Replace control board in CNC

Hello Jon,

Your thoughts of a utilizing a new controller is definitely achievable. Quite a few companies out there replace controllers with modern ones, or you can go along the road of replacing the controller yourself.

Modern DIY controllers these days that don't break the bank include; Mach 4, Centroid, Linux CNC & MASSO CNC.

I cannot vouch for all of them but I am impressed with Centroid Acorn CNC, as I moved to that from Mach 3.

If you can trace wires, do some mild electrical work, troubleshoot hardware and software problems, and have the confidence to complete a project I think you will be fine to do a retrofit of a control system on your own. You will learn alot and be able to diagnose/repair alot of machine related problems yourself. Even if your not confident you can buy full control systems and just bolt on your motors and plug them in.

If I were in your shoes I would replace motors, rails, linear blocks etc (if necessary) and change out the controller in a heartbeat. Your absolutely correct in that retrofitting cost much less then replacement to a new machine and it's totally worth it if the structural components are in good shape or can be replaced.

Hope this helps.

I have UCCNC and like it pretty well. I believe it should run any controllers that run the 6000, possibly a lot cheaper using their breakouts.

I do have concerns about being in Hungary and me being in the US. I was excited to have more options than Centroid permits (number of axis) but dealing with a company overseas complicates things, at least it has for me.

Make sure any critical component is available in the US and they have a warranty that compliments a $3500 controller.

When UCCNC/Hardware works, it works well but the inevitable hardware failure can compound problems, and being a continent away really slows things down. In my opinion, that makes the warranty of questionable value. The UCCNC crew seem nice but communications is difficult, and they seem to have issues answering the phone. Don't take this route if you are income dependent on this router.

If you can bring yourself to think of the hardware as a consumable, it might be easier to swallow. I'm not there yout.

ger21 said:

If you are dependent on your machine for income, it might be wise to spend $150 for a backup controller.

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Good advice and I did so, but made a mistake. I later realized $150 didn't get me an activation code. Not sure why any controller would be priced or offered without a critical component like an activation key. Lesson learned.

ger21 said:

IMO, there hardware is rock solid, and any failure would most likely be the result of user error. I wouldn't consider failure to be inevitable. I see my CNC Drive controllers running for years to come without issues.

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I appreciate your optimism. My board worked and then failed; I confirmed it with the manufacturer who recommended I return it for testing. Our mutual good faith effort became complicated. Trivial in the grand scheme and not an implication of CNCDrive’s quality.

You are correct about buying from US reps. I was more than happy to buy direct from the manufacturer, knowing they would benefited from direct sales, however with reflection on my experience, I can’t recommend that degree of “loyalty” to others. That was my point to the original poster, consider the dependencies bundled with any product you select. Consider doesn't mean avoid, just protect yourself.

Hey David,

Sorry for my delay in responding. It was your post, actually, that kicked my butt into getting this back into action.

I got in touch with CNC4PC last night and talked to Arturo for a while. I am going to be sending him images of my machine along with some G-code today. The fortunate thing I have working for me is that I do not have a complicated machine. I don't have zone control, a vision system, or a tool changer. Nothing complex. So at this point, I am very hopeful.

I am happy to share my progress here. AXYZ won't share anything, let alone wiring diagrams. All I ever hear from them is "buy a new machine". That's a pretty difficult pill to swallow, especially given these times, and the machines I have are sturdy, well-built machines. I'd rather upgrade the components than buy all new.

Anyway, will post back more later. What is your plan?

Jon