Hi All My first post! I want to add a parallel port (DB25) so i can connect to a CNC router I have. Is this possible?
There is a LPC bus available through the I/O headers. See for more info https://www.udoo.org/docs-x86/Hardware_Reference/Pinout_Braswell.html How to create a parallel port from this bus and what kind of hardware you need I have no idea. But be aware of the 1.8V reference voltage of these Braswell pins.
Using LPC is hard (too many pins on LPC side, needs 1.8 <> 3.3 translator, then parallel port needs many leads. Even a Super-I/O chip like W83527HG can't save the effort. After that BIOS has to initiate the Super-I/O chip properly.) Easier (but still ugly and not streamlined) is to use https://www.udoo.org/forum/threads/my-mega-thread-on-regular-sized-pcie-slot.7045/ to obtain a regular PCIe form factor slot, then plug in a regular Parallel -- PCIe card such as Syba PEX10010. Bottom-line: it will be cheaper just to buy a modern MKII 3-D printer controller board and use the USB to save the day. ccs_hello
You can use an Arduino as a driver for the parallel port of your CNC router: I did not watch the movie and I don't know if the software can be used on the Arduino 101 side of the Udoo X86. But it looks promising.
That type of device won't work. It's based on USB's "Line Printer" (cooked device) profile. What the OP needed is the raw parallel port access for word banging (3+ axis Step & DIR signal toggling.) ccs_hello
You might be able to use the Arduino side of the Udoo to act as a traditional parallel port or any other microcontroller programmed to emulate an LPT port.
That video's device is a $110 device: UC100, which can be viewed as a "CNC Controller Adjunct". Mach3/Mach4 thru plug-in will talk to UC100 in which Mach3 view it as a CNC controller. The brain inside the UC100 will interpret G-code and translate into motor movement. In another word, the heavy lifting is no longer in PC software but that $110 device. That device will use DB25 port signal to drive motors and take in sensor input. At the end of day, it's a decision that - stay with the old CNC motor-controller hardware, find a fleaBay $25 old Windows XP PC (main controller work is done on PC) - get a modern CNC controller and use a reasonable recent PC with USB capability to drive it (main controller work is on CNC controller) or something in between - stay with the old CNC motor-controller hardware, use UC100 as the CNC controller, and use a reasonable recent PC with USB capability to drive it (send G-code) <-- main controller work is done by UC100
I couldn’t agree with you more. Now it is the end of the road for LPT and USB2LPT is only give it few more days. Update CNC controller is always a better solution.
