Originally Posted by
skrap853
I should have called it alternate. If it works out they will be interchangeable.
Having options is always a good thing. When there is market competition it drives down prices and increases features. Ideally it would be nice if more software and motion controllers were compatible (standards).
People that have been using UCCNC have been reporting great results. The project is active and the developers are responsive to bug fixes and features. The price here in the US is 60 dollars, very affordable. So if a product works well (better is subjective) and it is cheaper why wouldn't I want to use?
It seems Mach 3 grew to popularity since it easily turned a PC with parallel port into an affordable CNC controller. The ability to add motion control boards helped them stay popular. Where they lost me is when they decided to start Mach 4 several years ago and leave Mach 3 behind, while never finishing Mach 4. Mach 3's current state - on the software setup page for CRP they recommend not using the latest version [of Mach 3] as it is known to cause issues. The .062 version that is suggested instead was released in 2012. So one product is not maintained and the other incomplete with no site of being finished (even if it is finished it still might not be a suitable replacement for CNC routers).
I purchased a DIY CNC router because I enjoy learning and improving where I can. If I can learn something, improve my purchase, or just help the community as the whole, it is a win in my book.
JP