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Re: List question
Tim Goldstein
I checked out the JR Kerr web site. Interesting product. I couldn't quite
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understand though, does the pic board handle the input from the encoders or is that handled by the computer it is attached to? I was looking at the Grizzly G1004 in the catalog the other day. How long have you had it? How do you like it? What don't you like about it? Have you started to convert your machine to NC yet? What are you planning to use for your servo motors? Tim [Denver, CO] -----Original Message----- |
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Re: MaxNC modifications
Tim Goldstein
I agree the aluminum foil shielding looks ugly, but it fixed the problem
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without having to wait until I could get out to my local electronics store! I know the majority is saying software is the problem right now, but I am willing to be the black sheep and stand out. My major reason for thinking it is something else is that the lost steps have been exhibited with a number of different software packages. To me that says the problem is not in the computer, but in the cable, controller electronics, motors, wiring. What happen when you turn up the amperage to the motors. Does the problem get better, get worse, stay the same? You mentioned that the motors are running well below the rated amperage, any reason you haven't cranked the amps to get more torque? Tim [Denver, CO] -----Original Message----- |
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Re: AC Servo question
Andy Olney
I can answer some of my own question since I found some info on this
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inverter. Hitachi does not recommend using it as a servo but I am not clear weather the constant load threading application wouldn't work well. Hitachi's words: "NOTE: The SJ100 can move loads in both directions. However, it is not designed for use in servo-type applications that use a bipolar velocity signal which determines direction." ----- Original Message -----
From: Andy Olney <aolney@...> To: <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@...> Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 1999 8:22 PM Subject: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] AC Servo question From: "Andy Olney" <aolney@...>range with a pretty good speed range. Surplus 3 phase motors are cheap or maydiscussion of shop built systems in the above catagories. To Unsubscribe: |
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AC Servo question
Andy Olney
Lathe and milling machine spindle control is a great feature for these CNC
conversions but the power requirements to run a 1 or 2 HP spindle makes a stepper or DC servo a big expensive beast. There are now AC drives for 3 phase motors availible in the $200-$300 range with a pretty good speed range. Surplus 3 phase motors are cheap or may already be on your machine. Any clue if these have the response and low speed torque needed to slave a spindle to a lathe carrige to do threading? has for instance a Hitachi SJ100 Micro drive: "Micro drive, 1 HP, single/three phase input, three phase output, 230V, sensorless vector or VF control modes" for $250. |
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Re: List question
Tim Goldstein
My vote for what it is worth would be to not split the list. I think the EMC
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/ Linux discussions are definitely within the scope of the group as we are discussing how to use a CNC controller software. I think the cross pollination between the computer side and the hardware / machine end is very helpful to someone starting out. Also, splitting into 2 lists would most likely reduce the number of active. There is nothing stopping anyone from starting another thread about any topic. If there is something you want to discuss then post a message. If it is of interest it will take off, if not it will die. I don't think having a long lasting thread at all threatens the viability of other topics. Final point, if you look at the people that carry the EMC / Linux thread and look at the few responses to the other topics I think you will find that it tends to be the same people and they bring a lot of expertise and insight to the non-EMC topics. If sending the active topic to another list causes them to not keep up on this one how much discussion will you really have going on? Just my $0.02 worth. Tim [Denver, CO] -----Original Message----- |
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Re: Some expirements in Home brew CNC (long)
Jon Anderson
Ron,
Would love to see your MillPower clone running with Linux! For my business, I have been evaluating the MillPower, the Newall, and the Centroid controls. While the Centroid will probably be my choice for reasons of overall power and flexibility, the strictly conversational controls are very hard to beat for basic 2.5 axis milling! Jon |
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Re: List question
Andy Olney
I am very interested in the EMC information here as well as the other
threads ( encoders, vacuum forming etc. ) and would prefer it remain all mashed together. I have a small Grizzly knee mill (G1004?), and some pic based servo boards from www.jrkerr.com that I am intending to use to move my table. Andy Olney |
