Which operating system.....

[T63-A-700]

Which operating system (WIN 2000 or WIN XP) is best for a BP retrofit using MACH 3 as the control software and a PIII computer for the PC hardware?

TIA,

Todd

[Sunmixed]

Hello Todd,

I would suggest you to use Windows XP for your Mach3. Be sure to get the latest Windows Updates! But in order to reduce the PIII Processor's calculation, I would suggest you to get an external VGA Graphic's Card.

Do you mind posting your PIII Computer specifications, eg. cpu mhz, ram, harddisk space, motherboard brand used?

[T63-A-700]

1Ghz, 1 gig of ram, on board video due to integrated touch screen.

The CPU is Intel and the mother board is a ITOX brand.

[TOTALLYRC]

Originally Posted by T63-A-700 Which operating system (WIN 2000 or WIN XP) is best for a BP retrofit using MACH 3 as the control software and a PIII computer for the PC hardware? TIA, Todd

Hi Todd, While I really like the look and feel of Vista,I would also go with winxp as that is a much more tried and true system. If you are using a motion control card you might be able to go with the on board graphics, especially if it is a high quality onboard graphics chipset.
Get the latest updates and then take it off the internet until you feel the need for more updates.

I have run my dspmc with a fresh install of Vista on my laptop, because I wanted to get rid of the bloatware, and it runs real smooth. I have not run a 1hr long part yet, but I will be doing some cutting real soon.

If you get the urge to try Vista, you can install it from any Vista disk, and it will run for 30 days, even without the instal code.

I am currently running win2k on my dspmc as it was what I had at the time.

Mike

[Sunmixed]

Hi Todd, In addition to Mike(TOTALLYRC's post, an external signal generator such as DSPMC will lower your CPU's handling, putting your CPU in a much more relaxed, mode, as well as reduced CPU heating.

You can also try SmoothSteppers, http://www.warp9td.com/ ( I have not tried it before) but it's more affordable, comparing do DSPMC.

But DSPMC has something special called closed loop, isn't it, Mike?

Mike, would you care to explain more about DSPMC's closed loop feature

Sunmixed

[ger21]

Turning off the toolpath display will cut CPU usage in half, or even more. This can make a huge difference on a slow machine.

[TOTALLYRC]

Originally Posted by Sunmixed Hi Todd, In addition to Mike(TOTALLYRC's post, an external signal generator such as DSPMC will lower your CPU's handling, putting your CPU in a much more relaxed, mode, as well as reduced CPU heating. You can also try SmoothSteppers, http://www.warp9td.com/ ( I have not tried it before) but it's more affordable, comparing do DSPMC. But DSPMC has something special called closed loop, isn't it, Mike? Mike, would you care to explain more about DSPMC's closed loop feature Sunmixed

I don't want to hijack Todd's thread.
If you want more info on my DSPMC installation, see my build thread.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66994

Ger21 is exaclty right, especially if your pIII is below 1 GHZ

[T63-A-700]

Thanks for the responses, I just was thinking that WIN 2000 would be a good bare bones OS to run.

I plan on running the DSPMC device (thanks Mike) for my interface device. I was just thinking that I wanted to keep the K.I.S.S. methodolgy intact.

And remember "We say Merry Chirstmas around here."

[TOTALLYRC]

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Mike