Re: [Emc-users] Problem: Tool length compensation not compensating?
James co., Thank you for the detailed instructions. However I am not sure how that is different from what I did. Here is a simple question: If I have a tool table set up as per my initial email, should the Z readout in Axis change when I change tools? Here is what I did last night: 1. Insert stock in vise 2. Call M6 T0 G43 and remove tool from spindle when prompted (I use Tormach tooling FYI) 3. Touch off the spindle nose to set stock surface as Z=0 4. Call M6 T1 G43 and insert center drill 5. Jog down to stock surface and touch off to tool table 6. Call M6 T2 G43 and insert .250 endmill 7. (repeat step 5) This resulted in the tool table in my initial email, which was within .001 or so of the offline tool length measurements I'd done. NB, my tool offsets are positive, in case that's a problem. I have always been set up so that movement down into the stock is Z-, i.e., at Z=1, the tool tip is 1 above the stock surface. Now, let's say that, with tool 2 in the spindle, I jog up so I can just slide a 2 123 block under the tool. This would give me Z2. If I execute M6 T1 G43, the Z-axis DRO should change to a value like 2.250 to reflect that T1 is about .250 shorter (less stickout) than T2. This is exactly what happens on my lathe. It doesn't happen on my mill. I don't know whether that is my fault or if something weirder is going on here. I feel like I want to get this all working properly in the MDI first, then I'll worry about getting BobCAD to post the proper g-codes Thanks again -cwk. On Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 8:47 AM, James Louis james.lo...@gastechnology.orgwrote: Colin, First of all welcome to EMC2! Your G-code looks correct to me, so maybe it's something in your setup. I use tool presetting for my CNC mill too, so here's how I do it: 1) Home the spindle gauge point to the positive Z limit and/or home. 2) Use a master tool (mine is 3.6000 inches long) to touch off the part surface. Note: no tool should be displayed during this type of touch off. 3) Enter the master tool length in the Z axis touch off window (mine is 3.6 relative to Z0.) Now the negative distance from home to Z0 is stored as the work offset in *.var file. 4) Use G43 with multiple tools as needed. No more touch off required for that part. Cutter comp G41 is a separate issue. I hope this helps! Jim -- 10 Tips for Better Web Security Learn 10 ways to better secure your business today. Topics covered include: Web security, SSL, hacker attacks Denial of Service (DoS), private keys, security Microsoft Exchange, secure Instant Messaging, and much more. http://www.accelacomm.com/jaw/sfnl/114/51426210/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
[Emc-users] Problem: Tool length compensation not compensating?
I recently converted my mill to EMC from Mach, and until now have been using it only with subroutines. Tonight I tried running a program produced by BobCAD v23, which I have used successfully with Mach, and ran into a problem with tool length compensation. Basically, I could not get the offsets to stick through a tool change. Here is what my tool table file looks like *: T1 P1 D0.125000 Z+2.269462 ;1/8 end mill T2 P2 D0.062500 Z+2.478416 ;1/16 end mill T3 P3 D0.201000 Z+1.273000 ;#7 tap drill T9 P9 Z+0.10 ;big tool number I also have the same PC set up to run my lathe, and I have run that with three pre-set tools for a few months now with no problem. When I swap tools, I issue a command like M6 T2 G43, and the tool display in Axis changes and the DROs re-set to reflect the tool X/Z offset, and it's all good. But, on my mill, if I enter the same command, the Z value does not change. I touched both tools off and checked the tool table, it matched the values I had set manually by measuring the tools offline, but no matter what I did, it didn't seem to want to apply my offsets properly. Here is the beginning of a program that is giving me trouble. Prior to running this program, I had T1 in (based on the values above). I then ran this program below. It prompted me for tool #2, I put it in, clicked OK (I am using the manual tool change dialog), but it proceeded to behave as though the Z offset for tool 1 was active. At least that's what it looked like as things were off by about .25 which is about the difference between the two tools. /(BEGIN PREDATOR NC HEADER) /(MACH_FILE=3XVMILL.MCH) /(MTOOL T2 S1 D.25 C0. A0. H3.) /(SBOX X0. Y0. Z-1. L4.3 W2. H1.) /(END PREDATOR NC HEADER) N1 ( C2_0718_B.NC) N2 ( EMC2 ) N3 ( TUE. 07/19/2011 10:08PM) N4 G17 G20 G40 G49 N5 G80 G90 N6 (PROFILE) N7 (MSG,LOAD.25 ENDMILL ROUGH) N8 T2 M06 N9 S3000 M3 N10 G0 G54 X-.3657 Y. N11 G43 H2 Z1. N12 M8 N13 G1 Z-.05 F2. Is there anything obviously wrong here? Do I need to share my HAL or other config files? I thought I had this figured out after getting my lathe running so nicely, but this one kind of has me stumped. Thanks in advance, -cwk. * An aside about the tool table: I initially set this up by hand (using the Axis UI), and had this set with only two tools, a .250 center drill and a .250 endmill. I then went back and re-set both tools by using the touch-off, and every time I do that, it adds the #7 tap drill and the T9 tool, and changes the diameters for T1 and T2. My CAM puts out tool centerline code, so I don't have a pressing problem there, but still, it didn't seem right... -- 10 Tips for Better Web Security Learn 10 ways to better secure your business today. Topics covered include: Web security, SSL, hacker attacks Denial of Service (DoS), private keys, security Microsoft Exchange, secure Instant Messaging, and much more. http://www.accelacomm.com/jaw/sfnl/114/51426210/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Extrusion-based RP
On Jun 13, 2011, at 5:15 PM, Ed Nisley ed.08.nis...@pobox.com wrote: On Mon, 2011-06-13 at 11:38 -0700, Mike Payson wrote: has the benefits you want along with the ease and low-cost that I demand Now *that* will be a wonder to behold! Looking forward to it, indeed... How far away is this from availability? Is it worth waiting for versus a RAMPS system in the next month? -- EditLive Enterprise is the world's most technically advanced content authoring tool. Experience the power of Track Changes, Inline Image Editing and ensure content is compliant with Accessibility Checking. http://p.sf.net/sfu/ephox-dev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Extrusion-based RP
