1. "Stick Building" = building something out of pieces, one piece at at time. What I meant was we don't sell parts and pieces. You either have to ignore customers that are doing their own designs and demanding support on how to hook it to other parts from other vendors or raise the price a lot to pay for the support. There is a fallacy that all this stuff just hooks together and you load some software and start cutting.

2. Several years ago we sold off the LCTHC design when we decided to get out of the add-on THC market. The company that was selling the LCTHC (and another THC) was not successful; partially because there are at least 4 and maybe more add-on Low cost THC designs that need MACH3 (obsolete) running on older Windows Get on Ebay and you will see several. We no longer sell any Windows based solution. All our products are designed to work with LINUXCNC and our CommandCNC interface. The lowest level of controls (MP3600) we sell include the Multi-port Breakout board, the Ethernet pulse, isolated I/O , the DTHC with the pickup modules, computer. LINUX and CommandCNC. This is what we call the "Front end" of the controls is designed to be used with an external motor power supply, motor drivers and AC controls.

3. All of your skill sets are admirable. It's not a function of fear or a question of your ability, its about time and patience. If it's the challenge and learning experience you want and the lowest possible parts cost then you go the "stick building" route. You gather up a bunch of parts, figure out how to interface all of them, then teach yourself how to use both the hardware and whatever software you select.. Hundreds have done it.

The good news (for you) is if you design and build a table and make it work, you will buy yourself job security because if you decided to leave or get hit by a NOKO rocket they have a 1200 lb turd they have to try and use. . We get calls all of the time that start out: "We had a guy that worked here build a table and we need help getting it to run......"

TOMcaudle
www.candCNC.com