Thursday, November 6, 2025
Beating my Head Against Antique Computer Wall.
The Dell Optiplex 960 that controls my mill is an antique. I have been trying to upgrade to the latest version of LinuxCNC, but that requires an AMD64 processor or equivalent. This Dell is a 686 processor which doubtless explains the bizarre problems with upgrade. I do not need fast or powerful for this. As long as I can install a Centronics parallel port in it I am good. I should be able to buy something used, cheap, and with a tiny footprint for this.
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Consider looking for a USB to Parallel adapter (if it would work), which would let you use one of the cheap mini PCs that you can buy for around $200 or so. They're small enough to use a VESA mount on the back of a HDMI display, saving a lot of space.
ReplyDeleteDon't know what your minimum requirements are, but I know Microcenter have cheap "refurbished" PCs... some of them are limited to Windows 10, which should still be enough to install an Linux version. (I abandoned Windows for Mint/Cinnamon a while back, in part because of the AI and advertising push on Win11)
ReplyDeleteThis Dell is obsolete. It might not even run Windows 7 but it is more than enough for Linux.
DeleteHuh... even though I'm looking at the "shippable items" none of have available shipping... still, you should be able to find a Windows 10 PC at a discount from someone upgrading to 11
ReplyDeleteCan you use a USB to Centronics adapter?
ReplyDeleteNo. The USB to Centronics interface does not have the real-time characteristics needed.
ReplyDeleteSaw a YT video this morning about building a Linux media server. The person doing the building found a ton of cheap Windows 10 desktops on eBay. Apparently a bunch of corporations actually heeded the warnings and were wholesaling the old PCs. Yes, it is eBay, but it's better than nothing.
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