[vmax549]

Teh UC400eth has 2 standard LPT type1 port configuration. 12 outputs and 5 inputs each.


Any bidirectional breakout board will work with it as well as the type 1 only lpt BOBs.

IF you want a single board then most boards for a Smoothstepper will work fine

Just a thought, (;-)TP

[TripWire]

Why on earth do you think you need a single board that plugs directly into both ports?

Because I'm tight on space and that would be the most elegant solution. Guess it's not absolutely necessary.

[TripWire]

Teh UC400eth has 2 standard LPT type1 port configuration. 12 outputs and 5 inputs each.


Any bidirectional breakout board will work with it as well as the type 1 only lpt BOBs.

IF you want a single board then most boards for a Smoothstepper will work fine

Just a thought, (;-)TP

As I mentioned, the C25 does *not* work as it appears the 2 LPT ports are hardwired--one is UC400ETH compatible, one not. But yes, I'll check for boards that are bi-directional.

[A_Camera]

Thanks for the quick reply/info!
But that's kind of crazy, right? What use is the UC400ETH if there are no breakout boards for it? Is it a brand new product or something? Yes, I can cobble together a couple of single parallel port solutions but that's a kludge. I thought the smooth stepper C25 would be the perfect solution but discovered that the 2nd parallel port is not "standard".

Aren't you making a hen out of a feather? I mean, why is it such a huge problem if you need to use two bobs?

[ger21]

Actually, the "bi-directional" features of a bi-directional board are what won't work with a UC400ETH.

Most 2 port boards have the second port as the bi-directional type, to get more inputs.

[vmax549]

MY understanding of Bi Directional is that the signal can pass thru in both directions. As an input or as an output. So it did not matter if you use it on a type 1 or 2 lpt port.

(;-) TP

[ger21]

Yes, but the UC400ETH ports are one directional. So a bi directional board on a UC400ETH can only be used as a "standard" breakout board, with pins 2-9 as outputs only.

[vmax549]

OK what does that have to do with the BOB (;-) If it is bidirectional then you set teh 2nd port on teh bob as a type1 and there you have it. You would have a BOB that is setup for 2 type1 ports.

But not all 2 port BOBs are bidirectional.

(;-) TP

[coherent]

I have a UC400 and 2 breakout boards..one is pretty standard (C11GS) for driving the motors and charge pump, on board relays etc and another attached to port 2 that's a 12/24v open collector breakout board for proximity sensors, probe etc. Not a thing wrong with using 2 boards. The ability to select 2 different breakout boards is not only usually a little cheaper it allows you to mix and match BoB's to meed your specific hardware requirements. I consider it a positive not a negative.

[OlfCNC]

I agree. Standard printer port pinout which the UC400ETH has is the best solution. I can use 1 or 2 breakout boards. Most bobs come with standard printer port pinout. No need to buy expensive dual port ones or to find one with bidirectional pinout. And I can use 2 different bobs in case I need different functionalities.

[keithmcelhinney]

Ray something that mach is driving me nuts with is their Run From Here never seems to work right. I had a problem this weekend where I paused the cut and it cut a straight line though my part when I started it again (it was an arc and it just connected the start and end points). How is this with those things do you know?

I also have an issue where I can't probe twice without reloading mach or it will probe -x and then just rapid -x after that.

I hate replacing things that are working but if these problems are fixed I would probably take a shot..

-Keith

[ger21]

I hate replacing things that are working

Well, it sounds like it's obviously not working....

All these issues in Mach3 are bugs.

If you find a bug in UCCNC, and can reproduce it, it's generally fixed in a few days.

[keithmcelhinney]

There are ways around both issues but it does suck.

[SCzEngrgGroup]

You all should be happy to hear Novakon will be using the UC300ETH-5LPT, with a largely passive custom BOB mounted to it, so it will simply plug into any Novakon machine with no cabling changes. A few added features, like peck tapping on the Pulsar, will require a small amount of additional cabling. Additional uncommitted I/Os will be provided for easy user expansion, and at least 2 of the 5 ports will be completely unused, and available to the user through their connectors on the 5LPT board.

Regards,
Ray L.

[OlfCNC]

You all should be happy to hear Novakon will be using the UC300ETH-5LPT, with a largely passive custom BOB mounted to it, so it will simply plug into any Novakon machine with no cabling changes. A few added features, like peck tapping on the Pulsar, will require a small amount of additional cabling. Additional uncommitted I/Os will be provided for easy user expansion, and at least 2 of the 5 ports will be completely unused, and available to the user through their connectors on the 5LPT board.

Regards,
Ray L.

Ray, what made you guys to decide to use the UC300ETH-5LPT instead of the UC400ETH?
The much more I/Os or the analog I/Os or both or something else?
I'm just curious.

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Ray, what made you guys to decide to use the UC300ETH-5LPT instead of the UC400ETH?
The much more I/Os or the analog I/Os or both or something else?
I'm just curious.

Biggest factor was probably the analog I/O, since that allows the exact same hardware to be used on all Novakon machines, and the BOB can be little more than a board full of connectors, since the 5LPT is fully buffered. This setup will provide much more I/O, and some additional functions, and eliminate the current Novakon BOB, which more than makes up for the slightly higher cost.

Regards,
Ray L.

[mklotz70]

I'm looking forward to hearing what the price for a retrofit kit comes in at. With all the Fusion 360 users, are there any plans for a post processor or is there already one available?

[OlfCNC]

Thank you for the information Ray.

There is a UCCNC post processor for Fusion 360 : Autodesk CAM | Post Library
Type in UCCNC and you can download it.

[mklotz70]

Thank you for the information Ray.

There is a UCCNC post processor for Fusion 360 : Autodesk CAM | Post Library
Type in UCCNC and you can download it.

Excellent! Thank you!!

[Titaniumboy]

This is great news that Novokon has settled on a new motion controller upgrade package. What kind of pricing are we looking at?

Perhaps most important is when will the new upgrade package be available? Are we talking 1 week, 1 month, 3 months? Or should I be expecting something under the Christmas tree in December?

Also, why did you guys go with a custom BOB instead of the UB1?