Forgive me if I am talking bollox, but it is a feature of age .
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It seems a pity that the easiest option to convert to Mach3 seems to be to rip out the electronics and replace them. The motion control board has serial input, and (later ones?) USB as well. There does not seem to be any easy bridge from Mach3, which is predominately LPT based with direct step and direction control, to the Baldor NextStep or NextMove board which is controlled by MINT, a motion control language.
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I presume that the majority of Denford machines sold off by liquidators or schools don't have the original PC, software and dongle, which renders a well made machine useless without the original PC.
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From a purely academic interest (I haven't got one of these machines), I would be keen to know if anyone has any info on the control protocols of the serial communication to the Motion Board, or if anyone makes an interface LPT to Mint(?).
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This could be a Raspberry or Arduino project, but I need to know more before I can make up my mind.
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Another thought - might LinuxCNC be an appropriate direction to explore ?