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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I DON'T HAVE A PARALLEL PORT ON MY COMPUTER. WHAT DO NEED?

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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MY COMPUTER DOES NOT HAVE A PARALLEL PORT. HOW DO I INTERFACE WITH THE MACHINE?

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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MY COMPUTER DOES NOT HAVE A PARALLEL PORT. HOW DO I INTERFACE WITH THE BREAKOUT BOARD?

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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IF MY COMPUTER DOESN'T HAVE A PARALLEL PORT, HOW DO I RUN THE MACHINE?

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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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?

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?

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

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?

If you have an existing PC with a parallel port you will not need to purchase the onboard computer system on the blackTooth laser cutter and engraver. You will want to purchase the blackTooth laser engraver that comes with the parallel interface (breakout board). If you have an existing CNC machine that is being used with this PC, you can disconnect the CNC machine and connect the blackTooth to this PC. You will want to have two configurations for your control software.

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We have a version of the blackTooth that is 110v and 220v. We generally determine which is sent according to the requirements of the customer and in what country they live.

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20

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Parallel Port Configuration BIOS settings and Mach 3.

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I'm interested in purchasing your black tooth laser engraver and am curious what setup to get. I already have a cnc wired via parallel port to my PC. Do I need to purchase the black tooth laser with the integrated computer or can I just disconnect my current cnc's parallel port and connect it to the black tooth laser engraver? Also is the black tooth 110v?

Do you have anything connected to the relay?

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is the relay controlled by a pinout on the BoB?

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Nothing is attached to the relay pins I am only using 2 and 3 and 5v for x driver and led indicator, 4 and 5 and 5v for y driver and led indicator, and 6 to fire the laser and the led indicator. I am also using a 5v out for the laser power control circuit and one pin of the 5k pot. Ground is shared on the laser power supply, the cnc power supply and the x and y driver. I am using the computer motherboard supplied by Buildyoucnc running ubuntu 12.04.5 LTS and linuxcnc. Bios is set to use ECP, I have tried normal and I have tried EPP, all with the same results. If I plug in the parallel after the computer starts up it doesn't switch but I can't control either axis motors


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Laser is currently not connected for safety reasons


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I am using the parallel BoB for the 40 watt C02 Laser Cutter and Engraver(blacktooth), with the supplied integrated computer running Ubuntu 12.04.5 LTS and linuxcnc. Right now, when I have the parallel header connected to the BoB(as well as usb power supplied by the computer) and I start the computer, I am able to see the first splash screen of text indicating that the computer is starting up, then the relay on the BoB switches, turning the computer off and then back on again. This happens over and over again and the computer cannot fully start into the linux os. If I unplug the parallel cable from the BoB, I can start the computer, sign in and then plug the BoB back in without it shutting down the computer. Can anyone explain why this happens? I should also say that I cannot talk to the steppers in stepconfig of linuxcnc, I get to the test this motor section and nothing happens when I try to jog either the x or y motors. In the y config, I actually triggered the relay and sent the machine back into the start up failure loop I mentioned in the beginning.

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Fixed this problem, the parallel cable was not seated well, found some screws to make a strong connection, now that part is working. Unfortunately, the stepconfig in linuxcnc is still not talking to the motor drivers and the setup for determining steps for inch in the build instructions is nothing like the set up in linuxcnc. In the instructions it says motor steps per revolution*microsteps/pulley pitch per tooth*number of teeth and in this case the recommended input would be (200*16)/.08*20 teeth = 2000 steps per inch the formula in linuxcnc is very different

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parallel break out board is not working-relay keeps switching my computer off when I power up

If you purchased a blackTooth that contains a motherboard and internal computer peripherals, and was also provided with a parallel breakout board, then you should have received a motherboard that provides parallel functionality. In fact, all of our motherboards have parallel port capabilities; however, the motherboards have the parallel port as a LPT header on the actual motherboard (not as a typical parallel port that would be located with the other external connectors. The header is labeled LPT and is generally located along the edge. The box that the motherboard is stored in shipping should contain a parallel port ribbon cable that connects to the LPT header on the motherboard.

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Why wasn't I sent a parallel ready computer with my engraver laser kit?

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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IF I DON'T HAVE A PARALLEL PORT, WHAT DO DO?

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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DO I HAVE TO A PARALLEL PORT?

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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DO I NEED A PARALLEL PORT?

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?

If you are getting the "Communicating Unsuccessful!" error when you are trying to communicate between LaserCAD and the AWC608 Laser Cutter and Engraver controller (after you have already tried installing the USB driver from the LaserCAD setup procedure), these are the steps you will need for a successful communication:

- Open the Device Manager window (right click on the start menu and select Device Manager)
- When you plug the USB cable from the AWC608 Laser Cutter Controller (USB Type B connector) to the computer, you should see a new item in the Device Manager, possibly under "Ports (COM & LPT)", or under "Other Devices". It may show as an item under "Other Devices", possibly FT245R and has an "!" in a yellow triangle.
- Download the latest FTDI drivers from: http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/D2XX.htm
- Unzip the files to a folder that can be easily browsed.
- Right click on the item that appeared in the Device Manager when the cable was plugged in between the Laser Cutter AWC608 controller and the computer.
- Click on update driver
- Select the procedure to manually install the driver and browse to the folder containing the FTDI driver and follow the step in the driver installation wizard.
- The item should now be located under the "Ports (COM & LPT)" and should be named "USB Serial Device (COM#)". The # will be the number you will use in the LaserCAD software.
- In the LaserCAD software, click the "Select Mode" at the far top right of the Laser CAD user interface.
- Make sure USB mode is selected.
- If the Machine name with the correct COM number is listed, select it and exit the dialog window. Otherwise, click on "Add" and fill in the details with the new COM number.

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Communicating unsuccessful

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Communicating unsuccessful

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My computer does not communicate with AWC608 and LaserCAD

Here is the direct link to download ubuntu (http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop), now installing it to your HDD you will need to install it to a USB or burn it to a DVD. Here is a following guide to install ubuntu (http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/try-ubuntu-before-you-install).

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Ubuntu comes with a program that will replace the controller software (ex Mach 3/Planet CNC), called LinuxCNC, here is the main website (http://www.linuxcnc.org/) and the main download page(http://www.linuxcnc.org/index.php/english/download).

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what program do I use to install ubuntu on my computer?

The main components for a CNC machine, includes:
Computer (required with correct OS system for compatibility with the CNC control software and interface board)
CAD/CAM Software
CNC Control Software (Mach 3, Planet-CNC, Linux-EMC2)
Interface Board (Our current models: Parallel interface board(mach3), USB interface board(planet-CNC))
CNC Electronics (which should be included with most cnc kits)
(ex.) Drivers, Motors, Power Supply, Interface Board
CNC Machine

Miscellaneous Items:
Limit Switches
Cable Carrier
Wires (different gauges)
End Mills/Bits
Vacuum
Emergency Stop Button
Spindle/Router

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I have computer, Cad/Cam software and my router unit not sure what else I need?