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IndustryArena Forum > Community Club House > International / Regional Forums > Australia, New Zealand Club House > parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel port?
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  1. #1
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    parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel port?

    Hey G'day folks,

    Well the last of my pc boxes with a parallel port has finally gone to heaven, its poetic after having resolved an issue I had with the g540 this is an annoyance.

    Question is there an inexpensive solution to go from pc usb/ethernet to parallel port?

    I used to have a UC100 (I should have kept it but gave it away with an old cnc router) did a great job but I really don't want to spend $170/$200 for a usb to parallel port card. I know I'm being cheap.

    I've had a good look at whats available in smooth steppers, they all must be ok I guess but my humble opinion they are overpriced. I never had an issue with parallel port things always worked as intended.

    I would just like to not have to go find another OLD motherboard with P/P and spend time making it all work. Cost of a motherboard probably $20 - $50 at a flea market or flea bay..

    The other solution I can dust of one of my older laptops and just buy a PCMCIA card they are relatively cheap $5/$15...

    But being old miserable and grumpy and wanting to be difficult I would like to buy something similar to the UC100 simple plug and play so I can keep my G540.

    The smoothsteppers I've seen todate just seem so expensive - virtually not viable to buy if I need to spend that type of money I'd rather shelve the G540 and buy a control board with USB/ethernet already built in.

    Is there anything available under the $100 mark - I don't need it to be clever just functional.


    Cheers and avagreatday all,

    Steve

    I'm just wondering if I should step outside to make sure the roof doesn't cave in.
    I'm still breathing and living to disappoint..

  2. #2
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    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po


  3. #3
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    1523

    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po

    USB converters (for printers etc) do not work.

    Laptops are not suitable due to high latency, partly due to power management features. They can work ok if you have hardware step generation like the UC100 or smoothstepper.

    PCI parallel port cards are available for cheap. You should be able to pick up an old pc for bugger all from many places.

    I use LinuxCNC and a mesanet 7i43 for hardware step generation. Works great.
    7xCNC.com - CNC info for the minilathe (7x10, 7x12, 7x14, 7x16)

  4. #4
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    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po

    Hey G'day,

    Thank you for taking the time to reply. I take it the HP DC7900 has a parallel port built in or need to buy a pci card? What are you using Paul if I may ask please?
    Of all the ones up for sale you'd think I'd luck on to a photo of one from behind lol.. Dam that's a throw away price.

    Pippin I've never had issues using a laptop, mind you I've always had access to decent notebooks, I agree some laptops/notebooks would have latency issues. I grew up with Free BsD you would think I wouldn't have an issue with Linux but I do. I've had a windows chip inserted somewhere.. mesanet 7i43 I will have a closer look at that.. Google seems to have a lot of info, just need to sit down and find some pricing on the card.

    Many thanks,

    Steve

  5. #5
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    733

    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po

    When my built in parallel port died, I went to Newegg and bought a PCI parallel port card. I recall it was around $19 with free shipping. Made by SIIG. Worked just fine.

    I did do a lathe conversion for a friend who wanted to use a laptop only. Made him buy a UC100. It was $119 on eBay. Worked rather nice, better than using a standard parallel port.

  6. #6
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    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po

    Quote Originally Posted by jfong View Post
    When my built in parallel port died, I went to Newegg and bought a PCI parallel port card. I recall it was around $19 with free shipping. Made by SIIG. Worked just fine.

    I did do a lathe conversion for a friend who wanted to use a laptop only. Made him buy a UC100. It was $119 on eBay. Worked rather nice, better than using a standard parallel port.
    Hey G'day,

    Thank you for your reply,

    Pci card will have to do.. I was just thinking about using some of the less old equipment I had. The first thing I thought about was the UC100 but they are now about $180 AU to buy so getting to be quite pricey.

    I thought about upgrading to Mach4 I was informed by CNCdrive - motion controls that there is no support for Mach4 and nothing coming soon either..

    Cheers and thanks for your suggestions.


