[Nicedesigns]

Hi all, I'm the new guy I guess. Hoping someone with some experience can give me info about this design. I'd like to find other discussions or documentation about it, if anyone can point me in the right direction. Would be cool to know the origins of the design or possibly the person who built the machine.

I am going to read up on the controller, but it looks like its using a parallel port interface. My assuption is I need a windows 32 bit computer to run it?

It's an older, used, diy machine. It seems to be of reasonable quality for the price. The machine hasn't ran in awhile and will need a bit of set up. Any advise you would like to give me is much appreciated.

Machine Specs (mostly unkown)
3" extrusion table, cutting area: 53" x 110"
Gear rack: unknown
Pinion tensioner: unkown
Z-axis screw, rails and carriage: unkown
Router: Porter Cable 7518
Main Board: Practical CNC Rev 2.13
Controller: PMDX - 126
Drivers: unkown
Motors: Z-AXIS: P22NRXB-LDF-NS-00 M Series POWERMAX II Hybrid Step Motor manufactured by Pacific Scientific 214 oz in
X-AXIS and Y-AXIS*: M22NRXB-LDN-NS-00 M Series POWERMAX II Hybrid Step Motor manufactured by Pacific Scientific 253 oz in
*Y-AXIS is ran with a single motor and long drive shaft.
Sensors: none
E-Stop: none

I paid $2000 usd. Does that seem like a reasonable deal? I'm after a reliable machine that can cut wood panels for prototype furniture. I know its won’t be the fastest machine in the world, but hoping for decent productivity. Are there any obvious weaknesses or upgrades this machine needs?

For reference I owned an xcarve and did a bit of playing around with the machine, but it caught fire and was a total loss before I was able to do much with it. Thanks to everyone or anyone who can help me get a better understanding of all this.