The USB port on the Parallel Interface board is necessary to supply 5V power. Connect with a USB cable to a USB source.

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I purchased a parallel port breakout board. I have checked all the info and found nothing on the usb port. What is it used for?

Sure. If you had your own computer to start with and now need a replacement for it, consider our redSprout and redLeaf systems. You can find information about them here: https://buildyourcnc.com/AssembledElectronics.aspx If you started with one of our assembled systems, and only need to replace certain components, contact our sales department at sales@buildyourcnc.com for a quote.

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Can I get a replacement computer only ? I have a blacktoe with parallel port and it seems to have stopped working.

Mach4 is designed to run in both 64 and 32-bit computers and operating systems, however, the parallel port interface will not work with 64-bit windows. The easiest solution would be to use a more modern CNC controller, like the:

pokeys57cnc that I sell
https://buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-electronic-component-breakout-Mach4-mach3-USB-ethernet-Board

Or other options like the Smoothstepper board that I do not sell.

Both are great options.

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[468] I wanted to know if I could use a computer with 64 bits windows installed (with Parallel port in the mainboard) or not. Thanks

If your computer does not have a parallel port, all you will need is a low cost PCI parallel adapter card (these can be found on amazon for $15-$20). If you plan on using a laptop (not recommended) you can try to find a PCMCIA parallel adapter, but many people have frequent issues with this setup. A more expensive solution would be to purchase a USB smooth stepper board. Unfortunately, we do not supply any of these adapters and cannot attest to their reliability.

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ur gay

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I have a parallel. breakout board. and no parallel port at the back of my computer do those parallel. cards. work with the breakout board?

To implement a electronics combo to run you Proxxon MF70, you will need to find the correct drive components (ACME screw, linear rail, etc) and look into any specific modifications needed to your rig.
I would recommend the USB 3 Axis Large Motors Electronics w/ USB Interface Board.
Since the machine is metal, our larger motors would be highly recommended.

We have not done this conversion, through research is recommended.

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Hi I have a Proxxon MF70, I want to add 3axis stepper with controller and software by USB. Can you suggest a kit for me? Thanks.

That will depend on the CNC machine kit that you select. Make sure to include a spindle with your purchase if the machine does not include one. You will also need end mills to serve as the cutting instrument that will conform to your application. Some machines do not include a table. For those, you will need to build the table for the machine. If you select a machine with electronics and you did not elect to purchase the redFly, redSprout or redLeaf, then you will need wire and cable to connect the electronics.

Connecting your redfly kit to computer do I need to program

Connecting cnc electronics to computer

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To have a compete CNC solution i juste have to : Order and assembly a CNC kit , install a specific CNC software....And is that all ?

Most motherboard do contain parallel ports, but the port connector may not be at the back (in the section where external connectors will be connected). Instead, the motherboard may contain an LPT ribbon connector on the actual face of the motherboard (usually along one of the edges). You will need a ribbon connector to a DB25 female connector.

If your motherboard does not contain an LPT header on the motherboard, you can purchase a parallel printer adapter that plugs into one of the PCI slots. The price of the adapter is very inexpensive and sometimes is actually less costly than the actual ribbon connector.

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As I am building my 20" x 24" laser engraver cutter, I notice that there is no parallel port on the onboard computer and I have the parallel breakout board any answers?

Yes, the Mach3 USB controller will work with the latest Windows version and in 64-bit mode. The 32-bit mode is only relevant for using the parallel port driver if you are using a parallel port breakout board. Since this controller is connected via a USB cable, the 64-bit state will work fine.

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[575] I have a 64 bit Windows 11 laptop. Will this interface board work with this? If not is there an option you can suggest.

Here is how to connect your router to the parallel breakout board through the on-board relay. You will need a spare extension cord. You will need to remove a portion of the outer jacket of the extension cord to expose the white, black and green wires (white = neutral, black = live and green = ground), understanding that the neutral and live create the completed circuit.

See this image of a similar connection. The terminal has the same connections.
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/images/vacuum-pressure-controller-relay-terminals-700.JPG

Image of the relay terminal:
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/images/breakoutboardrelayNONC.PNG

The live/black wire would be cut and one end of the cut would be secured into the P terminal and the other cut end would be secured into the S terminal. The live and ground wire would be uncut and travel from the plug to the router.


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You can also connect other high powered devices to the breakout board using any of the output terminals. You will need to supply extra relays like the one shown here:
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-breakout-Relays-relay-board-250V-12A-5V

Or you can find SSRs (Solid State Relays) that will accept 5v to drive the relay coil. Make sure the SSR will protect the 5V line from Back EMF as there is a coil in the relay. The one we sell contains a fly-back diode to protect the 5v terminal.

