Connecting my High-Z-S 720

[Fall_Guy13]

Hi everyone,

New to the Forum and New to CNC, so hope you can point me in the right direction.

After unboxing my machine (after a long storage period) I discovered that the connection on the CNC's controller unit (Heiz Zero 2) is a 25 PIN male connection.

Could I ask your opinions on the best way to connect the controller to my PC (which only has USB ports). Just for your information, I will be running V carve Pro, and I'm just a hobbyist starting out.

Many thanks.

[Fall_Guy13]

Hi there,

After a bit of research, It looks like It maybe possible to connect my - CNC controller unit to my 64bit PC via a USB cable/connection.

A company produces a small adapter box with a 25pin connector input and a USB output to your PC. This does require a small piece of software (which is supplied) to be installed onto your PC, but I thought I'd post in case anyone was interested. The adapter unit is known as WinPC - NC - USB if you want to look into it, via a (Google search).

I've asked for a bit more info and a cost, so if I decide to give it a go I'll keep you posted and let you know how I get on.

Have a good one

[Neale]

What you are looking at is probably what is known as an external motion controller. Its job is to take instructions from the PC and turn them into the actual signals that the stepper or servo motors need to move the machine. It is defiintely not just a USB to 25-pin adaptor. You are also missing a vital piece in the chain from Vcarve to the machine, which is the control software that runs on the PC and takes the gcode output from Vcarve (a list of "goto such-and-such a position", etc), lets you set machine zero and start position, and all the other "user" things you need to do. It talks to the motion controller that then translates this into something that the stepper drivers can understand.

Widely-used motion controllers include the UC100 which is also USB to 25-pin and the UC300/400 series which are a bit more sophisticated. Also recommended is the UCCNC control software which runs on the PC.

Your posts suggests someone without much experience in this area - lots of people on this forum can help with advice and comments but a bit more info on what you have and where you are coming from would be useful first.

[Fall_Guy13]

Hi Neale, and thanks for taking the time to respond.

Your correct I have no experience whatsoever, I've literally just un-crated the machine after a long storage from new, and I'm trying to get to grips with connecting the thing up to my PC. I've watched lots of youtube cnc content over the last week to try and understand what's required, but I'm still not 100% clear. Below is a description of what I think I need, however if you could have a quick look and advice in anyway, I;d really appreciate it.

My Machine: Heiz 720S
My Controller: Zero 2 (25 pin parallel port)
My PC: running windows 64bit. (USB input)

Things I think I'm going to require.

1) WinPC-NC software: (To run the controller)
2) WinPC USB controller
3) Software which can read G-Code (Mach 3/4 etc)

I was advised to go with CNC-Step Software and hardware based on my CNC machine type. If theres anything else you thing I require to at least get me up-and running, could you please let me know, as the cost is adding up.

many thanks in advance.

[dazp1976]

If your pc has an ethernet connection I wouldn't even bother looking at usb.
UC300eth or UC400eth controller all day long, use an IDC26 to DB25 cable to connect these to your existing board.
Mach3 or uccnc software works perfectly with both controllers.

[Neale]

I'm definitely with Dazp on this one - the UCxxx range of hardware is well-respected for general quality and reliabilty, and there is a lot of experience amongst forum members on how to install and configure. The UCCNC control software is probably the best option as well, as you are effectively starting from scratch. For your machine, the UC400ETH plus UCCNC software plus suitable cable to connect to your machine costs around euro180, although there would be import tax to pay on top. See here (http://shop.cncdrive.com/index.php?productID=494)and here (http://shop.cncdrive.com/index.php?productID=769)for more info, direct from the (European) manufacturer.

Not sure who gave you the WinPC recommendation, and they might be very good (although I don't remember seeing them widely used amongst forum members) but the UC series (from what I have seen at a quick look) cost no more, and are very much a known quantity. I run two of them on my own machines...

[dazp1976]

I bought the UC300eth, ucbb, cables, uccnc, 'kit', plus another ucbb spare from cncdrive.
Then bought a £100ish HP laptop to run it from.
I have ZERO regrets. It's smooooth.

If you're in UK. Cnc4you.co.uk carry the UC100 and UC400eth.
Also, cncroom.com have some good kit if you want to full on start over.

[Clive S]

I think Jazzcnc also stocks controllers in the UK.

https://www.jazzcnc.co.uk/motion-control

[Doddy]

303 Euros??

I'd concur with the earlier recommendations of the UCxx hardware.

[Doddy]

303 Euros??

I'd concur with the earlier recommendations of the UCxx hardware.

Though I'd be exploring the bullet on the S 720 feature list...


Machine comes with KinetiC-NC Ethernet Control System. KinetiC-NC software application runs on Windows 10 PC

[the great waldo]

I bought win pcnc usb and uc100 controllers. As a beginner I found the the UC100 and the uccnc software much easier to get on with. I am making a new machine with an AXBB-E controller which is ethernet based. I must say I never had any problems with the uc100 usb system.
Cheers
Andrew

[Neale]

Though I'd be exploring the bullet on the S 720 feature list...