On Jun 12, 2011, at 8:23 PM, Mike Payson m...@dawgdayz.com wrote: That said, if you want to build one, I _strongly_ recommend you start with a standard Prusa Mendel (http://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa) and only start experimenting after you have got that up and running. The current design has it's limitations, but they are relatively minor and the current design is used by so many people in the community that it is easy to get support for it. FWIW, there are parts that are problematic, but I would say that the motor mounts are not among them. Why do you say prusa over Mendel? The Mendel seems like a better design... Real bearings and all that. It seemed to me like most of the complexity is in the firmware and software so why not go for the mechanics with the fewest compromises? No, you can get 10 2x2 PCBs for $13 US delivered. Not $13 each, $13 total. Oh my. That's nuts. Maybe we could get the to print plastic parts to order for us too :-P -- EditLive Enterprise is the world's most technically advanced content authoring tool. Experience the power of Track Changes, Inline Image Editing and ensure content is compliant with Accessibility Checking. http://p.sf.net/sfu/ephox-dev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Extrusion-based RP
On Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 1:42 PM, Ed Nisley ed.08.nis...@pobox.com wrote: The fact that the computer inside the printer is a PC running EMC2, instead of a microcontroller running something else, is largely irrelevant. From the outside, you feed either printer with G-Code from Skeinforge it produces parts; the advantage of using EMC2 is that developers can concentrate on improving *printing* rather then reinventing motion control / UI wheels. Ed, great blog. I will definitely be reading a lot of it. Seeing what you've done gives me a bit more confidence that there is a pot of decent parts at the end of the rainbow with this. Regarding motion control, I think the goal of ultimate simplicity is better served by hardware-based step generation. EMC2 is awesome and awesomely powerful, but I see it as a tool built by wizards, to be used by experts, while RepRap and its derivatives is starting to show up in the mainstream media--NY Times, Colbert Report, and other places like that. Right now the ecosystem is a ball of spaghetti because there are still a lot of basic problems to solve. It is an evolutionary process and in time winners will emerge. prices too will fall as boards start getting made in runs of thousands rather than tens. For a long time I was very skeptical of the whole machine that makes its own parts aspect as I thought, why bother, aluminum extrusion is cheap? Plus, it's not like you can print your own steppers, bearings, etc., so it seemed like a frivolous exercise. In the early days, a set of printed parts for a RepRap costed close to $1000 and the machine they made was not very good. Now the parts set price is headed towards $100 and below, and the machine seems pretty decent. So I give up, the vision seems to have worked out so far. Will they ever print their own stepper motors? Probably not in the next 10 years, but I would not be shocked if in that time we were printing PCBs and using the RR as a pick-and-place machine. Even that may be enough to significantly alter some of the dynamics of the macro-economy. -- EditLive Enterprise is the world's most technically advanced content authoring tool. Experience the power of Track Changes, Inline Image Editing and ensure content is compliant with Accessibility Checking. http://p.sf.net/sfu/ephox-dev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Extrusion-based RP
On Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 5:46 PM, Mike Payson m...@dawgdayz.com wrote: On Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 1:31 PM, Colin K cwk@gmail.com wrote: For a long time I was very skeptical of the whole machine that makes its own parts aspect as I thought, why bother, aluminum extrusion is cheap? I am actually working on a design that uses the printed parts, but replaces the threaded rods with aluminum extrusions. It should be considerably more rigid and allow faster print times without as much of a degradation in print quality. The only downside is cost... instead of $15 in threaded rod, it will require about $45 in al extrusions. I know that raises the price to high for many, but sometimes you cannot avoid it /sarcasm mode off. Not sure where the joke begins or ends there :) But seriously, is rigidity in the frame lacking? Because I was thinking that I could replace the 5/16 threaded rod with something like 3/8 or 1/2 drill rod and just turn an inch or so of 5/16 thread on the ends to attach to the brackets. But not sure what the limiting factors are... I was figuring I'd start stock (or very close to it) and re-engineer parts as experience dictated. Though making aluminum motor mounts was pretty high too... Will they ever print their own stepper motors? Probably not in the next 10 years, but I would not be shocked if in that time we were printing PCBs and using the RR as a pick-and-place machine. Even that may be enough to significantly alter some of the dynamics of the macro-economy. You cannot print PCBs yet, but you can use the RepRap to apply resist for home etching boards. Personally, I don't see the point when you can buy 10 PCBs from China for $13 delivered, but others like it. It is a nice option to have at least. Yes. But the problem with China is that the minimum spend is $130, while batch services add weeks to the build cycle. That said, drilling holes by hand is a huge PITA and I love soldermask on my boards. So I'm wondering whether the typical RepRap bot could handle, say, a Dremel running PCB drills. And whether you could make a soldermask stencil by extruding plastic over the pads to cover them, then spray soldermask, let dry, then knock the plastic bits off to expose the bare pads. If all that works, then keeping an etch tank around doesn't feel like too big a burden. -- EditLive Enterprise is the world's most technically advanced content authoring tool. Experience the power of Track Changes, Inline Image Editing and ensure content is compliant with Accessibility Checking. http://p.sf.net/sfu/ephox-dev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
[Emc-users] Extrusion-based RP (Was Re: Anyone coming to the CNC Workshop?)
On Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 5:06 PM, Edward Bernard yankeelena2...@yahoo.com wrote: Sounds very interesting, Jon. I've looked at extrusion based RPS and have not been impressed with the results. Edward, Care to share any of your thoughts on this? I'm curious to see what aspects of it you've found lacking. I felt the same way until I recently saw a RepRap and some parts it had made. The parts were strong and the machine seems to be getting a lot more reliable. The part quality and finish are not what you get off a mill, and it is not super fast, but the CAM is much simpler and you can make very complex geometries without multiple setups or fixtures. As an example, there are guys selling RepRap parts kits on eBay for ~$100 like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/SAE-Prusa-Reprap-Mendel-w-PLA-Bushings-3d-printer-/190543881396?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0hash=item2c5d4ce4b4 My understanding is that represents 20-30 hours of machine run time, most of it unattended. The existence of a decent number of vendors of these says something to me about multiple people getting these machines working well. I doubt I could come anywhere close to that with my mill, and a lot of the parts would need to be redesigned. The gears alone add a ton of complexity. The finish is definitely imperfect and has a striated/layered look and feel, and there are little blobs that sometimes stick out that can be knocked off with a file/sandpaper. Powder-bed systems definitely give a much prettier finish but the parts have very little strength. Electron-beam systems give strength and beauty but we're talking price-of-a-German-sportscar stuff now. And all of the commercial systems follow the printer ink model in terms of feedstock. The big thing stopping me from jumping in was the sense that you were lucky if you got a part one out of three runs on one of these things. It seems like the past year or two, things have improved a lot in terms of the extruder designs becoming somewhat reliable. I think their biggest problem these days is the motion control side. A few people have used EMC to run their RepRaps and seem to have gotten better results. This is just my .02c. Curious what others think. -- EditLive Enterprise is the world's most technically advanced content authoring tool. Experience the power of Track Changes, Inline Image Editing and ensure content is compliant with Accessibility Checking. http://p.sf.net/sfu/ephox-dev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Basic setup for lathe w steppers and spindle index
Yahoo! I have a thread! http://i.imgur.com/lcwDM.jpg Thanks John and Andy for the pointers. This was a 1/4-20 in some random steel from a box of screw machine ends (12L14 maybe?) so maybe close to my hardest case as that's the biggest thread in the hardest material I use regularly for screws. Most of the time I work in brass or 6061. The lathe is a 7x mini so it has the usual drive bits with a something-tooth gear on the back of the headstock. I suppose I could add a Hall sensor there but if this setup keeps working like this I don't see any reason to bother. Sent from my iPhone On Apr 15, 2011, at 7:26 PM, andy pugh bodge...@gmail.com wrote: On 15 April 2011 23:19, Colin K cwk@gmail.com wrote: On Apr 15, 2011, at 2:08 PM, andy pugh bodge...@gmail.com wrote: If you _only_ have index then you have to be very sure that the spindle speed won't vary during a cut. Does EMC compensate for spindle speed at all in this case, or is the second encoder required for that? It will come up with a new guess of spindle speed next time it sees an index, and the position-interpolated value will then increment at that rate. What is the drive system on your headstock? If there are teeth on a gear or pulley you can probably use them as a rudimentary encoder (if you can spare a pin, preferably two) -- atp Torque wrenches are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men -- Benefiting from Server Virtualization: Beyond Initial Workload Consolidation -- Increasing the use of server virtualization is a top priority.Virtualization can reduce costs, simplify management, and improve application availability and disaster protection. Learn more about boosting the value of server virtualization. http://p.sf.net/sfu/vmware-sfdev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
[Emc-users] Basic setup for lathe w steppers and spindle index
Hi all, I recently set up my mini lathe with the EMC stepconf and the basic functions are great. However I do not have any tach display in Axis and if I try to run a g76 cycle everything in Axis looks right but when I hit go, it just stares back at me and does nothing. Right now I have my spindle index wired in and if I use the hal config screens in axis I can see the state of the pin flip as I turn the spindle. However I get the sense I may need to do a bit more config to get it all to work. Currently the spindle control is manual, FYI. Any pointers as to what a proper hal/ini file would look like would be greatly appreciated! Sent from my iPhone -- Benefiting from Server Virtualization: Beyond Initial Workload Consolidation -- Increasing the use of server virtualization is a top priority.Virtualization can reduce costs, simplify management, and improve application availability and disaster protection. Learn more about boosting the value of server virtualization. http://p.sf.net/sfu/vmware-sfdev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Basic setup for lathe w steppers and spindle index
On Apr 15, 2011, at 2:08 PM, andy pugh bodge...@gmail.com wrote: If you _only_ have index then you have to be very sure that the spindle speed won't vary during a cut. Does EMC compensate for spindle speed at all in this case, or is the second encoder required for that? I don't generally expect any more from my threads than that the nut go on and not slip off. I can see where a single pulse encoder will give a delayed feedback if the speed drops sharply (most likely when the tool first encounters the workpiece I suppose)... -- Benefiting from Server Virtualization: Beyond Initial Workload Consolidation -- Increasing the use of server virtualization is a top priority.Virtualization can reduce costs, simplify management, and improve application availability and disaster protection. Learn more about boosting the value of server virtualization. http://p.sf.net/sfu/vmware-sfdev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Buttons!
