Machsupport Forum

Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: Hobbs on May 02, 2022, 11:56:17 AM

Title: Alternatives to Mach3
Post by: Hobbs on May 02, 2022, 11:56:17 AM

Hi guys was wondering if there are any alternatives to mach3 mach4 that could be used to Control the CNC.

I've tried but cannot get on with Mach3, I previously used ncstudio and found this to be more user friendly.

If anyone knows any other applications that I can control my CNC machine with please let me know

Thanks in advance

Title: Re: Alternatives to Mach3
Post by: JohnHaine on May 02, 2022, 12:58:10 PM

Linux CNC, UCCNC?

Title: Re: Alternatives to Mach3
Post by: Hobbs on May 02, 2022, 02:42:26 PM

Thanks for the suggestions, this might sound stupid but will Linux CNC work on Windows pc? Thanks

Title: Re: Alternatives to Mach3
Post by: JohnHaine on May 02, 2022, 03:25:33 PM

No! But suitable low spec PCs that can run Ubuntu can be had for not much.

Title: Re: Alternatives to Mach3
Post by: joeaverage on May 02, 2022, 07:46:56 PM

Hi,
you have to use a realtime Linux distro, last time I checked most LinuxCNC users were installing a realtime version of MINT. What the current favourite realtime distro is I don't know.
If you don't like Mach3 then are you any better off with LinuxCNC?

Craig

Title: Re: Alternatives to Mach3
Post by: ozymax on May 02, 2022, 08:32:06 PM

Check out the Masso G3 stand alone controller.
I'm seriously looking at converting over to Masso to control my machine and just keeping my PC for my CAD work.
CNCnutz has plenty of tutorial videos on Youtube.

Title: Re: Alternatives to Mach3
Post by: Tweakie.CNC on May 03, 2022, 01:29:15 AM

As an alternative UCCNC would be my choice.  https://www.cncdrive.com

Tweakie.

Title: Re: Alternatives to Mach3
Post by: Hobbs on May 03, 2022, 01:47:35 AM

Thanks all for the suggestions, had anyone used GRBL? It looks like a simple user interface

Title: Re: Alternatives to Mach3
Post by: JohnHaine on May 03, 2022, 03:30:46 AM

Grbl is not an alternative to mach3.  Actually it doesn't have a user interface, it's just a motion controller that takes gcode input and turns it into pulses to drive stepper motors.  There are front ends that can drive grbl but so far as I've been able to find nothing that has the functionality of Mach.  And if you're having  trouble getting mach going you won't find grbl easier.

Though I suggest linuxcnc that is probably harder to get going.  I'm fairly sure that it can be downloaded with its own version of Ubuntu,  so no need to have a real time Linux distribution.

Title: Re: Alternatives to Mach3
Post by: Hobbs on May 03, 2022, 04:29:31 AM

Thanks for the information much appreciated. While I appreciate Mach3 can do so much there's just very little I need overall. I need to set it to home offset from machine 0 position, zero z axis to machine bed, load file and adjust speeds and feeds in a simple to follow user interface.

Title: Re: Alternatives to Mach3
Post by: joeaverage on May 03, 2022, 10:40:00 AM

Hi,

Quote

so no need to have a real time Linux distribution.

Wrong, it MUST have  a realtime kernel otherwise LinuxCNC does not work. There was in earlier time an Ubuntu distro that had RTE (Realtime Extensions)
and that was used. In more recent times there are better distros.

Craig

Title: Re: Alternatives to Mach3
Post by: JohnHaine on May 03, 2022, 10:42:52 AM

Well there you go. http://linuxcnc.org/2022/03/03/LinuxCNC-in-Debian/

Title: Re: Alternatives to Mach3
Post by: joeaverage on May 03, 2022, 02:39:22 PM

Hi,
well yes, over the years various distros have been used, including at one time Ubuntu with RTE, several years ago it was Mint
with Preempt-RT kernel, and now its Debian also with Preempt-RT kernel, either way you need realtime Linux to run LinuxCNC.

Craig

Title: Re: Alternatives to Mach3
Post by: TPS on May 05, 2022, 02:02:07 AM

you may also have look at estlcam.

Title: Re: Alternatives to Mach3
Post by: joeaverage on May 05, 2022, 02:20:57 AM

Hi,
I'm kind of thinking that Mach3 is not that dissimilar to Mach4, and Mach4 is not so dissimilar to UCCNC and UCCNC is not so
dissimilar to LinuxCNC...then if:

Quote

I've tried but cannot get on with Mach3,

then maybe he 'won't get on' with all or any of these solutions.
There are a couple of possibilities like Masso and Centroid Acorn for which I have zero knowledge but other than that I can only
think of the toy stuff like GRBL.

Craig