Hi all,

I'm trying to change my computer from an old Pentium 4 running windows XP to a newer one running Windows 10. As newer computers don't have anymore parallel ports and I'm running Mach 3 (Version R3.043.062), I've installed a PCI parallel card. Windows 10 was able to detect my card, after installing the card's driver but Mach 3 does not communicate with the port. The port is listed as LPT3. I've changed the address of the Port#1 in Ports and Pins with the one listed in Properties of the card as suggested here: http://industrialcnc.blogspot.com/2014/12/finding-your-parallel-port-address-for.html.
I have also checked the voltage on the DB25 as in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uglCm_qsojk. but no communication between Mach 3 and the parallel port. The card is based on a A351 chip.
Any suggestions?

Hi,
Machs parallel  port requires a 32 bit Windows 7 or earlier operating system. I understand there is a 32 bit Windows 10 OS but I've
not heard of anyone successfully running Machs parallel port on such a machine.

Do yourself a favour an get yourself an external motion controller like a SmoothStepper or a UC300. DO NOT BUY CHINESE RUBBISH!
A couple of hours reading on the form will confirm that those people who buy Chinese made CNC electronics are often disappointed and often
cant get to work at all.

Craig

A couple of hours reading on the form will confirm that those people who buy Chinese made CNC electronics are often disappointed and often
cant get to work at all.

Craig

10 minutes of reading are enough to figure out -> Win10 -> parallel Port -> no go

Hi TPS,
does that include Windows 10 32 bit? Certainly any 64 bit Windows is no go for PP.

I've just never heard anyone say 'Yes -I've got Widows 10 32 bit to run a PP', neither have I heard someone say 'I've tried Windows 10 32 bit
and found......'.

I still stand behind my recommendation that a good external motion controller, in the region $100-$200, and many issues experienced
by users of a parallel port disappear. The shame is that while many users think...'hey, I'll do that' .....but then buy cheap, usually Chinese
controllers only to find they are harder to get to work than a parallel port!

I've been using Mach4 for a couple of years now, and while you can run Mach4 on a parallel port it is limited, so I bought a SmoothStepper.
Just the SmoothStepper alone improved my CNC machine and Mach4 improved it yet more.

Craig

Hi Craig,

Thank you for your advice. I did some research on this forum and CNC Zone and I could not find anybody that was able to make this work. I have a Geckodrive G540 and I have just finished my control box. It looks like I will have to redo it if I use UC300ETH-5LPT combination but not if I use UC100. I've seen that UC300EHT-5LPT gives you more inputs and outputs plus analog inputs and outputs and you can connected it direct to a PC or via a router or switch. For only $44 extra its worth the money. What I cannot find is if it works only with its own network or you can connected to your home network so you can control it from any PC. Also I could not find the height of the assembly to start planning the box changes before it arrives. If you have any of these information please let me know. Thank you in advance.

Hi,
I personally agree, the extra few dollars now means that you have years worth of expansion ahead of you.

The picture is muddied a little however in that it is highly recommended that you use a breakout board between the UC300 and
your machine. It is meant, among other things, to protect your UC300 from damage or overload from your machine.

Gerry (ger21), a regular on the forum often recommends a UB1 from CNCRoom, in fact they do a combo of the UC300 AND a UB1 for $309.

There are other and much cheaper breakout boards, with a mixture of features however to get the best value from a UC300 then I think the UB1
is highly recommended. According to Gerry you'll never look back....which is a high recommendation from someone of his experience.

Most CNCers with Ethernet connected boards DO NOT recommend running through a router or a network.

Remember that this device controls a machine .....a crash could be costly....dangerous......injurious.

I heard some one say that 'Once your computer is hooked to and controlling a machine it is NO LONGER A PC but a MACHINE CONTROLLER that just
happens to use Windows as an operating system'. It is advice that I have heeded anyway......what you choose to do is your concern.

Probably the single most important advance that a good external motion controller like a UC300 will give you is the greatest choice of PCs. As you
know a lot of PCs never did a parallel port at all well, and some did, without any particular reason. With a UC300 just about any PC will work just fine,
better than any parallel port machine anyway. You can use laptops/desktops/32bit/64bit/new/old.......

I have a wee dual core Atom mini-ITX single board PC on my machine. It doesn't even have a graphics card, or even a box to live in! According to NFS
it shouldn't be good enough to run Mach but it does just fine thanks! I use a Ethernet SmoothStepper, so a different manufacturer but good quality and
support just like CNCDrive and their UC300.

What I really want to try is a LattePanda 4/64 with Window 10 Enterprise, all for $209.....but the bills keep cutting into my CNC budget.
Its a crying shame when real life interferes with your obession CNC!!!

https://www.dfrobot.com/product-1585.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI56Ga8r3Q3wIVF6mWCh1Cawt8EAAYASAAEgLmdPD_BwE

Craig

hi Craig,
maybe it is off Topic

Hi TPS,
does that include Windows 10 32 bit? Certainly any 64 bit Windows is no go for PP.

a short look lool to NFS Homepage -> mach3 -> Software requirements (https://www.machsupport.com/software/mach3/):

Requirements if using the parallel port for machine control:
Desktop PC with at least one parallel port
(Laptops are not supported)
32-bit version of Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7
(64-bit versions will not work)
1Ghz CPU
512MB RAM
Non-integrated Video Card with 32MB RAM
(Large G-code files, especially 3D files will require a video card with 512MB RAM or higher)


there is nothing about Win10 32Bit.
if you only remeber all this Win7 (32bit) PP + Win Update K(i can not remember the number) Trouble,
do you realy think to get a Win10 (32bit) to work with PP porper?

IMHO i do not think so, but this is only my completly insignificant personal meaning.  

i personaly get scared of all this 5V (3.3V) NPN Pull Up/Pull Down/Pull somewhere stuff.

i prefere to use stuff witch has a "touch" of industrial standard (CSMIO), 24V Inputs 24V Outputs an so on.

sorry to be "off Topic".

TPS
 

Hi TPS,
Windows 10 32 bit has been released long after that quote from NFS.

The situation remains.....no one has said definitely that Windows 10 32 bit will or will not work with a PP.

Have you tried it?

The CSMIO certainly has a reputation for industrial quality. Unfortunately CS Labs customer service has taken a big dive in recent times,
may be a personel issue. CS Labs have released a Mach4 plugin but its buggy and CS Labs are very slow to respond to Mach4 plugin
issues, indeed CS Labs are focusing on a competing software solution and have even less interest in Mach4. Given the premium paid
for CSMIO's against the backdrop of a buggy Mach4 plugin and disinterest by CS Labs to fix it I find CSMIO hard to recommend.

For similar money the Hicon Integra by Vital Systems, also 24V and industrial quality, has all the realtime support features that the CSMIO
lacks and the manufacturer has strong  after sales support and development of their Mach4 plugin.

Craig

Hi TPS,
Have you tried it?
Craig

no, because i think it is waste of time.

TPS

Hi TPS,

no, because i think it is waste of time

I rather agree, if you are going to use a parallel port then XP is as good as any.
That means that neither you or I can say definitely that Mach3s PP either does OR does not work on Windows 10 32 bit machine.
My guess is that the code security features would in effect preclude the parallel port from working. We'll just have to wait and see
if some one does try it and report on what happened.

Craig