To usb,or not to usb,that is the question.

[Jumbo]

Thanks for the advice Guys.Im going to start with parallel/mach,(dont want to try to run before i can walk).Can i design in software such as cambam,generate gcode,put code onto a memory stick then transfer to the machine computer with mach installed(Sorry if this a silly question but i am new to this)

[m_c]

Can i design in software such as cambam,generate gcode,put code onto a memory stick then transfer to the machine computer with mach installed(Sorry if this a silly question but i am new to this)

In a nutshell, yes.

[Jonathan]

Can i design in software such as cambam,generate gcode,put code onto a memory stick then transfer to the machine computer with mach installed

Yep, that's what I do.
You could use network to transfer the files, but that's just something else that could potentially slow down / generally annoy Mach 3. The computer needn't be anything special. I'm currently using a single core 3Ghz P4 with 1Gb (might be 2) RAM which is plenty.

[Jumbo]

This looks perfect for me http://www.zappautomation.co.uk/prod...roducts_id=365 ,do you think there is any other electronic essentials i might need.

[JAZZCNC]

Thanks for the advice Guys.Im going to start with parallel/mach,(dont want to try to run before i can walk).Can i design in software such as cambam,generate gcode,put code onto a memory stick then transfer to the machine computer with mach installed(Sorry if this a silly question but i am new to this)

Like the others have said it will work direct from the stick but if you plan to run really long code or do lots of 3D which usually creates large G-code files then best or safer if you save to the HD first then run.!
Reason for this is Mach buffers code then reads some more and so on, for most cutting jobs mach's buffer pritty much handles the whole code no problem. But on 3D work or large or intricate V carve and litho pain jobs etc the code can run into multiple thousands of lines. . . . Over a million lines is not Uncommon.! Then mach will periodicly read from the stick and given some jobs can easily be 12-18hrs and often run into days then it's not unknown for the memory sticks to react slow causeing Mach trouble and cause lockup's so it's safer to save to HD then load the code.

Edit:
RE . .Usb or Not. . . .Usb is good but costly, I use the smooth stepper and I'm very happy with it but parallel port is good and cheap.
The problem with PP, well actually it's not a problem persay, it's just thats it's there's such difference between PC mother boards that it's very easy to get a slow PP, It's very common on newer machines that the PP only outputs 3.5V and this can cause trouble with some BOB's and drives.!!
Usb takes this potential problem away, another very nice feature of USB pulse generators is because of they way they work and handle the pulse generation side they take the workload away from Mach so this means they can be used with low spec machines, even low spec laptops, I've known Smooth steppers used on Old pentium 100's.!!

[Jonathan]

Without knowing the size (?) and application of your machine it is difficult to judge, but for most those steppers and drivers are a good choice. You can run those motors on 70V with the PM752 drivers to get better speed and acceleration, but if that is useful or not depends on the size of the machine. You will also need 4-core CY cable, 1.5mm^2 to go from the drivers to stepper motors and connectors for the motors, though those aren't critical. I have about 100m of cable, so let me know if you need any.

Emergency stop switch
Limit switches

Like the others have said it will work direct from the stick but if you plan to run really long code or do lots of 3D which usually creates large G-code files then best or safer if you save to the HD first then run.!

Another thing is it's not hard to accidently knock the stick/cable out whilst it's running :whistling:

[Swarfing]

Don't be afraid to give EMC2 a try, it does a lot more than you think not just a free do nothing application. As for interfacing there also the MODIO or MODbus route (still costly).