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I have your breakout board with relay parallel port , how can I wire up a regular router to that board so I can control the router

A parallel to USB adapter will not work. You will need to use a USB interface like the ones below:

Mach3 USB interface:
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-electronic-component-breakout-Mach3-USB-Board

Poeys57CNC Interface:
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-electronic-component-breakout-Mach4-mach3-USB-ethernet-Board

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To answer the question in more detail, the parallel port is actually an extension straight from the CPU and is also called the GPIO (General Purpose I/O) pins. These pins carry signals independently, hence the description as being a parallel port.

The stepper motor driver receives a pulse train (series of pulses). A single pin on the parallel port sends a pulse train to one stepper motor driver and stepper motor for a single axis. Another pin on the parallel port sends a pulse train to another stepper motor driver on another axis. This happens simultaneously as with the direction signals for each axis.

If a parallel port is adapted through a USB (using an adapter), the parallel port cannot have these signals happen in a simultaneous fashion and will cause the stepper motors of a CNC router or machine to be very clunky, if it works at all. To elaborate, the computer sends an instruction to the USB to send a high signal to pin 1, so it does, then another signal to pin 2, so it does. This is happening one after another. The speed at which this happens is reduced dramatically, and the position of one axis may now be out of sync to another axis.

The reason the USB interfaces (linked above) work is that the USB delivers broad instructions to the interface (to a microcontroller) and the interface parses the instructions and outputs simultaneous signals to the stepper motor drivers.

Hope this helps.

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My computer doesn't have a parallel port connection. Can I use a usb to parallel port cable to communicate with my breakout board?

Dealing with our scratch Build kit/BYO CNC Book Kit, you will use our basic 3 axis electronics kit (https://buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-3axis-425-elcombo). Now dealing with the Breakout Board, the book specifies the parallel port BoB, but you can use the USB BoB and use Planet-CNC rather than using Mach 3 or Linux-CNC as your control software.

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Correct kit of motors and electronics, I bough a book in Amazons kindle to build a CNC, this book mention a kit of motors and electronics for parallel port, I want to use USB, can you suggest me the correct kit fot this machine.

You can add a limit switch to either the USB or the parallel board. Please refer to the product pages for these items to view wiring diagrams.

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I want to add limit switches but I have no connections on the breakout board. Can I use a usb interface board for the limit switches as well as the parallel port for the running?

You can add a limit switch to either the USB or the parallel board. Please refer to the product pages for these items to view wiring diagrams.

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I want to add limit switches but I have no connections on the breakout board. Can I use a usb interface board for the limit switches as well as the parallel port for the running?

This version of the blueChick comes with the Parallel Breakout Board.

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Which electronics unit comes with item #230, the 3 axis USB or parallel? If parallel, do you have a package price that includes the USB electronics?

Sure, connect O2 (output #2) on your mach3 USB board to the GND side of your relay coil. Connect the 24V power supply to the positive side of your 24v relay.

You will want to connect a flyback diode (1N4007) between the coil connections to make sure the coil back current does not damage the Mach3 USB board.

Refer to this diagram:
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/Documents/Electric%20Wiring%20Diagram.pdf

Please let me know if this helps and if you need further guidance.

Thanks

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I recently purchesed a USB Mach3 breakout board and need help setting mach3 to use a relay to start the router can you show how to set the pins and which port to use on the board to attached the relay?

Sure, the USB interface has a place for 4 axes of limit switches.

Each axis can have two limit switches: one for the ++ (positive) end and one for the -- (negative) end. The positive end would be the limit switch at the end of the machine that, say the machine has a 4'x8' area, reaches a bit after the 8 foot mark. The negative end would be the limit switch behind the 0 foot location behind the origin. If the origin is in the middle, the negative would be at a little more than the -4 foot end and the positive would be at a bit more than the +4 foot end. Note that you can have more than one switch on each pin where the NC is connected in serial fashion and the NO is connected in parallel fashion (this can be seen on the diagram in the multiple limits switch section). The software configurations for the limits switches are under File -> Settings -> Limit.

A typical limit switch has three connections on it. These connections consist of COM (common), NC (normally closed) and NO (normally open). The COM would generally go to GND and the NC or the NO would go to the pin. If the NC is used, then the the switch is constantly connected until the switch is pushed (engaged) then the connection from the pin to gnd is broken (open). Use the settings in software to set whether in NC or NO configuration.

Let me know if this information was helpful (or not) by adding information to this question. Thanks.

