Does anybody have any suggestions for a mini itx motherboard for use with Mach4.
Preferably something that has been verified to work with Mach 4.

P-Port not required. I will be using it with my Ethernet DSPMC and Hiconn.
If it takes SODIMM memory even better.

Mike

Anybody?  (Sounds of crickets)


Mike

Hi,
I bought a Mini ITX board from Unigens UMB-D255E1. I've been running Mach3 on two PP's for a couple
of years without trouble. Used 32 bit Windows 7 Embedded (Standard) as OS. Based on a dual core
Atom processor which has a GPU on chip albeit sharing main RAM. As a computing solution its a pretty
modest platform but never had cause to think about upping the processor grunt.
The main point of buying it was to increase reliability compared to my old XP machine and it has
achieved that easily. Fitted with a 64G mSATA SSHD, just brilliant.

I've recently bought a licence for Mach4 and have been running it in simulation mode without
difficulty. I have an ESS but have not hooked it up yet, I've got so many little jobs that need
doing and Mach3 handles them I just can't bring myself to take my mill out of service while I
shagg around with M4.

My early impressions of Mach4 is that it runs with fewer hiccups and quirks than Mach3 largely due to
the modular design and a modern 'engineered' software approach. I think any modern platform
will run Mach4 just fine, indeed that is one of the selling points of Mach4 is its (comparative) independence of
the platform it runs on.

Try searching mini-itx.com, they have got dozens of offerings. I got my board from a local (New Zealand)
supplier and paid a big premium for it but the same supplier was able to supply Windows Embedded which
was my choice of OS so I took the hardware price hit to get the OS.

Craig

Hi TOTALLYRC,
have an update....

Tried running M4 on my machine, Atom based miniITX mentioned above. M4 runs fine in sim mode no problems.

When I hook up the ESS I come unstuck. The Ethernet adaptor shows it supports UDP but I'm not sure the Atom is.
Depending on the transmission protocol used by your motion controllers the Atom may not work.

The Atom and the cutdown Windows7 Embedded OS has done really well with M3 and PP and I think would
do equally well M4 and Darwin PP but maybe not ESS. Haven't given up hope on it yet, but hang on to your bucks
at the moment.

Craig

Thanks for the update.
Try deleting the Sim plugin and any others that you are not using. See if that clears up the problems.

Mike

Hi Mike,
M4 is not the problem, its establishing a UDP Ethernet link to the ESS.

Given that I had a cutdown OS I had hoped that a fullhouse OS would do the trick. I reformatted and installed
near the complete version of Windows Embedded Standard 7, which behaves almost identically to Windows 7 Personal.
It did not change the Ethernet situation tho. I have an oldish laptop installed from the same disc ie Windows Embedded 7
and it runs the ESS and M4 just fine.

At this stage I'm thinking that the Atom just wont run UDP Ethernet.

Still, its been a doozy little platform for M3 and PP, I was hoping to get some more use out of it.

Since the reformat the computer ID has changed so its copy of M4 is unlicensed as is the copy on the old laptop. I don't have
many to spare so am going to hang fire until I have a clear plan. My main 'inside' laptop is licensed and am using that on my mill.
Don't mind admitting that using a PC as cluttered as my laptop as a machine controller gives me chills after so assiduously
keeping the wee Atom so clean and lean.

Craig

Can you install a network card into the open slot if it has one, just to see if it is the onboard Ethernet port?
Of course this assumes that you are using the onboard Ethernet port in the first place.

Hi Mike,
that's a great idea.

What I know about networks I could write on the back of a envelope, a small envelope. The last couple of day I've trawled the net for
tutorials, videos, articles. Slowly building up the knowledge  and tools to tackle it.

Lets face it there are millions of Atom based netbooks and similar out there. They can't communicate via Ethernet....Rubbish!. It means I'm
doing something wrong, familiar ground for me.

I don't have at home any known good network capable devices. I might take it to work and while the boss is not looking plug it in and see what
happens. I need to test the onboard ports, there are two of them. Trying a known good port on a plugin card is a good idea along the same lines.
As is trying to establish a link between my own computers with a twisted pair cable. That relies on me correctly setting up the link and given
infancy in matters of networking failure could be me rather than the device at each end.

There may yet be a specific reason that the Atom can't communicate to the ESS, throughput, inability to sustain UDP or similar but I refuse
to believe that it can't manage TCP/IP.

CNC has been one long learning experience for me and so it continues.

Craig

The other thing to check is to see if you need a crossover cable or not. Some ports do it automagically but some require a crossover cable when talking directly to a device. I think it is called auto negotiation or something like that.

Mike.

P.S. I occasionally have a good idea but usually they die of loneliness. ROFLMAO

If you have a router at home for your broadband then perhaps plug it in there and disable the wireles, if your ethernet port is working then you will be able to get the cheeky miss google or something, if its not working then check what protocals you have installed.

DazTheGas