Coming soon. The Link is in development. Prices and dates aren't set yet. To hear when it's ready, subscribe to the newsletter at the bottom of this page or contact us.

dpCREATOR Link is a small box that gives your existing CNC machine a modern brain.

dpCREATOR Link, parallel port end
Parallel port end: Mach3, LinuxCNC or Stepcraft pinout, set in the WebUI. Design render, the final box may change.
  • USB: plugs into GRBL, grblHAL and Carbide boards, and into supported Mach3 USB boards, which it converts.
  • Parallel port: takes over from the old Mach3 PC and drives the motors itself.
  • Run jobs from the SD card or the browser, and control the machine from the dpCREATOR WebUI (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) or the SmartTabUI pendant.
  • Job recovery: after a stop or power cut, re-home and continue where the job left off.
  • E-stop input stops the job. It doesn't replace your machine's own E-stop, which must cut power.
  • Power: USB-C, 5 V / 2 A or more (a phone charger, not a PC port).
dpCREATOR Link, USB side and Ethernet end
USB to the machine's board, pendant and RS485 terminals, 5 V USB-C, SD card and Ethernet. Design render.

Which machines

Works with machines such as X-Carve (X-Controller), WorkBee fitted with a GRBL or grblHAL controller (not the standard Duet-based WorkBee), Stepcraft (parallel port) and Mach3 machines. A compatibility list of tested setups will be published here before the Link goes on sale.

One 25-pin port. Outputs on pins 1-9, 14, 16 and 17; inputs (switches, probe, E-stop) on pins 10-13 and 15 only, so up to five inputs (switches wired in series can share one). Not supported: a second parallel port, more than four axes (X, Y, Z, A), step/direction spindles, plasma torch height control. Unsure? Check your machine’s Mach3 profile (.xml) free here: it lists anything that doesn’t fit. The Link’s setup page runs the same check after you buy.

Plug it into your old machine and get WebUI, pendant and job recovery without a computer next to the machine.

X-Carve and X-Controller are trademarks of Inventables; WorkBee is a trademark of Ooznest; Stepcraft is a trademark of STEPCRAFT GmbH & Co. KG; Mach3 is a trademark of Newfangled Solutions; Carbide 3D and Shapeoko are trademarks of Carbide 3D. All other names are trademarks of their respective owners. dpCREATOR is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.