[Emc-users] Jim Combs/Lex/Lexmark is out of the office.
I will be out of the office starting 05/16/2008 and will not return until 05/26/2008. I will respond to your message when I return (Monday). - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Audio hardware as EMC output?
Jim, Most audio amplifiers have a large capacitor on the output to block DC current. DC is not good for speakers. Class D power amps use PWM based drivers that might work for driving motors. I am not sure but I don't think they have the caps on the output. You would have to look at the specs for audio amp to try and identify what class amp is being used on the output stage. I think you might be better off building your own VFD driver. Especially if the PWM is being done though HAL. Why not try using the stepper driver H bridge and drive it directly from HAL running in PWM mode. As long as it's heat sinked, you should just fine. The L298 just might work well for this. Jim Combs Jim Coleman [EMAIL PROTECTED] mail.com To Sent by: Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) emc-users-bounces emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net @lists.sourceforg cc e.net Subject [Emc-users] Audio hardware as EMC 03/31/2008 06:36 output? PM Please respond to Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) [EMAIL PROTECTED] sourceforge.net I've been playing with using an audio amplifier with a tone generator to make a low power VFD, and have been wondering what it would take to build a HAL module to produce simple audio waveforms.? After I got to thinking, it seems that audio hardware could probably do a higher frequency PWM than the parport can, too.? I'm just not sure how fast of a response could be had, although playing music and the like is constant changes in the output... even if it was a little slow, it seems like it could work for something like spindle in pwm or if it was just driving tones to an amplifier to run the motors directly... So does anyone have any thoughts on this?? I'd love to hear 'em. Jim Coleman - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Differental Input to PWM
You have to reference the signal with it's counterpart. The signal should have two pins, a plus and minus. A comparator would work to convert the signal to a single ended (referenced to ground) signal. or use a RS-422 transeiver chip (ST490AB). Jim C Eric H. Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] ics.com To Sent by: 'Enhanced Machine Controller emc-users-bounces (EMC)' @lists.sourceforg emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net e.net cc Subject 03/31/2008 03:04 [Emc-users] Differental Input to AMPWM Please respond to Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) [EMAIL PROTECTED] sourceforge.net Hi all, Note: Reposted with smaller attachment. I am trying to read an RS422 differential input and convert it to an analog based on the duty cycle, using a Mesa m5i20 Anything I/O board. Provided this post is under the maximum size allowed, the schematic is attached. I really only have access to the section labeled CABLE TO RF AMP INTERFACE CONNECTOR, so I can't at this point directly access the Pulse Generator. I wrote a simple component to convert PWM duty cycle to an analog (pwmtoa) which can be represented as follows: Bias Gain | | |__|___ | | Enable | | | | Out In | | |_| Where Enable and In are bits, and Bias, Gain and Out are floats. Under the current implementation, it just maintains a running average of the last 100 samples and outputs the average on time (0.0 to 1.0). When using a signal generator this component seems to be working quite well, at least for my purposes (error +/- 1% and latency of a couple msecs, which is more than adequate for my purposes). I set the base period and servo period out of phase with the signal (2kz) to make sure it does not keep sampling at the same point in the wave form. What I don't understand is how to covert this differential signal to single ended. I can see the differential signal on a scope (real one, not halscope), but when I try to reference the signal, or the not signal to ground I get nothing, either on the scope or as an input to the m5i20. Can anyone enlighten me on how to read this type of signal. Thanks, Eric (See attached file: RS422.jpg) - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users attachment: RS422.jpg- Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Differential Input to PWM
Yep. You got it Jim C Kirk Wallace [EMAIL PROTECTED] company.com To Sent by: Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) emc-users-bounces emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net @lists.sourceforg cc e.net Subject Re: [Emc-users] Differental Input 03/31/2008 01:07 to PWM PM Please respond to Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) [EMAIL PROTECTED] sourceforge.net On Mon, 2008-03-31 at 08:09 -0400, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: You have to reference the signal with it's counterpart. The signal should have two pins, a plus and minus. A comparator would work to convert the signal to a single ended (referenced to ground) signal. or use a RS-422 transeiver chip (ST490AB). Jim C Something like this? http://www.wallacecompany.com/machine_shop/RS422-1a.jpg -- Kirk Wallace (California, USA http://www.wallacecompany.com/machine_shop/ Hardinge HNC lathe, Bridgeport mill conversion, doing XY now, Zubal lathe conversion pending Craftsman AA 109 restoration) - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] EMC2 newbie woes
