Lol.. let me do that again...

The Kearney and Trecker has at least 96 i\o and 5+ analog axis.  Everything
(and I mean everything) is controlled within LinuxCNC using classic ladder,
Hal and one poorly written realtime component to do the spindle shifting.
Been 100% stable for years.

Sam

On Mon, Dec 27, 2021, 5:35 PM Sam Sokolik <samco...@gmail.com> wrote:

> The Kearney and trecker
>
> On Mon, Dec 27, 2021, 5:33 PM Feral Engineer <theferalengin...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> The pay walls, axis limits and markups on accessories are the reasons I
>> avoided centroid.
>>
>> The thing I love most about Linuxcnc is the flexibility, reliability and
>> yes, classicladder - or at least ladder based plc in general, which makes
>> it incredibly easy to figure out for someone with an industrial
>> electronics
>> background. I do miss some of the functionality of industrial controls
>> inside of LinuxCNC that I think should be implemented, but all in all,
>> it's
>> an incredible tool.
>>
>> I do think that in order for it to gain traction, it needs some more
>> "black
>> box" usability, though. As an example, an input sniffer to assign hal pins
>> to button presses on a game controller or hardware buttons on a Mesa card
>> would be kinda cool to implement.
>>
>> Phil T.
>> The Feral Engineer
>>
>> Check out my LinuxCNC tutorials, machine builds and other antics at
>> www.youtube.com/c/theferalengineer
>>
>> Help support my channel efforts and coffee addiction:
>> www.patreon.com/theferalengineer
>>
>> On Mon, Dec 27, 2021, 4:38 PM gene heskett <ghesk...@shentel.net> wrote:
>>
>> > On Sunday, December 26, 2021 1:30:42 PM EST John Dammeyer wrote:
>> > > Hi Mark,
>> > > I'll summarize your basic premise here that all machines are
>> different.
>> > > That's true!
>> > >
>> > > And MACH2/3/4 has a huge user base without ever needing a command line
>> > > editor.  So if it can be done for Windows then certainly it can be
>> done
>> > > for LCNC.
>> > >
>> > > Having said that I'm also not suggesting we do away with the
>> underbelly
>> > of
>> > > what is LCNC.   Please recall my original post in this subject.   The
>> > > ACORN based system cannot run an old iron system with existing servo
>> > > drives.  It's likely it can't even run a system with a STMBL drive
>> that
>> > > faults on low power supply voltage which mine does because I have a
>> soft
>> > > start delay on mine so ENABLE shows up before the Voltage is there.
>> > > Doesn't look like it can even do step/dir for the spindle (which MACH3
>> > > can).  So there is a place for the 'raw' LinuxCNC install and HAL/INI
>> > > file model.
>> > >
>> > > But that user I mentioned wasn't interested in learning a new OS and
>> the
>> > > ACORN was a one stop shop for the Ethernet controlled step/dir/VFD/IO
>> > > board and windows CNC software.  He went with Clearpath Servos so he
>> > > wasn't adverse to spending money.  He could just as easily have
>> installed
>> > > LCNC 2.8.2 and the MESA board with terminal strips and used the config
>> > > screens in AXIS and I suspect for less money.  But the LinuxOS itself
>> > > appeared to also scare him away so he likely would never be a user.
>> > >
>> > > I think everyone who likes using an editor for configuration and
>> issuing
>> > > multiple commands with a command line interface has already been
>> brought
>> > > over to the dark side so to speak.   They aren't the market for
>> expanding
>> > > the LCNC user base.
>> > >
>> > > I've attached a screen shot of something I've been playing with.  Took
>> > > about an hour to write using a modern GUI based software development
>> > > tool; in this case Lazarus Free Pascal.  The TCanvas Property has all
>> > > sorts of drawing tools so I thought I'd take a quick look at the Axis
>> > > source code.  To see how easy it would be to port over the Preview
>> screen
>> > > to Pascal.
>> > >
>> > > I was immediately reminded of something I written many years ago by
>> > > Nicholas Wirth the author of Pascal.  "Those who learn Fortran as
>> their
>> > > first language are brain damaged for life". Rather harsh actually and
>> > > taken out of context appears elitist .  OTOH, 4195 lines of
>> essentially
>> > > undocumented python code does look like a lot of the Fortran code the
