Quite surprised at how little discussion is here...

[mcphill]

So, why is the traffic so low?

[salzburg]

I think that most people on cnczone are hobbyists and flashcut is to
costly for that purpose.

[Mad Welder]

If you don't mind me asking what is Flashcut..? And for what CNC application would you use it for, i.e. plasma, Mill, Lathe, router etc… and then I will be able to participate in your poll...

[mcphill]

It is a controller alternative to MACH3 and EMC2 that are pretty popular. It is more expensive and is integrated with more specific hardware than MACH and EMC. However, it also seems to offer much more robust operation and compatibility with servos, etc. Unfortunately, counting on support from this board, given the responses to this post, seems very unlikely... The MACH and EMC boards would have hundreds of posts on a thread like this, where this post has only 117 views and 2 responses so far...

CNC Controller Software and Signal Generator

[mcphill]

Got a quote. The hardware and software for 5 axis step and direction control is $1295. A controller for the spindle is $495. They also sell cards to do servo control and stepper drivers. It can all be spec'd for OEM purposes. The reason I was looking at it at all is from this YouTube clip:

UMC 10: Scratch Built CNC with Automatic Tool Changer - YouTube

UMC 10: Scratch Built CNC with Automatic Tool Changer - YouTube

This thing puts my Mikini to SHAME, and won't cost much more (and will be ALL closed loop servo axes, toolchanger included, etc.). I was interested in finding out what FlashCut was as well, which is the reason for the pole...

He shows it running on Win7, it is only USB connected to the computer, and the signal generation is done purely by the box. That means your computer/running programs will have NO effect on the CNC operations. VERY nice benefits over MACH, and it keeps a Windows interface for those that don't want to mess with EMC...

[mcphill]

Originally Posted by baboonhead Does this price of 1.2k include the servos and if so what size?

No, that is "just" the step and direction signals for up to 5 axes of simultaneous motion. Yes, it is "much more" than MACH3 at $150 (as I recall) and EMC (free), and the installed base is MUCH less than those two. However, I also see it as much more of a "real" VMC-like system control. It is able to do closed-loop control "out of the box" as well.

BTW, I have nothing to do with the company, and have ZERO experience with it. Other than the price, though, it sounds almost "too good to be true", which is why I am trying to get some input from users here. As you can see, of course, that's not going too well...

Maybe it really is "too good to be true"?

[Mad Welder]

Originally Posted by mcphill ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, that is "just" the step and direction signals for up to 5 axes of simultaneous motion. Yes, it is "much more" than MACH3 at $150 ..................... it sounds almost "too good to be true", which is why I am trying to get some input from users here. As you can see, of course, that's not going too well... Maybe it really is "too good to be true"?

Interesting video and as I'm new to CNC I haven't used EMC so I won't compare it but using Mach3 for the past 6mths and only finished my BF20L Mill conversion to CNC, I must be missing a point in this thread as I'm not sure where the advantage of using Flash Cut over Mach would come in....... in my electronics setup I am using the Smooth Stepper from Warp9 Warp9 Tech. Design - Home of the SmoothStepper - Home and this takes nearly all the processing work from the host PC and is connected via USB also (so no PC Parallel ports needed) and I'm using the C32 bob from CNC4PC CNC4PC.

Apart from my learning curve I can only say that as a 6 axis controller for $175 with continous acuracy, I don't see the advantage of Flash Cut for the price....

[mcphill]

Originally Posted by Mad Welder Interesting video and as I'm new to CNC I haven't used EMC so I won't compare it but using Mach3 for the past 6mths and only finished my BF20L Mill conversion to CNC, I must be missing a point in this thread as I'm not sure where the advantage of using Flash Cut over Mach would come in....... in my electronics setup I am using the Smooth Stepper from Warp9 Warp9 Tech. Design - Home of the SmoothStepper - Home and this takes nearly all the processing work from the host PC and is connected via USB also (so no PC Parallel ports needed) and I'm using the C32 bob from CNC4PC CNC4PC. Apart from my learning curve I can only say that as a 6 axis controller for $175 with continous acuracy, I don't see the advantage of Flash Cut for the price....

I think for 90%+ users, your statements are spot on, maybe... That said, if you run MACH, you should NOT run anything else. I think with Flashcut, you could also run your network, stream Pandora, watch a movie, and do some CAD and CAM work all at the SAME time as using the CNC (while it is cutting), and you would see zero impact on the part being cut. In addition, you could run CURRENT hardware and Windows7, and take advantage off 64-bit software as well. Again, you may not care about any of that, and that is fine. I think there ARE people who would find that interesting, though.

In addition, I think alot of the solutions available on MACH are open source. On the one hand, this is great. It makes tons of options available. On the other hand, if it breaks, you are dependant on a forum to help you. FlashCut is closed source, and if you need help, they have a phone number for support and claim it is fully staffed.

Finally, I have heard that their customer service is great. If you need help setting up closed loop controls etc, they are there to assist.

Again, this is all what I understand to be the situation, but complete silence from actual users on this board is at a minimum disappointing... That said, maybe they are all so busy running their machines while they stream Pandora, watch a movie, and do some CAD and CAM work on the same PC...

