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Thread: Mach3 on Laptop without Parallel Port

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    Mach3 on Laptop without Parallel Port

    I'd like to upgrade my current mach3 pc and crt monitor with something a little easier to manage.

    I was thinking about getting one of the Dell mini 10's. Since the price looks good.

    Unfortunately, they mini10 does not have a paralell port.

    So, can I get a usb to parallel port adapater and be golden?

    Or??


  2. #2
    Community Moderator ger21's Avatar
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    No, you'd need to use a Smoothstepper from www.warp9td.com
    Gerry

    Mach3 2010 Screenset
    http://home.comcast.net/~cncwoodworker/2010.html

    (Note: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not necessarily those of CNCzone and its management)


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    Quote Originally Posted by Deviant View Post
    I'd like to upgrade my current mach3 pc and crt monitor with something a little easier to manage.

    I was thinking about getting one of the Dell mini 10's. Since the price looks good.

    Unfortunately, they mini10 does not have a paralell port.

    So, can I get a usb to parallel port adapater and be golden?

    Or??
    NO

    A smooth stepper or other external motion controller will work but not a usb to parallel adapter.

    Laptops with pports can be problematic anyway.

    Get a used lcd and stash the tower under the desk if possible.

    I do sympathize with the space constraints of a small work shop especially when you stuff 6 machines in a space designed for 2.

    Mike
    Warning: DIY CNC may cause extreme hair loss due to you pulling your hair out.


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    Ok

    That's what I was thinking. I was just hopeful that someone would tell me that X adapter is powered externally and would work.

    *mumbles*

    Is anyone using the smoothstepper successfully? I've looked at those in the past and it seems to still be in it's infancy.


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    You can get a small form factor pc if space is an issue. Some still come with a pport or you can add in a pci card if needed. Just need to make sure you don"t have video issues.

    Other people can tell you which one to get.

    Mike
    Warning: DIY CNC may cause extreme hair loss due to you pulling your hair out.


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    Community Moderator ger21's Avatar
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    If you don't need more than 25Khz, a Dell GX150 with a 1Ghz processor works great and are $10-$50 on Ebay.
    Gerry

    Mach3 2010 Screenset
    http://home.comcast.net/~cncwoodworker/2010.html

    (Note: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not necessarily those of CNCzone and its management)


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    Mostly I was looking at space. I wanted to mount the laptop on a little arm that is attached to the table.

    Currently I have a ~2.5ghz machine with crt. I guess I'll replace the crt with a lcd, maybe a touch screen one.

    I'm not quite stepping over myself, but when I have the car/motorcycle etc in the garage. It starts to get very cramped.


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    Quote Originally Posted by Deviant View Post
    Mostly I was looking at space. I wanted to mount the laptop on a little arm that is attached to the table.

    Currently I have a ~2.5ghz machine with crt. I guess I'll replace the crt with a lcd, maybe a touch screen one.

    I'm not quite stepping over myself, but when I have the car/motorcycle etc in the garage. It starts to get very cramped.
    Wait until you start getting more machines in the garage.
    You will need to put the car/motorcycle outside under a tarp.
    Warning: DIY CNC may cause extreme hair loss due to you pulling your hair out.


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    I mounted one of thesehttp://cgi.ebay.com/Desktop-Table-LC...d=p3286.c0.m14 to one of the legs of my CNC and bolted a piece of plywood on the top of it. It holds a 22" LCD, keyboard, and mouse. A small Dell 2.7GHz PC sits on a shelf under the main CNC table. WHen I'm done, the LCD is removed and the whole arm rotates over the table. The CNC is on casters so I can roll it out of the way.


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