Quite surprised at how little discussion is here...

[vandal968]

Lastly, that UMC-10 video posted earlier sure looks great. I found it incredibly interesting that a fellow with a VMC, who worked selling a brand name VMC, built his own VMC and then chose Flashcut to run it. Now there's things that make you go H'mmmmm...

I actually bought Dave's prototype small mill with toolchanger (RF-31 based Roadee VMC-8). It's the one without the enclosure shown in the original videos that he posted . I'm a longtime Mach user (6+ years) and I can say that Flashcut is very nice. It's a shame that they make a couple of silly mistakes like not listing pricing on their website and making you jump through hoops to get a quote. They should be a much bigger player in this market than they are.

cheers,
v

[Mad Welder]

I got a quote from FlashCut $1,200 plus Taxes just for the Software "alone".... the cheapest stepper kit was $1,740 plus Taxes (3 Axis Tabletop Retrofit Kit, includes CNC software, USB signal generator, 3 axis/2.5 amp micro-stepping motor drive box and three 142 oz-in NEMA 23 stepper motors. USB cable, power supply and three 10ft motorcables included) and prices go up to $7,795 plus Taxes for 5 axis 151 oz-in size NEMA 23 servo motors with encoder and servo cables....all quotes excluding shipping.....

the only reason I asked for a quote was I'm having trouble with a "time out" conflict from the Smooth Stepper that keeps crashing Mach......dam annoying......and I was pondering the route of FlashCut for a completely reliable package.
But alas for that price I'll keep pondering......

[deanq]

Thumbs up
I got a quote from FlashCut $1,200 plus Taxes just for the Software "alone"....

That seems odd. My most recent quote (<30 days) was for:

Flashcut CNC Software and USB Signal Generator
includes 9V power supply, USB cable and
documentation.
for $1295 (USD)
Are you sure your reading it correctly?
Dean

[Mad Welder]

That seems odd. My most recent quote (<30 days) was for:

Flashcut CNC Software and USB Signal Generator
includes 9V power supply, USB cable and
documentation.
for $1295 (USD)
Are you sure your reading it correctly?
Dean

hi there Dean my intention wasn't to knock FlashCut as a product as it's not my nature but maybe my post text could be misunderstood as that so just to clear that up.....so oops...sorry FlashCut guy's no offence whatsoever intended....!!

I was just astonished by the price after only paying $150 or so for a Mach license...


and just reading your quote above... yup on one of my quotes I have the same wording when I asked them to only quote for the FlashCut software excluding Steppers/Servos etc....
is there any mention of a full 3 or 4 axis hardware on that quote you got?

[datac]

>>>> I was just astonished by the price after only paying $150 or so for a Mach license...


I might say its astonishing that there is a router I retrofitted with Flashcut at least 15 years ago... still running daily without a single problem. I dont know how more dependable a guy can get. How many upgrades to Master5 CNC have there been in that time ? :-)

It was an interesting time such a 15+ years ago in that market. Microkinetics had their DOS program, IndexerLPT was out there... lets not forget Ah-ha ! There were NO "affordable" controls, certainly none for $150, certainly none that were any fun to use.

"Continuous contouring" ? What was that ?? Plenty of newer programs still fight with CV on higher feedrate type machines. Flashcut introduced contouring very early in their development and it beat everyone hands down thru mixed geometry. Of course, this was during a time when everyone was of the belief that "you can't do CNC in windows". While technically true, all people really wanted to do is run a machine with those little nicety's of being able to run your windows cad program and have network access without having to reboot into DOS to cut stuff.

Flashcut is an incredible piece of work. Their latest software versions still run on really old hardware (with some modern options understandably greyed). The really nice thing is it does not have an overwhelming demand of the PC being used. Its install and operation is invisible to any and all other programs. It removes cleanly too. Laptops ? Not a problem.

PC failure is not uncommon. That router I mentioned has been thru perhaps 4 or 5 PC's to date (None have ever been a new one). When they fail, you just fire up another, install a new copy of Flashcut in mere seconds, load the machines configuration file and your back running.... successfully. No demanding "drivers", "pulse engines", nothing.

If all that adds up these days to $1295.00, it sounds like quite the bargain !

[mcphill]

The $150 comparison doesn't hold up anyway. The Flashcut controller includes the stepper or servo drivers as well. I am sold on it now... All I need is TIME! to start building a big system... I have 2 Rexroth servo slides that I want to use and then need to come up with a 3rd axis (well, I wan't a 4th and 5th too, but I will start with 3). I am thinking either rack and pinion or a chain drive for the X, with a stationary gantry. I will bolt one Rexroth to the gantry for the Y, and the second slide will bolt to the first for the Z... I have gone through a few layout options in my head and keep coming back to that one. For a 4th and 5th I think I will go with a trunion. I don't want the play in a head-mounted system to affect the cuts in the 3-axis system when they aren't use... Though I guess I could pin them when not in use too...

