[MajorTendonitis]

Guys I was wondering what your opinions are regarding CNCrouterparts decision to change there design . I was concerned if linear guides may be more subseptable to collecting dust compared to the open V bearing system it replaced .
I have been debating to purchace there 4' x 4' Pro series for some time.

Has anyone purchaced there new model and have any opinions on this yet ? Maybe it's a good thing I held off till now if there new system is an improvement. I believe the price hasn't changed .
With there V bearing system , they had the cold rolled steel in two four foot sectioms if you were building a 4/8 table .
I wonder if the linear guides are now in one full length ?

[FandZ]

It's a great move. Linear guides will crush the dust to black goo. That's what real cnc machines use anyways. Anyhow I have a vcon machine and have been wanting to move to linear guides for a while. I was going to upgrade my current Vcon machine. But now I may contact CNCrouter parts and see if they have any options for me. The Vcon machine is good but I've never gotten it as rigid as I would like it to be. If I bottom out my spindle to the table I don't want to visually see any flex but with the vcon I do. I've tighten everything I can tighten but I think the flex comes from the washers holding the vbearings in place. Don't get me wrong, I've used the vcon in a production environment and it has held up. The only thing that has ever broken on it was tensioner for the rear v bearings on the back of the Y axis. I know cnc router parts would have sent me out a replacement but I just made one.

I would think the X axies guide rail come in pieces that you butt joint.

[ger21]

I was concerned if linear guides may be more susceptible to collecting dust compared to the open V bearing system it replaced .

Maybe a little, but that's a minor concern when you increase rigidity by 10x. The performance difference is night and day
Linear bearings have end seals to keep dust out, and if greased regularly, dust is not normally an issue. I've been running industrial routers with linear bearings for 20 years, and have never had any dust issues.

[MajorTendonitis]

Thank you again ger , that's good to know

After doing much research , I think CNCrouterparts is the winner . Well in my books anyways .
I'm just a hobbyist , but by the time I source out all the parts and fix all the issues I come across , I don't think a scratch built one is worth it . CNCrouterparts has done the r&d for you

[sixstringlz]

Guys I was wondering what your opinions are regarding CNCrouterparts decision to change there design . I was concerned if linear guides may be more subseptable to collecting dust compared to the open V bearing system it replaced .
I have been debating to purchace there 4' x 4' Pro series for some time.

Has anyone purchaced there new model and have any opinions on this yet ? Maybe it's a good thing I held off till now if there new system is an improvement. I believe the price hasn't changed .
With there V bearing system , they had the cold rolled steel in two four foot sectioms if you were building a 4/8 table .
I wonder if the linear guides are now in one full length ?

The price has increased for the new type of rails over the old v-con system but it is worth it. If you ask for the full length rail they will send you it but you will have to pay a freight shipping price, and schedule delivery with UPS freight.

[MajorTendonitis]

The price has increased for the new type of rails over the old v-con system but it is worth it. If you ask for the full length rail they will send you it but you will have to pay a freight shipping price, and schedule delivery with UPS freight.

The price for the 4'/4' Pro version is $4100 . I'm not 100% sure, but I thought that was unchanged?

I was going to build a Joes CNC , but by the time I buy the material , I think I'm better off just getting one from CNCrouterparts.

[ger21]

The price for the 4'/4' Pro version is $4100 .

Are you aware that you still need a base, or table to mount it to, electronics, wiring, and a spindle? Expect to spend at least another $1000-$1500 more, minimum.

The CNCRP is probably a little better than a modified linear bearing Joe's. The extra cost saves you what will probably be a few months of work.

[MajorTendonitis]

Are you aware that you still need a base, or table to mount it to, electronics, wiring, and a spindle? Expect to spend at least another $1000-$1500 more, minimum.


The CNCRP is probably a little better than a modified linear bearing Joe's. The extra cost saves you what will probably be a few months of work.

Yes I'm very aware of the other parts and expecting another 4 to 5K .
I was going to build a wooden base , only because I want storage . Was going to order the stepper drivers , break out board , power supplies , case etc, and build that myself .
Then there's the VFD and a water cooled spindle , software . Right now I'm more concerned with the base and assembling the hardware .
I'm not expecting to run this right away .

I talked to our local computer dealer and he can still get mother boards that have built in parallel ports . Not sure if that's the best way to go , but I thought a built in parallel port may be more reliable than adding a PCIe card , or using a USB port with a Smooth Stepper .

Btw guys , I appreciate your posts very much

[ger21]

I talked to our local computer dealer and he can still get mother boards that have built in parallel ports . Not sure if that's the best way to go , but I thought a built in parallel port may be more reliable than adding a PCIe card , or using a USB port with a Smooth Stepper .

