cnc usb controller uc100 for mach3 cnc controller usb to parallel

Again, this is an over-simplification but the general principle is correct. The UC100 offloads the time-critical bits of the job - the pulse generation - and leaves Mach3 to do the bits it's better at. Actually, the limiting factor is Windows, for various reasons, but we don't need to worry about that level of detail.

Mach3 is OK for most of this, but can struggle with generating the precise timing that is needed for the various pulse trains to make a machine run smoothly at speed. Plus a user interface and the various housekeeping jobs like homing, managing limit switches, etc. To drive a CNC machine, you need something to read gcode, analyse it, work out where the axes need to move, and generate several series of precisely-timed pulses to drive each axis. Yes, it looks like it is, but it actually has a lot of added intelligence inside. It's not obvious from the outside but the UC100 is not a USB to PP converter. Product description and background of working USB CNC motion controller to use with MACH3 software ,ġ.I'm a little confused now as I understood that the UC100 was just for converting the PP to a USB configuration !Indeed, that is part of the confusion. Mach3 is a popular CNC machine tool control software running on desktop computers and laptops under Windows operating system. Mach3 in default working the the computer's parallel (printer) port and sending all signals via this port. Windows is not a realtime operating system and therefor it is a difficult and CPU time consuming task for Mach3 to generate these signals in a precise manner. As the output signals frequency gets higher with using todays more and more advanced motor control electronics Mach3 needs the more processor time of the computer. If the computer gets overloaded by Mach3 or by running other software(s) in the background may leads to a lagging of the G-code code execution to even a falter in the motion interpolation which may lead to a catastrophic failure of some applications.Īnother problem with the LPT port is that in today's informatic technology this kind of port is no more used and is a dying out device and non of the new laptops having this kind of port built in anymore.

The UC100 motion controller overcomes these problems with removing all time critical tasks from the control computer and Windows and executing all these tasks on inside it's own high speed DSP control chip outside the PC. The UC100 controller connects to the PC via the USB port and this kind of port is more modern as an LPT port and exists on all today's computers. The UC100 has a look as if it was a “simple USB to LPT port converter module”, but it is much more than this.

Cnc usb controller uc100 for mach3 cnc controller usb to parallel