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

[Mad Welder]

The $150 comparison doesn't hold up anyway. The Flashcut controller includes the stepper or servo drivers as well. I am sold on it now...

Hi there again mcphill...Yup again my apologies I was wrong $175(Mach), $155(Smooth Stepper), $120or cheaper (Keling Digital Drivers) amounts to total $690 for 3 Axis to 6 Axis control

.......well, I want a 4th and 5th too, but I will start with 3.....

have a look at the cost of upgrades to additional axis control

.......I might say its astonishing that there is a router I retrofitted with Flashcut at least 15 years ago... still running daily without a single problem. I dont know how more dependable a guy can get.......

How many upgrades to Master5 CNC have there been in that time ? :-).......It was an interesting time such a 15+ years ago in that market.......

......If all that adds up these days to $1295.00, it sounds like quite the bargain !

Hi there datac, yup 15 years ago FlashCut seems to have been one of the top CNC software/controllers and that was then but this is now and there seems to be alternative controllers available that weren't available 15 years ago and I also agree that after 15 years running it IS dependable and having someone on the other end of a phone is the biggest plus in my mind and I hope I haven’t stood on anyone’s toes here and nope I'm not knocking it, have a look at all my previous posts in this thread



I was just giving my two cents worth of advice to mcphill personally I hate wasting money on something if an alternative option is available but look who am I to advise eh I'm only at this for the past 6mths and learning off of you guys, but having an extra $600 in my pocket to purchase tooling/ATC/collets..............

But anyway best of luck mcphill with your latest build......

[datac]

I'm all for saving money.... I dont even have a "complete" Flashcut setup myself ! I use the software and signal generator to put all sorts of drives into motion. My first "retro" was putting FC on an Ah-ha driver box. The second was onto a Microkinetics cabinet. Since though, I have used Geckos, Anaheim, IMS, API and even a few HobbyCNC drivers.

I do the power supplies and drivers because I can, but for those who really are squeemish, the great thing is that FC does offer and "all in one" answer for those interested. I really wish I could afford their newer Signal generators that have the driver cards installed in it. That has to be one of the most compact, portable and convenient setups ever. It would work great on my portable plasma machine because it is well under 3 amps.

I agree, this is now. I dont' have the time to gamble on whether the hardware in any specific PC will or will not work. I desire to run LAPTOPS these days. USB is a solid convenience not to mention a must for portability. I believe that there is great deal to be said about hardware compatibility with Mach and that is why some have extremely high regards for it and others report routine issues. (spindle output for one).

Dare I open up the latest Mach to see if they bothered to correct the spelling errors much less its ability to REALLY run CV on a machine like an engraver ? I get it. Its $150. It has got a zillion people started with a "cnc machine", some right down to the dining room table. That's great. Everyone Celebrate !

For me, either I couldn't balance the settings properly to run FAST and smoothly thru mixed geometry without rounding corners (detailed engraving doesn't like rounded corners), or I couldn't find the time to keep adjusting and adjusting. I think it has CV problems. $150 wonderful for a Mill, or even a plasma where you can round corners a few thousandths, but not detailed high speed engraving applications. Yep, I own a copy. I bought it. I then have a right to detail my lack of success.

"Alternative Controllers"..... I dont think there is all that much "new" new. The old "hobby" consists or consisted of in order of date recollection:

Ability Systems - Wow... way back before Digital Tool offered their machines. The struggle with that product was the lack of G-code, and the actual interfacing between getting the machine ready to run and then running it (front end, back end type deal).

Ah-ha. They had really nice hardware, and a really nice DOS interface. But the Dos combined with limited speed capability and no CV hampered what good they had. Now their gone.

Microkinetics. Another early contender. DOS, No CV. Slow pulse rates. Now has a Windows "version". CV ? Probably not... not sure.

Flashcut. Incredible then and now. Always "windows", always PC friendly, never "buggy".

TurboCNC. Cheap, DOS,.. about the same as above without all the Color!

DeskCNC. (Carken Actually) An ambitious attempt to replicate the direction Flashcut went. I was called to get one of these installations running and recommended a control replacement.

EMC. Linux based and comes with all the typical Linux based "issues". Dont rip on me for the comment... I personally maintain 4 Linux based servers and have mythtv at home.

Master 5 CNC. The beginning of the first low buck Windows CNC control.