Based on the latency results (187525) you are not going to be able to run EMC on that machine. I had the same problem. The problem is most likely caused by running an integrated video interface which is sharing system RAM. You need to install a video card. Literally any video card should work. Then re-run the latency test and you should see a huge reduction in the numbers. Then EMC will work. That is where your problem is. The documentation for EMC states what latency numbers will work. I had the same problem, installed an old video card in my machine, the latency numbers dropped to very low numbers and things run fine. Give that a try. Jim Combs [EMAIL PROTECTED] m Sent by: To emc-users-bounces emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net @lists.sourceforg cc e.net Subject [Emc-users] EMC2 newbie woes 03/18/2008 08:14 AM Please respond to Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) [EMAIL PROTECTED] sourceforge.net I picked up a Sherline mini mill in late '06, and their mini lathe in early '07, and then essentially never used them. I worked too much, and couldn't run them in my apartment building by the time I'd get home. Now I'm in a house, and have been trying to get it all set up again, but I have to say that unfortunately I've had nothing but troubles for about a month now trying to get EMC2 and my mill set up properly. I need to say that I do appreciate the efforts of the group, and am committed to getting this to work, and I love free/open software, but alas, I'm still trying to get even the simple things working correctly after many weeks. The #1 issue right now, as I'm afraid it could be responsible for the inaccuracies I'm seeing in what I'm trying to make, is the error message I get almost every time I fire up the program: RTAPI: unexpected realtime delay on task 1 There are 5 pages available through Google on the matter, and they don't answer the question, beyond hinting I should change my base period. I read whatever I could find awhile back about setting up the latency, but couldn't really make heads nor tails of it. The information in a few docs I found online didn't match up with anything I was seeing on the screen, and I don't have intimate knowledge of these things, so was unable to guess at anything. Tonight, I ran the latency-test again, and having again been handed many numbers that don't mean anything to me (and aren't explained anywhere I've been able to find), I decided to just use the Base Thread (25.0 µs) Max Jitter (NS) in my inch.ini file for BASE_PERIOD - a total guess, but it seemed right. The error stopped occurring, for a few more launches, but then returned. I understand absolutely nothing about any of this, so I have no next step. The default BASE_PERIOD in the file was IIRC 5. I've tried down to 1 (makes it super slow to load up), and up to the very high number I got from my latency tests - 187525 - and even 20. The error always comes back. Am I going to have to build the software from source (for some reason, as indicated in some of my Google finds?). I'll save my other curiosities for future emails, as I don't want this important bit to get lost in a flood of other questions :) Thanks very much! -Gary - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all
Re: [Emc-users] Stepper speed
Kirk, Yes, I have used the dampers and they work well. My motors at home don't have the dual shafts. I made due with some old motors. Things are working well for me right now without them. I could run faster if I had them on the motors. Here are work, I have seen the results and it's not pretty. Steppers do have a lot of oscillations during stepping. There is always a resonant speed where torque falls way off. With the electronic gearing of EMC, there is no way to avoid this condition. One just has to make sure there is still enough torque to continue the motion without breaking the phase. Jim C Kirk Wallace [EMAIL PROTECTED] company.com To Sent by: Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) emc-users-bounces emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net @lists.sourceforg cc e.net Subject Re: [Emc-users] Stepper speed 03/07/2008 03:13 PM Please respond to Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) [EMAIL PROTECTED] sourceforge.net On Fri, 2008-03-07 at 14:19 -0500, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Ian, I am using the basic output from HAL via a 1284 parallel printer port, (mode 2). The stepper motor drivers are just doing the chopping to limit current. I didn't change HAL in any way. The one thing you might try is to limit the acceleration. I was surprised when I raised the motor voltage and started missing steps. That was not at all what I expected. I am driving a 2.5mm pitch lead screw with 1.8 degree steppers (NEMA 14) Jim Combs Lexington, Ky Others on this list have used mass and/or fluid dampers to deal with stepper resonance problems. I wonder if a high resolution encoder and Halscope could be used to study inter-step movement at speed? Maybe running on another EMC PC? -- Kirk Wallace (California, USA http://www.wallacecompany.com/machine_shop/ Hardinge HNC lathe, Bridgeport mill conversion, doing XY now, Zubal lathe conversion pending) - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Stepper speed