On Mar 27, 2011, at 12:25 PM, Kirk Wallace kwall...@wallacecompany.com wrote: Frankly, I don't see the Arduino as being well suited to CNC applications Why not? I found it to be a great fit for HMIs, and fearsomely easy. Granted, if you already hack pics and avrs in your sleep, it probably has little to offer, but for the other 99.7% of humanity, it makes simple things easy and moderately complex things accessible. -- Enable your software for Intel(R) Active Management Technology to meet the growing manageability and security demands of your customers. Businesses are taking advantage of Intel(R) vPro (TM) technology - will your software be a part of the solution? Download the Intel(R) Manageability Checker today! http://p.sf.net/sfu/intel-dev2devmar ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] OT: MPG format
Roland, You might be interested in some of the work I've done on this: http://ckcnc.wordpress.com/2011/02/13/we-have-a-winner/ I solved the problem by adding a 25-key keypad, so there's both an MPG and buttons for continuous feed of any axis. I think the continuous feed is very useful for using the mill in pseudo-manual mode. I've experimented with a variety of encoders for the MPG, and I definitely prefer detents. So far, my favorite of the bunch is a Grayhill 32-count encoder, which retails for $26 at the usual places going down to I think half that in quantities of 100. It's an optical encoder so the output is very clean and reliable. I've also experimented with some mechanical ones that cost closer to $3 each, but they are less reliable; that is, if you move them slowly, one click = one pulse, but if you start rotating them at a steady rate, 10 clicks might equal 5 or 8 pulses. This was with no effort to smooth the signal in any way, so YMMV. The hardest part for me has been the keypad. The approach I've done in the video linked above actually feels nicer in the hand than it looks, and while not NEMA-rated, should hold up well for ordinary usage. But it's fussy to fabricate and have it not look, well, homemade. Membrane keypads would simplify this greatly, but at non-trivial cost, and without the benefit of allowing end-users to make their own custom keypads. On Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 7:15 AM, Roland Jollivet roland.jolli...@gmail.comwrote: Hi All I'm looking at manufacturing low cost OEM MPG's and just wanted to field opinion on the wheel. Some have a knob on them, while others have a few indents in the wheel. Personally I see the indent as preferable, as in not getting bumped/bent, but just wanted to see if there was some consensus or convincing arguments for either. Since this list has the brightest people around, I thought it's the best place to ask ;-) Yes, best option is to provide both. Regards Roland -- Enable your software for Intel(R) Active Management Technology to meet the growing manageability and security demands of your customers. Businesses are taking advantage of Intel(R) vPro (TM) technology - will your software be a part of the solution? Download the Intel(R) Manageability Checker today! http://p.sf.net/sfu/intel-dev2devmar ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users -- Enable your software for Intel(R) Active Management Technology to meet the growing manageability and security demands of your customers. Businesses are taking advantage of Intel(R) vPro (TM) technology - will your software be a part of the solution? Download the Intel(R) Manageability Checker today! http://p.sf.net/sfu/intel-dev2devmar ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Ethernet data collector?
I'd do this with an Arduino which can speak serial over USB and is accessible to people with no embedded experience. You will need other sensors for measuring things but there is a ton of information out there about that. You can also interface with EMC pretty easily. Sent from my iPhone On Mar 10, 2011, at 6:19 PM, Igor Chudov ichu...@gmail.com wrote: I want to collect a few analog data pieces, like 5-6 current values (AC and DC), some temperatures, voltages etc. is there some thing that lets me do it and disseminate it somehow to my Linux PC, via ethernet or USB or whatever. -- Colocation vs. Managed Hosting A question and answer guide to determining the best fit for your organization - today and in the future. http://p.sf.net/sfu/internap-sfd2d ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users -- Colocation vs. Managed Hosting A question and answer guide to determining the best fit for your organization - today and in the future. http://p.sf.net/sfu/internap-sfd2d ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Ethernet data collector?
There are libraries for both SPI and I2C. It can also read 0-5V inputs, though limited to 8-bit resolution which ay or may not be an issue. Ultimately it depends on the sensor though. If you check the forums on arduino.cc you should be able to find examples. Sent from my iPhone On Mar 11, 2011, at 1:08 PM, Igor Chudov ichu...@gmail.com wrote: Colin, how do you hook up analog sensors to this arduino? i On Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 12:01 PM, Colin K cwk@gmail.com wrote: I'd do this with an Arduino which can speak serial over USB and is accessible to people with no embedded experience. You will need other sensors for measuring things but there is a ton of information out there about that. You can also interface with EMC pretty easily. Sent from my iPhone On Mar 10, 2011, at 6:19 PM, Igor Chudov ichu...@gmail.com wrote: I want to collect a few analog data pieces, like 5-6 current values (AC and DC), some temperatures, voltages etc. is there some thing that lets me do it and disseminate it somehow to my Linux PC, via ethernet or USB or whatever. -- Colocation vs. Managed Hosting A question and answer guide to determining the best fit for your organization - today and in the future. http://p.sf.net/sfu/internap-sfd2d ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users -- Colocation vs. Managed Hosting A question and answer guide to determining the best fit for your organization - today and in the future. http://p.sf.net/sfu/internap-sfd2d ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users -- Colocation vs. Managed Hosting A question and answer guide to determining the best fit for your organization - today and in the future. http://p.sf.net/sfu/internap-sfd2d ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users -- Colocation vs. Managed Hosting A question and answer guide to determining the best fit for your organization - today and in the future. http://p.sf.net/sfu/internap-sfd2d ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] [OT] Upgrading another machine to EMC, but still a hobby...
If the control still works, why not just use it until it croaks? Does it only have a tape drive or something similar that makes it miserable to use? -- What You Don't Know About Data Connectivity CAN Hurt You This paper provides an overview of data connectivity, details its effect on application quality, and explores various alternative solutions. http://p.sf.net/sfu/progress-d2d ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
[Emc-users] Paraport Breakout Board recommendations for a mini-mill?
