Hello, years ago I bought a deepgroove1 Taig cnc kit (Taig cnc, Gecko g540 drivers) then promptly moved overseas before ever assembling it. I finally got around to having it shipped to me but I don't have access to a parallel port pc so I'm weighing my options. I'm very early in the learning phase, and a lot of the lingo looks like a foreign language to me. My cnc machine arrives at my freight forwarder tomorrow then will be sent to me. I'm hoping to figure out how to get it hooked to a pc/laptop asap so I can buy any parts needed to have them shipped to me along with the machine since its a 2-3month wait for shipping.
I've been recommended the UC100 with UCCNC software. This looks good, and the price is right. Am I right in thinking I can just plug this into the Gecko g540 and computer and be up and running or do I need anything additional like "breakout boards", etc?
Others have recommended going with an ethernet controller, which I am considering. One I see is the UC300ETH.
I'm curious what all I will need to get these setups working. For example it looks like the UC300ETH needs a motherboard in addition to the controller. I keep seeing mentions of "breakout boards", is this something else I will need?
Being a complete novice I'm leaning towards ease of installation over added features. The UC100 looks like it might be easier to setup? The appeal of the ethernet controller for me is it being isolated so less chance of me frying something.
Any advice that can be offered would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.