Please, I did not in any way mean to be unfair to EMC. I did not mean it in that way at all. EMC is a fantastic program. What I mean is that by doing the electronic gearing there is no way to avoid a condition where a stepper motor is operating at a step rate where resonance is present. It will happen and there is not anything EMC can do to prevent it. Its just a condition of steppers that cannot be avoided. It's hard to read E-mail and not have the writing be taken in the wrong way. Don't take my comments to be bashing EMC in any way. It has been everything I have been looking for in CNC control. I have no issues with EMC at all. It's a fantastic package and there has been a ton of work put into it. Jim C Gene Heskett [EMAIL PROTECTED] izon.net To Sent by: Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) emc-users-bounces emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net @lists.sourceforg cc e.net Subject Re: [Emc-users] Stepper speed 03/10/2008 09:38 AM Please respond to Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) [EMAIL PROTECTED] sourceforge.net On Monday 10 March 2008, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Kirk, Yes, I have used the dampers and they work well. My motors at home don't have the dual shafts. I made due with some old motors. Things are working well for me right now without them. I could run faster if I had them on the motors. Here are work, I have seen the results and it's not pretty. Steppers do have a lot of oscillations during stepping. There is always a resonant speed where torque falls way off. With the electronic gearing of EMC, there is no way to avoid this condition. This statement is grossly unfair to emc. This problem will exist for stepper motors regardless of the driver software chosen. One just has to make sure there is still enough torque to continue the motion without breaking the phase. Jim C Kirk Wallace [EMAIL PROTECTED] company.com To Sent by: Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) emc-users-bounces emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net @lists.sourceforg cc e.net Subject Re: [Emc-users] Stepper speed 03/07/2008 03:13 PM Please respond to Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) [EMAIL PROTECTED] sourceforge.net On Fri, 2008-03-07 at 14:19 -0500, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Ian, I am using the basic output from HAL via a 1284 parallel printer port, (mode 2). The stepper motor drivers are just doing the chopping to limit current. I didn't change HAL in any way. The one thing you might try is to limit the acceleration. I was surprised when I raised the motor voltage and started missing steps. That was not at all what I expected. I am driving a 2.5mm pitch lead screw with 1.8 degree steppers (NEMA 14) Jim Combs Lexington, Ky Others on this list have used mass and/or fluid dampers to deal with stepper resonance problems. I wonder if a high resolution encoder and Halscope could be used to study inter-step movement at speed? Maybe running on another EMC PC? -- Cheers, Gene There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order. -Ed Howdershelt (Author) I'd put my money where my mouth is, but my mouth keeps moving. -- Larry Wall in [EMAIL PROTECTED] - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy
Re: [Emc-users] Stepper speed
Gene, I may have to investigate adding dampers like you have done. I didn't consider adding it between the motor and the machine. I had always seen dampers on the back side of the steppers. Jim C - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Stepper speed
Ian, I am using the basic output from HAL via a 1284 parallel printer port, (mode 2). The stepper motor drivers are just doing the chopping to limit current. I didn't change HAL in any way. The one thing you might try is to limit the acceleration. I was surprised when I raised the motor voltage and started missing steps. That was not at all what I expected. I am driving a 2.5mm pitch lead screw with 1.8 degree steppers (NEMA 14) Jim Combs Lexington, Ky Ian W. Wright [EMAIL PROTECTED] ex.comTo Sent by: emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net emc-users-bounces cc @lists.sourceforg e.net Subject Re: [Emc-users] Stepper speed 03/07/2008 12:23 PM Please respond to Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) [EMAIL PROTECTED] sourceforge.net Thanks Jim, I then switched to a simple chopping driver with no micro-steps, and let HAL do the work. HAL was capable of driving steps well up into the 50 microsecond range. Do you mean here that you used the basic output from EMC2 or that you programmed in an extra layer? I didn't find much difference in maximum speed between the microstepping and full stepping - perhaps the stepper motor's own inertia is also limiting the speed... -- Best wishes, Ian Ian W. Wright Sheffield UK The difference between theory and practice is much smaller in theory than in practice... - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Stepper speed