I'm replacing the homemade non-BoB (just a parallel socket with wires) on my mini-mill and was looking at this item which includes two relays and a 0-10V output which I could use to add spindle control. $76 if I buy the obsolete version whose features looked fine to me: http://www.cnc4pc.com/Store/osc/product_info.php?cPath=33products_id=294 I remember some comments on the list a while back that Arturo's boards are kind of, shall we say, vintage, and was wondering whether there are any other options out there I should be considering. I could fab up my own, but don't see a good reason to. My system is a very vanilla 3-axis stepper-controlled rig, planning to add a 4th axis in the next few months (thus prompting the BoB upgrade). I would spend up to $150 if it got me something worthwhile. -- Free Software Download: Index, Search Analyze Logs and other IT data in Real-Time with Splunk. Collect, index and harness all the fast moving IT data generated by your applications, servers and devices whether physical, virtual or in the cloud. Deliver compliance at lower cost and gain new business insights. http://p.sf.net/sfu/splunk-dev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Grizzly GO704
The KX-1 and KX-3 are Sieg's benchtop purpose-built CNC machines. Despite the names I don't think they share much iron with the X1 or X3, just roughly similar dimensions. They're carried by a variety of sellers but LittleMachineShop.com in the US is the first that comes to mind. I've built 5 small CNC machines over the past few years and am sick of it. Next time around, I want someone else worrying about where to put home switches so they don't get bathed in coolant and chips. I could be tempted into EMC'ing an older VMC with a dead control though, that's more the sort of work I enjoy. But building the first few from scratch was a good education for a recovering liberal arts major like me. If you're looking to carve wood, are you planning to mount a router on the head? You really want 20k RPM for those carbide bits to give optimum results. Also, do you have the CAD/CAM side figured out at all? You're looking at 3D toolpaths at minimum, and maybe simultaneous 4-axis ones, and that takes you out of most of the simple/cheap CAM options. Simultaneous 4-axis the cheapest thing I know of is Sprutcam, and it starts in the thousands and isn't exactly famed for ease of use. At least that's my understanding--more experienced folks may know better. On Thu, Feb 24, 2011 at 2:25 PM, gene heskett ghesk...@wdtv.com wrote: On Thursday, February 24, 2011 02:07:22 pm Colin K did opine: $5k sounds like a good guess. At that point I'd start looking at a KX3 instead, and get a machine with the hard work done. Link? I upgraded from an X1 micro mill to an X2. It was the biggest thing I could squeeze in and significantly smaller than the G0704. It was a meaningful upgrade for me and took the pucker factor out of aluminum work. The Grizzly fixes the stock X2's biggest sin which is the minuscule Y travel. It won't push as many chips as an Rf-45 type, but I think it will still be a real quality of life upgrade for a micro mill owner. The X3 family doesn't have the X travel I'd like. I want to be able to mount a rotary facing the x direction, lay an extension on the bed for the far end of a gunstocks dead center, and carve each end of the stock in 3d. With 18+ inches on the 704, I can balance the motors weight with the rotary table on the other end, and maybe get by with it. Prefitted with ball screws would be nice though. Sent from my iPhone On Feb 24, 2011, at 12:02 PM, gene heskett ghesk...@wdtv.com wrote: On Thursday, February 24, 2011 07:27:41 am Mark Wendt did opine: On 02/24/2011 06:45 AM, gene heskett wrote: On Thursday, February 24, 2011 06:33:57 am Mark Wendt did opine: Gene, Grizzly is selling it on their web site with delivery for $1089. http://www.grizzly.com/products/Drill-Mill-with-Stand/G0704 Mark I know that Mark. The price seems to be reasonable too, till you check the weight. At about 300 lbs including the stand, and a table that sized, I'm afraid it will have rigidity problems when carving metal. I have enough of those with my expanded table micromill now. Just a little chatter a solid carbide mill is history, shattered edges. How about the ZX45? At about 2 grand 600+ lbs, no stand, what are its weak points? How hard is fitting a decently accurate Z drive to that one? Gene, Dunno about the ZX45 much. I've heard chatter about it, but didn't really pay that much attention to it. I guess you could always bench mount the G0704 instead of using the stand. Mark The stand isn't going to effect column rigidity, or table sag when the x is a long way off center. That is a problem now with the micromill and the bigger tables. The ways are so short it gets somewhat bound when the motor end is way out there. I keep them swimming in vactra, and its getting better with mileage though. I did some googling, and it seems the ZX/RF45 are very poorly finished, needing the ways lapped to remove 75% of the machine marks, and everybody puts ball screws in them. One even went so far as to fill the castings with epoxy granite to add mass dampening. But he used gravel as the filler, and if adding mass was the idea, a few bags of lead shot would have been 2x heavier than gravel per cube. I also didn't see anyone fitting air springs or just springs like on my micromill to counter balance the heads weight. That seems like a no brainer to me else screw wear would rapidly become a problem. But a $2k ZX45, ball screws, tools and such sure seems like I'd have 4 or 5 grand in it, which makes it a very expensive toy for no more time than I may have left. I'd probably have the GO704 CNC'd for 2G's that makes more sense. Sure, I'll be stuck taking light cuts, but I guess I'm sorta used to that now anyway. I think the motors I have can probably run the GO704, and if I put wheels on the computer, it can run whichever machine
[Emc-users] Outboard step generators rant (was Re: Guidance on usb comp)
rant On Thu, Feb 24, 2011 at 1:35 PM, Phillip Hallam-Baker hal...@gmail.comwrote: snip Windows is not built to support real time. Although rather ironically the original kernel was. It is pretty difficult to timeshare a machine between real time tasks and supporting a GUI with real-time response. One or the other is going to end up taking precedence. Lucky for us all that hard work was already done and we get it for free :) The problem with USB is that it is a contended bus. So even if your host is running in real time there is no guarantee that signals get out to the end points in real time. That is why there is still a demand for MIDI interfaces despite them being much slower than USB. Good thing we can still buy brand new, cheap motherboards with an even better real-time port on them :) Everyone says the parallel port is legacy and could disappear any day, but when they still put them on dirt-cheap boards like the D510MO, it suggests to me that the parallel port and the x86 PC architecture will likely die a shared death. IMHO the *only* reason to build an outboard step generator (read: parallel port alternative) is to support connection via USB, which is found on almost every PC-like device under the sun. I would really prefer to have separate CPUs dedicated to scheduling and GUI. That way I don't have to worry about keeping the timing clean over the data wires, the only timing sensitive wires are carrying the signal. Again, the Linux RT patches make this problem largely moot. You test your