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Some expirements in Home brew CNC (long)
Ron Ginger
Since Ive poked into this list a bit maybe I ought to do a bit of an
introduction. Im an Electrical Enigneer, but with a very old degree- 1966- they still did tubes when I was in school, transistors were new. For 30 yearss Ive been in the computer world (DEC) mostly in software information systems. For the last 10 years Ive been a Unix Admin Consultant. Ive been a hobby machinist for 10 or 12 years. See for a bit more. My CNC experiements started 4 or 5 years ago when someone on the net offered a set of stepper motors to fit a Sherline lathe and I bought them. For a driver board I bought a 3 axis board from AMSI in New York ($150). For software I bought INDEXER.LPT($250). After I got it all to work, and I spent a few 'gee whiz' hours typing 'move a,250,b,300' and watching the lathe slides move back and forth, I realized the real problem here (as in the entire computer world) is SOFTWARE. I never did make a usefull part with this setup. I muddled around, reading a lot, but not doing much (at least with CNC- thats when my steamboat got done, among other things), until a friend bought a Lagun mill with an AcuRite MillPower system. After just minutes of waching it, I was off onto a new project. I copied its owners manual, and started a clone of the program using Visual Basic. Before the AcuRite lawyers jump all over me, I will note my program is a good deal different, since I use Win95, a mouse and keyoard and all the normal Win95 GUI actions, instead of the AcuRite special box and function keypad. I have a similar concept, not a chineese copy. In case you dont know about MillPower a brief bit will be usefull. This is billed as an interactive system, and gcodes are not used in any way. A set of buttons is labeled with common mill functions, like LINE, ARC, CIRCLE, BOLT CIRCLE, etc. You pick a button, fill in the obvious blanks, and a program is built to run that object. When youve got a whole program ready the system runs it. You never see a gcode. I have written just about all of these fnctions in VB. I first planned to use INDEXER.LPT for the driver, but a friend wanted a program to drill PC boards, so he wrote a .dll that we can call from VB that runs the motors. It implements bresenhans algorithym for straight line moves, and circular interpolation. I call it from VB with a simple struct that gives it the distance to move each axis. We do acceleration and decellaration and the use of the bits is fully software configurable. I modified a Sherline Mill (see my web page for photos) in a somewhat unsual way- I noted that each lead screw has 2 ends, one has a handle on it, the other flaps around in the breeze. For reasons I dont understand, everyone seems to want to modify the handle end, making stange standoff brackets and shaft couplers and double shaft motors and lots of cruff, leaving the other end flapping. I put my motor on the loose end, and dont have to modify the handle end at all. I simply made one mounting block and one long shaft coupling on each screw. I use a belt on the Zaxis. I can also use the handles if I leave the power off, and I can use single ended motors, often cheaper. For this system I bought one of Dans 2Amp driver kits. I have made some useful parts with this, and Ive added a couple features to it- I can output a MillPower file on floppy, and I can read g-code in. As a by product I can read in gcode and write it out as Mill Power, something maybe valuable to Mill Power owners. I can also read the standard PC board drill file (excelan?) and run that. I also can mill TrueType fonts directly, altough a bit lumpy. Im still adding a geometry calculator and a learn mode. My delima here is the .dll. Because of the way Win95 works, once I call the .dll to make a motor move, my VB routine is dead until the move is complete. I cant abort it, and I cant update my display as the tool moves. I dont think a CNC system is usefull with this limit. To get around this I tried some experiements with microprocessor controllers. I used a Tiny Tiger ($79) which I can load from a serial port and use to drive the step and direction signals. Ive written bresenhans line stuff there, and it works slick. But if I want to sell my package, Id have to get into the hardware business of making these boards. so, that brings me to EMC and linux. Id like to port my VB GUI to linux (maybe Tk, maybe Java) and use the EMC API to actualy run the motors. I think I can write a perl hack that will read the VB source code and generate the Tk functions. Then all I have to do is rewrite the callbacks from BASIC to someting on linux. So, if anyone has read this long winded note, thats what Im up to, and thats why Im asking about EMC-APIs and such. If someone else is interested in this software development, maybe we can take a page from Linux and do a group project? I suspect someone will ask, so, no, I have not decided to sell or give away my VB program. I dont want to sell it with the .dll weakness, and I dont want to give it away yet, because someday I might decide to fix the .dll into a win32 .vxd and sell it. ron ginger |
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Re: List question
Dan Falck
Well, start another thread then. Maybe it will catch on.
