budget diy cnc controller question

[andrew583]

Ok well not getting into this debate again but will just pickup for the sake of others on the fact the board is NOT a controller. Mach3 is the controller.....

I apologise for incorrect use of terminology. You are correct of course :)

A couple of years ago when I first took an interest in CNC (for hobby purposes) this assembly was just what the doctor ordered. It did the business of taking GCODE issued thru MACH3 and made the 3020 router/engraver perform its merry dance. I learnt a lot from that. And that's why I am happy to give this the thumbs up for a new user who is not accustomed to setting up and using a CNC machine. It is low cost enough (in the region of $100) to be viewed as a throwaway purchase down the line.

What I do think is wrong is trying to persuade people NOT to invest in this "crap technology" (using your words), and instead save up to buy the full monty. Interests come and go, and if someone bought the full monty and then lost interest then they would have paid a shedload of capital - to discover that maybe it's a hobby they don't want to follow after all. Furthermore, when they do make the full monty purchase, having used this assembly they would be conversant with everything they would need in terms of a tick list.

I'm not pretending this assembly is the dogs danglies, because it clearly isn't. It does however provide the baseline of functionality to get started with a CNC project. Furthermore, in the event that the user decided they wanted something more powerful then they could auction this on ebay to recover some of their outlay. It has crossed my mind to do just that now that I have a CNC 6040. However I still have my 3020 which I will probably continue to use for smaller projects.

Sorry if I'm offending anyone, but realistically I don't think it is fair to poo-poo this assembly given that it does actually perform the job expected of it. I've had many hours of pleasure using it, and it has enabled me to get to grips with CNC - even if I can't manage to get the terminology just right :)

[JAZZCNC]

Sorry if I'm offending anyone, but realistically I don't think it is fair to poo-poo this assembly given that it does actually perform the job expected of it. I've had many hours of pleasure using it, and it has enabled me to get to grips with CNC - even if I can't manage to get the terminology just right :)

Don't worrie you don't offend me or imagine anyone here. It's not personal that I corrected you and I do it with every post I see things said wrong whether they be strangers or friends and I also don't mind people doing the same with me if(when) I do it.!
I don't do this because I'm Anal or up my own A'~$ I do it because I'm dealing with lots of people Off forum so encounter wrong terminology all the time and it really can make things harder than need to be.

Now back to this "Crap technology".!! We may have to agree to disagree which often happens around here. . Lol

Your satisfaction with this board comes from your one view, your own, based on succesful results using it which is fare enough.
My dislike comes from many many experiences of helping others who have bought and killed these boards/kits relatively quickly only to waste any investment they made, not to mention time and frustration. I also experience users who like your self buy them and they work without problems but never achieve the results they would like or expect but blindly carry on thinking that's just the way DIY CNC is.
So I STRONGLY DISAGREE that there is any thing wrong with encouraging people to invest in better technology because time and time again I get thank you messages from people who have bought "Crap technology" and struggled on with it until frustration or Magic smoke brings them to taking my suggestions on board. Only then do they realise just How Rubbish or restrictive the "Crap Technology" really was and stand in disblief watching the machine that ounce struggled to go from A to B does now.

Again we will probably have to Agree to disagree but I don't think you'll be getting many thank you emails.!!