# Is there a reason not to go Masso **URL:** \ **Category:** Original/PRO Series (Buildbotics) (Gen 1)\ **Created:** [May 14, 2024, 6:03pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/is-there-a-reason-not-to-go-masso/27023 "2024-05-14T18:03:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Machinist](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/forum.onefinitycnc.com/machinist/32/36465_2.png) [@Machinist](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/Machinist)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2024, 6:08pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/is-there-a-reason-not-to-go-masso/27023/44 "2024-05-17T18:08:50Z")
You will with the Centroid Acorn... just sayin'. :laughing: But seriously, if you’re running the Wells-Index with CNC12, having one on the 1F would make your expertise stronger on both machines. ---
**Author:** ![MoarVoltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4da419/32.png) [@MoarVoltz](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/MoarVoltz)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2024, 5:52pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/is-there-a-reason-not-to-go-masso/27023/45 "2024-05-20T17:52:09Z")
One additional thing I discovered is that the Masso appears to have no concept of parameters of any kind accessible from within its dialect of g-code. I was recently trying to write a piece of code that would automatically find the Y center of a stock prior to beginning a machining process and found out there is simply no way to code it. No user parameters are allowed and even the built-in ones that should exist for the basic machine’s coordinates and such are unavailable. Trying to use `#` or `#[]` values in g-code just evaluates to 0. I can’t believe Masso doesn’t support this. ---
**Author:** ![349iq2345](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/bb73d2/32.png) [@349iq2345](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/349iq2345)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2024, 7:11pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/is-there-a-reason-not-to-go-masso/27023/46 "2024-05-20T19:11:49Z")
Hey MoarVoltz, wow that sucks. Not even the [RS274/NGC Standard](https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=823374) parameters for the [coordinate systems G54–G59.2](https://linuxcnc.org/docs/html/gcode/coordinates.html#_coordinate_systems)? ![NGC274_Numbered_parameters_for_coordinate_systems](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/onefinitycnc/original/3X/9/0/9082d31f429b1a5411a0577ca47b3b0673ed6cea.png) ---
**Author:** ![MoarVoltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4da419/32.png) [@MoarVoltz](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/MoarVoltz)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2024, 8:33pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/is-there-a-reason-not-to-go-masso/27023/47 "2024-05-20T20:33:25Z")
From what I can tell, nope not even those work. I was trying to figure out why some fairly simple g-code wasn’t running properly and although there’s no mention on Masso’s site, I found a post on their forum that said they weren’t supported. Pretty much squished my plans to do any elaborate hand-written g-code for my machine. No conditional statements either for what it’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![349iq2345](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/bb73d2/32.png) [@349iq2345](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/349iq2345)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2024, 9:07pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/is-there-a-reason-not-to-go-masso/27023/48 "2024-05-20T21:07:50Z")
Hey MoarVoltz, in [RS274/NGC](https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=823374) (G-code), variables are called “parameters”. If I enter the word “parameter” into the [Masso documentation site](https://docs.masso.com.au/Welcome), I get not one single hit for a g-code parameter. Please correct me if I’m wrong. Since I consider a CNC Controller having to be a g-code execution machine, I see this as a clear knock-out criterion for the Masso controller. But the fact that it is not [open source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open-source_software) (like the [buildbotics-derived Onefinity Controller](https://github.com/OneFinityCNC/onefinity-firmware) is) has always been an absolute knock-out criterion for me anyway. ---
**Author:** ![MoarVoltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4da419/32.png) [@MoarVoltz](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/MoarVoltz)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2024, 9:31pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/is-there-a-reason-not-to-go-masso/27023/49 "2024-05-20T21:31:52Z")
I also did not find anything on their main website. It was a single, offhand post in their forum (which you have to own a Masso to even get access to) that stated they were not supported. I have to admit I took this for granted when purchasing my Elite upgrade and I very well might not have done so if I had realized that the g-code would be so limited on the controller. Lack of modbus support also bothered me a bit and might be an outright deal-breaker for others. ---
**Author:** ![349iq2345](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/bb73d2/32.png) [@349iq2345](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/349iq2345)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2024, 5:46am UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/is-there-a-reason-not-to-go-masso/27023/51 "2024-05-22T05:46:45Z")
Hey Tom, question is, does ```none G54 (debug, currently active coordinate system is <#5220>) G55 (debug, currently active coordinate system is <#5220>) ``` work in the [MDI](https://docs.masso.com.au/getting-started-guides/machining-with-masso/keyboard-and-key-shortcuts/mdi-command)? That is valid RS274/NGC syntax. ---
**Author:** ![MustCreateThings](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/forum.onefinitycnc.com/mustcreatethings/32/3771_2.png) [@MustCreateThings](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/MustCreateThings)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2024, 4:32pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/is-there-a-reason-not-to-go-masso/27023/52 "2024-05-23T16:32:19Z")
@349iq2345 if I were to try the brake, is it possible to tap into the Enable line on the driver. I’m not even sure if the buidlbotics controller has one. A friend of mine asked if I could and I didn’t have an answer. ---
