UC300ETH: UCBB Vs UB1 breakout board ?

[JAZZCNC]

So skipping past USB and onto Ethernet has led me to Cs-labs or UCCNC. UCCNC is winning at the moment but there is a lot of information to gather up to make an informed choice, especially for the breakout boards.

No brainer in terms of which Software is the better, UCCNC wins hands down compared to the Cslabs options. In terms of electronics and neatness then Cslabs takes some beating as its quality, that said the UC300 and UCBB are very well made also and certainly up to the task just not quite as refined or neat as Cslabs.

I have been skim reading manuals and forums to get up to speed. The single UCSB looks too small, and the UCBB is much better and not much more money and has more connections. Even better there is an offer from CNCdrive at the moment for opt 1:

opt1:
UC300ETH + UCBB + UCCNC software for £170 (offer until 31st Aug 2021)

opt2:
UC300ETH + UB1 + UCCNC software for £289 [ note that UB1 is made by a 3rd party, although all reports say they work well together ]

Careful here because you need to factor in UK VAT and postage. You will get charged VAT and a fee from the shipping agent which I believe CncDrive uses FedEx now as the shipping agent they used before no longer delivers to Uk since we left the EU.

So it comes down to UCBB Vs UB1. I like the compact form of the UB1 and the screwless terminals, and may pay a bit of a premium for that, but is there any other functional difference ? I'm thinking in/outs, speed control etc. ?

I'm probably one of the few that can answer this with any certainty because I use both setups.!
The UB1 is the better board for a few reasons BUT not the connectors which in my opinion actually spoil the board as they are small and not very nice to use.

The UB1 wins because it's neater with no messing around with ribbon cables, etc.
Another reason is that it provides a protected 0-10V Analog Output which the UCBB doesn't have. If you need 0-10V then you have to take it directly from the UC300 pins.!!
Also, It only needs a 24Vdc PSU, not 5v and 24Vdc PSU's. The UC300 needs 5V and feeds the UCBB with 5V thru pin 26 of the IDC cable. This is a little crazy to me because the UCBB needs 24Vdc and actually generates a 5Vdc which makes it available on some of its terminals so why not feed the UC300 and do away with a 5Vdc PSU.? Which is exactly what the UB1 does.!

The UCBB is a nice well made board but it's not as clean n tidy as the UB1 and you have the other factors mentioned. That said I do use them both and keep the UCBB in stock, which I don't the UB1, but this is mostly down to cost. The UB1 features are nice but £100+ saving with no real loss of features can't be ignored.!

You won't be disappointed with either.

However, If you don't need loads of I/O then I'd give the AXBB-E a good look over because they are a fantastic neat little package, I fit these to nearly every machine I build these days except machines with ATC, etc that require lots of I/O.
In performance terms, it's exactly the same motion controller as the UC300, just with fewer ports. It also has a 0-10V analog output, unlike the UCBB.

Also, If you don't want to buy direct from Cncdrive then I have both in stock and can provide the license file for UCCNC.

[routercnc]

Thank you Dean, that was very helpful.

Careful hear because you need to factor in UK VAT and postage. You will get charged VAT and a fee from the shipping agent which I believe CncDrive uses FedEx now as the shipping agent they used before no longer delivers to Uk since we left the EU.

Ah yes, good to know !

However, If you don't need loads of I/O then I'd give the AXBB-E a good look over because they are a fantastic neat little package, I fit these to nearly every machine I build these days except machines with ATC, etc that require lots of I/O.
In performance terms, it's exactly the same motion controller as the UC300, just with fewer ports. It also has a 0-10V analog output, unlike the UCBB.

I did look at the AXBB briefly but didn't go into the detail. Looks interesting. I need 5 axis control (2X, 1Y, 2Z) and this offers 4 by default. It says another 2 can use configurable I/O pins to make 6 in total. I'm trying to work out if I lose too much by doing this and am going through the manual.

Aside from the steppers the other inputs/outputs on my CNC machine are:

2off prox for homing X axis both sides
1off prox for homing Y axis
1off prox for homing Z axis

1off limit prox on X axis
1off limit prox on Y axis
(no limits on Z)

2 estop switches

Probe input

Pendant controller, but I don't really use it so not a big deal if it can't be used

In/out not required:
I have a direct manual start/stop switch and pot for the VFD control mounted on the main cabinet panel, direct to the VFD. I don't really go for software/BoB control for these but that is my personal choice and so is not really needed on the BoB.

Also no plan for ATC any time soon so that is not required for I/O


AXBB-E also appears to have an additional connector for something like the UCSB to give more in/out, but I would like to see if the above requirements can be met without it.

Also, If you don't want to buy direct from Cncdrive then I have both in stock and can provide the license file for UCCNC.

OK, good to know. I need to check the above, then will email for all in price. Thanks