will this work

[erniehatt]

Hi, can someone please tell me if a Parallel port to USB adapter will work with this board to run via Mach3. thanks

[pippin88]

I'd you mean a parallel port to USB adaptor designed for printers etc then the answer is no. (If you mean a CNC hardware step generator that plugs into USB and has a parallel port like Smoothstepper that is different).

CNC requires real time control.

That either means:
1. operating system generating steps in real time and putting them out the parallel port. A USB-parallel adaptor is actually emulating a parallel port. It has a chip to convert serial (USB) to parallel. It will not pass real time signals

2. An external CNC motion controller card / hardware step generator (e.g. smoothstepper, mesa cards, many others). These may use USB, ethernet, PCI or parallel port. The precise timing of step generation is handled by the external card.
Again a USB-ppt adaptor / emulator will not work


Option 1. Is becoming less common due to cheaper better external step generators and parallel ports are disappearing.


(Only something specifically designed for CNC will work)

[erniehatt]

Thanks for the reply, ok I have just been looking at the Novuson 6 axis controller, whats the thoughts on that.

[ZASto]

The picture that you posted is an ordinary parallel port BOB, USB is just for powering the chips on board.
No, USB->Parallel, as for old printers will not work.
My advice would be ESS (Ethernet Smooth Stepper) if you want to run Mach3.

[Doddy]

I have some experience with the Novusun controllers - at least the NVEM ethernet based controllers. They kind of work (I sometimes had network problems that needed a couple attempts to reboot the controller and Mach3 to get them talking again; there was, in my case, a problem with the fixed 2.25us pulse width output from them - which once known you could work around). Generally worked okay, though I could never get an MPG working with it (get one working through Mach3 instead).

Definitely worth considering the NVEMs rather than NVUMs for improved noise immunity.

Here's a hint: I replaced mine with an UC300ETH (and in the same breath move to UCCNC) because of some of the problems encountered... its collected dust ever since.

[erniehatt]

Thanks Guys, looks as though I should give it a lot of thought.