**Author:** ![349iq2345](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/bb73d2/32.png) [@349iq2345](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/349iq2345)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2024, 7:49pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/is-there-a-reason-not-to-go-masso/27023/53 "2024-05-23T19:49:37Z")
Hey Mike, unfortunately, on the Onefinity Controller the motor enable lines from the internal stepper drivers are not laid to the outside. They are there but if you want to access them, even an experienced solderer will have difficulties to access them. > [@Controller/Software Question](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/controller-software-question/4901/11): > > On the AVR mainboard, the [AVR microcontroller](https://www.microchip.com/en-us/product/ATxmega192A3U) controls the four [Texas Instruments DRV8711](https://www.ti.com/product/DRV8711) stepper drivers over the > > - step{X,Y,Z,A}, > - dir{X,Y,Z,A}, > - motor enable, and > - motor fault inputs. > > On the original Buildbotics controller, which evolved a bit further ([[1]](https://forum.buildbotics.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=285), [[2]](https://forum.buildbotics.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=230)), these control ports are accessible from the outside over a a [15-pin Auxiliary motor control port](https://buildbotics.com/manual-v1-0-2/#15pinauxilliaryioport). This allows you to drive any external stepper driver, including closed-loop drivers. Unfortunately on the Onefinity hardware fork, you don’t have this 15-pin auxiliary port. > [@Anyone using servo motors with custom controller?](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/anyone-using-servo-motors-with-custom-controller/14242/4): > > There was one user interested in using third-party servo drivers who [reported having done that](https://forum.buildbotics.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=113&p=243&hilit=servo#p243) and used [these external Closed-loop Stepper Drivers](https://www.omc-stepperonline.com/closed-loop-stepper-driver-0-8-0a-24-48vdc-for-nema-17-23-24-stepper-motor-cl57t) on the Buildbotics controller. For this, it was needed to modify the Buildbotics controller to lead the points mentioned above (step{X,Y,Z,A}, dir{X,Y,Z,A}, motor enable, fault) in the circuit out. A description of the project that user made [can be found here](https://github.com/leadgtr7/Buildbotics_Step_And_Direction_Board). Finally the new Buildbotics Controller has the onboard connectors [J1 and J2 on pcb](https://github.com/buildbotics/bbctrl-pcb/raw/master/doc/buildbotics_controller-pcb-v13.0.pdf) / [J1 and J2 on the schematics](https://github.com/buildbotics/bbctrl-pcb/raw/master/doc/buildbotics_controller-v13.0.pdf) now which lead the circuit points out to the [15-pin auxiliary I/O port](https://buildbotics.com/manual-v1-0-2/#15pinauxilliaryioport) for connection of external stepper drivers. > > You may ask, will this work with the Onefinity Controller, which is a hardware fork of the Buildbotics controller? Well the points in the circuit are there, at the inputs of the internal DRV8711 stepper drivers, however unlike on the Buildbotics, they are not led out. If you have the confidence to solder with an SMD soldering tip and to wire your own 15-pin auxiliary I/O port, like the user mentioned above did with the Buildbotics controller, then it would work. Note that the pcb layout of the Onefinity Controller ([v4 (power rocker switch version)](https://github.com/OneFinityCNC/onefinity-pcb/raw/master/Gerber/controller-gerber-rev4.pdf), [v5 (power push-button, self-powering off version)](https://github.com/OneFinityCNC/onefinity-pcb/raw/master/Gerber/controller-gerber-rev5.pdf)) differs from the [Buildbotics controller’s pcb layout](https://github.com/buildbotics/bbctrl-pcb/raw/master/doc/buildbotics_controller-pcb-v13.0.pdf). ---
**Author:** ![MustCreateThings](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/forum.onefinitycnc.com/mustcreatethings/32/3771_2.png) [@MustCreateThings](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/MustCreateThings)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 5:37pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/is-there-a-reason-not-to-go-masso/27023/54 "2024-05-25T17:37:43Z")
Thank you for your thorough reply! You are a huge asset to this forum and community! \_Mike ---
**Author:** ![JimAlex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@JimAlex](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/JimAlex)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2024, 11:44am UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/is-there-a-reason-not-to-go-masso/27023/55 "2024-05-26T11:44:55Z")
The chief reason not to upgrade is whether or not your current config and control box meets your needs. Is it doing everything you want or are there things you would really like to see? Is it reliable enough, or are the gremlins fooling around with it? I ran my Buildbotics X-50 for two and a half years, before I upgraded to the Masso. Personally, I think the upgrade is well worth it as it corrects a number of issues with the Buildbotics and enable a number of capabilities not seen with the legacy controller (reliable and repeatable homing, multiple tool changes in a single file, expandability etc). Of course there are some down sides, like the loss of the game stick and the loss of the Estimated Time to Complete (never realized how much I relied on this, until it was gone), but Masso claims they are looking at adding it in a future firmware upgrade. ---
**Author:** ![Allan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ccd318/32.png) [@Allan](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/Allan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2024, 12:09am UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/is-there-a-reason-not-to-go-masso/27023/56 "2024-07-20T00:09:15Z")
I ordered my Pro Series with the z20 and stiffy rail so I am not sure if there is any advantage with the Masso as those items are available on the PS as well. ---
**Author:** ![MVall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@MVall](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/MVall)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2024, 2:47pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/is-there-a-reason-not-to-go-masso/27023/57 "2024-07-20T14:47:23Z")
Yes, thanks. I didn’t really distinguish clearly in my answer, but that paragraph with the Z20, 3rd rail, and rotary were just upgrades I was interested in in general, not Masso specific. [Previous page](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/is-there-a-reason-not-to-go-masso/27023.md?page=2)