[109jb]

Yes, there is a cheaper way, and that is the UC100 way. Why buy a dinosaur PC, go through the troubles of using parallel port when for an additional $60 you can use the PC you most probably already have? Apart from that, if you have an old PC you can still use that with the UC100 because it is definitely MUCH better than using a parallel port, just like OlfCNC is saying.

But sure, on a very tight budget a free (or almost free) PC with a free software and a free OS is better than a commercial software like Mach3 and Windows10. The disadvantage is that with no Linux experience life can be a PITA with LinuxCNC.

A couple points.

UC100 is not just $60. The UC100 hardware is $120, and then their software is $60. So the minimum cost to go with the UC100 solution is $180.

The LinuxCNC option is not as hard as people make out. It is available on a Live CD iso, bundled with the Linux operating system. From the live CD, installation no more difficult than answering a few simple questions. Once installed, for a stepper system there is a stepper configuration wizard that takes you step by step through setting up a stepper controlled machine.

Whether or not a UC100 type system is "much" better, or better at all is a matter of opinion, and is also machine dependent. Take my machine, a G0704 mill/drill. The highest practical feed rate that you would want for that machine is about 200 IPM, With my 0.2" pitch leadscrews, and 8 microsteps/step, I need a 27 kHz step rate, which is easily achievable with a parallel port. It works great and has not presented any real problems in about 4 years of hobby use. So what exactly is "much" better about using a UC100 type solution for my situation? As I see it, going to a FPGA, UC100, or anything else only makes my wallet lighter.

An analogy for parallel ports being dinosaurs would be my 1996 Honda Civic. Sure it is an old car by today's standards, but it is very reliable, runs fine, and gets me where I want to go. I am frugal and could afford to go down to the car dealer and buy a brand new car and pay cash for it, but I don't because I don't see the cost/benefit to do so. My friends all ask me why I don't get a new car and my response is "Other than make my bank account smaller, what will a new car do for me that my old Civic won't?" If/when my old civic starts giving me problems then I will think about a new car. So, is a new car, "better" ? It depends on how you look at it. Printer ports are the same way. In my opinion, if it does the job, I don't care if it is a dinosaur.

All this is moot since the gentleman that started the thread has stated that he wants to use his current computer that doesn't have parallel port. That is his choice and he has his own cost/benefit parameters to assess. I can't fault him for that, just like I can't fault my friends that get new cars about every 3 or 4 years.

As far as USB solutions, the UC100 does seem like a decent route and not too terribly expensive. The absolute cheapest USB solution is GRBL on an arduino that I mentioned before. If you want turn key and more complete g-code support then the UC100 is obviously better. GRBL doesn't take too much to get going, but has some limits on g-codes available, and is currently limited to about 30 kHz step rate.