    Regards,

    Steve

  7. #7
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    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po

    The mesanet cards are not supported by Mach (no physical reason they can't be), they are really for use with linuxcnc. The 7i43 is older and communicates with the PC by parallel port (I was just stating what I use). The 5i25 is a PCI card and quite popular. There are newer boards that use Ethernet also.
    7xCNC.com - CNC info for the minilathe (7x10, 7x12, 7x14, 7x16)

  8. #8
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    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po

    Quote Originally Posted by pippin88 View Post
    The mesanet cards are not supported by Mach (no physical reason they can't be), they are really for use with linuxcnc. The 7i43 is older and communicates with the PC by parallel port (I was just stating what I use). The 5i25 is a PCI card and quite popular. There are newer boards that use Ethernet also.
    Pippin cheers and thanks for the clarification..

    Steve

  9. #9
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    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po

    Face it: the PP is dead.
    Lots of us are very happy with the Ethernet Smooth Stepper, and you get THREE parallel ports out of one ESS. Pins galore!

    Cheers
    Roger

  10. #10
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    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po

    Quote Originally Posted by RCaffin View Post
    Face it: the PP is dead.
    Lots of us are very happy with the Ethernet Smooth Stepper, and you get THREE parallel ports out of one ESS. Pins galore!

    Cheers
    Roger
    Roger g'day good sir,

    P/P died many many years ago but the cnc control aficionados all insisted on being 10 years behind the times and forced the issue of using parallel port continuing to manufacture product requiring those now defunct db connectors. Now of course those that are selling USB controllers are gouging price and are selling mutton at lamb pricing.

    Where are we at now usb3/4.. gecko g540 is what $350 odd AU plus add $250 plus for smoothstepper makes one expensive controller.

    I'm going to go visit and purchase in moorabbin and pick up a HP 7800 instead of the 7900 it has the parallel port already built in 80 gig hard drive 4 gig ram $69 one x 19" monitor $50 pffffffft I don't care if the crows pick at the box..

    But that's what you get when you have dinosaurs and DoDo's manufacturing for the 21st century.

    cheers Steve

  11. #11
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    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po

    Hi Steve

    Well, I understand what you are saying, and partly agree, but:
    to get a mass market with lower prices, you have to have an interface everyone can standardise around. That's what created the PC after all. And the PP has the advantage that it was there at the start. Using it did not favour any one mfr.

    Yes, you can get an older model PC with ONE parallel port. But ONE PP is very restrictive. As I mentioned, with the ESS you get three PPs. I find I have quite a few spare pins now, and full galvanic isolation between PC and CNC too.

    'mutton at lamb pricing'? Have you costed out the development of the FPGA used? Plus all the rest of the SW needed? The ESS works.

    Cheers
    Roger

  12. #12
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    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po

    Quote Originally Posted by RCaffin View Post
    Hi Steve

    Well, I understand what you are saying, and partly agree, but:
    to get a mass market with lower prices, you have to have an interface everyone can standardise around. That's what created the PC after all. And the PP has the advantage that it was there at the start. Using it did not favour any one mfr.

    Yes, you can get an older model PC with ONE parallel port. But ONE PP is very restrictive. As I mentioned, with the ESS you get three PPs. I find I have quite a few spare pins now, and full galvanic isolation between PC and CNC too.

    'mutton at lamb pricing'? Have you costed out the development of the FPGA used? Plus all the rest of the SW needed? The ESS works.

    Cheers
    Roger
    Roger hey G'day,

    Its not easy to cost these things out but I'm coming at it from a a view having been in the IT/T industry for most of my life I look at the technology available on the other side of the fence.. Its cheap dirt dirt cheap, unfortunately cnc 3d printers etc are still slightly behind the 8 ball. It will catch up eventually. I have three notebooks at home plus 2 windows 8 tablets all of which are super seeded now - would have loved to have used them instead.

    I hear what your saying and agree no argument from me. One parallel port is all I need for this current project. For the time being I just need it to work. One vicious row at a time ..

    Avagoodone mate.

    Steve

  13. #13
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    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po

    Hi Steve

    > having been in the IT/T industry for most of my life
    I started on an IBM 7044 with punch cards in the mid 60s.
    Since then I have done everything from writing drivers in assembly, scientific crunching, creating DB systems (the DB kernel), debugging compilers on OSs, building robotics and image analysis systems ...
    I have forgotten more languages than I can remember. Seriously. And I still say OO is just plain inefficient.
    Why do old programmers drift into CNC????

