USB is it out there?

[mocnc]

Hi guys,

Its been a long time since I have been back here......lets just say the good old lord was calling me and I didn't want to pick up. I am slowly getting back into this, and I pulled out my old cnc project. I soon realized I still need a driver. I was thinking about the gecko G540. Then it hit....is the parrellel port the way to go? Or is there an USB version out there that is better and the wave of the future. The other reason is that it seems harder to find a personal confuser (yes I did say the right, at times they can be to me) that has parrellel port. Or is there an adapter that can be used to go from the parrellel to the computer usb? I know I have a lot of work ahead of me, figuring it all out again, but can anyone guided me to what is best. I am going to use my cnc for pool cues (have a 4th axis that I made for this) and possibly shifter knobs on cars, as well as inlaying, etching etc. Any help with cheap or free software such as cad/cam, convertingdwg to dxf and to convert it to something that can be used on the cnc. Sorry to ask, and I will be looking myself...but any help would be great.

[brtech]

There is the Smoothstepper: Warp9 Tech. Design - Home of the SmoothStepper - Home, but it goes between your computer and a regular controller and it only works on Mach3. I think the G540 is a really excellent product.

For free CAD software, you can't beat Sketchup. Getting it to CAM isn't all that straightforward unfortunately.

There are a couple of attempts at free CAM, but nothing entirely free seems to work well enough for me. I think CamBam, at $150 is pretty cool. Sheetcam is also very good, and many on the 'zone like the various Vectric products.

To drive the CNC for free, you want EMC. A lot of us pay Artsoft $150 for Mach3. If you do that, you can get LazyCam, which works well enough for some folks.

[wcarrothers1]

also could consider a Kflop from dynomotion.com

Vectric products for drawing and pathing are great (what I use)

b.

[Benonymous]

If you don't mind doing the miles involved, it is possible to use a combination of Blender and software from linuxcnc to make an end-to-end solution for CNC machining. This definitely would not be the most straightforward method but it has the advantage of being free and having a web community behind it.

Blender will take some learning but all 3d modelling packages do.

Links:

http://www.blender.org/

LinuxCNC.org - Home

and the best free Linux distro at present.

Ubuntu homepage | Ubuntu

[cyclestart]

If using parallel port nothing other than a real parallel port will work, or at least that's the story with emc.
I bought a new motherboard with parallel port but it's becoming a rare feature.

Anyone who masters Blender has my utmost respect, it doesn't lack power or features.
I've tried and failed.
It's possible that Blender is user friendly, but it is fussy who it chooses for friends

Edit/ Correction
pci parallel port card will work. We'll be ok unless pci slot is also becoming obsolete ?

[mocnc]

Please correct me if I am wrong.....but isn't mach 3 a cam? Or is lazycam also need. So in that case what I need is a Cad program, like autocad or sketchup, to design my project. A program to convert it from the dxf file from the cad program to g-code, lazycam will work. Then a program like mach 3 to actually take the g-code and send the info to the stepper motor drive(gecko G540). Hopfully I then get the project I actually designed lol. Is that about right? Can mach 3 do 3d? One last question, are there any programs out there that converts drawings/pics (jpgs/gifs etc) to dxf? Once again guys thanks so much, and if anyone is interested I can post some pics of my 4th axis. Its made to hold pool cues, like a lathe and turn to cut pool ques or put inlay in them...well at least in therory it is. Haven't used it yet.

[brtech]

Originally Posted by mocnc Please correct me if I am wrong.....but isn't mach 3 a cam?

No, it's a driver program for the CNC machine. It's input is a gcode file, and it's oututs are step and direction (or the equivalent for servos) for the motors.

Or is lazycam also need.

You need a CAM program to turn a drawing (2D or 3D) into gcode. Lazycam is a CAM program. It will input a .DXF and create gcode. It is limited in what it can do, but there are a lot of 'zoners who use it

So in that case what I need is a Cad program, like autocad or sketchup, to design my project.

Yes. One really nice free one is Sketchup.

A program to convert it from the dxf file from the cad program to g-code, lazycam will work.

Yes

Then a program like mach 3 to actually take the g-code and send the info to the stepper motor drive(gecko G540).

Yes

Hopfully I then get the project I actually designed lol. Is that about right?

Yes

Can mach 3 do 3d?

Yes

One last question, are there any programs out there that converts drawings/pics (jpgs/gifs etc) to dxf?

I don't know of any, but there might be. Many CAM programs can read some image formats.

[FreeRider]

I would suggest this:

CNC USB controller

I've been running it on my last 2 machines and find it works great. I went the DIY route but you can buy fully assembled boards from the shop on that site as well. The software seems to be very feature rich and works very well for most hobby CNC setups.

I use this controller with its software and CamBam for most of my CAD work (except 3D, I use blender or sketchup for my 3D Cad needs). Does everything I can throw at it and then some (currently I have no need for spindle control, flood, mist or 4th axis outputs but its nice to have the options if I decided to implement things in the future).

[LN-JET]

This might be worth looking into: Eding CNC - PC based CNC control

I'm running a Smoothstepper and a laptop myself. Very little problems.

Lars

[yackback]

Is the smooth stepper really the only solution for somebody who wants to use a laptop for instance? It's not exactly what I'd consider affordable for a simple conversion of Parallel to Usb. Perhaps I'm not understanding all the features it offers or something.

I had been considering an Expresscard Parallel port for my laptop, but read a review saying something to the effect that it wasn't compatible with CNC drivers.

[gmfoster]

Originally Posted by yackback Is the smooth stepper really the only solution for somebody who wants to use a laptop for instance? It's not exactly what I'd consider affordable for a simple conversion of Parallel to Usb. Perhaps I'm not understanding all the features it offers or something. I had been considering an Expresscard Parallel port for my laptop, but read a review saying something to the effect that it wasn't compatible with CNC drivers.

The simple answer is don't use a laptop. They usually have other issues. It has been done but why?

Garry

[ger21]

It's not exactly what I'd consider affordable for a simple conversion of Parallel to Usb.

There is no "simple conversion" from parallel to usb. If you want to use USB, the SmoothStepper is probably the cheapest route.

If you want an inexpensive option, but a $50 PC from Ebay with a parallel port and XP on it. I run my machine with a $20 PC, and spent another $20 on a backup.