EMC Cookbook

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

EMC list

I trust that this (emc-at-nist.gov) is the appropriate forum for this.  If we
see light in what I'm suggesting, then we should post an invitation on
CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO and rec.crafts.metalworking and perhaps other places. 

The recent cutter-comp posts point to a significant problem that we users,
have as we move EMC from experimental shops to HSM and Production shops.  I
suspect that all of us struggle with EMC, from Linux, to rt, to install, to
connection, to making tools move the way we want.  We need a comprehensive,
setup, operating, and program cookbook. 

We need it for occasional reference when we forget how to write a variable
from .var into some part-program code or how sqrt() can be used to find an
x location rather than a calculator.  We need it when we try to remember
which parallel port pin carries the step pulse for the 4th axis.  And those
of us who retrofit and want to sell machines that use EMC will need to
provide a complete reference to the capabilities of it that we have built
into our machine. 

I'm going to be candid here so I should expect some trashing.  My core
assumption is that: 

	Making their work/product comprehensible to the average
       EMC user is not the best use of the folk at NIST. 

I took up one of Fred's mornings last spring.  I was at the point of either
buying into a proprietary machine control system or committing to making
EMC work for me.  I learned more in that half day than I could have in
months of reading.  I'm jealous of Matt's proximity to EMC Mecca.  NIST is
awesome!  The work that they have done in intelligent machines reads like
someone put together the best ideas of Asimov, Heinlein, Bradbury and other
si fi writers and said, "Okay let's make ‘em work. (I still wonder if Tom's
RS274VGER is a Star Trek reference.) 

I think it was Arne who referred to EMC as this "gift."  Sure NIST gets
some feedback from our use of it and they make changes at the code level
based on some of what we find, but I don't think that's central to their
mission or their vision.  

So?  Let's take on the task of writing, drawing, and photographing a
comprehensive cookbook to EMC.  EMC will always be ahead of our manual
but... let's pull together everything we know about it and put it in one
place.  I'm going to suggest that we start on-line so that we can all get
at the drafts and contribute.  I suggest that we stick with an unreasonably
low level of html for initial format.  Then as we get sections complete we
can set them for print, xml, database ... whatever.

Anybody got free space to warehouse this monster?  Anybody willing to help?
 Anybody got material or suggestions to go into it?  I'd try to keep track
of it, till we get it launched.  Or should I go back to the basement, shut
up, and do my motor thing?

Ray