What would you do?

Don't see your table manufacturer listed above? Post here in this forum.
Post Reply
User avatar
tomloewen
2.5 Star Elite Contributing Member
2.5 Star Elite Contributing Member
Posts: 246
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 1:46 pm
Location: Alberta Canada

What would you do?

Post by tomloewen »

In a recent post I asked for help with PracticalCNC software, and we're still fighting with it.

So . . . plan "B". If we dumped the PracticalCNC software, what would be the best way to get this table up & running?

My neighbor bought this table for $6,000 CN, (which with the current exchange rate, is about five bucks in US funds) It's an older version of PracticalCNC, running on Windows XP. He runs a one-man welding shop but knows nothing about CNC. I know a little, but not much

Now, going by the pictures below, if you guys already had this sitting in your shop, what would you do to get it up and running?
Thanks,
Tom

You currently do not have access to download this file.
To gain download access for DXF, SVG & other files Click Here

muzza
4 Star Member
4 Star Member
Posts: 1472
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:35 pm

Re: What would you do?

Post by muzza »

Not sure I'm of much help Tom as I've had zero to do with Practical CNC, just read a bit.
If the mechanicals are fine in that it's tracking true and not sloppy, motors, racks, rail etc. are good and it's just the software and running of it side of things I'd get in touch with Tom at CandCNC. He's very familiar with their product having helped a lot of others out in the past and I'm sure will have several options and suggestions.
That will also have you running with Sheetcam and Mach3 which I'd guess is probably the most widely used CAM in the CNC plasma world, lots of help and always improving and affordable.
Being an older setup it probably doesn't have height control so that would also be part of Toms upgrade.
Murray
User avatar
tomloewen
2.5 Star Elite Contributing Member
2.5 Star Elite Contributing Member
Posts: 246
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 1:46 pm
Location: Alberta Canada

Re: What would you do?

Post by tomloewen »

muzza wrote:Not sure I'm of much help Tom as I've had zero to do with Practical CNC, just read a bit.
If the mechanicals are fine in that it's tracking true and not sloppy, motors, racks, rail etc. are good and it's just the software and running of it side of things I'd get in touch with Tom at CandCNC. He's very familiar with their product having helped a lot of others out in the past and I'm sure will have several options and suggestions.
That will also have you running with Sheetcam and Mach3 which I'd guess is probably the most widely used CAM in the CNC plasma world, lots of help and always improving and affordable.
Being an older setup it probably doesn't have height control so that would also be part of Toms upgrade.
Murray
Thanks Murray, the table was seldom used. He bought it from a local farmer who would use it to cut out the odd part for his equipment, so it has never seen any hard, daily use.

I went to candcnc website and I see they have a general inquire contact page. I'll fill that out and see what happens,
Thanks,
Tom
tcaudle
4 Star Elite Contributing Member
4 Star Elite Contributing Member
Posts: 1353
Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:47 pm

Re: What would you do?

Post by tcaudle »

The PCNC systems started out running Flashcut on RS232 (serial) Later they switched to WINCNC that has a bus card that plugs into the PC bus and a 25 pin cable to the controller. It is NOT a parallel port pinout. I can't see from the pictures which it is

The problem lays in the connection from the PC to the PCNC controller box. You can run it with a conventional PC parallel port IF you make an adapter to match up the pin functions To do that you have to have the WINCNC manual and the pinout of their card and the normal pinout of a MACH3 Setup. This of course assumes that the controller works.
Several years ago we had a custom PCB that would take the WINCNC 25 pin cable in one side and sort it to plug into a one of the MP1000 units (now obsolete too) but I sent the last one I had out over 2 years ago. I may have in my archives the pin outs of the two sides. There are not a lot of working PCNC controller units left that still work so the market for adapters pretty much dried up

Early PCNC Stepper units used Gecko drivers until the PCNC owner stopped paying for drivers. (he had that habit with a lot of vendors )

There are options to replace the whole controller with one that runs MACH3 and just plugs into a parallel port and one that has a working THC.

