[jaru-eri]

Will an IBM t42 laptop be good enough for driving a Gecko G540 controller? I´ve been offered to buy one with a paralell port.

[awerby]

As I recall, there's an issue with laptop parallel ports having insufficient voltage to run CNC machines. This might not be true of all of them, but check yours to make sure it's putting out at least (IIRC) 3.5v. Of course, you could also get an adapter to the G540 that connects the computer's USB or Ethernet ports to its LPT input.

[jaru-eri]

Do you have a link to these adapters?

[joeavaerage]

Hi,

Of course, you could also get an adapter to the G540 that connects the computer's USB or Ethernet ports to its LPT input.

A G540 requires a stream of Step/Dir pulses required to drive the stepper drivers. There is to my knowledge NO adaptor that takes USB or Ethernet to a parallel port
that can generate Step/Dir pulses, drive a printer maybe, but a G540, no.

There are external motion controllers, for example a UC100 that takes numeric trajectory data from either Mach or UCCNC and converts that into Step/Dir pulses and conveniently
outputted via a DB25 parallel port plug. You might be tempted to call this an adaptor.....but really its not, it is a genuine motion controller and has an FPGA inside, way WAY WAY smarter
than any adaptor.

The setup is either Mach or UCCNC run on the PC or Laptop, the UC100 is plugged into the PC by a USB plug, and the G540 is plugged into the UC100.
If this idea appeals just beware that there are hundreds of fake Chinese made UC100's on Ebay and Amazon, buy a genuine UC100 made by CNCDrive, or don't bother.
The fakes are not a patch on the real thing.

Craig

[morestuff]

The IBM/Lenovo T42 has an actual parallel port built into the laptop, so it can drive step and direction directly. I do not know if the I/O voltage on that port is 3.3 volt or 5 volt and that could be an issue. It is likely that even if it has 5 volt I/O the G540 charge pump circuit would not work and you would have to turn off that feature on the G540. This circuit on the G540 is picky about drive voltage.

If you go with the external motion controller as suggested by Craig, then most any laptop could be used.

Steve Stallings
PMDX

Hi,

A G540 requires a stream of Step/Dir pulses required to drive the stepper drivers. There is to my knowledge NO adaptor that takes USB or Ethernet to a parallel port
that can generate Step/Dir pulses, drive a printer maybe, but a G540, no.

There are external motion controllers, for example a UC100 that takes numeric trajectory data from either Mach or UCCNC and converts that into Step/Dir pulses and conveniently
outputted via a DB25 parallel port plug. You might be tempted to call this an adaptor.....but really its not, it is a genuine motion controller and has an FPGA inside, way WAY WAY smarter
than any adaptor.

The setup is either Mach or UCCNC run on the PC or Laptop, the UC100 is plugged into the PC by a USB plug, and the G540 is plugged into the UC100.
If this idea appeals just beware that there are hundreds of fake Chinese made UC100's on Ebay and Amazon, buy a genuine UC100 made by CNCDrive, or don't bother.
The fakes are not a patch on the real thing.

Craig

[joeavaerage]

Hi,
Machs parallel port was always problematic. Any extraneous software or service running on the PC could screw up the parallel port where the machine would stutter or stall.
Laptops were never considered good candidates for Mach use as the power saving strategies also screwed with the parallel port.

Make no mistake, the parallel port in its day was good, it allowed people to get into CNC where there was no other solution without spending BIG BUCKS.

Some years later came external motion controllers like the UC100 and the Ethernet SmoothStepper. They relieve the PC of the need to generate the pulse streams for the motors
which is in large part what the parallel port did and for which Windows PCs are not very good at. This meant that you could use 64 bit PCs, Windows 8 and later and Laptops.
Extra software installed and even running does not screw Mach up.

I used Machs parallel port, about ten years ago now, and always thought it pretty good. Then I got an Ethernet SmoothStepper and my motors ran that much smoother that I increased
the max motor speed by 1/3 without losing steps, plus I could use just about any PC without qualms.

For the price of an old laptop you could have a SmoothStepper or a UC100, just make sure you buy a genuine one, not one of the Chinese fakes.

Craig

[awerby]

You're totally right, Craig; these devices are a lot more than simple adapters. I used that term because that's how they appear to a user - they go in between the USB or ethernet port and plug in where the G540 is expecting a parallel connection, But there's a lot of "smarts" inside. And you're also correct about the number of fakes out there. Just get them from Arturo at CNC4PC,com (https://www.cnc4pc.com/motion-contro...ers/ucx00.html ) and you'll be fine.

[joeavaerage]

Hi,

And you're also correct about the number of fakes out there.

Lets face it the Chinese have done the world a great favor by manufacturing products that we can all afford, but this pirate stuff is just junk.

When I was a lad, while ago now, Japan was the cheap Asian manufacturer, and we had a name for it 'Jap Crap'....but they soon got away from that
and now Japanese is a mark of quality. In more recent times Korea and Taiwan have done the same thing, but they are now great quality at fair prices,
and I seek their products out.

China may well do the same thing, but this faking and pirating, is harming China's transition to a respected and valued manufacturing nation.

Craig

[jaru-eri]

I now have a chance to buy a small PC: Dell optiplex 760 for only $45.- Will that be good enough for this purpose? Can I install Win XP on a PC like that?

[joeavaerage]

Hi,
yes entirely probable that you could install XP, but why?

If you get a UC100 or an ESS as I have recommended then you can use any Windows OS that you want, including Windows 10 if that is what is already on it.
The whole point about using an external motion controller is that it frees the PC so much that just about any old PC will do.

If you insist on using a parallel port then, yes, you must use 32 bit XP or 32 bit Windows 7.

It seems to me that you are trying to save $10....but will cost yourself $500 with poor performance that a parallel port offers.

Craig

[jaru-eri]

Hi,
yes entirely probable that you could install XP, but why?

If you get a UC100 or an ESS as I have recommended then you can use any Windows OS that you want, including Windows 10 if that is what is already on it.
The whole point about using an external motion controller is that it frees the PC so much that just about any old PC will do.

If you insist on using a parallel port then, yes, you must use 32 bit XP or 32 bit Windows 7.

It seems to me that you are trying to save $10....but will cost yourself $500 with poor performance that a parallel port offers.

Craig

It is for an old Taig mill that I want to sell as soon as possible. I have run it on a parallell port for years and I now run my new Taig ball screw mill on parallell port so I think it will be good enough.