RE: FPGA for PCI based servo control board

["John Craddock" <john.craddock-at-xitech.com.au>]

Let me throw in a couple of curves here.
What is wrong with the CAN bus? CAN = Controller Area Network. There are already drivers for it in RTAI that is the real time Linux extensions used in the current BDI. Also look at the TI DSP TMS320LF2812.
http://focus.ti.com/docs/prod/productfolder.jhtml?genericPartNumber=TMS320F2812
Does most of what the FPGA sets out to do from what I can gather. I am playing with an LF2407 (predecessor) at the moment. CAN bus is built in to the chip. Can run A/C servos, BLDC servos, and steppers. 2 Axes per chip + analogue and digital IO; programmable! What more could you want?
Hope this contributes to the debate.
Kind regards
John Craddock

-----Original Message-----
From: Robin Szemeti [robin-at-redpoint.org.uk]
Sent: Sunday, 6 April 2003 9:13 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Re: FPGA for PCI based servo control board



On Saturday 05 April 2003 23:31, John Kasunich wrote:


> Jon's board does four axes of step/dir for $200.  Additional axes cost
> another $200.  If you need analog, Jon's solution is about $650, and
> the STG board is $800+.  I expect that this project will cost about
> $250 for a 4 axis EPP version.  It can provide any mix of analog and
> digital.  Additional axes cost maybe $20 each, for the I/O parts.
> ISA version might cost a little less, PCI and ethernet will cost a
> little more.

hmmm .. sounds fun.  You should sell 1.25 of each at the current rates ;)) .. 
still .. (as they guy who tied helium ballons to a deck chair famously said: 
. "a guy gant just sit around" ..)

Im also looking at the Gecko2002 .. thats almost *exactly* what I need .. 
except its USB and usb under linux is always a deeply painful experience with 
much pulling of hair and frame overuns etc. .. the advantage is that it ships 
sometime in the next 10 days ...

Right now I'm just scraping around in the bottom of my wallet to see if I can 
find enough to order a stepper board from jon ... hmm .. maybe the kids piggy 
bank .. wheres my hammer? ....

-- 
Robin Szemeti

Redpoint Consulting Limited
Real Solutions For A Virtual World