Newbie- PC to run Mach 3

[dpgoldberg]

I am looking for recommendations for a PC computer to run Mach 3 for my DIY CNC router. I am new to the world of PCs, having been a Mac user all my life. The PC will be dedicated just to run the CNC, all my CAD and design work will still be done on the Mac and exported over for cutting.

It seems like new computers aren't built with parallel ports anymore. How does one interface a newer PC with the Gecko driver which uses a parallel port?

I'm hesitant to buy a used older computer on Ebay, but it's not out of the question.

Thanks for the help!

[nego_0]

you need a 32 bit OS win xp or win 7 works, Vista sucks. If you run the G540 you will want a pc with a parralel port bult in and do not use a laptop if you plan to use the g540. If you using smooth stepper your in a diffrent game. But any pc realy will work belive it or not.

[Crevice Reamer]

I've had very good service from several of these 1 year guaranteed refurbished computers with parallel port:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...467&CatId=5139

CR.

[dpgoldberg]

Originally Posted by Crevice Reamer I've had very good service from several of these 1 year guaranteed refurbished computers with parallel port: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...467&CatId=5139 CR.

CR,

Thanks! That's the tip/deal of the week!

Is there anyway of knowing if it's the 32bit Windows XP so I can use the parallel port? Or is that standard with older machines. (Sorry, again I'm a Mac user and don't know much about Windows.)

Dave

[Crevice Reamer]

Originally Posted by dpgoldberg CR, Thanks! That's the tip/deal of the week! Is there anyway of knowing if it's the 32bit Windows XP so I can use the parallel port? Or is that standard with older machines. (Sorry, again I'm a Mac user and don't know much about Windows.) Dave

Yes, it's the 32 bit XP. All I ever do is install Mach3 & license, plug into parallel port and it's good to go.

It has CDRom, floppy drive and numerous USB ports. I usually transfer with thumb drives.

Of course you have to disable all of the windows background operations like Virus protection, internet access etc.

CR.

[dpgoldberg]

Originally Posted by Crevice Reamer Yes, it's the 32 bit XP. All I ever do is install Mach3 & license, plug into parallel port and it's good to go. It has CDRom, floppy drive and numerous USB ports. I usually transfer with thumb drives. Of course you have to disable all of the windows background operations like Virus protection, internet access etc. CR.

Excellent! Thank you for your help.

[brtech]

There are a lot of opinions on Tiger Direct out there. I'm not a fan, but YMMV.

One suggestion I have is ask your local Goodwill if they have a computer store. In my area, they do, and they offer outstanding deals on the kind of system needed to run Mach. They tend to be older, often do come with XP running, with parallel ports, and enough memory. If you are unsure of figuring out what you need, I highly recommend finding a neighbor teenager, who will no doubt be able to help you with your purchase or know someone who can.

There are some additional benefits of using Goodwill, and purchasing local.

[gmfoster]

If you have a micro center in your area they often have refurb's available as well. If you are new to PC's one thing to keep in mind is that dell, HP and Compaq(HP) all tend to use things that are just a little non standard. Usually a non standard power connector to the motherboard. So if something fails sometimes you can't just grab a 20 dollar power supply or a 30 dollar mother board and keep going...
Not a big deal but somehting to be aware of...

[nego_0]

Build your own mate! Its easy kinda like legos matter of fact i run xp, win7, linux (redhat), And MAC os 10 (it works but not as nice as i wanted do to motherboard issues) with a little hacking a pc will run anything. Or if you want boot camp your mac and run xp.

[gmfoster]

Originally Posted by nego_0 Build your own mate! Its easy kinda like legos matter of fact i run xp, win7, linux (redhat), And MAC os 10 (it works but not as nice as i wanted do to motherboard issues) with a little hacking a pc will run anything. Or if you want boot camp your mac and run xp.

Will Mach run under bootcamp?
I know it won't run in a virtual machine but I am not sure that boot camp doesn't really boot as a win machine?

[brtech]

I wish.

No, it won't. Macs don't have parallel ports. You wouldn't probably need bootcamp - use VMware ($$) or VirtualBox (free, at least for now). I have VMware on my mac (my employer supplied it) and it works great if you need it. It's annoying to have to boot two systems, it does noticeably slow down Mac apps, especially when booting. However, it really does run any non hardware dependent Windows apps.

Mach is picky about parallel ports, for good reason, and you can't get it to run on any Mac. USB to parallel port adapters don't even work on Windows boxes, let alone macs.

[cnc2]

You don't want to buy a PC with Hyper Threading or a multi-core processor... some people on the zone had troubles using them, it produces a weird effect when driving the motors with Mach...I've read about people disabling the ACPI from Win XP.

PS: Intel Core 2 duo/quad are 64bit multicore processors, some of the pentium 4 have HyperThreading (HT) it might work by disabling HyperThreading. the best you can do is to google for the processor's specs or part number & look what features it supports.

cnc2.