End to Acorn Introductory Pricing date is January 3rd 2018

[ScotY]

I agreed that she needed a new phone.

Yea, they do wear them out about 10 times faster than we do -

Haha, yeah...my wife’s phone has at least 10 times the mileage mine has!

[lilb93]

I look at it this way, they sold in the month of December 190 Acorn boards. A fair amount being new to the DYI world.
I have a Chinese friend from Long Island who has a plant in China. Was at a party over Christmas and discussing the knock off world of Chinese manufacturing. We talked about software being Mach 3 and 4. Which most suppliers include with there routers. And yes there all hacked versions. I purchased one and they tell you actually to NEVER update it. If you do it will come up as a hacked version. My only worry is if the acorn takes off like Mach 3 did, And over time I believe it will there is no comparison between the two which is a true machine control software. Im not here to put down Mach 3, just to have a wait and see how long it takes the Chinese to make a knock off acorn with the software. Selling 200 a month there not interested.
Selling a 1000 a month well that's a different story.

As times progressives and more DYI people learn about it, I believe it will become the standard in DYI hardware and software for any type on Motion control that Centroid will become the leader in field. Without profit it takes the fun out of business not having any. They put there finger on a pulse that had lacked a heart beat for a long time. Most DYI guys and gals are cheap, not trying to label people but if they had the money to play with, everyone would have a new Haas in the garage.

It will be a wait and see how long it takes for someone to make a knock off the CNC Chestnut. If prices stay fair and even with the price increase it is still more than fair.

[martyscncgarage]

Well maybe I am whining a bit... and of course $60 is not going to break the bank. However, I do think there is an element of fairness. I offered my thoughts, so it is only fair that others offer there's, and I appreciate your perspectives. I am new to this world and approaching very much from the hobbyist point of view. I am sure with my limited knowledge of CNC, I have yet to fully appreciate all that the Acorn has to offer. The CNC router build I am starting is just as much about all the learning and challenges to overcome in the build, and learning new CAD/CAM, as it is having a new toy to help in my woodworking endeavors. I am not retrofitting a $2,000 - $4,000 dollar machine, or resurrecting a commercial system that was salvaged. My build is relatively modest with a budget I am trying hard to keep under $1,100. That will probably not hold, even with all the stuff in my closet, and the deliveries coming from China. From that perspective, maybe the Acorn is more than I need, and should stick with the open hardware/software world I have played with thus far. Until I saw the Acorn, I was headed in the Smoothieboard direction as I have used it in 3D printing. I think Smoothieware will work, but that said, what impressed me the most with the Acorn was the user interface. As you have pointed out, there is the many years of experience Centroid brings to the solution. It is two very different worlds (open and closed systems). The Maker very much appreciates the open, but I also see the benefits of a closed solution with its "just works" advantage. I suspect you are all correct, that the Acorn is a bargain, especially if what you are looking for is something to drive your $3,000 mill retrofit. It sounds like the user community for the Acorn is coming from the Mach3 and other such solutions, and I suspect bigger and heavier toys. Unless there is another price increase coming soon, I have time to think it over, and research the alternatives.

Thanks again for your thoughts gentleman.

We are all there. WE understand. Hobbyists don't have an unlimited budget. But I can say from experience I'd hate to see you go a different route, only to decide you should have bit the bullet spent the $325, saved hours of time and frustration integrating components, spending money on software licenses, buying hardware from different vendors, having to get timely support from software and hardware vendors etc. Been there done that don't wanna go back. There is a lot to be said to buying the hardware and software from the same company who has a vested interest in making sure both the hardware and software work.

The motion controller and software is a small cost of the project.

But best of luck in your endeavors, most of all enjoy the CNC journey! Give it some thought, read up on it
Marty

[Black Forest]

I look at it this way, they sold in the month of December 190 Acorn boards. A fair amount being new to the DYI world.
I have a Chinese friend from Long Island who has a plant in China. Was at a party over Christmas and discussing the knock off world of Chinese manufacturing. We talked about software being Mach 3 and 4. Which most suppliers include with there routers. And yes there all hacked versions. I purchased one and they tell you actually to NEVER update it. If you do it will come up as a hacked version. My only worry is if the acorn takes off like Mach 3 did, And over time I believe it will there is no comparison between the two which is a true machine control software. Im not here to put down Mach 3, just to have a wait and see how long it takes the Chinese to make a knock off acorn with the software. Selling 200 a month there not interested.
Selling a 1000 a month well that's a different story.

As times progressives and more DYI people learn about it, I believe it will become the standard in DYI hardware and software for any type on Motion control that Centroid will become the leader in field. Without profit it takes the fun out of business not having any. They put there finger on a pulse that had lacked a heart beat for a long time. Most DYI guys and gals are cheap, not trying to label people but if they had the money to play with, everyone would have a new Haas in the garage.

It will be a wait and see how long it takes for someone to make a knock off the CNC Chestnut. If prices stay fair and even with the price increase it is still more than fair.