machine's jitter, and if it passes, then it will work. If I could eliminate the parallel port requirement, I can eliminate the need for a separate controller box entirely and just bring down one of the laptops when necessary. That would be nice but when a good control PC can be had for $0-$200 it seems like penny wise and dollar foolish. In my view, you're not really simplifying the system, you're dispersing the same starting amount of complexity which by definition makes the overall system more complex. That alone strikes me as a real liability. I get why Mach users want these things, they are chained to an OS that is fundamentally mis-specified for this purpose. There's an old saying about tools, buy the best and only cry once. That is how I feel about EMC and the parallel port. You gain a lot of benefits by staying within a large, well-tested, widely-used stack of tools. If someone wants to build a USB step generator for EMC because the problem fascinates them, then more power to them. If you can make them for $100 or less MSRP, you could probably sell quite a few. Heck, I've thought about taking this on for just that reason. But, even if you succeed, at the end of it all, all you have is a machine that sends step/dir signals over a cord with 4 wires instead of 25. Your machine won't do anything mine can't. In my view, this is a very expensive solution to a fairly easily-solved problem that doesn't really advance the state of the art in a hugely useful way. IMHO, there is perhaps a place for this type of thing for use on toy CNC machines like the desktop Dremel routers and such that people build for a couple hundred bucks. In these cases the cost of a control PC is significant and the machine is built more for the cool look at it go! factor than anything else. For this, several people have built complete controllers on Arduino boards that can interpret G-code and generate control signals directly (e.g. rStep and GRBL). The PC just drip feeds G-code and provides a GUI for manual control. These don't implement trajectory planning, coordinate systems, tool comp, home switches, etc. but for a machine that likely will spend its life cutting peoples' names into balsa (or maybe engraving PCBs at the high end), none of these are needed. And I don't mean to denigrate these as they are a gateway for newbies, a few of whom, like me, will get hooked and move up the ladder to more powerful systems. And if people want to contribute to open source tools in this, there are areas of great need--we could still use a lot of work around GUIs and related tools, and the open source CAD/CAM stack is still *very* thin and user-unfriendly. None of this is meant as a slam against Dan Heeks or any of the folks here who've contributed so much and helped us get to where we are, but these are truly large challenges and they could certainly use more hands :) /rant -- Free Software Download: Index, Search Analyze Logs and other IT data in Real-Time with Splunk. Collect, index and harness all the fast moving IT data generated by your applications, servers and devices whether physical, virtual or in the cloud. Deliver compliance at lower cost and gain new business insights. http://p.sf.net/sfu/splunk-dev2dev ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net
[Emc-users] Arduino-EMC Pendant Update
I got to spend some quality time today pulling together a bunch of code revisions to my Arduino-based pendant design, which has a 25-position keypad, MPG, and 4x20-character LCD that talks to HAL over the Arduino's serial-over-USB connection. I made a quick video showing the current state of the project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONxVoAXadTk On the pendant side, I (think) I fixed a major bug that caused the pendant to freeze or behave weirdly when the MPG encoder was spun too rapidly. At the very least, I can't seem to replicate the problem anymore, and the fix (clipping the encoder output over 200 pulses per second) doesn't seem to have created any new behavioral anomalies. This was the one real showstopper problem so solving it makes me feel a lot better about this being a truly usable solution and not just a flaky prototype/toy. On the PC side, the Python interface now handshakes most of the modal changes (axis-to-jog selection, jog rates, etc.) with the pendant, and now supports multiple display pages appropriate to the machine's state (e.g E-Stop, machine off, manual mode, auto mode). While I have a lot more individual signals to wire up, they'll just be more of the same. So in software terms, I think all of the major challenges are solved. One thing I couldn't quite figure out though, is where I could find a pin that gives me the current velocity of the machine? Everything else I've needed has been right in halui, but I can't find anything. The motmod module has a pin motion.current-vel which looked promising, but I'm not really familiar with anything outside halui Anyway, I've had to kick over a lot of rocks getting this working, so if anyone is trying to get anything Arduino-based to work with EMC, feel free to toss questions my way :) -- The ultimate all-in-one performance toolkit: Intel(R) Parallel Studio XE: Pinpoint memory and threading errors before they happen. Find and fix more than 250 security defects in the development cycle. Locate bottlenecks in serial and parallel code that limit performance. http://p.sf.net/sfu/intel-dev2devfeb ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] EMC2 and Ethernet
Is anyone here familiar with how the SmoothStepper works? I'm not saying it's *the* solution for this, but it's a precedent that says you can do this over USB, with Windows no less. If you want to think really long term, the desktop PC is already in serious decline in sales terms. Game consoles, smartphones, tablets, and netbooks are all paring away its relevance for the consumer. Businesses will follow much more slowly, but all 90% of employees need is a full size screen and keyboard for their smartphone. All told, I think chances are very good that the whole ISA PC form factor and the parallel port will die together. Sent from my iPhone -- The modern datacenter depends on network connectivity to access resources and provide services. The best practices for maximizing a physical server's connectivity to a physical network are well understood - see how these rules translate into the virtual world? http://p.sf.net/sfu/oracle-sfdevnlfb ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] cycle start is pausing
I had a similar problem when I was building my pendant. In that case, it turned out that I had accidentally wired my cycle start button to the halui pins for both start and stop, i.e., pressing the switch tickled both pins. Axis would either run for a split second and stop or just sit there staring at me. On Sat, Feb 5, 2011 at 5:07 PM, Stuart Stevenson stus...@gmail.com wrote: Gentlemen, the other question worked so well I want to try another The cinci will move only about .05 in per cycle start press, then it pauses. Another press of cycle start results in another small move and then another pause. What should I look at? thank Stuart -- The modern datacenter depends on network connectivity to access resources and provide services. The best practices for maximizing a physical server's connectivity to a physical network are well understood - see how these rules translate into the virtual world? http://p.sf.net/sfu/oracle-sfdevnlfb ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Toolpaths from simple line drawings?