But, I'm guessing that there are more than a dozen people interested in a free machine control program. This list helped at least three of us (me included) in setting up this program. Machine control comes with the territory. Dan At 09:14 PM 6/16/99 -0400, you wrote: From: Ron Ginger <ginger@...>discussion of shop built systems in the above catagories. To Unsubscribe: |
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Re: List question
Robert Campbell
Dennis,
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It does sound like a good idea. I would be in favor of splitting the group. Bob Campbell ----- Original Message -----
From: Dennis Mino <dmino@...> To: <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@...> Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 1999 8:47 PM Subject: Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] List question From: "Dennis Mino" <dmino@...>discussion of shop built systems in the above catagories. To Unsubscribe: |
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Re: List question
Dennis Mino
That was quick!!!
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----- Original Message -----
From: <DRigotti@...> To: <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@...> Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 1999 8:42 PM Subject: Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] List question From: DRigotti@...discussion of shop built systems in the above catagories. To Unsubscribe: |
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Re: List question
Dennis Mino
I'll second that motion!! All in favor say "I" !!!!
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----- Original Message -----
From: Ron Ginger <ginger@...> To: <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@...> Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 1999 8:14 PM Subject: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] List question From: Ron Ginger <ginger@...>discussion of shop built systems in the above catagories. To Unsubscribe: |
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Re: List question
In a message dated 6/16/99 6:11:50 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
ginger@... writes: I noticed the other dayAs of tonight there 203 on the list, we have lost around 15-20 that have unsubscribed for whatever reason. I have asked for more input from the lurkers, but if they are happy it is not for me to complain. Right now there is a very strong thread on Lunix/EMC. And if this continues to make progress, it appears it will be the system of choice for many of us. And the price seems to be right. But soon Dan will have the DRO cards out, so expect to see a good thread there. Also STEPSTER is in the wings waiting awaiting more discussion. Dan also has a system in the works for the Sherline sized equipment, this should also develop a good thread. As to whether to split the list, a few I's and about 190 saying nothing???????? I would say to anyone if your subject is not being discussed, jump in and teach the rest of us, or ask questions to get the rest of us to teach you. Just thoughts from me. bill |
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List question
Ron Ginger
I am finding this Linux talk extremenly intresting, but is it possible
this is overwheleming the rest of the world of CNC in the home shop? Might it make sense to split off into two groups, one just on EMC/linux, the other as the origianl charter of this group. I noticed the other day a message that said the list is over 200 names, but it appears to me there are less than a dozen participating on the EMC/linuc thread. just a thought for discussion. ron |
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Tcl/Tk GUI for EMC
Fred Proctor
EMC folks,
Dave Anderson wrote about a Tcl/Tk GUI (I haven't seen it yet, Dave, been busy twiddling with this and that): I have a simple TCL/TK CNC control panel GUI that I was playing with for my own use. I sent it out serveral months ago to Fred Proctor and some others on the rt-linux NG. It is just a simple hack that at this point has no interface to EMC. IF I could get some assistance in the details of the EMC interface, I could try to get it to function. < I thought a bit about this and have begun building an EMC program that originated as a Tcl-based automatic tester using scripts, but that can serve as a wish-like shell for Tk applications. It's the "autoemc" program, with code in emc/src/emctask/autoemc.cc. The idea is that this program opens all the NML channels to the EMC for commands out, status back; adds statements to Tcl, e.g., "emc_estop", using: Tcl_CreateCommand(interp, "emc_estop", emc_estop, (ClientData) NULL, (Tcl_CmdDeleteProc *) NULL); and then enters the Tcl loop: TclX_Main(argc, argv, Tcl_AppInit); You can then use this program as the shell for interpreting Tcl/Tk scripts that would call things like "emc_estop". You can use any of the "graphical" user interfaces xemc.cc, emcpanel.cc, keystick.cc as examples of how to get the EMC status and write EMC commands. I will add a description of the external interface to EMC in the EMC User's Guide. By the way, the external interface supports running any of the "G"UI's remotely, so you can pop up a GUI you write on a machine somewhere on your network and watch (or run) the machine. I did this between Livermore, CA and Pontiac, MI once. If you use NML as in the example programs (xemc, etc.) and set up the emc.nml config file with machine names, it's all handled for you. --Fred |
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EMC fixes to verify, steppers, etc.
Fred Proctor
EMC folks,
I fixed a problem with the new program verify feature in which some errors failed to pop up on the display. I also twiddled with the motion defaults and fixed a problem that some of you may have noticed if you are running your stepper system near the pulse task limit. I put a new release on the FTP site, dated 16 June 1999. And still working on the EMC User's Guide... --Fred |
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