Controller advice

[Clive S]

I am not sure and don't have any experience with them but if I remember correctly I thought the ES smoothstepper did dual homing.

As Neale has stated the CSMIO-IP/S is a great bit of kit. I also have twin screws with dual homing using a Purlogic https://purelogic.ru/catalog/elektro..._ethernet_usb/

I bought it from Zapp a few years ago but the documentation is crap and would not go down that route again.

As I run my mill and lathe with Linuxcnc with Mesa cards 5i25/7i76 I am thinking of converting the router using the same cards (the master branch on Linuxcnc now dose shared homing) just by setting the offsets in the machine.ini file.

But Linuxcnc is quite a learning curve but rock steady.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[m_c]

Dynomotion KFlop?
Can pretty much program it to work however you want, and it'll work with Mach 3.

If you're running drivers that accept differential inputs, I may still have enough parts around to create a step/dir differential driver board (or I could just do the SMD work, and you can deal with the through hole parts). Only drawback is with just a bare KFlop, interfacing to the low voltage signals can be a bit of pain (you can always add a Konnect to get 24V I/O).

Only other options I can think of are Po-Keys, and the CNC-Drive controllers. PMDX also do some, but I think they're Mach 4 only.

[Jeff]

I think Mesa / Linuxcnc is a step too far at the moment, I looked at Mesa/Pathpilot and discounted it for the same reason. I'd have bought the CSMIO IP/M in a heartbeat if it supported independent axis homing for slaves and I still haven't ruled it out completely but manually squaring the gantry seems like a bit of a fudge.

The Purelogic board looks interesting but I can't find any English documentation, and I'm guessing support would be an issue too.

The warp 9 ESS looks well supported but the cost with a PMDX-126 and shipping/import duty/vat puts this combo very close in price to the CSMIO IP/S so that puts me back where I started, either the CSMIO IP/M or a cheap standalone chinese all in one to get the machine moving and making chips.

[Neale]

I went CSMIO because of its 24V operation, Ethernet, differential signaling, reputation for reliability. Cost wasn't that different to other options which all needed a decent BOB to be added. Manual squaring is a fudge, agreed, and I really think it should be in the IP/M firmware. But in practice, it's a trivial part of the startup process, so don't let that dissuade you too much.

[Ger21]

If you're not locked into Mach3, UCCNC with a UC300ETH and UB1 breakout board is an excellent alternative. Lots of 24V I/O, spindle speed control, analog inputs for feedrate and spindle overrides.
And software that's actively being developed, that provides superior motion to Mach3.

http://www.cncroom.com/interface-cards/uc300eth-ub1

[Neale]

Gerry - does the UC300 support proper dual-motor axis squaring? If so, that's another big plus point.

[Jeff]

I've watched some pretty impressive videos of the UC300ETH in action and it was definately on my radar, but that BOB you listed is seriously expensive. Would the UC300ETH run with an MB-2 which I know was designed for the ESS but appears to have all the functionality of the UB-1 for half the price?

[Ger21]

Gerry - does the UC300 support proper dual-motor axis squaring? If so, that's another big plus point.

Yes, it does.

[Alex86]

I think Mesa / Linuxcnc is a step too far at the moment, I looked at Mesa/Pathpilot and discounted it for the same reason. I'd have bought the CSMIO IP/M in a heartbeat if it supported independent axis homing for slaves and I still haven't ruled it out completely but manually squaring the gantry seems like a bit of a fudge.

The Purelogic board looks interesting but I can't find any English documentation, and I'm guessing support would be an issue too.

The warp 9 ESS looks well supported but the cost with a PMDX-126 and shipping/import duty/vat puts this combo very close in price to the CSMIO IP/S so that puts me back where I started, either the CSMIO IP/M or a cheap standalone chinese all in one to get the machine moving and making chips.

Jeff, Purelogic do have English documentation. Ask them by their email address