Their first THC never worked because they did not finish paying the designer (see a trend here?) The second one was designed by WINCNC and sorta works if you have their custom internal card in the Plasma. It won't work of course with any other control software but WINCNC.
User avatar
tomloewen
2.5 Star Elite Contributing Member
2.5 Star Elite Contributing Member
Posts: 246
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 1:46 pm
Location: Alberta Canada

Re: What would you do?

Post by tomloewen »

tcaudle wrote:The PCNC systems started out running Flashcut on RS232 (serial) Later they switched to WINCNC that has a bus card that plugs into the PC bus and a 25 pin cable to the controller. It is NOT a parallel port pinout. I can't see from the pictures which it is

The problem lays in the connection from the PC to the PCNC controller box. You can run it with a conventional PC parallel port IF you make an adapter to match up the pin functions To do that you have to have the WINCNC manual and the pinout of their card and the normal pinout of a MACH3 Setup. This of course assumes that the controller works.
Several years ago we had a custom PCB that would take the WINCNC 25 pin cable in one side and sort it to plug into a one of the MP1000 units (now obsolete too) but I sent the last one I had out over 2 years ago. I may have in my archives the pin outs of the two sides. There are not a lot of working PCNC controller units left that still work so the market for adapters pretty much dried up

Early PCNC Stepper units used Gecko drivers until the PCNC owner stopped paying for drivers. (he had that habit with a lot of vendors )

There are options to replace the whole controller with one that runs MACH3 and just plugs into a parallel port and one that has a working THC.

Their first THC never worked because they did not finish paying the designer (see a trend here?) The second one was designed by WINCNC and sorta works if you have their custom internal card in the Plasma. It won't work of course with any other control software but WINCNC.
Hi Tom, thanks for the info. I'm posting a couple more pictures to help you identify the wiring and so forth.

Do you think the best thing to do is install different software? A friend of mine mentioned PlasmaCAM???

Whichever software, it would be best to have something that's very user friendly, cause what you got is two guys that know enough to get themselves into trouble, so the more user friendly the better :?
Thanks,
Tom

You currently do not have access to download this file.
To gain download access for DXF, SVG & other files Click Here

tcaudle
4 Star Elite Contributing Member
4 Star Elite Contributing Member
Posts: 1353
Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:47 pm

Re: What would you do?

Post by tcaudle »

Well. The WINCNC card is an expansion card in one of the PC expansion slots which I think I can see at the bottom of the photo.

Lets see if I can simplify:

The WINCNC is a combination software and hardware solution. You HAVE to use their card to the PCNC control box. You cannot simply drop in some other software. It only runs with their software. PCNC used to give away BobCAD CAD CAM for the CAD part (mostly pirated). Its CAM is pretty weak

To my knowledge PlasmaCAm software is made to run THEIR hardware (besides its $$$$ to buy). Yes it is simpler but not designed for other controllers.

You have to get to more OPEN systems where you can pick and chose from different software packages (CAD CAM and Control) and different hardware that is designed to work with those type systems

Examples of OPEN software controllers are MACH3 and LinuxCNC. There are dozens of Drawing/CAD programs from FREE to $$. There are several CAM programs that are suitable for plasma cutting. SheetCAM is inexpensive and flexible for both 2D/2.5D routing and 2D plasma/flame

I hesitate to say something is "easy". For what is easy for one person can be a struggle for others, It depends on your desire to learn and how well you can learn from a manual and some videos.

So a lot of the marketing approach on the proprietary packages is that you are shielded form three different applications and its "easy" (some find it easier that others) but you have no flexibility to use any other third party option or software

What you have is sort of a mix. While the controller/motor driver part is pretty typical (except for the weird pinout of the DB25 port) , the WINCNC software and hardware interface are proprietary.

I am not sure at 6000 CND that is was a smokin' good deal unless you got a relatively new plasma cutter with it. Unless you can get it working as is and cutting you are going to have to spend quite a lot to retrofit it.

Sorry, I do not have better news. This list and others are often a good place to check out a deal on an older used system before you write the check. The fact the company no longer exists should give you pause as to the value of a used table. To give you a frame of reference you can build a pretty nice DIY open software/hardware table for about 6K USD not counting the plasma cutter.
Post Reply

Return to “Various Manufacturers Forum”