I've seen the mention of these ideas but it's all over the place, there is mention of too many things that are in no way compatible with each other. The original post simply states that you want to resurrect the PICnc which the firmware and hal drivers already seem to be available for to run as the motion interface for a LinuxCNC/MK host, specifically the Rpi over SPI, and that doesn't work with Mach3 so now you're either writing another set of firmware or you're abandoning Mach3.
Then you seem to want to run this as a standalone electronic Lead screw thing that is going to require different firmware again, but it's supposed to drive a small LCD itself and be controlled by hardware buttons on a control panel I presume. But it is supposed to retain the functionality of being controlled by LCNC/MK? Is there a driver for that? what is the means of commanding it from LCNC/MK? If someone is going to plop a non purpose built laptop or PC in front of it to casually decide to do CNC today, that laptop needs to be running a RT kernel, I don't know that MK/LCNC will actually run a machine from a Live image. All this when realistically, if the project is left with it's original intention of running as the motion interface for an rpi, the only thing that needs to happen you just create a simple GUI and config to do nothing more than be and electronic lead screw. The Rpi obviously can run a monitor out of the box and there will never be a need to reflash the firmware on the PICnc device. The Rpi itself already has an ethernet interface so if it's not being tied up by the PICnc thing as it's running on spi all someone has to do is plug the laptop into it and VNC to get a bigger monitor and keyboard going...........or you can just plug a bigger monitor and keyboard in to the pie lol. So what is the purpose of doing it any other way? to avoid the cost of a rpi? On Monday, March 2, 2020 at 9:33:11 PM UTC-5, John Dammeyer wrote: > > Let me go back one step and outline my idea. First I have machinekit > running on a BBB with a Xylotex Cape that has a DB-25. There are some > problems with the high verses low for switches NC/NO so I ended up not > using it. > > > > I'm not directly thinking of the MachineKit, LinuxCNC or MACH3/4 group of > users. I'm thinking of the users who don't even sign onto the CNC groups > and aren't interested in CNC. Often because they don't know what they > don't know. > > > > What I'm thinking of is an ELS-MILL that has DROs, Step/Dir signals, > Spindle Speed control, and ideally spindle speed feedback along with the > usual group of inputs and outputs like limit switches and coolant etc. > > > > Really just a DRO setup with power feed on each axis. For someone using > a manual mill the addition of power feed to an axis is such a tremendous > improvements and there are all sorts of ways of doing this. Model > Engineer's Workshop magazine etc all have had articles along that theme. > > > > Now grab that laptop or PC neither of those have SPI or IIC at least not > without an add on card of some sort. But they pretty well all have > Ethernet. So BBB, Pi, PC, Laptop embedded PC box all with LCD Display or > HDMI, USB for keyboard and mouse all running some form of CNC software with > the motion commands out Ethernet to a target. > > > > And if that target is the ELS-MILL (which serves as a Break out Board too) > then you can easily migrate a non-CNC user to the wonders of CNC. And if > you use a BBB or Raspberry Pi running machinekit in a way that appears to > be an ELS-MILL but with a local/remote switch changes personalities you now > have it all bundled into one board. > > > > But that might be asking too much hence the idea of using a PIC32 or > something like that for the ELS-MILL. > > > > John > > > > > > *From:* [email protected] <javascript:> [mailto: > [email protected] <javascript:>] *On Behalf Of *justin White > *Sent:* March-02-20 5:56 PM > *To:* John Dammeyer > *Cc:* Machinekit > *Subject:* Re: [Machinekit] Re: PICnc with Machine Kit. > > > > Yeah, there is no reason to use ethernet when almost everything has a > uart. SPI is a viable rt interface and there is no reason to tie up the > processor boards ethernet port. Mesa is using spi with the raspberry pi > boards, the 7c80 and the 7c81, so you are pretty much guaranteed it works. > Also being that spi comes off a gpio header there is no rj45 connector to > add to the pic card. > > > > I'm lost on the USB-c talk.....an rt interface is about transferring small > packets quickly. USB regardless of the generation isn't required, or even > really suitable. Mesa doesn't even use gigabit on its ethernet cards, its > 10/100. > > > > I've never heard of this PICnc before now but it seems like it could have > been a good idea but that micro was too small, and imo too slow. Step rates > were only mentioned at 40khz which is OK I suppose but mesa is doing them > at 10mhz on a spartan 5/6. Stepgens and encoders only wind up running at a > fraction of the speed of the controller and a 40mhz pic32 seems to get > 40khz, while a 500-600mhz fpga is getting them at 10mhz. > > > > I realize cost is a thing here but what is the price difference really > between the original pic32 used and a higher end micro? > > > > On Mon, Mar 2, 2020, 7:16 PM John Dammeyer <[email protected] > <javascript:>> wrote: > > A bit of digging through my boxes after a double check of the data sheet > shows I find that the PIC32 won't serve my needs. I thought it had a > quadrature encoder module but it doesn't. I have PIC32MX boards and a > bunch of dsPIC33F series boards. > > > > The problem is the PIC32MK which has motor control features and the > quadrature encoder doesn't do Ethernet. However one could add the ENC28J60 > to deal with Ethernet if it was wanted for connection to a MachineKit, > LinuxCNC or MACH3 PC. Or just use a Pi or Beagle running MachineKit or > LinuxCNC and SPI and forget about Ethernet connectivity. > > > > I have these modules. > > http://www.autoartisans.com/PIC32/AutoBoard_CAN_EEROM.jpg > > http://www.autoartisans.com/PIC32/PIC32_Sets.jpg > > > > And a bunch of others with dsPIC33F series modules. > > > > This will require some more research… > > John Dammeyer > > > > > > > > > > -- > website: http://www.machinekit.io blog: http://blog.machinekit.io github: > https://github.com/machinekit > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Machinekit" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected] <javascript:>. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/machinekit/018d01d5f0f0%24fcb07e20%24f6117a60%24%40autoartisans.com > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/machinekit/018d01d5f0f0%24fcb07e20%24f6117a60%24%40autoartisans.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > > -- > website: http://www.machinekit.io blog: http://blog.machinekit.io github: > https://github.com/machinekit > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Machinekit" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected] <javascript:>. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/machinekit/CA%2BQ02MMj9LA4vRvP1uasy32and3MioJD5%3Dma3T%3DaMfJ9hxF1jQ%40mail.gmail.com > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/machinekit/CA%2BQ02MMj9LA4vRvP1uasy32and3MioJD5%3Dma3T%3DaMfJ9hxF1jQ%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- website: http://www.machinekit.io blog: http://blog.machinekit.io github: https://github.com/machinekit --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Machinekit" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/machinekit/ebbcaad7-6dff-47d7-932c-742d4faf3e95%40googlegroups.com.