[mcphill]

Originally Posted by baboonhead mach3 and emc2 rely on the computer hardware like the processor, ram etc and the signal I/O to do the motion control. Does flashcut rely on their own hardware to control this? Or is that box just like any other driver board? What exactly is that box? And flashcut is software also? How does it work, does their software send the entire NC codes to their box, which does the actual motion control (so the PC and the motion control are separate). This may be better than mach3 and emc2 because lag wont affect machining or lost steps. 1.2k for a closed loop servo controller may not be too bad. If it was a stepper driver that is not a good price. Is that 1.2k for their 'hobby' unit or the pro kit? They should really put price on their site. Some people just skim websites and if no price, they go away. "if you have to ask, you cant afford it", same goes the wisdom, "they dont put it because its expensive". You dont see prices on mastercam websites also.

First off, I TOTALLY agree they MUST put something regarding price on their site! I told them the same when I contacted to get a price. I was afraid the answer was going to be $10k or something, but instead it makes it worth looking in to further given the price they did quote...

Here is what I understand. You use their proprietary PC software on your computer. The PC software connects to their (up to) 5-axis control box via a USB connection. Communications occur between the PC and the control box, but it is "high level" and has zero time dependence. The control box takes the "high level" communication and creates the bit-for-bit control datastream that is sent out.

I do not know if the control box contains drivers or not. I seem to doubt it. I believe it is just the control signals - it is up to the user to then pick a stepper or servo controller to pair with the control box. This is an assumption as yet, though, I need to look in to it further.

Since the PC and the control box are connected via USB, and are in no way timing dependant, the PC can be doing whatever it wants at the same time (unlike MACH3). In addtion, the PC can run Windows7 (unlike EMC). While Flashcut is running, I believe the user would be free to do whatever else they want - stream Pandora, watch a movie, watch YouTube!, run a CAM program, design in CAD, or all of the above. All while your machine is cutting away under control from Flashcut in the background.

[mcphill]

OK, so some of my statements appear to be wrong, anyway.

There are two discrete systems. One for steppers, which includes stepper drivers in the box, and one for encoder-feedback servos, which includes servo drivers in the box. There are different power levels and features available for both boxes. They also sell motors that work with the system, but state that openly available motors (stepper and servo) can be driven by their drivers...

I am still intrigued, and I asked the person that responded to my info request to post in this thread. We'll see what happens, I guess!

Here's a link to the servo options:

Servo Control Systems Specs

My guess now is that my quote was for a 5-axis stepper oriented system with the lowest cost drivers included, but to be honest I don't now (was not provided a part number or technical reference for what was specifically included). I just wanted to know a ballpark number in order to determine if it is worth proceeding to get other info or not...

[Mad Welder]

Originally Posted by mcphill ................ You use their proprietary PC software on your computer. The PC software connects to their (up to) 5-axis control box via a USB connection. Communications occur between the PC and the control box, but it is "high level" and has zero time dependence. The control box takes the "high level" communication and creates the bit-for-bit control datastream that is sent out.............

I can see similarities with Flash Cut and my DIY electronics setup using the Smooth Stepper from Warp9 but for a tenth of the price however the fact that a PC running Flash Cut has the ability to run separate windows based software is a definite plus against my Mach3 setup.
However, then again obtaining a separate (second) PC on Ebay for cents and using the Smooth Stepper would solve that problem. I have no commercial ties with Warp9 either…

Here is a brief explanation of the Smooth Stepper and this quote is extracted from Smooth Stepper Manual http://warp9td.com/documentation/Smo...ManualV1.0.pdf The Smooth Stepper receives movement instructions from the motion planner in Mach3 and produces step and direction pulses for motor controllers that accept that form of control, either servo or stepper. In addition, the Smooth Stepper provides spindle control and can handle all the other Input/Output (I/O) functions that are normally handled by the two printer ports under Mach3. By taking over the task of producing step and direction signals, the Smooth Stepper relieves the host computer of most of the CPU load normally involved in running Mach3. The dedicated hardware in the Smooth Stepper produces pulse streams up to 80 times faster, and with more precise timing than Mach3 using the printer port.and the operating sequence as follows:
Mach3 ↔ Smooth Stepper Plug In ↔ Smooth Stepper USB driver ↔ Smooth Stepper device ↔ Breakout Board ↔ Motor Drivers ↔ Motors……”

I suppose from a commercial viewpoint Flash Cut may have advantages and I must admit too that Flash Cut does seem like an interesting option but maybe not for those of us using CNC for hobby purposes. But this thread was started as a poll rather than a FlashCut comparrison platform.

[deanq]

When I retrofitted my machine, I looked at the flashcut site for information. It seemed like what I was looking for.

Like everyone else has said, there was no pricing structure or any price info whatsoever!
I figured, if they can't say the price, it's probably too high anyway. If the prices are what was posted here, and I had known that, I probably would have gone with Flashcut.

I use Mach3 now, but would rather have a 100% reliable machine than one I could experiment on with different software tweaks.
Maybe next time.