UC300ETH question

[Ats101]

Hi,

I'm looking for some help/advice about the above. I am about 4 months into my CNC journey so please excuse the lack of electronic knowledge.

I have a fault on my Chinese machine machine. I've diagnosed it as an issue with the Leadshine DMA860A driver for Z axis. I have a new one in transit.

In due course I would like to change out the RichAuto A11 controller and replace with UC300ETH and run it with UCCNC. This is because I have only read good things about the set up and also because I want to add an ATC spindle with linear tool rack once I am confident to take on such a project.

My Questions:

1. Am I correct in thinking that the 5LPT is a Breakout board for the UC300ETH? If so, what are it's disadvantages? I have read that it needs a 5V supply rather than a 24V supply so this is something I will need to tackle. Anything else.

2. I understand that the pins have been arranged in ports. What tyre of connectors can be used for my inputs/outputs?

3. I have read a fair bit of talk about the UB1 and UBB as BB options. Which in your opinion is the strongest option for the hardware below.


3 x stepper motors Nema 34
3 Omron homing switches
Spindle speed control
outputs for ATC
Fixed Z probe following tool changes
Mobile Z probe,

Thank you.

[Neale]

I use a couple of UC300s with UCCNC and I'm very happy with them.

I suggest that you avoid the 5LPT option. In fact, the CNCdrive site seems to show it as obsolete. I suspect that it was designed to replace controllers based on printer ports, and it uses 5V i/o signalling. The UCBB might be a better option with your ATC plans as it has plenty of i/o pins and can handle 24V signalling. This can be much more resistant to any interference, especially on a large machine with long cable runs.

You use idc connectors and ribbon cable between UC300 and UCBB. The UCBB has screw-down connectors for external wiring.

[Ats101]

Hi Neale,

Thanks for your input.

It's funny you say that about the 5LPT because last weekend, I was on CNC drive, I went to check out (UC300 - 5LPT + UCCNC licence) in order to work out postage but instead, the webpage completed a form entry.

Well on Monday I got an email confirming order with Paypal payment details - so from this front it does not seem obsolete.

Anyhow, I will avoid the 5LPT for my particular needs and the 24V I/O capability sounds more suitable.

Please continue to send thoughts/suggestions as it great learning.

[Ats101]

Having another look on CNC drive I can see the obsolete status.

The UBB looks good with lots of connection capability. This is a dual port BB. In what circumstance would somebody needs a duel port BB rather than a single port?

[Neale]

When you want lots of i/o capability! Essentially, it just adds more. I only mention it in connection with your ATC plans, as I have seen a number of comments here in the past about needing more i/o connections to control these. Maybe that means "more than available on an old-fashioned LPT port", though. I don't use an ATC on my mill or my router, so have no personal experience with them. I used a UC300ETH to replace the original Ethernet SmoothStepper on my mill, and while I don't have an ATC, I do have both a touch probe plus a fixed tool-height sensor on the bed. I have written a few macros so that on a tool-change, the machine automatically calibrates tool length by measuring itself on the tool-height sensor so even though I change tools manually (usually milling cutters in a collet so no possibility of presetting tool length, or swapping to a drill chuck) I can continue with minimal delay. Kind of poor-man's ATC!

On the mill, I could use the existing breakout board but on the router, I bought the UCBB, more so that I was future-proofed than because I needed the extra connections. I'm using UCCNC on both machines (replacing Mach3) and am very happy with it - although I prefer the older screen layout of UCCNC to the latest version. Personal taste.

Again, thinking about the router, I have a lot of cables running parallel to each other, with limit switches, VFD connections to the spindle, and stepper motor connections, all very close. That's one reason why I wanted 24V signalling, for better interference rejection, and as far as I can tell, this has never been a problem on my machine. I did pay a lot of attention to earthing, of course, with wired earth connections that bridge the profile rail bearings so that I am not relying on the bearings for earthing. Had plenty of problems with proximity limit switches but that's because I bought a cheap box of them from eBay when I built the machine and they are not super-reliable...