Controller recommendations (other than mesa)

Not true anymore. There is a very nice open hardware card, called rioctrl:
github.com/festlv/rioctrl-hw/tree/main/rioctrl-controller
I still have a number of those surplus from the last production run and can sell those.
I also designed Mesa-Style IO hats for it with
5 axes 4 encoder inputs, 8i/4o direct I/O and 16 out/32 in (shifted),
which I could sell, if anyone is interested.

Just for curiosity: How much would one of those "surplus" cards cost?

Would it be manageable for someone who is only end user level?
Is it really easier to use than a MESA card?
(referring to the original complaint that the documentation and instructions were not sufficient)


Maybe in 2020 the complaint was more valid than it is today. Because some info and updates made it better since then.

First of all, some users do not need LinuxCNC at all because they perform simple tasks for which GRBL/FluidNC is enough. LinuxCNC is just an unnecessary complication and additional cost for them. Secondly, the conversation about LinuxCNC should start with github.com/jzolee/HAL2UDP - the cheapest solution worth recommending (ESP32 + W5500 +OptoBOB or CNCshield), unfortunately with limited possibilities. Then there is riocore (recently active topic on the Forum). Later, Chinese cards compatible with 7i92 available on Aliexpress. And finally, the original MESA cards, unfortunately expensive and difficult to obtain in some countries, but widely praised. The most expensive and so far quite difficult to configure is Ethercat (I use it and I like it, but I don't recommend it to beginners).

ESP32 is 3.3V and it is too low for some drivers, but some will works.
Wires are wires, the problem may be with poor quality connectors. Some are good, some can be repaired, some are useless, it depends on which ones you get.
I agree, the wires to W5500 must be as short as possible.

This is a LinuxCNC forum, not a general CNC forum. we should not be discussing alternative CNC environments. Personally, I chose LinuxCNC because it can handle whatever I throw at it, accepting the learning curve because as I built different machines, I could keep using it.
With LinuxCNC, building with a parallel port gets you going with an old PC and a $10 BOB  is far superior and probably far cheaper to something like a grbl board and leaves you with an infinite upgrade path.

rodw wrote:

This is a LinuxCNC forum, not a general CNC forum. we should not be discussing alternative CNC environments. Personally, I chose LinuxCNC because it can handle whatever I throw at it, accepting the learning curve because as I built different machines, I could keep using it.
With LinuxCNC, building with a parallel port gets you going with an old PC and a $10 BOB  is far superior and probably far cheaper to something like a grbl board and leaves you with an infinite upgrade path.
 

I have several machines controlled by LinuxCNC and I think this is the optimal choice. I also have a CO2 laser controlled by Makerbase MKS32 with FluidNC installed, which I operate via WiFi from my laptop used for design. I can't imagine it, and no one will convince me to install an old PC with LPT and a monitor there. There are also people on the forum who ask how to use LinuxCNC where a PLC or even the cheapest microcontroller is enough. Yes, LinuxCNC is great and can do almost everything, but that's no reason to force it on everyone and everything.

Do "old PCs" still have Parallel ports? .

timo wrote:

Do "old PCs" still have Parallel ports? .
 

Some modern ones do.
There are PCI or PCIe to LPT cards too.
But this does not mean that a given computer is suitable for LinuxCNC because it has LPT port or LPT card.
There are other factors that determine this.