Planet-cnc

[Ms Wolffie]

Have anyone tried this one?
It is getting more and more difficult to source serial (or is it parallel?) port equipped computers for Mach3.

http://www.planet-cnc.com/index.php?page=hardware
It looks interesting and the price is not bad either.
I do know about the smoothstepper, this is just a different idea.

Cheers
Wolffie

[martin54]

Although a lot of computers off the shelf now come without a parallel port which you need for mach3 unless your using a usb device like a smoothstepper the parallel header is still present on a lot of the mother boards & just requires a cable connected to it. You can only run on an older computer with windows xp via parallel port but I have read that it will operate under windows 7 64 bit if using usb. If you just have the one computer for everything then that would be the way to go. I have a machine that only runs mach3 for controlling the machine so an old computer works fine.

[Ms Wolffie]

I have a machine that only runs mach3 for controlling the machine so an old computer works fine.

That is if you can source one.
They are getting rarer than hens' teeth in this neck of the woods.
I live in the middle of nowhere as far as computers go.
I bought the Planet-cnc kit for about the same price as a smoothstepper would cost me and no Mach3 license or Gecko cost on top of it.

Cheers
Wolffie

[mikeacg]

I've been researching this all day since you posted it earlier and really like the sounds of it. I found some good sources (one was $99 for this exact board) and some great ideas for future projects. I was going to use Mach3 for building a plasma cutter out of an old CNC machine but this sounds like a good fit! Thanks Ms. Wolfie!!!

Mike

[PaulRowntree]

Do you know if it supports automatic touch-plate macros (like used on ger21's Bluescreen for Mach3) ?

[mikeacg]

This one says it does:

http://www.probotix.com/pxb-usb_usb_int ... ontroller/


Advanced interpolation algorithms
Control external devices with I2C protocol
Pause/resume of execution supported
Automatic homing procedure
Touch Plate Tool Change Procedure
Standard RS274/NGC G-code (EMC2 compatible)
Toolpath simulation
Advanced G-codes - G40, G41, G42 (Cutter Radius Compensation) supported
Advanced G-codes - G43, G49 (Tool Length Offsets) supported
Advanced G-codes - G54, G59.3 (Coordinate System Origins)

[rondunn]

Use it, love it.

Parallel ports are DEAD, products like this are the answer.

I tried KFLop - it wasn't for me - but this product installed on an old notebook computer and went straight to work.

[Ms Wolffie]

I've been researching this all day since you posted it earlier and really like the sounds of it. I found some good sources (one was $99 for this exact board) and some great ideas for future projects. I was going to use Mach3 for building a plasma cutter out of an old CNC machine but this sounds like a good fit! Thanks Ms. Wolfie!!!

Mike

Thank you to you as well Mike.
I am happy to find someone more experienced than I am likes it.
I was worried that Mach3 is a bit long in the tooth and nothing has been done to upgrade it (not even the manual) since it was originally made for milling machines.
I found Mach3 very confusing.
The "Coming soon to your machine" promise for Mach4 smacks too much like the 4th axis promise for the Shark
Thank you to Ron as well.
Cheers
Wolffie