>> > > Electrical Engineers were writing in University while we in the Comp
>> Sci.
>> > > stream were writing in structured languages Algol-68.  And those were
>> not
>> > > for GUI type interfaces which add to complexity.
>> > >
>> > > For example:
>> > > if o.canon:
>> > >     x = (o.canon.min_extents[0] + o.canon.max_extents[0])/2
>> > >     y = (o.canon.min_extents[1] + o.canon.max_extents[1])/2
>> > >     z = (o.canon.min_extents[2] + o.canon.max_extents[2])/2
>> > >     o.set_centerpoint(x, y, z)
>> > >
>> > > If you go searching for o.cannon you find:
>> > >   o.canon = canon = AxisCanon(o, widgets.text, i, progress,
>> arcdivision)
>> > >
>> > > Search for AxisCAnon and we find the object definition:
>> > > class AxisCanon(GLCanon, StatMixin):
>> > >
>> > > Now we're into the include side of things where the rs274 library is
>> > > needed: from rs274.interpret import StatMixin
>> > > from rs274.glcanon import GLCanon, GlCanonDraw
>> > >
>> > > which takes us to here:
>> > > https://github.com/LinuxCNC/linuxcnc/blob/master/lib/python/rs274/
>> > glcanon.
>> > > py which is another 1886 lines of undocumented code.
>> > >
>> > > The excuses that will be made for no documentation will be the same
>> ones
>> > > given for command line operation of Linux and LCNC.   It's much better
>> > > than windows or it's self documenting. You just have to learn a few
>> > > commands and you can do so much more than with windows........
>> > >
>> > > I believe we need to step outside the box and ask ourselves this
>> > question.
>> > >  How can we attract more people who just want simple CNC (maybe
>> without
>> > > limit switches even), a VFD and encoder on the spindle and possibly
>> > > coolant or a few other outputs.
>> > >
>> > > One really simple way is that the companies (or people) building the
>> > > intelligent CNC controls like the MESA change their web sites to have
>> at
>> > > least one menu choice for "SimpleCNC".
>> > >
>> > > I went here:
>> > > http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?LinuxCNC_Supported_Hardware
>> > >
>> > > Eventually with more Google searching I ended up here:
>> > > http://store.mesanet.com/index.php?route=product/
>> > product&product_id=290&se
>> > > arch=7i76e
>> >
>> > That is a very nice board, I use 2 of them myself, but not in the E
>> > version. I use the much cheaper parport version. Why? I refuse to give
>> up
>> > my only ethernet port just to carve metal. The net access is much much
>> > more
>> > useful to me.
>> >
>> > > That link to the page I think would be best right at the top of the
>> MESA
>> > > site.  And on that page should be a link to a page with a pictorial
>> > > connection diagram like:
>> > > https://www.centroidcnc.com/centroid_diy/acorn_cnc_controller.html
>> >
>> > For the basic, get you hooked, system that's not a bad price. But some
>> of
>> > the accessories clearly have a 10,000% markup. Why should a conductive
>> > touch probe cost $800 when I can make one with 50 cents worth of wire, a
>> > 1/2" square piece of PCB material worth a dime and 1/4" of solder? And
>> its
>> > repeatable to .0002" or better. Boggles my mind.
>> >
>> > > And a link to a version of LinuxCNC 2.8.2 (or latest) with a HAL/INI
>> file
>> > > specifically set up for that hardware.  Literally install OS from .iso
>> > > and there's a desktop ICON to run LCNC for that hardware.
>> > >
>> > > But going back up to the LCNC supported hardware link it turns out
>> > there's
>> > > almost nothing available for LCNC Ethernet control other than the MESA
>> > > boards.  So maybe that's also why MACH3/4 and the ACORN are so
>> > > successful.
>> > >
>> > > Anyway, something to think about for the new year.
>> > > John
>> >
>> > Cheers, Gene Heskett.
>> > --
>> > "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
>> >  soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
>> > -Ed Howdershelt (Author, 1940)
>> > If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law
>> respectable.
>> >  - Louis D. Brandeis
>> > Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > Emc-users mailing list
>> > Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net
>> > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
>> >
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>

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