Why did you choose CandCNC and would you again?

[Potus2000]

Hello!

I’m still in the research stage and looking at controllers. I’m curious about the CandCNC offerings and am wondering how your experience with them has been. Is there a particular route you recommend taking or options that are a must have?

[weldguy]

My experience has been great with them. Can buy a complete controller setup with the options you want, in a fan cooled enclosure that's ready to wire up. Tom has been in the business for well over a decade, knows his stuff, and is a plasmaspider member. I see him here answering peoples questions, and they also have their own forum for owners where many common topics are covered.

[Potus2000]

My experience has been great with them. Can buy a complete controller setup with the options you want, in a fan cooled enclosure that's ready to wire up. Tom has been in the business for well over a decade, knows his stuff, and is a plasmaspider member. I see him here answering peoples questions, and they also have their own forum for owners where many common topics are covered.

Sounds like some pretty good reasons for going this way!

[djreiswig]

My table came with a candcnc controller, and I've had great luck with it. They have great service, and are quick to respond to questions.

[WyoGreen]

I went with CandCNC because of the online reviews they were getting. It was a great decision, as I've had no problems with the equipment, and any questions I had were promptly answered.

[cutnweld]

I went with them for price. They are a decent unit, mine has treated me fine. I'm not sure my unit is what you would call commercial,it is servo system with mach3. I have been for the last year or so been getting stuff together for a Linux upgrade with mesa boards and new servos. I dont have firsthand experience with that new mesa-plasmaC system, however my brother built an exact same system as I am putting together and I would feel that it is a less complicated approach, meaning there is less components to fail, and more robust. Having said that, not everyone wants to run their own wires and program their own boards, and if not,Candcnc is a good choice.

[tcaudle]

A little historical review
:I designed the first low cost THC in 2002 to use on my own plasma cutting table . The THC300 was a simple knob settable device with two ranges and a digital voltage readout during the cut. I talked Art at MACH to putting the THC logic into MACH1 . Bob Campbell licensed the design and sold it for a few years. At the time i was in the decorative Plasma (and router) cutting business after years in electronics design and then IT / computers. Later I worked with another Engineer to do the MP1000 digital Torch height control and sold it up until 2006. We started building electronics due to demand and shipped the first complete controller in 2007.
We introduced the DTHC and later DTHCII that used the MACH3 THC logic in 2008 . In 2014 we releasedthe DTHC IV that was integrated inot the motion control and controlled the Z directly thereby greatly increasing the speed and response. In 2015, faced with the obsolescence of MACH3, buggy nature off MACH4 and compete rewrite of all our MACH software , and lack of support. my Programmer convinced me to look at LINUX and LINUXCNC. We had long fought toolpath problems in MACH. For plasma you had to use Constant Velocity to try and keep surface speed as high as posse to prevent torch dive. Lots of machines could not provide the high acceleration needed and the toolpath had to deviate from the actual track . You got rounded corners and inaccurate cuts. At the time Linuxcnc it was not often used for plasma but it had a lot of really interesting features. We did our first design using our third generation UBOB breakout and the MESA 7i92 card. The Real TIme nature of Linuxcnc made things like instant voltage feedback, real time velocity and instant response obtainable .
CommadnCNC (tm) is a custom wrapper around Linuxcnc that adds in things that enhance the operation and the user interface.

We have the greatest respect for the stick builders that are willing to forge ahead with doing their own setup hardware interface and troubleshooting. Getting a system running and cutting with a minimum of support is a long learning curve but has rewards at the end. I guess it depends on if you are more interested in the journey than the destination . For those that want the utility of CommandCNC and the Logic front end Ethernet BoB and the high speed DTHC5,) we have the MP3700 series that lets you connect to the power and motor/drivers of your choice orretofit an existing machine with old or worn-out controls.

As designers we look at a system and decide what things are better done in hardware via embedded processors, and what works in software . A modular design is easier to troubleshoot, easier and less expensive to repair and often field repairable. The trade off is more cards and connections.

