Dear Members

I recently brought a very small cnc machine for small art work,  I have also brought v carve and Mach 3.  I am not from an engineering or computing  background.  I would be very grateful if someone who knows about how Mach 3 and cnc machines work and I would be very grateful if they should share this information with me, hands on
 

Looking forward to some replies and indication of charges.

Many thanks

Gummy

forget using Mach 3 I can't even get a computer with a printer port on it!!  I have been to PC World and they look at me with disbelief, I am not sure about second hand computers do they work just as well?

You could get a PCI parallel port card and put that in a computer or you could invest a bit and get a SmoothStepper, it uses the USB port.
Hood

Oh and you still get computers with parallel ports, some have headers on the motherboard and others actually still have the port on the back panel.
And regards PC World, they look at you that way all the time, they cant help it because they dont know the first thing about computers so when you ask them a question you get that blank expression
Hood

Heres one from overclockers that has an onboard PP
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-187-OK&tool=5
Hood

Thank you very much,    I think I will go for your first recommendation to get a PCI parallel port card,  I have only a laptop and I understand that it is better to get a computer system than use a lap top, on Mach 3. 

Thanks again

If using a laptop you will probably need a SmoothStepper, some laptops with parallel ports will run Mach but the majority have issues, with a SmoothStepper there should not be a problem.
Hood

Hi,

I ordered the PC following the link provided. I have now discovered there is no onboard parallel port with this computer. The motherboard is an ASUS M2N68-AM SE2.

Please advise.

Thanks,

Did you just order it recently as I am almost certain that the link above had a different motherboard at that time.
I probably have a PCI Parallel port here I could give you as I never use the parallel port now and am unlikely to ever do so.
PM me your address and I will send it off if I can find it.
Hood

Hi,

I thought that may have been the case. I'm happy to get a parallel port card. Which would you recommend, a PCI one or a PCI Express one. Maplins have these two:

PCI-Express I/O Controller Card
only £29.99
Order Code: A55HH

and

PCI Parallel Card
only £29.99
Order Code: UW66W

Thanks