I don't think Centroid has anything to worry about regarding any knockoff of the Acorn or their software especially at the price they are charging for the Acorn. It would be a huge investment in time and money to duplicate the software. The board not so much but the software, no way Jose!

[bertman1]

Hi all to Mike. I found that there was going to be a price increase on youtube so I bought 4 acorns and 1 oak. The acorns are a very good deal.I was reading on the forum how helpful CNCKEITH and MARTY were and that was the deciding factor in me purchasing the acorns and the oak boards so I wouldn't complain too much as it was only a 60.00 increase

[mikes]

I think its kind of funny how those that found out about the price increase and purchased before the change, are suggesting that it's only $60 and not complain to much.

I am over it, really. I may still get the Acorn. As I have said, It looks like a compelling option. I'm doing my research.

Just understand, that I didn't think I was complaining, just pointing out that if Centroid wanted to let prospective customers know about the price increase, putting it on a message in the forum or relying on word of mouth (i.e youtube) was probably not the best approach. It would not have taken much to add a note to the site. If I saw it there, I may very well have pulled the trigger.

[ScotY]

I think its kind of funny how those that found out about the price increase and purchased before the change, are suggesting that it's only $60 and not complain to much.

I am over it, really. I may still get the Acorn. As I have said, It looks like a compelling option. I'm doing my research.

Just understand, that I didn't think I was complaining, just pointing out that if Centroid wanted to let prospective customers know about the price increase, putting it on a message in the forum or relying on word of mouth (i.e youtube) was probably not the best approach. It would not have taken much to add a note to the site. If I saw it there, I may very well have pulled the trigger.

Well, if you put it that way. If they did put a note on their website, someone would come here and then say they never saw the note...last time I checked the website, there was no note, etc. If you were observant, I'm sure you would have noticed the old price did say it was an INTRO price, or something like that. To me, that means the price is gonna go up at some point. Can't keep everyone happy, that's for sure. The way I see it, the current price represents excellent value and the guys who bought at the intro price, just got a better limited time deal. Some people are luckier than others. Do your research and perhaps you will come back, pay the extra $60 and enjoy your purchase. The free tech support here alone is worth FAR more than that. I was where you were at 6 months ago...searching around, trying to figure out what I should do. Glad I didn't waste my hard earned cash on the usual hobbyist software.

[mikes]

ScotY, what are you running your Acorn on? What else did you look at before landing on the Acorn, and what moved you in that direction?

[ScotY]

ScotY, what are you running your Acorn on? What else did you look at before landing on the Acorn, and what moved you in that direction?

I have a cheap Sieg mini mill and lathe (both with an Acorn board) and, as mentioned earlier, am a total newbie. I have an ethernet Smoothstepper and had been trying to learn Mach3 using their demo software. I really tried to like it but it seemed so disorganized in the way it was laid out, I could never commit to buying a license.

I started searching for alternatives and actually ran across the Centroid website a while back. It’s funny, but I dismissed it without giving it much thought because it sort of sounded like they were a big industrial company and wouldn’t want to deal with newbie questions, etc. The price seemed in my budget but I felt I might be on my own trying to figure it all out.

I looked and contemplated Mach4, UCCNC, Masso, and a few others I can’t recall at the moment. I was seriously considering the UCCNC because I read an article on a guy’s website where he said it was so much better than Mach, etc. UCCNC, however, is not a mature product and they didn’t have some things working yet such as threading on a lathe, or something like that...bad memory here.

I rediscovered Centroid after watching Franco’s YouTube video about the Acorn. I’ve been watching his videos for a while and actually have his CNC kit on my mini lathe. His presentation did sound a little like a sales pitch but I know him to be a totally honest stand up guy so I started looking hard at the Acorn. Once I started digging deeper, I knew this was the way to go for me.

I get where you’re going with your PC questions in your other thread. The Acorn, even at the regular price, is an incredible deal...you can’t not agree with that? However, it was a tough pill to swallow that I now needed a better PC. My laptop didn’t quite meet the recommended specs but it will still run the software for my more basic, simple needs. But, because they want the firewall turned off, etc., I felt it was best if I just spent more money and got a new computer. I hate buying used so I built my own computer (ended up about $500 and it’s giving me some grief at the moment) although there are many recommendations for an appropriate used PC for around $200. Sooooo...once I had already spent the cash on the new PC, I felt better.

Anyway, just a side note...I bought my mill and lathe a while back with the intentions of converting them to CNC. Didn’t have the cash at the time and thinking I wanted to start learning something, I picked up a cheap 3D printer, cheap meaning <$200. That printer now sports about $500 worth of upgrades, including a Duet WiFi board, E3D parts, and various other stuff. So, well...that’s my story.

[ScotY]

Btw, I would bet that since Marty has been very quiet lately, he’s probably beta testing something...which means Centroid is going to release something new soon.