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  1. #1
    Disclaimer: I have no connection with this project whatsoever apart from being a backer.

    I came across this kickstarter project which seems to promise to take most of the pain of setting up Linuxcnc for someone unfamiliar with linux. I thought folks here might be interested.
    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...ed-cnc-control
    If you are interested, you might as well make use of the early bird offer and help them get up and running.

    PS: I wasn't sure which area of the forum would be most appropriate for this so I've put it here in the general discussion section. Could a moderator please move it if it belongs elsewhere.

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  3. #2
    Be a good kickstarter project if they did it with a decent screen set instead of the AXIS one which is little more than etch-a-sketch on acid.
    John S -

  4. #3
    I emailed the designer of the board to enquire about support for spindle encoder input for thread cutting on a cnc lathe. Unfortunately this board does not support encoder input.

    Despite this, it is probably still an excellent deal for a milling machine or a router if it does what it says on the tin. €150 or even less (after adding in the price of a beagle bone black) for a complete plug and play motion controller including software seems pretty good to me.

  5. #4
    Still needs things like monitor etc.
    Get one of these for £119 complete stand alone

    http://www.aliexpress.com/item/50KHZ...001500686.html
    John S -

  6. #5
    I think the price they're offering it at is pretty terrible - he should be able to get that board made and populated in China for £5-£10. That plus copying a bit of software on to an SD card ... doesn't seem right to profit so much from open source software.

    Also, the board doesn't need the opto-couplers for the stepper drivers almost everyone uses, as they're already isolated. Remove those and the cost is now well below a fiver.
    Old router build log here. New router build log here. Lathe build log here.
    Electric motorbike project here.

  7. #6
    John - Your Aliexpress "box" looks very neat. Could you elaborate on it a little please. i.e. some pics of your setup and a word or two about setting it up for my non electronic brain would be well recieved if you have a moment.

  8. #7
    m_c's Avatar
    Lives in East Lothian, United Kingdom. Last Activity: 3 Days Ago Forum Superstar, has done so much to help others, they deserve a medal. Has been a member for 9-10 years. Has a total post count of 2,908. Received thanks 360 times, giving thanks to others 8 times.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jonathan View Post
    I think the price they're offering it at is pretty terrible - he should be able to get that board made and populated in China for £5-£10. That plus copying a bit of software on to an SD card ... doesn't seem right to profit so much from open source software.

    Also, the board doesn't need the opto-couplers for the stepper drivers almost everyone uses, as they're already isolated. Remove those and the cost is now well below a fiver.
    I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought it was a bit overpriced for what it is, however some people are happy to pay for an almost ready to run package.

    If you read the full description, the step/dir outputs don't have optos.
    Avoiding the rubbish customer service from AluminiumWarehouse since July '13.

  9. #8
    I agree with you that it probably could be better specified, but I think his USP is that it comes with his custom made user interface which promises to make set up a breeze and is essentially ready to plug and play right out of the box. While this is no big deal for people with cnc experience or a technical background, it is quite attractive for non technical newbies like me as it makes linuxcnc a realistic option to try out for a relatively low cost which wouldn't be the case otherwise.

    I think it is priced to recover development costs upfront, as there will be cheap clones appearing on all the popular far eastern auction sites within a few months if it is released commercially. I can't really fault him for that if it is his business plan.

    I have one of the better specified aliexpress motion control boxes on order. It cost £114. If I get hit for taxes and duty, it will cost about the same as this so apart from needing a keyboard, monitor and mouse (which I already have lying spare) the costs are roughly in the same ballpark. It may or maynot perform better than this or the traditional parallel port PC/ Mach 3 solution but it is nice to have a choice that is usable for someone with rudimentary knowledge.

  10. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by nirmal View Post
    it is quite attractive for non technical newbies like me as it makes linuxcnc a realistic option to try out for a relatively low cost which wouldn't be the case otherwise.
    You can download a bootable CD image with Linuxcnc and you can buy a very good second hand desktop PC for £50.
    I'm a massive fan of component systems where all your eggs ( Pounds Stirling ) are not in one basket ;-)

    - Nick

  11. #10
    Fred's Avatar
    Lives in Reigate, Albania. Last Activity: 24-04-2018 Has been a member for 6-7 years. Has a total post count of 34. Received thanks 4 times, giving thanks to others 1 times.
    I agree with magicniner. A cheap PC is much better. I tend to go for a Dell as even the newer ones can still come with a parallel port.

    If you don't want a PC then something like a Smoothieboard gives you a lot more (like stepper drivers).

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