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Author Topic: Will MACH3 ever support 64-bit systems? Officially? FYI, it's 2010  (Read 173398 times)

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Re: Will MACH3 ever support 64-bit systems? Officially? FYI, it's 2010
« Reply #40 on: May 25, 2010, 12:54:29 AM »
So biased or not, can one of you guys give me the text version of a block diagram?

My router came with a Testra 4s483 motion controller (http://testra.com/Motion/4x483/specs-4x.html).

If I were to use a SmoothStepper how does it fit in? Is the data flow something like this:

Win 7 64 bit PC USB port to ---> USB cable ---> Smoothstepper ---> parallel cable ---> Testra controller ---> steppers

???

Thanks

Dennis

Offline Jeff_Birt

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Re: Will MACH3 ever support 64-bit systems? Officially? FYI, it's 2010
« Reply #41 on: May 25, 2010, 01:13:09 AM »
While I respect your opinion FXC I have to disagree just a bit...and as I have said before all opinions are biased (that is why I always try to state the reasoning behind my thoughts.) Bear in mind that I sell some of the stuff I talk about but I sell products I believe in, I don't just sell stuff to make a buck. I'm also in the habit of not selling folks a product if I don't think it is the best fir for their needs. I've seen that done in outfits I have worked for in the past and nobody winds up happy in the end.

This quote is just from this evening...

Quote
I'm at a standstill at the moment. I've got a $5K router and a $400 PC that don't want to speak to each other.


And I see this same thing all the time. I have a $50 seven year old PC hooked up to a SmoothStepper that works just great. I can hook that same SmoothStepper (I have done so many times) to this brand new laptop and it works EXACTLY the same. The question seems to be of 'value' as opposed to 'price'. Two or three days of anyone's time spent fighting with getting a parallel port to work on are worth a lot more than the price of a SmoothStepper (and a numb er of higher priced options as well.)

I've had some PCs that the parallel port has work fine on and others not so well, it is just pot luck.


Quote
Example of that - I've been nosing around the SmoothStepper site for the last half hour and being a noobie I'm still trying to figure out just what it is/does and whether it would help in my situation.

The SmoothStepper is an external motion control card. Mach tells the SmoothStepper what moves it would like all the steppers (or servos) make and the SmoothStepper takes care of generating all the time critical pulses in dedicated hardware. Because the time critical stuff is done in hardware it is super stable and Smooth. To the user the SmoothStepper is pretty much like having two parallel porst worth of I/O and most configuration in Mach is done the same way. There are a few things you have to set that are unique to to the SmoothStepper.

Generally it will work fine on almost any PC, you still want to avoid having programs running that can use up a lot of processor time as it will give Mach fits and stall the communication with the SmoothStepper. I always recommend a separate PC for a CNC control as there is an untold combinations of software that could give Mach fits, you just have to use common sense and only run what you need when using Mach.

Happy machining , Jeff Birt
 

Offline Jeff_Birt

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Re: Will MACH3 ever support 64-bit systems? Officially? FYI, it's 2010
« Reply #42 on: May 25, 2010, 01:18:57 AM »
What you have is a stepper drive with a standard parallel port Stepper and a  LPH26 to DB25 cable and either a short parallel cable or a MM adapter. Take a look at my webpage here: http://soigeneris.com/Warp9.aspx , it shows all the parts in the same place. You'll want to have a good place to mount the SmoothStepepr board as well which will depend on how your 4x483 drive is mounted. (You can of course ge the SS lots of places.)

You hit the data flow diagram right on the head!
Happy machining , Jeff Birt
 
Re: Will MACH3 ever support 64-bit systems? Officially? FYI, it's 2010
« Reply #43 on: May 25, 2010, 10:01:37 AM »
What you have is a stepper drive with a standard parallel port Stepper and a  LPH26 to DB25 cable and either a short parallel cable or a MM adapter. Take a look at my webpage here: http://soigeneris.com/Warp9.aspx , it shows all the parts in the same place. You'll want to have a good place to mount the SmoothStepepr board as well which will depend on how your 4x483 drive is mounted. (You can of course ge the SS lots of places.)


