[Quorim]

I recently had a catastrophic failure on the computer I was using to control my G0704 CNC mill. In the process of building a new one I became painfully aware of how difficult finding a suitable computer and setting up a new parallel port-based system is. In researching alternate strategies I came across a USB Motion Controller at Automation Technologies pictured below.

At first glance, this appears like a good solution that would eliminate the need for parallel ports on the computer and at the same time allow reuse of parallel port based break out boards for those with controllers already configured.

Unfortunately my research did did not uncover any information on setup, configuration, reliability or any review - either positive or negative.

Has anyone used this product and have any feedback?

Thanks

[ger21]

Spend $20 more for a UC100, which is fully supported by a known company, CNC Drive.
http://www.automationtechnologiesinc...on-controller/

[Quorim]

Spend $20 more for a UC100, which is fully supported by a known company, CNC Drive.
http://www.automationtechnologiesinc...on-controller/

While that is definitely one of the options under consideration, however the question on the table is - Has anyone used this product and have any feedback?

[dertsap]

the fact that you can't find any info on it should speak volumes
I don't have feed back on that particular unit but I've got a couple of the uc100 which that unit is apparently a direct knock off . I discontinued using the uc100 because it would often break the signal in the middle of runs . If the uc was a problem then I believe the knockoff will be a turd

[A_Camera]

Get the real product, not a fake copied crap. Even better, consider spending a little more and get a UC400 or UC300ETH instead. I think in the end you will not be happy with USB. Buying the real UC100 or the other UCx00 products will give you the options to use Mach3, just like you do today, or at a later stage move on to a better one, the UCCNC which is pretty cheap considering what you get for the money.

[dharmic]

Yeah, I haven't looked back since I went to my uc400eth. 4th axis, smooth motion, all good and simple as can be to hook it up.

[Quorim]

Looks like no one has actually used the product....or willing to publicly admit so.

Thanks for the feedback.

Got the new computer working, so no need to rush into a new configuration.

[A_Camera]

Looks like no one has actually used the product....or willing to publicly admit so.

Thanks for the feedback.

Got the new computer working, so no need to rush into a new configuration.

I don't think there is anything to "publicly admit"...

Good luck with your new computer.

[dertsap]

it wasn't long ago that cncdrives posted in the forums about these knockoffs

Do they have ribbon cables so that a guy can connect the 400 to an existing breakout board ?

[Dan911]

the fact that you can't find any info on it should speak volumes
I don't have feed back on that particular unit but I've got a couple of the uc100 which that unit is apparently a direct knock off . I discontinued using the uc100 because it would often break the signal in the middle of runs . If the uc was a problem then I believe the knockoff will be a turd

I used the UC100 with Mach3 and it is a giant step up. I now use it with UCCNC software and all my buggy issues went away.

The cable the UC100 comes with is a "turd", and if you have a noisy system you will experience this single lost. I replaced my cable with a shielded one and will never look back, I been using my UC100 for almost a year now and couldn't be happier. What surprises me is there still shipping with these cheap cables, if they supplied a better cable there wouldn't be negative posts like this.

Dan

[louieatienza]

I recently had a catastrophic failure on the computer I was using to control my G0704 CNC mill. In the process of building a new one I became painfully aware of how difficult finding a suitable computer and setting up a new parallel port-based system is. In researching alternate strategies I came across a USB Motion Controller at Automation Technologies pictured below.

At first glance, this appears like a good solution that would eliminate the need for parallel ports on the computer and at the same time allow reuse of parallel port based break out boards for those with controllers already configured.

Unfortunately my research did did not uncover any information on setup, configuration, reliability or any review - either positive or negative.

Has anyone used this product and have any feedback?

Thanks

Unless you really, really need USB or Ethernet, the parallel port is just fine. The lowly parallel port still has a throughput of about 2MB/s, which is more than plenty for Mach3.

[Quorim]

One thing still puzzles me - if, as the above posts imply, the UC100 knockoff is as bad as stated, why would a presumably reputable supplier like Automation Technologies carry them and risk their reputation. This is probably a rhetorical question, but I still find it a bit of a conundrum.

[Dan911]

One thing still puzzles me - if, as the above posts imply, the UC100 knockoff is as bad as stated, why would a presumably reputable supplier like Automation Technologies carry them and risk their reputation. This is probably a rhetorical question, but I still find it a bit of a conundrum.

Because Automation Technologies aren't selling knockoffs.

[A_Camera]

it wasn't long ago that cncdrives posted in the forums about these knockoffs

Do they have ribbon cables so that a guy can connect the 400 to an existing breakout board ?

They deliver it with one ribbon cable but you can order a second one from them as well. The cable is standard cableand is sold in several places.

[dertsap]

I used the UC100 with Mach3 and it is a giant step up. I now use it with UCCNC software and all my buggy issues went away.

The cable the UC100 comes with is a "turd", and if you have a noisy system you will experience this single lost. I replaced my cable with a shielded one and will never look back, I been using my UC100 for almost a year now and couldn't be happier. What surprises me is there still shipping with these cheap cables, if they supplied a better cable there wouldn't be negative posts like this.

Dan

maybe I'll try a better cable and see how it goes . I like it when it's working solid . It would work great for a week or so then it could start breaking contact here and there which was a pita . My mills get a lot of hours on them in a week and time is essential , so I don't mess around fidgeting with stuff and I'm quick to turf things

The gear that looks like the uc100 but has a metal case is a knock off according to the thread I saw (as in the original post pic) . They are all over ebay

[A_Camera]

One thing still puzzles me - if, as the above posts imply, the UC100 knockoff is as bad as stated, why would a presumably reputable supplier like Automation Technologies carry them and risk their reputation. This is probably a rhetorical question, but I still find it a bit of a conundrum.

You only know if it is a knock off or not if you open it and examine the hardware and the firmware or if they claim that it is a UC100 compatible device or if they link to CNCDrive for manual or for support. We can just assume that because of the looks, but it was you who assumed that people are shy to admit that they are using this.

I think that the reason for getting this low response to your question is that the readers of this thread don't use that product regardless if it is a fake or not.

[louieatienza]

Because Automation Technologies aren't selling knockoffs.

They even SELL the UC-100 software! But really, with the Euro being very low, it's actually cheaper to buy the UC-100 from CNC Drive themselves, then there's no question of its authenticity....

[DonKes]

I tried to buy from CNCDrive but could not . It cost a lot more to buy here.

Don

[A_Camera]

I tried to buy from CNCDrive but could not . It cost a lot more to buy here.

Don

Maybe they have some agent agreement. Didn't they explain why they don't want to ship to USA from Hungary? Perhaps they sell in large volumes to USA and not interested in individual customer contacts, which explains the reason for having agents. It is definitely not a generic problem, at least not for now, to ship anything from EU to USA, I am selling and shipping to USA pretty often from EU (Sweden) but I don't have an agent in USA, so I have to ship to each buyer.

[ger21]

I buy from CNC4PC.