Re: 5-axis machine controller

[Ray <rehenry-at-up.net>]

Marc

I almost answered this one by coincidence in my previous "Thank you" post.

Since the circuit board mill is brain dead and uses steppers, I'd take the
retrofit in two stages.  

Stage 1
Select a computer. See note 1  below
Get to Bust Buy or Wall Mart If your are in the US.  Amazon or ?? if not
Pick up Mandrake 7.0 
Recommended install and set up x driver and monitor. (about 2 hours)
Add the ecgs libs using RpmDrake

Download the real-time rtlinux-2.2a from Rtlinux.org
Follow the linuxcnc.org install page for it. (about 2.5 hours)

Download the emc bin file for 2.2.14 rtlinux2.2 to a user/local/nist
directory. Run Tar xzvf * in that directory.  Run ./install in that
directory. (about 10 seconds) cd to the emc directory

Contact me off list and I'll send you a copy of the run and ini files that
I use.  You may need to edit one or two things for your system.  Post
your error messages, if any, to this list.  When you get EMC running you
you can play with it a bit.  And see if it's what you like.

You can study the RS274NGC g-code on linuxcnc.org to see what changes you
might have to make to whatever programmer you use.

Stage 2
Look at the existing stepper amps.  If you can use them DO!  EMC has two
kinds of stepper codes available.  I know something about the parport step
and direction system.  Other list members know about the phase outputs.

If you can't use the existing amps, roll your own, or buy three gecko
drives from  "Mariss Freimanis" <geckohall-at-home.com>  

Connect them and run. 

Ray

Note 1 (My preference is for a 6x86 with 64 meg memory and at least 2 gig
of hard drive.   This could be more than one. My pr 300 Cyrix does okay up
to about 120 ipm with 4000 steps per inch.  I also works best to have a
1024 capable monitor but 800 will do. )


On Tue, 19 Dec 2000, Marc wrote:
> > Good questions John.  In fact if you read this list, the developer, and
> > the cad_cam, you will get the impression that EMC barely works at all
> > except for a bunch of "geeks" who fiddle with it when they have nothing
> > better to do.
> 
> This is a good point, and quite frankly the impression I have and have
> developed after being here for over a year probably.
> 
> I'm right at the point of replacing the controller on a machine I intend
> to use to plot and drill circuit boards.
> 
> It is run by 3 steppers and is a 3 axis macine with about 3 inches of 
> up/down travel on the head and ~20" both directions over the bed.
> 
> I was almost to the point of deciding EMC was not worth the trouble.
> Keep in mind I'm a Unix Geek and love linux so the "Trouble" would have
> come from all the issues I've seen with people actually getting EMC
> and the hardware working. 
> Maybe that was based on a bit of mis-interpretation.