I noticed that, but in the "Questions" area past customers also talk about Win PC USB, so possibly that was standard with older machines, which this one is. Or an option, which is why the OP is asking? My impression is that this older model was intended to run with parallel port, which is no longer possible with Win10.

[the great waldo]

If you use a uc100 there is no problem as it's designed as an interface between parallel port and usb out to a modern computer. The same can be said for win pcnc usb.
Cheers
Andrew

[dazp1976]

I noticed that, but in the "Questions" area past customers also talk about Win PC USB, so possibly that was standard with older machines, which this one is. Or an option, which is why the OP is asking? My impression is that this older model was intended to run with parallel port, which is no longer possible with Win10.

The reason I'm so glad I kept both my retail vers of 7 and xp.
Served me well the last 5 years. Win10 is too bloated afaic and the forced updates is undesirable.

I only use the xp pc mainly for bench testing lpt boards etc these days. Saves disconnecting equipment in control box.

[Fall_Guy13]

Thanks for ALL your advice and input, its been a big help.

After reading and viewing videos on your recommended UC products, I'm thinking of purchasing the UC100 usb controller and Mach3 software. Judging by some of the articles I've read,, they appear to be very simple to set-up and run quite smoothly together, so I'm hoping they should be fine running on my windows 7 64bit system.

Q) Does the UC100 contoller have any preference to USB 2 or USB 3 connectivity ?
Q) Does the US400 Ethernet version have any advantages over the UC 100 ?

Any advice welcome and thanks again for your time and responses.

[JAZZCNC]

Thanks for ALL your advice and input, its been a big help.

After reading and viewing videos on your recommended UC products, I'm thinking of purchasing the UC100 usb controller and Mach3 software. Judging by some of the articles I've read,, they appear to be very simple to set-up and run quite smoothly together, so I'm hoping they should be fine running on my windows 7 64bit system.

Q) Does the UC100 contoller have any preference to USB 2 or USB 3 connectivity ?
Q) Does the US400 Ethernet version have any advantages over the UC 100 ?

Any advice welcome and thanks again for your time and responses.

Mach3 is a bad choice, it's unsupported and does have some bugs which won't ever get fixed. UCCNC is far better software that is supported and made by the people who make the hardware, it doesn't get better than this and to top it off UCCNC is cheaper than Mach3.

Regards which controller.? I wouldn't go with USB, even the UC100 as it's much more prone to interference by electrical noise. Ethernet is the only sensible choice IMO if you are going to the trouble of wiring in a new controller.

The UC400 is ok and uses Ethernet which is far superior to USB, however, it doesn't have Analog outputs so if you want to control spindle speed through the software then you will need a separate spindle board.

The best Combo in my opinion for machines that don't require using ATC or need lots of Inputs and Outputs is the AXBB-E and UCCNC.
We fit these into all our machines and they are fantastic. Very easy to set up all in a very neat package for wiring. They provide 4-axis as standard on the board and can be upgraded to 6-axis by adding a separate breakout board which also provides extra Inputs/Outputs if required.

The UC300, UC400, and the AXBB-E all use the same Controller so in performance terms they are exactly the same. The only difference between them is the amount of I/O with the UC300 being the one that provides the most I/O for larger machines that require lots of inputs/outputs.

[Fall_Guy13]

Hi,

Thanks for the advice.

Alas I placed an order for the UC100 last night, so I'll see how it performs and if I encounter any problems I'll have a look at your Ethernet recommendations. Being a complete novice and just starting out, I'm going to keep the cost as low as poss, until I'm more knowledgeable with the terminology, hardware and systems. (my head hurts already :concern:)

Many thanks

[Doddy]

The UC100 is a respected device. Be aware there's a grey market out there with fake UC100s - obviously the horse has bolted here, but just go into this with eyes open. Also, with any luck the USB interface could work well (I'm firmly in the ethernet camp, myself) but take things logically and test the UC100 with your BoB/system. Everything should be okay, but as a novice don't beat your head against a wall - ask questions here if you have problems.

[JAZZCNC]

Hi,

Thanks for the advice.

Alas I placed an order for the UC100 last night, so I'll see how it performs and if I encounter any problems I'll have a look at your Ethernet recommendations. Being a complete novice and just starting out, I'm going to keep the cost as low as poss, until I'm more knowledgeable with the terminology, hardware and systems. (my head hurts already :concern:)

Many thanks

Ok, That's a shame and it will most likely perform ok, but that doesn't mean it's a good choice.!

Also, let me just point out that it's a common mistake to try to keep costs low by trying to take what appears to be the easy or cheap route.? Because what nearly always happens is that you just end up buying things twice and in reality, the work involved to do it right the first time isn't that hard.

It's always better to do the research and ask questions before making any purchasing decisions, then do a little more and ask again before hitting the GO button.

Don't struggle just ask.