[WSS]

I bought a plazpak4 (maybe a 5) in 2009 IIRC. The REASON I bought it was because I had built my own table using "dynatorch" crud and could no longer afford to keep using it (motors were toasting at regular intervals on my $$). The CandCNC team was instrumental in helping me retrofit and setup new (too me) software/hardware and wiring.

The REASON I would recommend someone to buy a CandCNC setup is because I have had no issues with it other then self inflicted damage. ZERO warranty claims. In fact, after initial setup, I never had reason to contact them until I broke my PN200 a couple years ago.

I still run the machine today with little trouble. It is a work horse. It has a "home made" oxy fuel setup and a Hypertherm 1650. It cuts at 12ipm as clean as it does at 150ipm. I updated the THC thingy because I thought that it was broken when it was actually the PN200 drifting (likely from one too many dunks in the water table).

I have even used it to control an auto mig gun (barrel type, tweco tam). I was told that welding on a CNC table was not a good idea, but when properly grounded, it has worked for hours on end welding parts for me.

[djreiswig]

Interested in your welding setup. Thought about playing around with that sometime.

[plain ol Bill]

Would I do it again? Well I did! My electronics from 2007 had started to be problematic (primarily Mach 3). Corrupt files etc so I have all new electronics coming except for motors - saving those. Only problems I have had w/ CandCNC folks is trying to understand what they tell me sometimes. I'm not an electrical engineer just a plain ol country welder that can weld anything except for a broken heart or the crack of dawn. I have had to ask them to dumb it down for me on occasion.

[weldguy]

Lol, great review Bill and good for a laugh also. Don't think you can go wrong the C&CNC, they have many years of experience in the plasma cutting industry. Proven over the test of time for sure.

[rock4xfab]

Sorry to here about your wife thoughts and prayers for you and your family. What are you doing with the old electronics? from your system. AS of the other day we found my machine not firing and after lots of testing and checking I opened up the bladderunner box and found a small cap in the bottom or I should say an empty capacitor case? HAve no idea where it cams from. I have some posts on CandCnc forum waiting for a response now on having them possible take a look or suggestions. But I may need some spare parts LOL

[tcaudle]

His old system would not help you at all. Its even older and a prior design. Its before we went tot he module concept .

Tops coming off caps do not just happen from vibration. And it destroys the cap . Like the case on a battery falling off
The inside is an electrolytic wet solution that is an acid and corrosive . Most likely it not the only thing wrong because the lack of that cap would not keep the torch from firing. Not unless it damaged other parts near it or it is not the primary cause of the failure. Electrolytics have a life span since they are wet inside and can dry up over time .

I saw your RMA form earlier.

[rock4xfab]

You currently have the machine but, I am told you are unable to connect Mach to it to test after the cap was replaced. Machine ran on the 1st taken down and moved not everything works but the torch. What are the options other than $3000 upgrade? Machine has less the 3000 hours on it doesn't make sense it ran and no it doesn't. I agree something went wrong for a cap to pop off COnsidering X Y Z all functional and it will run a program from Mach minus the torch firing I am definitely confused

[tcaudle]

You have a status update. We did connect after we fixed our OLD Windows PC . You primary issues were AMACH settings. The ARC OK trigger amps (used when you have the DCP-01 for current sensing) was set to zero. as soon as it got the torch fire signal it saw zero amps and turn on ARC OK so it was stuck on all of the time. There was another setting that was wrong as well. The tech contacted you and explained the issues.

The UPGRADE is not $3000. Go to the website and look in the CandCNC Upgrades section and the you will find its about 1/2 of that and it includes a new PC, new Software and new DTHC5 and PWMII module.

How many hardware systems can you find that carry replacement parts for 10 year old systems and will repair them at a reasonable cost.? How many offer upgrades to current computers and software and new high speed DTHC on old systems?

[tinspark]

The UPGRADE is not $3000. Go to the website and look in the CandCNC Upgrades section and the you will find its about 1/2 of that and it includes a new PC, new Software and new DTHC5 and PWMII module.

sounds like a pretty fair deal. If I get around to building another table I will definitely look in your direction. The design software that I currently use alone (CAD/CAM) was $2k. This does not include The computer.
Also, the challenge of using another system is appealing..