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Author Topic: UC 100  (Read 1120 times)

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UC 100
« on: December 06, 2018, 06:58:06 AM »
Hello all, I'm sure that this question has been asked and answered but with the Search function b*****d there's no easy way to find it!!

So, I'm finally upgrading my workhorse office laptop and will have an old but functional Dell Latitude Win 7 machine spare as a result.  In the workshop the CNC machines are controlled by an even more venerable Dell WinXP desktop through the parallel port, and I'm wondering about moving the laptop to the workshop and replacing the XP machine, controlling the machines using a USB motion controller.  I aim to stick with Mach 3 because it works, I understand it reasonably well, and I've written some useful extra macros for tool setting.  I'm interested in people's experience to help with this decision.  Another option, though more expensive, would be an Ethernet controller.

1.  Will the UC100 work OK with a Win 7 laptop (obviously I'm no longer using a parallel port and would need the appropriate plugins)?

2.  Does the UC100 support the probing input properly?  That's very important for me for tool setting, for both mill and lathe.

3.  If I decide to ditch Mach 3 at some stage, has anyone experience of the UC100 with other CNC packages such as Mach 4?

Yes, I will ask the UC100 supplier the same questions but interested in customers' experience in the real world.

Thanks in advance for any help.
Re: UC 100
« Reply #1 on: December 06, 2018, 07:17:26 AM »
Hi,
1) Yes the UC100 will work with laptops with 32 OR 64 bit OS's.
2) Yes the UC100 supports probing
3) The UC100 has a capable Mach4 plugin. At this time the Mach4 plugin does not support advanced features like backlash compensation,
     lathe threading or THC.

If buying a UC100 buy direct from CNCDrive or their nominated distributor, there are heaps of Chinese junk knock-offs on Ebay and Amazon.
The UC100 is well known and liked and compares favourably with the PMDX411 and 57CNCdb25 which are all USB connected but all only 17 inputs/outputs.
Ethernet connected controllers have reduced latency and are electrically isolated and therefore have better noise performance.
Good examples of such controllers are the UC300 (85 inputs/outputs), the 57CNC (57 inputs/outputs) and the Ethernet SmoothStepper (51 inputs/outputs).

Craig
'I enjoy sex at 73.....I live at 71 so its not too far to walk.'
Re: UC 100
« Reply #2 on: December 06, 2018, 07:26:53 AM »
Excellent, thanks Craig!