    Cheers
    Roger

  14. #14
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    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po

    Quote Originally Posted by RCaffin View Post
    Hi Steve

    > having been in the IT/T industry for most of my life
    I started on an IBM 7044 with punch cards in the mid 60s.
    Since then I have done everything from writing drivers in assembly, scientific crunching, creating DB systems (the DB kernel), debugging compilers on OSs, building robotics and image analysis systems ...
    I have forgotten more languages than I can remember. Seriously. And I still say OO is just plain inefficient.
    Why do old programmers drift into CNC????

    Cheers
    Roger
    Ohhh dam I had to laugh, your an older than dirt bastard than me I feel like a young pup.. I hear what your saying Roger, my first how should I call it computer? if thats a correct term for it was a sinclair ZX spectrum with a whole 2k of memory on board lol.... and yes I know what punch cards are.. All we need is a green screen and keyboard.. I really don't need it to be pretty.. I'm 57 most of my younger adult life with IT/T dam they didn't really have IT then - if you wanted anything you had to code it, create it yourself and if you didn't know how too - thats why they had marbles and yoyo's to play with.

    Why do coders drift into CNC dunno mate but it seems to be the natural order of things. We are perfect early adopter candidates..

    Ohhhhh as a by the by are you prepared for the win10 onslaught ... what a piss me off, I have 8 devices that need to update, I'm going to capture the upgrade stream on 1 and create an iso. stuffed if I can wait for 24 gigabytes of updates. Maybe I should just go back to using freebsd.

    Cheers,

    Steve
    Dam it Jim I'm still breathing and living to disappoint those that would have me do otherwise....

  15. #15
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    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po

    Hi Steve

    We are still running WXP SP3 on everything.
    W10 is just a new GUI on the antique NT core. All bugs faithfully preserved.
    Any upgrades will be to Linux & WINE.
    We are NOT going to Office etc in the cloud.

    Cheers
    Roger
    PS: I still have about 2 feet of virgin punch cards in the cupboard. Very good quality cardstock ...

  16. #16
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    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po

    From memory Microgram Computers in Berkley Vale on the NSW central coast still supplies even ISA industrial style Motherboards new, They advertise in Silicon Chip magazine.

    As for Windows 10 be very careful, Intel who supply the majority of Laptop chipsets do not even support their own onboard Video for such things as first generation Core I processor based systems for Windows 8 let alone Windows 10 so if the Video drivers are not available and not likely to be remove the windows optional Win 10 update in Windows update it is KB3035583 you need to remove to disable the Windows 10 update.
    Pretty much any system that shipped with Windows 7 is suspect for an upgrade path for Windows 10 as hardware support is lacking but these Idiots are rolling out updates to Windows 7 devices so they no longer have to support it, Many of them will fail the process but only after trashing your original minstall.

    You have been warned

  17. #17
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    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po

    KB3035583 you need to remove to disable the Windows 10 update.
    I did read in the tech press that if you do this, and also remove a few other W10 'features', you find yourself looking at Windows 7 again. How strange ...

    Meanwhile, the Server world is refusing to upgrade some 600,000 Windows 2000 Server installations out there on the web. The $$ to do so would fill the coffers of MS very nicely thank you - were they counting on that income? The cost for the customers, in both straight $$ and in hours (or days) of labour and downtime, would be HUGE. That's bad, but the cost of having your corporate customer-facing web site caught up in an endless reboot cycle due to the compulsory upgrade process is almost unimaginable. And it has happened, with the first upgrade! So much for expensive proprietary SW solutions.

    The world moves on towards Linux: I wonder why?

    Cheers
    Roger

  18. #18
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    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po

    Hey Guys,

    Well what to say apart from I agree, I finished several days ago upgrading 2 tablets, 1 x desktop and 1 x laptop and 1 x NUC my media center mini pc.

    Lets start with the tablets 1 x Samsung and the other an Asus, both gave me the msg that they weren't compatible with win10 I promptly ignored that downloaded the iso and voila works so much for drivers not being compatible, both are running probably 20%+ faster than before so was happy there.

    No issue with the laptop, Intel NUC or the Desktop.

    My recommendation to others don't do it!!!!

