Re: Serial Ports only???
There are also USB interfaced controllers, although these are serial.
There are motion cards which sit in a PC slot which handle the operation of the CNC functions with PID control directly back to the card.
Systems such as Kmotion etc use the PC mainly as a HMI and communicate with the PC via a USB port and handle the trajectory planning and servo control on an out board system.
Al..
CNC, Mechatronics Integration and Custom Machine Design
“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
Albert E.