Newbie - what Mesa card to choose?

Hi all,

I decided to build myself a CNC router a while back and started to go down the path of designing and building a machine without a lot of thought to how to control it. Since then I have also realized I am not a very good machinist and have struggled with making highly accurate drill holes.

Here's my thought process to get me doing some CNC projects much faster yet not giving up on my CNC build
1. There is a person who lives in my town selling a no-name 6040 and controller box setup with a parallel port connection. I do not want to go down the Mach3 route for that router or my new one so I am most interested in Linux CNC. I'm an IT guy and while I am no expert at linux I can navigate well enough and am not afraid to learn more.
2.. I have several older PCs which all have parallel ports and can load linux on those boxes.
3. get the 6040 up and running using linux CNC - do what-ever board changes it requires to reconfigure the 6040 control box so as I can use the 6040.
4. Have some fun doing some basic CNC projects - Learn!!!!
5. When I get good enough to mill some aluminum gantry, end cap and z axis panels and make them up on the 6040
6. Setup the new router with new stepper motors and the same output cabling so I could re-using the 6040 control box.
7. Switch the control box back and forth until I am comfortable with new router.

Questions:
1. Is my thought process logical? aka reconfigure the 6040 box to use linux cnc?
2. Could I just load linux cnc on a PC and connect via parallel? or does that require a mesa card which would output to parallel?
3. If 2 requires a card, would I just be better off reconfiguring the control box to use a 7i76 card and bypassing parallel all together?

thanks in advance

It's not a bad plan. You may run into a hard time finding good documents about the no name 6040 and trying to interface it. It shouldn't be too crazy but it will have some moments.

For the extra $120 you could probably just option into a 7i96 off the bat and not chase down an old pc that works with good latency. Run it off ethernet. Just need a decent pc. Lots of options out there.

Thank you both for the info

I have an Dell workstation that isn't too old 4 core 8GBram, runs win10 fine, I ordered up a 120GB sata SSD and cage to install it in a larger drive bay, should be here in a couple of days. In my stack of old crap, I even have the right parallel cable to work with so I am going to try that first.

In the mean time I downloaded the linux cnc iso and setup a vm in hyper-v to mess with it while I am waiting.

I haven't bought the CNC yet, meeting the guy tomorrow night after work, from talking with him, he seems like a decent person, and had bought this router to do similar to what I am planning on doing, You can even see the pattern of his new gantry panels in the waste board.

Once I get the cnc setup home and can crack open the controller case to see what I have to work with, I will re-evaluate switching it to ethernet, the $120 option won't break the bank.

On the topic of ethernet, the videos I watched on the mesa cards said that it could be only direct attached straight IP/same subnet, do you need a crossover cable for that purpose or do folks use a small 4 port switch not connected to the internet?

let's see if I am understanding this correctly, here's the options as I currently understand it, please correct my errors

If I don't want to crack open the existing 6040 cabinet but want ethernet - purchase 7i92 - outside card, ethernet goes in and parallel out to control box

part to order - store.mesanet.com/index.php?route=produc...uct_id=306&limit=100

If I want to avoid parallel port altogether and upgrade communications method but will require reconfiguring inside the cabinet. This requires a desktop and a PCI port to install the card
7125 / 5125 kit
parts to order - store.mesanet.com/index.php?route=produc...83_84&product_id=215

If I want to go ethernet and don't want an internal card in any PC - here's where I don't understand clearly.......

It seems like to get all the capability I would want something like

7i76 - not sure which version will allow adding connections and which type of connection - I think the difference is base if I supply power to limit switches and the ground is on the board or if it is the other way around.
part to order - store.mesanet.com/index.php?route=produc...uct_id=290&limit=100

Cheaper option but less flexible 7i96 - I'm guessing less ports and if I wanted more I could get another daughter card
part to order - store.mesanet.com/index.php?route=produc..._id=311&search=+7i96

An alternative approach. If the 6040 has a genuine Mach3 license AND the plan is to sell it after bootstrapping into the new router, you could use it as-is with all the configuration already done. Moving the license to your computer may require some co-operation from the current owner as I'm not sure this type of transfer is allowed by the EULA. Hmm, that kind of negates the 'genuine' license argument but I'm not above bending rules when they appear to be unfair, your ethical bar may be higher

I agree with you that would be the easiest path but unfortunately won't work.

The gentleman who is selling the CNC used the CNC to build a net new CNC and he is keeping his PC and Mach3 license.

He has offered to let me copy his Mach 3 config files so if I did go that path of purchasing that license I could be up and running quickly.

We'll see how it goes, meeting him at 6 tonight and the cnc is reasonably priced, he sent me a video of it cutting aluminum plates date marked less than 1 month ago so I have high hopes it is a decent deal.

I watched a bunch of youtube videos and folks all pretty much said the machinery was pretty good but the control boards sucked. Spending a few more $ to make it run well won't bother me.

If you want to replace the board already on it then look at a 7i96 or 7i76e. Both ethernet. Don't run ethernet through a switch. First probably has enough io to run the router and the later will have more than enough and spindle control. Whatever crappy breakout board they are using may just be better to replace.

You can try and interface the parallel port with just a linuxcnc computer, 7i92, 5i25, 6i25 etc.

I went to check out the CNC tonight, the person selling it is quite an individual, think residential neighborhood and a house like everyone else but when you go inside his basement it is a full machine shop with an industrial scale mill and lathe. His new CNC machine was equally impressive.

He demo'd the 6040 CNC and everything seemed to work as expected so I purchased it.

After getting home I checked out the controller and it doesn't seem like it is worth trying to retrofit parts into this setup
photos.app.goo.gl/zgohFpdEmWtD2CfN6

I had ordered a new sata ssd hard drive a day ago, when it comes in I will build up the PC with linux cnc and see how far I can get using the parallel port.

I may purchase parts and start to make up a new controller setup for my CNC and use the same aircraft connectors so when my controller is ready I can swap it out.

I think keeping this setup as original as possible will make it more appealing if I sell it down the line.