    Why? OK Windows 10 has a key logger, yup something any antivirus program would call a virus or Trojan, its used to "da daaaaa" log every keystroke you make. It was probably there before but its more prominent now and has a more active role by the looks. Windows 10 is the first step to paying for software that is going to blast you with adds, its almost applish if thats even a word, it has an annoying notification center.. the "action" center which is fine first time you see it then not so fine the 100 times after. One drive for backups somewhere in India "the cloud" ummm nooooo we don't want it and it can be uninstalled. UPDATES man ohhh man you can't switch auto updates off "well yes you can if you know how" you are forced to update!!. Contacts well windows wants them ALL and it wants to share them! NO NO NO and NO that can be switched off as well. You can't simply say no to the new internet explorer either, its a double process. Cortana the voice control thing well I was so looking forward to using that until I discovered it monitors "everything" and sends back data about "everything" you do. You can switch Cortana off again if you know how.

    Windows 10 is so Intrusive its not funny, even apple have distanced themselves from the alleged "TO MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER" a comment they like to use as well, by saying we don's send anything back to Apple servers its all kept local (well I don't believe them either).
    Windows 10 left as a default install is like inviting a stranger into your house and giving him the keys and passwords to everything you have and own.

    Why did I update? well that's something techie stupid people like me do - load it play with it uninstall it and then use something we like I guess.

    If your not into hacking things, not comfortable editing the registry and are just a user of the OS then don't upgrade. Unless your the type that posts things on Facebook like - hey I just got up, had to go for a quick pee before my run types .. then you will be in your element.

    Only thing I didn't upgrade was my server.

    Ohhh as a by the by you need to constantly monitor you win 10 installs when it updates - reason if you have switched things off they seem to have a way to switch themselves back on until you disable certain features permanently.

    Ohhh as a by the by for all the Skype users if you didn't know already Microsoft records and keeps every conversation you've had.. so to make your life more amazing...


    Cheers,
    Steve
    I do hope Linux rules the world one day.

  19. #19
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    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po

    as a by the by to my original thread,

    I ordered and should receive on Monday a UC100 - I've also purchased a license for the UCCNC software as well, its seriously cheap enough to want to try it.
    I have been contributing to another thread regarding UCCNC I like the software, it may not have all the features of M3 or M4 I don't know and I really don't want to know somehow.
    What pushed me to buy UCCNC was real simple, you can run it under Windows XXXXX 32bit or 64bit it doesn't care.. and what really sealed the deal for me was watching a dude run his cnc from his Tablet. Not that I will do that - maybe I will dunno I just liked seeing it run from a tablet. So for $66 AUD done deal and $180 for the UC100 it was reasonably painless.

    Why? Well I did buy a HP DC7800 someone on this forum supplied a link to one, it was cheap, had the parallel port worked fine but only for small jobs. I had a good look at what was going on and I'm to blame mostly I do ask of my PC's a lot. Doing the 3d relief work I do, some of the final pass finishes the Gcode can be Huge, and having to run 32 bit software with minimum ram doesn't help my case. A good friend of mine listening to me grizzle turned up the other day with an old laptop that had a parallel port on it as well a Toshiba 6100. Well I tried loading a job on it and it sort of did ok with the roughing , it stopped hung twice - restarted and all was good. Then did a finishing pass the file wasn't too large only 18meg and the toshiba just could not handle it.

    Shame on me expecting parallel port to cope with what I was trying to shove down its throat. I had a UC100 with my old cnc never had a problem, so I decided to just buy another one.
    I really am pissed at the hardware dudes, still using parallel ports - the Gecko control box is not inexpensive, I would have expected to see USB somewhere on it by now or Ethernet. Not just singling them out but others as well.

    I'll let you all know how UCCNC performs with the UC100


    Cheers and avagreatweekend people.

    Steve

  20. #20
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    Re: parallel port dead with pc-suggestions for purchasing usb/ethernet to parallel po

    Hi Steve

    I really really doubt that the PP had anything to do with the max size of job you can run. That would make zero sense. Just ain't so.
    Running Mach3 on a 32 bit system is also fine, and won't be the limit. Most of us ARE running on a 32 bit system - WXP SP3 in many cases!

    But Windows is really sloppy bloated code, and if the box did not have enough processor grunt or memory or graphics speed, THAT could kill it. The system could be page-swapping when it should be generating tracks, and then the PP driver runs out of data and hangs. I think those limitations might go with the age of the box.

    Mind you, if you use exactly the same box and use an ESS instead of the PP, you might find the job cruising through.

    Cheers
    Roger

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