In my case I have a Taig DSLS 3000 w/ 4th axis:

[link]http://www.microproto.com/MMDSLS.htm[/link]

Will the SS work with my setup?  Any Mach3 customization required (other than installing the SS driver)?

I'd rather spend the money on a SS than give Microsoft more money for an un-needed extra copy of Windows.

Steve

Offline Jeff_Birt

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Re: Will MACH3 ever support 64-bit systems? Officially? FYI, it's 2010
« Reply #44 on: May 25, 2010, 11:31:05 AM »
It should, you'll need to clone your current profile and change the motion device to the SmoothStepper. as I mentioned before there are a few configuration items that need to be done that are unique to the SmoothStepper as well.
Happy machining , Jeff Birt
 

Offline FXC

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Re: Will MACH3 ever support 64-bit systems? Officially? FYI, it's 2010
« Reply #45 on: May 25, 2010, 11:47:37 AM »
Thread hijack! LOL   :D

Warp9 should pay a commission to ArtSoft on each SmoothStepper sold as direct consequence of Mach's refusal to run on x64 systems.

Or, is this perhaps already happening... who knows?  :-X Where's my tinfoil, dammit!
Mach3 is a mess.
Re: Will MACH3 ever support 64-bit systems? Officially? FYI, it's 2010
« Reply #46 on: May 25, 2010, 11:58:50 AM »
It should, you'll need to clone your current profile and change the motion device to the SmoothStepper. as I mentioned before there are a few configuration items that need to be done that are unique to the SmoothStepper as well.

OK, I'm gonna trust you on this!  I just placed an order for a smooth stepper and cables.

This thread can now return to its original topic:  complaints re: Mach3 and its lack of support for Win 7 64-bit

Steve

Offline FXC

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Re: Will MACH3 ever support 64-bit systems? Officially? FYI, it's 2010
« Reply #47 on: May 25, 2010, 12:01:31 PM »
There it is! Exactly what I was talking about! Commission is due!
Mach3 is a mess.

Offline ger21

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Re: Will MACH3 ever support 64-bit systems? Officially? FYI, it's 2010
« Reply #48 on: May 25, 2010, 12:09:09 PM »
Well, I wish I knew that before I bought my PC.

Of course, with the missleading information in the misslabeled "minumum requirements" section of the ArtSoft home page, how was I to know that "32 bit version" is actually a maximum unlike the other things listed like Ghz and RAM that are truly minimums.

If I only knew then what I knew now...........


No offense, but this is a misunderstanding on your part about how PC's work. 32bit and 64 bit are completely different systems. They aren't thought of in terms of minimum and maximum. Software is either 32 bit or 64 bit. When it says 32 bit Windows is required, it is. And, you can't run 64 bit software on 32 bit windows either.
Gerry

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Re: Will MACH3 ever support 64-bit systems? Officially? FYI, it's 2010
« Reply #49 on: May 25, 2010, 02:19:04 PM »
Yep, you got that right - it is a misunderstanding on my part because I didn't know (and may never really understand) the difference between 32 bit and 64 bit operating systems. It sure isn't obvious to a non-computer person that they are totally different and one is not a super set of the other (the min/max conundrum). The point is I shouldn't have to as a customer. You ever heard of the KISS method?

So stop being so stubborn and add a statement that Mach will not run on a 64 bit system and all the others out here will have no doubt about it. It's obviously not as cut and dry as you make it sound or this thread (one of many on the Internet) wouldn't be on the fifth page before the facts came out.

Thanks,

Dennis


Well, I wish I knew that before I bought my PC.

Of course, with the missleading information in the misslabeled "minumum requirements" section of the ArtSoft home page, how was I to know that "32 bit version" is actually a maximum unlike the other things listed like Ghz and RAM that are truly minimums.

If I only knew then what I knew now...........


No offense, but this is a misunderstanding on your part about how PC's work. 32bit and 64 bit are completely different systems. They aren't thought of in terms of minimum and maximum. Software is either 32 bit or 64 bit. When it says 32 bit Windows is required, it is. And, you can't run 64 bit software on 32 bit windows either.