[Spiffy Lab]

Anyone know if any run of the mill LCD monitor will work with the '34917 - Tormach Machine Controller w/Mach3 computer'?

Tormach wants $163 for theirs. I have an extra one ready to put to use.

Thanks.

[tmarks11]

Yes, absolutely. I have a Dell 23" 1920x1080 monitor on mine, works fine.

[Spiffy Lab]

Yes, absolutely. I have a Dell 23" 1920x1080 monitor on mine, works fine.

Thank you!

[CNC-Dude]

You can use whatever you have with their controller. Literally, you can use any keyboard, any mouse and even any jog shuttle (from Contour Design). I have used keyboards and mice purchased from Walmart and jog shuttles from Amazon. ZERO hiccup! Same applies to monitors, etc. Considering all the stuff we may have lying around from older computers, there is no need to buy a specialized peripheral, as there is nothing special to them.

I am about to test the WiFi dongle. I bet most of them will work as well, although this is an area where Drivers could make me swallow these foolish words...

[Spiffy Lab]

You can use whatever you have with their controller. Literally, you can use any keyboard, any mouse and even any jog shuttle (from Contour Design). I have used keyboards and mice purchased from Walmart and jog shuttles from Amazon. ZERO hiccup! Same applies to monitors, etc. Considering all the stuff we may have lying around from older computers, there is no need to buy a specialized peripheral, as there is nothing special to them.

I am about to test the WiFi dongle. I bet most of them will work as well, although this is an area where Drivers could make me swallow these foolish words...

This leads to anther question. Do I really need to spend $715 dollars for the Tormach controller?
34917 - Tormach Machine Controller w/Mach3 34917 - Tormach Machine Controller w/Mach3

[CNC-Dude]

This leads to anther question. Do I really need to spend $715 dollars for the Tormach controller?
34917 - Tormach Machine Controller w/Mach3 34917 - Tormach Machine Controller w/Mach3

You don't HAVE to, and for 4 years I didn't. Then 3 weeks ago I pulled the plug and bought one. Why? Well, because I wanted to try Path Pilot and get to know it. Have to say I am blown away by how cool it looks and works, but if you are on a budget, you can skip on this step until better days.

The thing with the controller is that you can build your own, but if there are any issues, Tormach won't be able to help you. There are plenty of claims out there on how not all computers will work. I find this hard to believe myself, but hey! There are so many pieces of junk out there maybe it is not as far fetched as it sounds. But I have been operating without any hiccups for 4 years. Not like I have tried every possible motherboard out there, but the ones I have used have given me no trouble at all! They have all been Dell, if that works for anything.

If you can make money with your machine, I recommend the Tormach Controller just because of Path Pilot. MACH3 days are numbered and with not too many fingers...

[GLCarlson]

This leads to anther question. Do I really need to spend $715 dollars for the Tormach controller?
34917 - Tormach Machine Controller w/Mach3 34917 - Tormach Machine Controller w/Mach3

Nope. But then you're committed to a different path, so to speak. CNC-Dude summarized it well. I'm still on Mach (bought a lot of tooling for the price of that Windows XP controller), but once the new system settles out, I'll probably go with a Tormach controller. If it were me, now, I'd probably go with a free Dell or clone and plan to upgrade in a year. Add me to the list of folks who've used a surplus Dell (two of 'em, actually) running Mach with zero problems for the past six years.

[Steve Seebold]

If you use your own computer for your control, make sure you reformat it before you install the Mach operating system. I have seen horror stories from people who have installed Mach on a computer with other software.

I have the Tormach Control Computer on my machine and it has without even a hiccup for almost 4 years.

AND, the Tormach Control Computer is small so it doesn't take up much space on your desk top.

[keen]

In answer to the thread start question Spiffy - I fitted a cheap used Dell monitor on my new series 3 with a Tormach controller. It took some sorting to get a screen size etc set that would consistently run, and even now I get a few hiccups including a common mouse pointer freeze for half a minute. (any help welcome)

This stuff is not my forte and I wish I had just bought the whole set up ex Tormach - although now, air freight to NZ is a big cost. Keen

[tmarks11]

I fitted a cheap used Dell monitor on my new series 3 with a Tormach controller. It took some sorting to get a screen size etc set that would consistently run, and even now I get a few hiccups including a common mouse pointer freeze for half a minute. (any help welcome)

Monitor should have absolutely NO effect on your mouse (unless it is an old analog CRT causing electrical interference). Do you have any USB hubs plugged in?

[keen]

Monitor should have absolutely NO effect on your mouse (unless it is an old analog CRT causing electrical interference). Do you have any USB hubs plugged in?

Hi tmarks. That's good to hear, The monitor is a fairly modern Dell. No, I don't use a USB hub. I did need to use USB cable extensions though. It is a Tormach mouse, but maybe I should just try changing that?

[tmarks11]

It is worth experimenting to see if that is part of the problem. Might also want to see if you are running those USB cables in and around power cords.

Did you plug your mouse into the USB ports on the front/motherboard ports on the rear, or the USB PCI card?

[keen]

It is worth experimenting to see if that is part of the problem. Might also want to see if you are running those USB cables in and around power cords.

Did you plug your mouse into the USB ports on the front/motherboard ports on the rear, or the USB PCI card?

I was careful to follow Tormachs instructions re correct USB ports - but I do have the power cable bundled in with the USB cables - but it is not twisted around them...could that do it?

you can see it on this video....Keen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtiVxxWiA1s

[CNC-Dude]

I was careful to follow Tormachs instructions re correct USB ports - but I do have the power cable bundled in with the USB cables - but it is not twisted around them...could that do it?

you can see it on this video....Keen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtiVxxWiA1s

Keen, first of all that setup is OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! Awesome indeed!

I don't think you want to twist USB cables around power cables. Although both are most likely shielded, the only advantage you get from twisting cables is when you have a differential pair, and an USB cable along with the power cable DEFINITELY does not make for a pair.

[FEEL FREE TO IGNORE THIS BLAHBER BLAH] Here is an example of what does constitute a legitimate pair. It is actually inside the USB cable! The USB cable is made of POWER, GROUND and a Differential Pair (DATA+ and DATA-). These two cables are twisted because they go into a differential amplifier which will reject the noise which gets coupled into both wires. The theory is that electromagnetic energy in the air will infuse its noise into both cables equally (because they are very close together). The Differential Amplifier has been designed to let only different stuff go through (hence the name differential amplifier). When the USB data reaches its destination, the data goes through because it is represented as different voltages in each line (DATA+ is 5V and DATA- is 0V), but the noise is the same on both wires so it gets filtered out. [ END OF FEEL FREE TO IGNORE THIS BLAHBER BLAH]

The USB cable will also have a copper jacket in order to shield even more from external electromagnetic interference, so it does not need to be twisted with anything.

If your USB connections are crapping out, then, your problem must be cable length, or a cheesy cable. Although to be honest, I have not had this problem and I know I have an extension on my USB cables. Maybe your cable extension is way longer than it should? Don't assume that because somebody sells a 25 feet extension, that this is a legal condition supported by the USB standard. If there are too many losses on the cable, the 5V become something much smaller and the signal integrity is lost really quick! USB is a super fast speed serial communication protocol and it is not a trivial endeavor.

An option would be to connect a powered USB hub to the computer and then the peripherals to the hub.

[tmarks11]

An option would be to connect a powered USB hub to the computer and then the peripherals to the hub.

My understanding is a powered hub is something to avoid with Mach 3, as it can be the source of problems interrupting the timing pulse.