyone who is up to date with motion control, but i'm not. I either migrate or I build up a new PC and reload XP and live in the stone age!

[dazp1976]

This addition of an ESS is confusing me! I get that Win10 doesn't generate the required pulse stream like the old XP and Win7 PC's did, and so the ESS replaces that role via USB from the PC and then outputs via what? the Parallel port ?
The picture doesn't make it any clearer - I assume the G540 is the black box with gold heatsink? And I see a ribbon cable that I guess is plugged into it? Then it gets a bit 'muddy' with about 2 feet of ribbon cable in different directions
and possibly ending up being plugged into the card on the Power Supply. What is this card? - as it only appears to have the single connection (other than power connections?) Then there is another card under the bundle of ribbon cable
which is what ? I spy a USB plug there - which goes where? The PC maybe and is this the ESS - if so what is the card on the power supply?
This maybe entirely logical to the builder / anyone who is up to date with motion control, but i'm not. I either migrate or I build up a new PC and reload XP and live in the stone age!

The chain usually goes......
PC with mach control> goes into ESS via ethernet cable only> 1 port of ESS goes to axis control, in this case G540> Another ESS port can go to ancillaries, in this case a relay module which is the board on the top that may also have a pwm converter.

Now. The ESS doesn't have 0-10v it uses PWM stream for spindle speed so needs a PWM-analog converter.
PWM goes into converter> changes signal to voltage analog> goes out to spindle AVI/GND.
Spindle will be using the relay module for direction control.

So ESS first ribbon to to G540 for axis.
Second ribbon to relay module for dir / coolant etc.
PWM signal to converter.


Edit:
Ah hang on.
The board with the green/red Leds IS the ESS. The silver connector socket is the ethernet port.

[Halfnutz]

I just set up my second ESS with a new Windows 10 PC . The PC is a refurbished HP (basically new) I got off ebay for 85 bucks. I run Mach 3 and I'm trying to migrate to Mach 4, but I know Mach 3 so well its hard to invest all the time into Mach 4.

Anyway, it runs flawlessly, took less than 2 hours to get it all downloaded and running.

[joeavaerage]

Hi,
operationally Mach3 and Mach4 are very similar. If you have experience with Mach3 then you should have no bother running jobs on Mach4.

From a set-up and organisational stand point however Mach4 is a new and completely different animal, and as a consequence users whom have Mach3 experience
and expect Mach4 to be identical are disappointed, to the extent that they claim Mach4 is faulty. Most unfortunate but true. In some respects previous Mach3 experience
can count against you when setting up Mach4.....you expect it to behave in a certain way but it does not.

99% of the set-up is already done for three and four axis machines of conventional design, and therefore no customisations are really required. Where you have a machine
of other than conventional design then Mach4's flexibility will serve well, but requires a much greater understanding of Mach4's software organisation and the use of the API and Lua.
These do represent a learning curve, but once mastered mean that Mach4 is light years ahead of Mach3 in my opinion.

Craig

[sclelectronics]

Nice dissection of my Controller Box...
In the upper left corner of my box is the ESS board.
The ESS is an ethernet connect motion control board!
Bullet proof communication to G540 and motion control.


On top of the Main Meanwell Power supply is the C69 PWM speed controller the is connected to Port2 of the ESS.

The small Power supplies you see..
The far one is for dedicated 5vdc for the ESS
The near on is a 12vdc for relays and sensors....

My coolant(micro-drip) is relay pneumatic valve is controlled by an output on the G540!

[joeavaerage]

Hi,
the ESS power supply is the wee green plug/socket directly above the silver Ethernet socket. The ESS requires a good stable 5V supply of about 500mA. Don't skimp, a good quality supply
is essential. An overvoltage excursion on the power supply input will wreck an ESS...and no come backs on that sort of failure.

The ESS has three parallel port output sockets, those are the three black rectangular 26 pin IDC sockets. In the picture above only one is populated, that is to say that it has an IDC-to-DB25
adaptor cable (ribbon) that plugs into the G540 directly. In one of the earlier photos there was a second breakout board plugged into the ESS, in addition to the G540. That will allow you to
have more inputs and outputs than a G540 on its own. The ESS has with all three ports operating has 51 inputs/outputs combined.

Warp9TD make the ESS sell the IDC26 to DB25 adaptor cables for about $10.00.

Craig

[kawazuki]

Thank you for the explanations - it is somewhat clearer now, although WOW those Warp9 boards are costly ! ! ! I spent a few hours yesterday rebuilding an old parallel ported PC running Win7 - its so cute and slow compared to current Win10
But to think up until two years ago Win7 was my daily driver OS! So, as I have a licenced version of Mach3, I'll continue with that, as I don't currently do enough work to warrant the expenditure for an ESS and Mach4. Thanks again.

[dazp1976]

Thank you for the explanations - it is somewhat clearer now, although WOW those Warp9 boards are costly ! ! ! I spent a few hours yesterday rebuilding an old parallel ported PC running Win7 - its so cute and slow compared to current Win10
But to think up until two years ago Win7 was my daily driver OS! So, as I have a licenced version of Mach3, I'll continue with that, as I don't currently do enough work to warrant the expenditure for an ESS and Mach4. Thanks again.

A lot of people do go down the old pc rote. I did for a few years until I needed more I/O and upgraded to a uc300eth system and laptop.

Thing is. If you get one with an i3 type processor and about 4gb of ram, the only difference tbf is the lack of a ssd. The ssd hard drive is the main reason win10 machines are quick in all honesty!!!. It's too much of a faff trying to get Win7 on ssd.

I think I forgot to mention that there is also an AXBB-E from cncdrive that is an all in one controller and breakout board unit that works with Mach3. Saves on space over an ESS and add-on breakout boards if space is a worry when the time comes.
Nothing wrong with the ESS, I just wanted the option of not being tied to Mach.

[joeavaerage]

Hi,

it is somewhat clearer now, although WOW those Warp9 boards are costly ! ! !

Mach4Hobby=$200, ESS=$190, combined $390.....that's less than one 750w servo or less than one quarter of one ground ballscrew........Mach/ESS is the cheapest part.

Craig