Re: 5-axis machine controller

[John Murphy <john-at-wyosip.com>]

I'm a longtime Linux hack, and there are some things about rtLinux
and EMC that it harder to get running than the typical gnu './config ;
make'

Although I'm a longtime slackware user, I ended up having good luck with
an old redhat 6.0 distribution, rtlinux 2.2a, and the latest EMC out of
the
CVS server as of a month ago.  (There is a self-reply to a help message
on
the EMC page of sourceforge that had good directions.  Be sure you have
CVS installed).

I modifed the source to use a homebrew DRO board I made based on
HCTL2016
encoder chips, and a 24 bit digital IO card.  I endedup needing to
modify
the ext*.c files in the emcmot, emcnml, and emcio directories to get all
of the EMC io functions mapped to my own I/O functions.  There was some
grief here, but when I got it working (and figured out how it works) it
works great.  

I'm using EMC to drive 3 G320's spinning servos for a Grizzly mini
mill.  I bought
enough motor so I can "upgrade" my mill without having to re-do my
electronics,
since I've already begun outgrowing it.

Hope this helps

murph

"D.F.S." wrote:
> 
> Thanks all for the info.
> 
> I guess what I'm trying to do would best be served by a 2 step approach.
> 
> I have a machine I previously described I intend to use as a Printed Circuit
> Board manufacturing macine for personal projects only.
> 
> The controller is toast.
> 
> If I can simply get EMC to run it with some very basic controls and a simple
> circuit running off the parallel port of a PC I could then use it to build a
> good control board with all the bells and whistles.
> 
> One thing I didn't see previously in the source code was a clear cut function
> that does the actual output of the signals to the steppers.
> 
> I could easily adapt the source to drive my simple hardware if it does not
> already, if I could find the actual functions.
> 
> I'd hope for something along the lines of --  Move_Axis_Z(Direction, Count)
> 
> I could make that work, but as I said I never found such a function, I'm
> sure they are there.
> 
> I'd like to toggle the bits on the port and drive the stepper coils directly
> thru FETs. I figure a 3-to-8 ttl Decoder and 3 latches along with a dozen
> Transistors should do it. I have all that stuff close at hand.
> 
> I realize such a setup will have less torque, speed and accuracy than a full
> blown controller would, but if will work for a month I can use the machine
> to build a better controller for itself.
> 
> Once THAT is done I can use it for my real projects, A Bridgeport Clone
> and a Wasino CNC Lathe sporting a 500 Lb Refrigerator Size controller I
> don't want to mess with.
> 
> I have dozens and dozens of Linux distributions going back to 0.97,
> I have Dozens of computers to dedicate to the task.
> I have almost 20 years of unix experience, NOT Experience with eunics.
> What I don't have is a lot of time I want to devote to messing with
> making my tools work endlessly.
> 
> What particular distribution and version number of Linux will work
> with what version number of RT Linux and what version of EMC will
> work with that?
> 
> I Don't expect a push-one-button Install, but I'd rather not spend
> 2 weeks in fits and starts trying to find the exact combination of
> all of these releases to get it to REALLY work.
> 
> I've seen several posts on versions people are using, what is the
> latest solid and tested version that work together?
> 
> I'm all for tinkering, I do however want there to be a point in time
> where the tinkering is OVER for a particular tool.
> At that point, I simply want it to work so I can USE it and have all the
> time I'm putting into tinkering on a new project go to THAT project not
> the tools themselves.
> 
> For example:
> After the PCB Machine is working, I'd like to be confident it will work
> and the Next Project of building the Circuit Boards for the Wasino will
> center on plotting and drilling the boards and making that design WORK
> rather than trying to figure out why the PCB machine is trashing my boards.
> 
> By the same token, a failure on the PCB machine would be annoying, a failure
> of a REAL machine tool could kill or maim someone.
> 
> Is EMC to that point?
> 
> Marc