Ian, You Wrote: I am using a motor of indeterminate voltage (no plate on it) but which I think is probably about 4.5 - 5 volt and I am driving it with 12 volts. At this I can get a fair speed out of it but, having read another post on this list which recommended using the highest voltage possible with an Allegro driver, which is what I have, I tried upping the voltage to 24 volts. The motor slowed down and won't go at more than 2/3 the speed at the lower voltage. Anyone know why this is? From all I have read in the past, I thought more voltage was better.. Driving steppers with more voltage does not necessarily equal better performance. If you are driving a light load, the Cogging of the steppers can introduce oscillation during the step and cause missed steps. There is a Sweet Spot based on load, inertia, acceleration and operating voltage. In my case 12 volts works way better than 18 or even 24 volts. I used a bench power supply on my setup and varied the motor drive voltage while running. You could literally hear the difference in the moves. Each machine will behave differently. There is no one set of settings that will provide the best performance. Even using a micro-stepping motor driver may not be the best solution. I found that a micro-steppping motor driver was taking 980 microseconds to a actually move from one step to the next. I then switched to a simple chopping driver with no micro-steps, and let HAL do the work. HAL was capable of driving steps well up into the 50 microsecond range. With proper acceleration settings, I get plenty of speed and no missed steps. Jim - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Stepper motor and driver selection
I have a mechanical setup very similar to what you have described. I am not using any micro-step of the motors and have so far seen excellent results. My workspace is about 20 inches by 20 inches. Here is a typical stepper motor spec for what you can use: http://www.anaheimautomation.com/manuals/L010175%20-%2014Y%20Series%20Spec%20Sheet.pdf I am using a motor similar to the 14Y203S-LW4 (1.8 deg per step / NEMA 14 mount). Each motor driver is nearly identical to this: http://home.att.net/~wzmicro/l298.html There are others, but this works well and is readily available. I am driving the motor with 12 volts. I see about 2 amps for all three motors when stopped. A 1284 / parallel port works great for driving the motors. Don't worry about the operating voltage of the motor itself. The motor driver will chop the drive voltage to maintain whatever motor current you select. You need to have a larger operating voltage because the motor will generate a significant back EMF while operating. The higher drive voltage will allow the motor to run at rated torque before dropping off. EMC will handle the ramping and acceleration for the motor / load. I typically use 50 inches / minute motion speed while cutting wood. Jim Combs (Lexington, Ky) - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Feedrate
Ian, What is the feed rate units for the spindle? RPM or Rev Per Sec? My initial look suggests the scale factor (13.333) needs to be much higher. Jim C Ian W. Wright [EMAIL PROTECTED] ex.comTo Sent by: emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net emc-users-bounces cc @lists.sourceforg e.net Subject [Emc-users] Feedrate 02/29/2008 04:59 AM Please respond to Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) [EMAIL PROTECTED] sourceforge.net Hi, I am setting up a fifth stepper axis (B) to drive a lathe head on my little miller and have run into a minor problem. The new ini file is at http://tinyurl.com/yoahtm The axis is working OK and I am getting a reasonable turn of speed out of it for what I want to do but the feedrate I need to enter is ridiculous... I am driving a 200 step motor through an 1/8 microstep driver (Allegro) and the spindle is driven by a 3:1 reduction toothed belt drive. The ini file as it stands allows me to acurately position the spindle by degrees for such things as gear cutting and also turn it at a few hundred rpm for plain turning. However, at its top speed, AXIS reports its speed as 66000 and, to get it to move at that speed, that is the figure I have to enter as feedrate in a G1 move - cumbersome to say the least... So, is there any way I can introduce a divisor into this feedrate figure to get it down to a more sensible figure - it is unlikely I will ever want to turn the spindle at very slow speeds so a divisor of 100 or even 1000 would be great. -- Best wishes, Ian Ian W. Wright Sheffield UK The difference between theory and practice is much smaller in theory than in practice... - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Fw: Request for Fonts
