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11-11-2016 #1
Hi Camera, thanks for the update/share.
What's the difference in the uc300eth vs the uc400eth?
Now there is officially a plugin, will you be staying with mach 3 or going back to the UCCNC control software?.Me
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11-11-2016 #2
The UC300ETH will accept 24v inputs and can output an analog signal of 0-10v for spindle control. The UC400ETH can only accept 5V inputs and lacks the 0-10v output. There may be other differences. I just built a machine using the UC400ETH and I'm very happy with its speed and reliability but the UC300ETH would have been just as fast and reliable I assume but it would have been simpler to build with. As it was, with the UC400ETH I had to add a 0-10v DAC for converting the PWM signal to the input my VFD required, and also a voltage converter to drop my 24V supply down to 5V for my sensor power/input. The UC400ETH is powered by 24V. It would have been nice if it accepted 24V inputs. I should have planned a little better I guess.
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11-11-2016 #3
That is partially incorrect. The UC300, just like the UC400, only accepts 5V input levels and can only be fed by 5VDC. The UC300 has 12V outputs, as well as 0-10V, but the voltages are generated through a step up circuit. None of the UCxxx motion controllers are a replacement for a BOB, and none of them have optical isolators, so a BOB is necessary. To be able to connect 24V to the inputs you need to connect a BOB which can take 24V, otherwise you'd fry the inputs of the UC300ETH or UC300USB.
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11-11-2016 #4
Hi Lee,
The biggest differences are in the number of inputs/outputs. The UC400ETH has 2 standard parallel ports (LPT type) while the UC300ETH has 2 LPT type and 3 DB25 with mostly inputs and additionally even 2 analog inputs and 2 outputs, so it is pretty well equipped and has more in/outputs than I'll ever need. The UC400ETH does not have any analog I/O at all, which isn't really important for me at the moment since I control my spindle via Modbus and RS485ETH.
Most probably I will move everything to UCCNC mecause it is in many ways better. Unfortunately, the move is not that simple because I have to rewrite my macros since Mach uses VB and UCCNC uses C#. Also, UCCNC does not have radius compensation (yet) and that is something I frequently used, so I have to regenerate everything without if I move to UCCNC.
The Mach3 plugin means that I am not in a hurry now, but with the UCCNC and the UC300ETH I get higher speeds and better results than with Mach, so there is indeed an advantage in leaving Mach3. UCCNC has also some functions which does not exist in Mach3, and in general I like it more than I like Mach.Last edited by A_Camera; 11-11-2016 at 02:48 PM.
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11-11-2016 #5
Hi guys, thanks for the info.
They both look like a good buy given the price, so was the 400 designed as a cut down version or something ? ('m going off the notion that "300" comes before "400" and so the 400 is the newer product) is that right?
I like the idea of "LAN" based control for things, but I don't know, something equally doesn't feel right about the control being remote...stuff to think about it guess.
As you say the plugin gives you the best of both for now then, ok keep us posted on your/the progress, I follow you via the youtube ;-).
Do you have a youtube channel Jumper?Last edited by Lee Roberts; 11-11-2016 at 03:55 PM.
.Me
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11-11-2016 #6
Lee -
Not really a channel. This is the first and only video I've posted:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0biZJSnepU
It is of the router I built in one of the first test runs.
Regarding the UC400 being a cut down version of the UC300, although the product numbering would lead you to believe otherwise, I think your're right. I bought the 400 because I wanted the best UCCNC controller and I thought that the 400 was the top of the line based on its product number and thats all the further I looked into it. I think the UC300ETH is better. It wasnt that much of an inconvenience to make the 400 work, just a couple extra components. And it is very fast! My servo's can handle a 500Khz data stream and the UC400 can stream at 400KHz very nicely. The ethernet connection can give you a lot of flexibility if you want to configure your network to work that way. I did not. I bought a dedicated computer to drive the router and simply used the ethernet cable just like one would use a USB cable.
Another thing I like about the UC400ETH is that you dont need another board like a smooth stepper etc. I used a breakout board like this: https://www.winford.com/products/brkg25.php Except mine has different connector that adapted to the UC400. Less than $25.
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11-11-2016 #7
Nice machine.
It is not a cut-down UC300 at all, it is a completely different model. Yes, the numbering should have been different and according to me it should be called UC200ETH, but never the less, it is totally different design.
I was going to buy the UC400ETH because it had the Mach3 plugin available, but was contected by Balazs and he asked me to reconsider, not only because they were working on the UC300ETH plugin already, but also because they offered a UCCNC license with the UC300ETH during that period, so I went for the UC300ETH.
That breakout board is just a bunch of screw terminals, not optically isolated. I'd not use that with any of the CNC Drive products. There is even a warning about this in their manuals.
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11-11-2016 #8The UC300 has 12V outputs, as well as 0-10V
Also, I think the analog voltage varies depending on which motherboard you use, and I don't think it does 0-10V without a breakout board, does it?Gerry
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UCCNC 2022 Screenset
Mach3 2010 Screenset
JointCAM - CAM for Woodworking Joints
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11-11-2016 #9
You are correct about the 0-10V output. I was confusing them with the analog inputs.
The 12V outputs on the analog port are not "outputs", but just 12V.
The UC300eth also has a 400Khz kernel speed.Gerry
______________________________________________
UCCNC 2022 Screenset
Mach3 2010 Screenset
JointCAM - CAM for Woodworking Joints
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11-11-2016 #10
I've got something similar but I've also got one of these: http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/252307419456
...as well. There is so many options these days, i think moving away from LTP and/or USB is a good move though..Me
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