The closest thing I've seen to this is Tormach's Scan Cad ( http://www.tormach.com/blog/?p=1038). It's a really neat approach but very high complexity compared to what I think you're trying to do. There's an open-source app called AutoTrace which claims to do bitmap-DXF conversion called AutoTrace. It appears to be dormant if not dead, but the SourceForge site is still up: http://autotrace.sourceforge.net/ There's also a Yahoo forum with some more recent (9 mos ago) forum messages: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/autotrace/ There might be better options out there if you're willing to start with some other vector format like SVG or EPS which you could either work with natively or convert to DXF. Potrace is one I found that is still being maintained actively: http://potrace.sourceforge.net/ The advantage of DXF would be that you could import it directly into pretty much any CAM package. In either case, once you have that geometry, it doesn't matter whether you scanned it or drew it in AutoCAD. If you want to go straight from scanned drawing to gcode, the main problem will be determining what to do with it. Engraving (ie. line-following) would be very easy, while profiling or pocketing would be anywhere from not too hard for simple polygons, to much harder for arbitrarily-complex figures with freehand curves and such. But this isn't unique, it's just 2.5D CAM. You'd also have a limitation (in a 100% automatic process) in that you couldn't have multiple features in a part, for instance, a bracket which is made by milling the outer profile and a bunch of holes inside that. Well, you could, but the chain of dependencies would get longer, as you'd need to say the largest feature should be considered a profile while any features inside that should be treated as pockets. Anyway, Sebastian and Brian have probably given more useful answers, but it's an interesting puzzle and something that interests me as I think the complexity of the CAD/CAM workflow is something that stops a lot of hobbyists after they've gotten their machine to work. On Sat, Jan 15, 2011 at 3:11 PM, Loren Card loren.c...@gmail.com wrote: I'm looking for a way to generate a tool path from a simple line drawing. Does anyone have a good way of doing this? I'd like to be able to draw a shape, scan it to a black and white image file and have my router follow the lines drawn in the image. -- Protect Your Site and Customers from Malware Attacks Learn about various malware tactics and how to avoid them. Understand malware threats, the impact they can have on your business, and how you can protect your company and customers by using code signing. http://p.sf.net/sfu/oracle-sfdevnl ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Analog inputs, how to capture them
Jeff Epler's Arduino example will monitor up to six 0-5v inputs. http://emergent.unpythonic.net/01198594294 Sent from my iPhone On Dec 31, 2010, at 6:11 PM, Jack Coats j...@coats.org wrote: http://community.pachube.com/node/296 has an Arduino version of what you are asking about... But there are lots of versions, this is just a quick DIY search. A friend monitors buildings and does temperature, air velocity, etc, etc, data logging and sometimes takes actions (and even emails or calls or downloads data automatically), but he charge commercial prices for commercial units with custom programming. If you want to monitor many things, you will be spending a fair amount on sensors, or rolling your own. Also, figure out how you are going to deal with the data you get. How fast do you want to sample, do you want to do running averages or just keep all the data points, where are you going to store the data. Is it just for a short run or are you going to 7x24 data logging, or log data around an 'event'. ... Lots of options, lots of choices, lots of different solutions, and lots of different price points depending on your needs. -- Learn how Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) One Node allows customers to consolidate database storage, standardize their database environment, and, should the need arise, upgrade to a full multi-node Oracle RAC database without downtime or disruption http://p.sf.net/sfu/oracle-sfdevnl ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users -- Learn how Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) One Node allows customers to consolidate database storage, standardize their database environment, and, should the need arise, upgrade to a full multi-node Oracle RAC database without downtime or disruption http://p.sf.net/sfu/oracle-sfdevnl ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
[Emc-users] PCB sanity check
For those interested in my Arduino-based pendant project I've finished the first draft of a PCB with support for a 25-key matrix, an encoder, and an LCD. I posted some details here along with PDFs of the schematic and board layout. If anyone here would like the original Eagle files, just drop me an email and I will be happy to share them. http://ckcnc.wordpress.com/2010/12/13/board-design-sanity-check/ Once I get the order out to the fab house for this I am going to go back to the software part of this and work on making my Arduino sketch and Python module code a bit more acceptable for public viewing. My first thought is to make a simpler version that just allows you to push values in or out of the Arduino without the use of any matrix scanning or LCD display stuff. This would make it easier for people to use them to build more traditional pendants with still pretty decent functionality. I've also looked into getting membrane keypads made for this. The short story is that they won't save much on the cost unless (a) I can order at least 100 units or so *and* (b) I get them made in China by the lowest bidder. I've been experimenting with an inkjet-printable vinyl plus a transparent overlay and it seems to give a pretty nice feel, and would enable anyone to print their own overlay specific to their needs. The material is about a buck a sheet, only catch as usual is you're in for about $30 for the minimum order, so if I get around to selling boards I'll probably throw in a few sheets of this with them. -- Lotusphere 2011 Register now for Lotusphere 2011 and learn how to connect the dots, take your collaborative environment to the next level, and enter the era of Social Business. http://p.sf.net/sfu/lotusphere-d2d ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Expansion of EMC
I think worrying about EMC2 becoming overly commercialized right now is a bit like worrying that you may be killed by a falling space elevator ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator). Maybe it is possible but you are probably safe for at least a few decades. In the worst case, I think what you would see is a forking of the project, with a commercial company maintaining a set of code that, while open-source, over time becomes completely incompatible with the main EMC2 branch. Perhaps this becomes much more popular than the EMC2 project. As it happens, this describes almost exactly what happened with the original EMC and Mach. Has Mach's popularity made the EMC2 project weaker? I don't think so. I think it probably does more to grow the whole DIY CNC movement (where the lines between amateur and professional can be very fuzzy) which eventually leads more people to the EMC2 Project. On Thu, Dec 9, 2010 at 10:28 AM, Peter Blodow p.blo...@dreki.de wrote: Hello gentlemen, regardless of this offer being serious or phoney or fraud, I think commerce will, like in other instances, spoil the character of the EMC project. -- ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Expansion of EMC