Machx. A few ground up rewrites to get it more in line with the things necessary for all of the hundreds of wish list "requests". The originator was clearly an EXTREMELY talented individual who essentially gave a lot of his time away. I hope it was a "hobby" he truly, truly enjoyed.

Your right, this is today. Controls not able to run on a $500 laptop or on ANY off the shelf PC are falling completely into the past. Machx now will need to prove itself with a truly successful jump into the modern PC world. We'll certainly be watching ! (though in a personal opinion, they have not successfully made a decent out of the box screen set)

The truly newer USB Ready for market stuff seems to be from Planet-CNC, EdingCNC and Probitix. I find it interesting to look at their overall ergonomics, and visually, who's product queues they used to develop their own niche look and feel. I am also curious as to how well they have implemented smooth CV motion ?

Then there is the very interesting KFLOP and KMotionCNC. That appears to be certainly headed in the right direction regards the motion control, but how about the users interface to that motion control ? Is it ready for primetime ? Will that company get it "bundled" such that a buyer actually sees what he needs with a price tag rather than looking like a typical dev pages for some obscure Linux program ?

These are the "newer" programs we really have not heard much about. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to buy each and every one, get them all set up to run on the same machine with normalized test criteria and actually give an opinion with data to back it up ?

[Mad Welder]

wow wish I had your historic knowledge on CNC....I'm kinda starting a bit late in my career but learning fast.....interesting you never mentioned the USB motion controller Smooth Stepper, what's your take on that and the new Eithernet SS that's on sale now?

[datac]

wow wish I had your historic knowledge on CNC....I'm kinda starting a bit late in my career but learning fast.....interesting you never mentioned the USB motion controller Smooth Stepper, what's your take on that and the new Eithernet SS that's on sale now?

The two items you mentioned are hardware options. While they are "newer" things, they are just the pulse portion of the equation for Mach and not "new controllers". Undoubtedly they make Mach mildly more portable and "faster" because of higher pulse train outputs, but they are still very much a part of the existing Machx platform. As far as i recall, they only work with mach. So, if your particular setup has hiccups because of the front end aspect of Mach, those two devices will not make that problem go away. (reverse run, spindle control, CV, ... some of which would be hopefully fixed by now)

Mach HAS spurred an incredible amount of 3rd party development, that's for sure. However, there have been many, many software and hardware add-ons and or accessories that have already gone the way of the pterodactyl. They have quietly become "no longer available". I recall reading about some issues with the USB version of the items you mention, and perhaps that is why the Ethernet route has been selected (not that motion control and Ethernet are strangers).

Huh... just now googled the smoothstepper and it says currently out of stock on both versions.

I just happened to think that I bought a jog box for Mach on a mill at the shop.... never worked, the builder could not make it work, and I was lucky to be able to send it back and get my money back.

[altair]

I just found this thread, and would like to mention that the reason why there is so little discussion here (or anywhere else) on Flashcut, is because it simply WORKS !
I have been a Flashcut user for 6 or 7 years now, and spent all of those years without ANY problems. The system is used almost every day for my business, and it performs flawlessly. In all those years, I did not need to periodically come here to ask for help. Surely the same thing for all the other users of Flashcut.
If you do a search on the internet for "Flashcut problem" you won't find anything. Do the same search for "Mach3 problem" however, and well, you'd better schedule a couple of weeks of reading

I now have the newest Flashcut version 4 and I can say that they managed to improve on a system that was already perfect.
The user interface is clean, simple and very easy to learn, as it already was when they started many years ago.
But the software got a new endless list of configuration options that is absolutely outstanding, and allows you to adapt the software to any kind of machine, and run it the way YOU want it.

You can check it out by yourself by downloading the demo version. Or just check the spec sheet.
What the $1295 buys you is the signal generator, really. Note that the signal generator does not contain any motor drivers at that price.

I can say that I really love this system. I also have been able to compare it with Mach3, as I own a Tormach 1200 CNC mill that came with Mach3, and there is no comparison possible. I'll just say that I hate Mach3... I really hate it ! It must have been created by the devil himself.

So if you are the kind of person that doesn't like wasting time debugging software, seriously consider Flashcut. You'll be up and running in a very short time and be able to cut parts without worrying when the software is gonna crash again.
Just that peace of mind is worth the cost of admission, IMHO.

The only slightly negative point, as many posters mentionned above, is that the pricing should really be specified on their web site. When I first bought it many years ago, the price was publicly shown. If it had not, I probably wouldn't have bothered to ask for a quote, fearing a bottomless money pit.

Satisfied User

[fivaxis]

Yup, Flashcut just plain works. I've had it running for 5 or 6 years now on my Taig.