Machsupport Forum
Mach Discussion => Mach4 General Discussion => Topic started by: Bruce The Original on June 06, 2023, 10:18:31 AM
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Greetings. My apologies if this subject has already been discussed. We currently own an EZ-Router CNC table, and we use Mach3 to control it. I'm wanting to start future-proofing this control system. Does anyone know if an EZ-Router CNC table can be controlled using Mach4? We're not using the parallel port for control.
Thanks in advance!
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Hi,
yes, Mach4 can do as you require.
When all said and done Mach3 is a Gcode interpreter and a trajectory planner.
Mach4 is a Gcode interpreter and a trajectory planner.
Where Mach4 differs is the manner in which the program is constructed, its highly modular. It has a highly editable GUI. It is vastly better equipped to
be customised to a certain machine with a much more robust scripting environment. It has a PLC which is many times faster than Mach3, and it has
a PMC module equivalent to 'Brains' in Mach3, but can operate across different sections of Mach4 unlike Brains in Mach3.
https://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=42891.msg278176#msg278176 (https://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=42891.msg278176#msg278176)
Don't get me wrong Mach4 is a steep learning curve.
Mach4 all but requires an external motion controller. There are six different manufacturers of motion controllers that are Mach4 ready. Iuse and recommend an
Ethernet SmoothStepper ($195) by Warp9TD, but there are others, both cheaper and more expensive.
Craig