Messages

161

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 on Parallel Vs UC100

« on: December 21, 2017, 08:20:48 PM »

whether or not you need a crossover cable depends on the ethernet adapter in you PC. Modern adapters don;t need a crossover cable, as they auto detect and do the switching internally. I don't use a crossover on either of my PC's.

Well I have the whole works on order I went with what info was given in the UC400 docs.    Cover is off the controller / PS box and voltage source located.  I am assuming since its pin for pin compatible with the parallel port all my present settings will work.   Zero documentation on configuring with Mach3/4 just about their own controller program.  So are you using 3 or 4 with your setup?   What pulse frequency?

162

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 on Parallel Vs UC100

« on: December 21, 2017, 02:38:45 PM »

Well the UC400ETH is on order, thanks guys.

163

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 on Parallel Vs UC100

« on: December 21, 2017, 01:44:01 PM »

So it looks like with the UC400ETH I need a CAT 5e  crossover cable to connect directly to my PC can someone confirm that so I can get all the stuff in one shipment.  Plus the parallel ribbon cable connector

164

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 on Parallel Vs UC100

« on: December 21, 2017, 12:40:34 PM »

Hi,
sounds like your dead set on a UC100 irrespective of what others say. In which case don't get a Chinese knock-off, they abound on EBay.
Buy direct from CNCDrive or their nominated distributor.

Craig

  Actually I am also  considering the UC400ETH just doing the research right now.  Not finding a whole lot of people using it vs the UC100.  Also finding out that Amazon is a guilty as eBay as having venders selling knock offs.  Found that out on Arduino boards.

165

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 on Parallel Vs UC100

« on: December 21, 2017, 10:05:46 AM »

Well I went into the Bio's and disabled the CPU and USB  ACPI modes and I am up to a little over 20,000 and very stable.  I am trying to keep this simple and running on my spare computer
   I also have two laser engravers to keep running, one a co2 40 watt and the other a Galvo fiber 20 watt machine for metals. Both those are on a Windows 7 Pro laptop and USB.

166

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 on Parallel Vs UC100

« on: December 21, 2017, 09:02:48 AM »

It looks like disabling ACPI also screws up the plug and play or device discovery, I would think that would cause more problems.

In most cases, ACPI prevents Mach3 from running properly, and changing to Standard will usually fix this. Both PC's I have will not run Mach3 in ACPI mode, but work fine in Standard mode.

Well the 400 seems like a lot of extra wiring and work for a benefit I do not need.

The UC400ETH require no more wiring than a UC100. It just requires a ribbon cable to the G540 instead of a parallel cable. About $5. And an ethernet cable instead of USB. $2.
Ethernet provides a more reliable connection, and is more immune to noise issues.

Mach3 runs just fine on my Lenovo laptop with ACPI and I ran an hour long very intensive VCarve gcode file without any issues what so ever. I even bumped the feed rate up 200% and the computer CPU was only using 30%.  The 400 would require mounting inside the power/controller box and adding a power source which I could do. I will switch over to Standard to see if changes things.

 So does Mach3 set the pulse frequency as needed?

   Did I mention that I am / was a master electrician and specialized in HVAC/R  controls.    Also have been working with and building computers as a hobby since about 1980, and also a licensed ham back when you had to know something to get your call sign.

167

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 on Parallel Vs UC100

« on: December 21, 2017, 08:26:45 AM »

Yes, but you may need to make changes to some or many of your settings.
And I'd recommend a UC400ETH over a UC100. It's about $25 more, but is newer, has more features, and has better noise immunity.

Well the 400 seems like a lot of extra wiring and work for a benefit I do not need. Plus by the time you factor in you need to purchase the needed cable its more like $50 more. I will change computer over to Standard, if no improvement then I will go with the UC100.
It looks like disabling ACPI also screws up the plug and play or device discovery, I would think that would cause more problems.

168

General Mach Discussion / Re: mach3 does not prompt for uc100 plug in

« on: December 21, 2017, 07:26:27 AM »

Thanks. I'll look for it.
tony

   I will be interested in hearing how this turned out, as I have more or less the same computer.  Old Lenovo T43 and using right now the parallel port, but not getting enough pulses.  More than likely going to the UC100.

169

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 on Parallel Vs UC100

« on: December 20, 2017, 09:18:50 PM »

No, you don't understand. If you are seeing a pulse speed of 15,000, then Mach3 is only running at half speed. It is not working correctly, and I seriously doubt that it will be reliable.

In Config > Ports and Pins, do you have Sherline 1/2 Pulse Mode checked?

So would going to the UC100 be a quick easy fix and solve the pulse rate issues,  since I now have all my settings working and tested?

170

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 on Parallel Vs UC100

« on: December 20, 2017, 08:50:57 PM »

Its running on a parallel port but I am getting only about 14,000 / 15,0000 pulse rate.

Run Drivertest.exe in the Mach3 folder, and see what the pulse rate is there. If the Kernel speed is set to 25Khz, then it should be very close to 25,000.
If it's only 15,000, then I wouldn't use the parallel port, as you're PC is not running Mach3 correctly. One thing you can try is to make sure the PC is in Standard mode, and not ACPI mode.

Did that before I even started. Very solid test results.  This is a CNC router it can only run so fast before you either start burning wood or bits up. High speed not really needed, must be reliable.  Yes I need to switch over to the Standard mode.