No, they aren't really, especially on more modern PC's. A parallel port also limits you to Mach3, and running a 32bit OS, and it must be Windows 7 or older. I also would recommend an ethernet motion controller over a USB version. USB controllers are more susceptible to interference and lost connections. For not much more than the cost of a Mach3 license, you can get a UCCNC license and their 5 port UC300ETH motion controller. Mach3 is 10 year old, unsupported software. UCCNC is a more modern, fully supported program, that gets constant updates with new features and bug fixes.

[MajorTendonitis]

No, they aren't really, especially on more modern PC's. A parallel port also limits you to Mach3, and running a 32bit OS, and it must be Windows 7 or older. I also would recommend an ethernet motion controller over a USB version. USB controllers are more susceptible to interference and lost connections. For not much more than the cost of a Mach3 license, you can get a UCCNC license and their 5 port UC300ETH motion controller. Mach3 is 10 year old, unsupported software. UCCNC is a more modern, fully supported program, that gets constant updates with new features and bug fixes.

Well this is great to know , especially before I start collecting parts . I'll look into the 5 port UC300ETH motion controller.. I've heard a few mention UNCNC, and I see it performs better , but was concerned about not having anyone to help if I have issues

[ger21]

There are plenty of people to help. And with UCCNC, the company provides excellent support.
If you join their forum, you'll get answers to your questions pretty quickly.

[MajorTendonitis]

There are plenty of people to help. And with UCCNC, the company provides excellent support.
If you join their forum, you'll get answers to your questions pretty quickly.

I had no idea they had a forum . Good to know ,thanks again

[ger21]

forum.cncdrive.com ? Index page

[MajorTendonitis]

I found one of your posts in another thread regarding the 5 port UC300ETH motion controller. Is this the breakout board a good choice . I'm really liking the small set screws that are used to connect wires going to the stepper drivers etc .

i thought I read in another thread that someone had to solder a bunch of pins on a connector , but here I see a flat cable connecting the stepper driver and Ethernet controller . Much nicer imo

[ger21]

I just bought that $5 breakout board for testing. This is the one I'm actually using:
MB2 ESS ethernet smooth stepper BOB breakout out board [MB2]
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/cnc-wo...ml#post2029016

I'm not going to tell you what you should buy. Don't buy anything until you need them. Until that time, do as much research as you can, to choose what you want.

[ger21]

One thing about the MB2 breakout board that I'm using. It's designed for use with an ESS, but works fine with the UC300ETH.
However, CNC Room is in the process of designing a UC300ETH specific board, which will provide more I/O, and eliminate the ribbon cables. I expect it to be a few months before it's available, but I'd wait and see, if you can. Provided you wanted to go that route.

[MajorTendonitis]

One thing about the MB2 breakout board that I'm using. It's designed for use with an ESS, but works fine with the UC300ETH.
However, CNC Room is in the process of designing a UC300ETH specific board, which will provide more I/O, and eliminate the ribbon cables. I expect it to be a few months before it's available, but I'd wait and see, if you can. Provided you wanted to go that route.

I'm in no rush . I want to buy the machine itself , then as I get some more time available I'll start collecting the electronics.
If I don't buy a CNC router table first , I'll probably never own one .
I guess the good news is they upgraded to linear rails , so waiting actually helped in that respect .
I basically want a 4/4 cnc router table as a hobby and to learn .


I like screw terminals and am not sure how these boards work , but I see this breakout board being used often and am wondering how reliable there connections are ?

[ger21]

I've only had it a short time, but they seem to work well. Once everything is set up, I don't anticipate changing the wiring, so whatever is wired will stay that way. They are very tight, and probably impossible to pull a wire out. So I don't see how they could ever come loose.

[MajorTendonitis]

Wow nice work . I had to read threw your post again to realize you mentioned there building a new board that won't require these ribbon cables . I'm liking the sounds of that

[FandZ]

No, they aren't really, especially on more modern PC's. A parallel port also limits you to Mach3, and running a 32bit OS, and it must be Windows 7 or older. I also would recommend an ethernet motion controller over a USB version. USB controllers are more susceptible to interference and lost connections. For not much more than the cost of a Mach3 license, you can get a UCCNC license and their 5 port UC300ETH motion controller. Mach3 is 10 year old, unsupported software. UCCNC is a more modern, fully supported program, that gets constant updates with new features and bug fixes.

Hey Gerry,

I'm kinda heavily invested in Mach 3. I have this kit below that comes with smooth stepper. Would it even be worth it for me to look into UCCNC?

Plug and Play NEMA 34 CNC Control System - CRP800-00E-8 | CNCRouterParts