User response:
Thank you very much for this helpful information. I'm still a little fuzzy on how the 6 limit switches physically connect to each other and to the USB breakout board. You've stated one switch (home) goes to positive and another switch (limit) goes to negative. Are all the GND prongs from all 6 switches connected to each other and going to GND on the breakout board, or no? And the NC prongs, how exactly are they connected to each other? And to the board? There has to be a diagram somewhere shows this visually, no? I don't know how to wire the switches in series or in parallel. I have already physically installed all the switches on the machine and ran the wires to where the board is. Now I just need to know where to plug these wires into the board. Also, taking into consideration that I'm using the Planet CNC software, the only settings I have pertaining to limit switches is "Enable/Disable" for each axis, and the actual limit for each axis. Nothing about NC or NO. Is that only in Mach3?
Thank you.

buildyourcnc response:
On the USB interface, the COM on the switch connects to GND and the NC or NO connects to the input pin (i.e. x++, y--, etc.)

Limit switch configuration is rather difficult to understand, especially with series and parallel. You can think of series as a single wire going from GND to the axis letter input terminal (i.e. X++ or X--). If the wire is broken, then the circuit is open (or the switch is engaged in a normally closed scenario). Normally closed is like an actual wire, and when engaged, the switch "opens" (breaks the wire). This is why we recommend in some systems that you can put many switches in series on a single pin. When one of the switches is engaged (breaking the connection) then the entire circuit of switches is broken and the machine stops.

In a parallel scenario, the state of the circuit is always broken until the one of the switches is engaged and the circuit is then closed or connected. The topology looks like a ladder. All the switches connect to both sides of the ladder and the switches are like the runs of the ladder (the horizontal bars that the feet are placed while climbing). Imagine all of the switches broken in this scenario (normally open). It would be like the ladder could be split in two, but if one of the ladder runs (switches) is closed by engaging it, then that run would connect both sides of the ladder and the two sides of the ladder would have a connection.

There is a diagram on the USB page of the various limit switch configurations. If you need more information (visual and/or otherwise), please let us know and we will immediately add that information to benefit everyone.

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How can I convert from Xylotex to yours, four axis with limit switches. Have parallel PC and steppers on machine.

The parallel (printer cable) port is uses the computer as its main source of pulse trains to operate the motor driver directly. Parallel ports are a direct connection from the processor commonly referred to as GPIO pins (General Purpose I/O pins) and provides a convenient and powerful way to interface with the computer. The parallel breakout board is included in those kits only to condition those signals for use with the drivers.

The USB serves at the actual controller, sending the pulse trains, but the computer sends simple human readable instructions to the USB controller to tell the controller how to send pulses.

The non-technical differences that may serve as the most important information to you is that the parallel configurations allow for a wider variety of industry standard software that can be used to control the cnc machine. The USB that we offer requires the operator to use a software called Planet-CNC software which is a very well made and feature full cnc control software.

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USB Motion controller breakout board work with planet cnc software?

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what is the difference between parallel and USB electronics. I have a laptop that will run the mach3 program.

If you want speed control, it is recommended to use the RS-485 connection on the VFD and use the control program such as Mach3 to communication serially with the VFD using this RS-485 connection.

If you would rather use a controller such as the PMDX-107 to simulate the effect of a potentiometer using the Aref, Aout and Agnd and the Rev/Dir and Fwd/Run terminals to control operation and direction, you can connect those to the VFD.

PMDX-107 Aout connects to the VI (analog voltage in). This is like the wiper on a potentiometer.
PMDX-107 Agnd connects to the ACM terminal on the VFD for Analog common.
PMDX-107 COM connects to DCM terminal on the VFD for Digital common.
PMDX-107 Fwd/Run connects to the FOR terminal on the VFD for Forward.
PMDX-107 Rev/Dir connects to the REV terminal on the VFD for Reverse.

Refer to your PMDX-107 manual to correctly configure your dip switch settings and make sure to calibrate (tweak) the speed control using the trimmer next to the terminals on the PMDX-107.

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I purchased the 4.0kw spindle and VFD a while back, and have just installed a PMDX-107 controller... do you have any examples of the wiring connections for the SL-240EE to PMDX-107?

Yes, you can use a laptop if you have a controller that uses a USB, like the Mach3 USB card. If you don't have that, you can purchase that part here:
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-electronic-component-breakout-Mach3-USB-Board

If you have a controller board that connects to a 25 pin connector, modern laptops will not be able to connect to that port.

How old is your CNC computer system?

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The CNC computer system is 2013 (5 years). The built in video card went out. I will order the Mach3 USB card. Thank you.

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You're welcome

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The motherboard on the computer I bought from you went out. What would you suggest. I have a laptop, could I use it and use a Mach3 USB interface board?