I agree, especially on ngcgui. I want to do dome work with that once my arduino pendant project is done. Currently I am designing some PCBs for that and getting my code cleaned up. I'm thinking about selling kits but releasing the source openly. It's interesting from the perspective of looking at how you make money in an open-source environment. The bar for value add is definitely a lot higher. Even hardware is tricky if you factor in the Chinese eBay clones that will follow any successful product. In end user terms, EMC2 is plagued by the same crisis of abundance that Linux has. For everything you want to do, there are five possible options, all of which are somewhat incomplete, and none of which are documented. I run a software company I started six years ago, and there is nothing more frustrating than the weeks of work it takes to deal with the final 5% or so of feature completeness and bug fixing. I would love to ditch that and move on to building something new, but customers won't let me get away with that. So here we have HAL, classic ladder, and user modules all serving related purposes in controlling and configuring machines. It gives you great flexibility but it's not easy if you haven't done it before. Compare this to Mach, where almost everything boils down to menus and macros. The integration of the GUI and backend makes custom functionality quite easy. In my view the underlying core has some serious limitations but for many users these are probably less important than the simplicity and familiarity with windows. I am also impressed with the level of activity on Mach forums, not just raw numbers but the projects people are working on. It sometimes feels like EMC is for people who like building machines while Mach is for people who like using them. This is partly unfair but it is there. I think more commercial users would bring a lot more focus to improving the rough edges that most of us are used to living with. I don't see a Red Hat model for it yet though. I think you would need to offer a complete brain in a box, both hardware and software. The low end of the market (eg Tormach) will need a lot more simplicity as they don't want to deal with people who have problems with Ubuntu. And the high end I don't see switching without a really good reason. Linux rose because customers wanted to get away from expensive proprietary hardware. Where is the x86 of the CNC world? Will the Chinese figure out how to make a machine for half the price of Gene Haas? Outside of that, customers and vendors seem to be in equilibrium. Vendors compete in large part on their controls and would want to continue doing so. Sent from my iPhone On Dec 9, 2010, at 11:21 AM, Igor Chudov ichu...@gmail.com wrote: Colin, I agree. While I have big reservations about the genuiness of the offer that started this topic, I would be personally excited by a commercial project that would use EMC2, while complying with its licensing. The separation of control and GUI that exists in EMC means that we can have competing UIs, some of which may be more suitable to machine operators using them, as opposed to DIY tinkerers. As a DIY tinkerer, I personally am happy with the existing UI, though I wish for somewhat better integration of subroutines into wizards, along the lines of ngcgui. In any case, the best hoped for outcome would be that some large enhancements of EMC2 would make it back to us to be reused elsewhere. Say, machine builders would contribute to EMC2 to make their machines controllable by EMC. This is not very far fetched, since this is what happens to the Linux kernel. i -- ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users -- ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Expansion of EMC
Lest I give the wrong impression, I do agree that the current state of the project is very impressive and the people who have built it up have done a wonderful job on many fronts. Stepconf has evolved into a very solid tool and the user community is ENORMOUSLY helpful and generous. That more than anything has made me want to contribute something of value back. I don't think of other products as competition so much as places to pick up good ideas from. To me, the bigger the EMC user community, the more interesting things will grow out of it. On Thu, Dec 9, 2010 at 2:38 PM, Eric Keller eekel...@psu.edu wrote: Well said. The support the developers give EMC is uncommon even among commercial software. Mach gets a lot of support from vendors because the user base is bigger. But you can have a step/dir machine up and running under EMC very quickly. If a machine was running under Mach, it probably would take less than an hour to get EMC running the machine. I know I've gotten steppers spinning in less than an hour, and that was from the state where everything was in a box and I had to scrounge for wire. And I'm sure there are some industrial users that are quietly using EMC without telling us. Eric On Thu, Dec 9, 2010 at 2:22 PM, Igor Chudov ichu...@gmail.com wrote: I am extremely and openly critical of many open source products, but I have to say that EMC2 is on top as far as documentation, ease of configuration, etc is concerned. To add to this excellent support, and you would know why I am very happy. EMC2 is also very stable. The documentation is clear, abundant, and actually correct. The tasks that users try to accomplish with EMC2, such as retrofitting old machines or making new machines, are daunting and many of us are first timers, myself included. This is why using EMC2 is so difficult, not because EMC2 is hard to use. I had to learn everything about CNC as part of my project. -- ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
[Emc-users] Teach mode?
Is there a way to record a series of entirely manual (not MDI) moves for playback as a program? -- What happens now with your Lotus Notes apps - do you make another costly upgrade, or settle for being marooned without product support? Time to move off Lotus Notes and onto the cloud with Force.com, apps are easier to build, use, and manage than apps on traditional platforms. Sign up for the Lotus Notes Migration Kit to learn more. http://p.sf.net/sfu/salesforce-d2d ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] How fast can EMC read an input pin
Just as a random data point in all this, I have a little 7x toy lathe currently running with Mach2 that I'm getting ready to switch over to EMC. It homes using a single snap-action microswitch, the kind with no lever. I don't know if this is different from EMC, but Mach homes by backing in until the signal changes, and then driving back out until it flips back. I don't know if this technique is based on the typical microswitch being more consistent in one direction than another. Anyway, I went down tonight and put a .0005 indicator on and homed it a few times to see what happened. The needle snapped back to precisely the center of the 0 line every time. I imagine it's possible that the zero point will drift over time as the mechanism ages, but these things are rated for tens of thousands of actuations so probably not too fast. For those of us not requiring bulletproof repeatability on a machine that runs all day, this seems like a very simple setup compared to a dual-switch system. On Thu, Dec 2, 2010 at 10:35 AM, sa...@empirescreen.com wrote: As I mentioned before - We home using 2 micro switches. one switch is on the linear slide and one is on the timing gear. http://www.electronicsam.com/images/KandT/homesw.jpeg the 2 switches are hooked in series. so when the linear closes then it waits for the one on the timing gear to close. then it does the homing dance. :) I would think you could do the same thing (in hal) with the index pulse - just go slow enough that you won't miss it. (I do the same thing) sam On Thu, 2 Dec 2010 15:23:05 + andy pugh bodge...@gmail.com wrote: On 2 December 2010 15:08, Tom Easterday tom-...@bgp.nu wrote: perhaps makes me surprised that the EMC user base is just homing inaccurately and warm and fuzzy in their ignorance. There may be a bit of that. I know that it would be nice if my lathe held diameter to better than 0.1mm through a restart, but I just accept I need to measure diameter at some point and re-touch-off. -- atp Torque wrenches are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men -- What happens now with your Lotus Notes apps - do you make another costly upgrade, or settle for being marooned without product support? Time to move off Lotus Notes and onto the cloud with Force.com, apps are easier to build, use, and manage than apps on traditional platforms. Sign up for the Lotus Notes Migration Kit to learn more. http://p.sf.net/sfu/salesforce-d2d ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
