Re: Sorry :)

["Arne Chr.Jorgensen" <instel-at-online.no>]

Dan Falck wrote:

> Arne,
>
> Perhaps it's time to take a simpler approach to the whole project.  I like
> the idea of adding the graphical toolpath viewer, but we could probably
> start out on a smaller scale.  Let's concetrate on the EMC/Cookbook at
> first and add the bells and whistles later.  If we could just fill in the
> content on the chapters that Fred outlined for us, we could do a lot.  At
> the same time, we could be working on the CAD end of it on a smaller scale
> individually.  With this approach, maybe some of the CAD stuff would come
> about out there in the software world on it's own.  We aren't the only ones
> interested in Linux CAD/CAM.
>
> I don't want to disuade you from persuing  the linux CAD/CAM end of things,
> but at the same time I don't want to get into a situation similar to the
> ill fated "freedesigner" group that never got their project off the ground.
>
> Thanks,
> Dan

Well,  I am not  against this.  We all have different views. But  I would not
consider
this too complicated.  Most of what I have said earlier on, is within our
reach.  Most
of the things I have said, - is in fact working.  It is more a matter of
putting it together.

I don't know about what happened to the  "freedesigner"  group,  and what kind
of trouble they
got.


About the EMC - cookbook:

I am not sure what "we" could do.   I am  talking for my self here.

I will just <snip> out a few items from Fred's list:


Customizing the Interpreter
        Adding new RS274 codes
        Replacing the interpreter

Programming with the External Interface
        Custom GUIs
        Remote Execution (DNC)

Writing a Custom Task Controller

Writing a Custom I/O Controller

Writing a Custom Motion Controller

------------

Most of this, does look like something that - at least I would not be able to
add much to.

Let just take a few of these, say, "writing a custom
motion controller"  - and  - "Replacing the RS274 interpreter "

This is changing  internal modules of EMC - how many of us do have the
knowledge to do such a thing.  I would like to read this cookbook - in order
to learn about it.  But to write it,  is something I don't think I would be
able to do.
Sure, some of us could probably do a change to the I/O controller.  Rename
"Mist on/off" and  wire up some other on/off function.  But a lot of this is
much more complicated.  We really had to understand the ins and outs of the
software.

I don't say we could not do this, - I know that Jon Elson knows how to "tune"
the servo drives, using logging and plotting.
And there might be others that knows something about the other topics.  So
working together, it could be done - I guess.
But I don't consider this to be more simple than say - working on a simple
CAD/CAM system.  We would for one thing have a lot more leeway of doing wrong
things,  we would not ruin things - during tests.   If you wrote something
about custom changes to the EMC - you probably had to check that what you put
in print,  actually worked.

Well, this was just a few thoughts.  But some simple things in  tcl/tk  should
not be too complicated,  and the outline I gave on it, - don't have to be done
all at once.

And,  I don't mean that a EMC cookbook is not a good idea,  on the contrary.
But let us say that you wanted to output gcodes from a tcl/tk drawing
program,  - then this could in fact be something that made you understand the
RS274 a lot better,  and even could see how you could add commands to it as
Fred put on the suggestion list.

Well,  I don't know what you would think of this, - I say so many things :)

//ARNE