Ah. How right you are! Thanks, Jim C ben lipkowitz [EMAIL PROTECTED] r.org To Sent by: Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) emc-users-bounces emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net @lists.sourceforg cc e.net Subject Re: [Emc-users] Fw: Request for 02/15/2008 02:03 Fonts PM Please respond to Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) [EMAIL PROTECTED] sourceforge.net Actually, if you flip the arcs over so they go the right way it turns out pretty good. Only the characters '[EMAIL PROTECTED]' have any problems, at least on the two fonts I examined so far (scripts.cxf and normal.cxf) http://fennetic.net/pub/irc/cxf2g-scripts.png AXIS is the fancy 3d GUI that comes with emc2. It has a toolpath preview and you can execute/load/preview scripts that print g-code just by pressing the reload button. Handy for developing stuff like this. If you know C and regular expressions you'll find my script familiar enough - if you have any questions about it I'd be happy to answer them. Congratulations on getting your machine running. On Fri, 15 Feb 2008, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: There have been several things I have noticed in the CXF files. - All arcs in the fonts are done with counter clockwise moves (G3). - Some of the radius are large (parenthesis has a 13 unit radius). - There does not seem to be much thought into optimizing the commands from a motion standpoint. For instance, the number '0' is ten different arcs and they are not in any particular order. My code does not attempt to optimize anything, I just convert each of the commands to G-code and leave it be. The result is a lot of unnecessary Z axis moves that could be removed. That's something I will deal with later on. I am pleased with the results. The fact that I loaded EMC on a cheap PC and can run stepper motors via the parallel port is amazing. My formal education included automatic control systems (30+ years ago) and I understand enough about what is being done to be very impressed. During my initial setup, I discovered my motor drives were taking almost a millisecond to make a single motor step yet EMC was sending step commands out much faster (10 micro-seconds). That caused me to change to simple motor drivers and let EMC handle the actual motor phasing. That did the trick for me. It all works and now I have a really cool machine that does what I need. I understand the limitations of steppers vs servo systems and went with steppers just so I didn't have to deal with encoders. It's a little slower but much more simple. I like to keep it simple. It's magic to watch the machine run. I am not familiar with python. I have no idea what AXIS is either. So for now, I have to stick with C. I need to take a look at python just to learn about it. I am new to this group and appreciate all the support. Thanks to everyone! Jim Combs - Lexington Ky ben lipkowitz [EMAIL PROTECTED] r.org To Sent by: Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) emc-users-bounces emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net @lists.sourceforg cc e.net Subject Re: [Emc-users] Fw: Request for 02/14/2008 09:12 Fonts PM Please respond to Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) [EMAIL PROTECTED] sourceforge.net Inspired by Jim's example I decided to make a python script that converts cxf to g-code
[Emc-users] Fw: Request for Fonts
I converted normal.cxf to normal.ngc I chose to make the arcs using a series of line segments (G1) using 5 degree units vs using the G3 command. Here is a link to the file. http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/uploads/normal.ngc I will convert the rest of the fonts tonight. Jim Combs - Lexington, Ky - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Request for Fonts
Thanks for the pointers. Jim Combs Jon Elson [EMAIL PROTECTED] ms.comTo Sent by: Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) emc-users-bounces emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net @lists.sourceforg cc e.net Subject Re: [Emc-users] Request for Fonts 02/11/2008 01:10 PM Please respond to Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) [EMAIL PROTECTED] sourceforge.net [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I have built up a router table with XYZ motion stages. My intent is to produce wood and Corian type signs. I have EMC driving steppers via a 1284 parallel port. It's working out very well. Now I am looking for fonts in the form of G code. Does anyone know of any? I have code to resize and move the G code to fit the work piece but I have yet to find anything that would allow me to rip a True Type font into G-Code or just a source of G code fonts. I am trying to avoid purchasing an expensive CAD package just to have the ability to generate signs. Maybe there is a CAD for Ubuntu? I have used Bobcad for this. Even an old version will work fine. It can take any True-Type font on your system and use that. I hacked up their internal vector font to clean up a couple rough characters, but if you want filled-in fonts, the True-Type ones work nice, they just take longer. Jon - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Request for Fonts
I can't seem to get to that link. (At least from Lexmark) I will try it from home. Thanks, Jim C Alex Joni [EMAIL PROTECTED] .ro To Sent by: Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) emc-users-bounces emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net @lists.sourceforg cc e.net Subject Re: [Emc-users] Request for Fonts 02/11/2008 08:00 AM Please respond to Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) [EMAIL PROTECTED] sourceforge.net Maybe this is what you're after: http://timeguy.com/cradek/truetype Regards, Alex - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 2:46 PM Subject: [Emc-users] Request for Fonts I have built up a router table with XYZ motion stages. My intent is to produce wood and Corian type signs. I have EMC driving steppers via a 1284 parallel port. It's working out very well. Now I am looking for fonts in the form of G code. Does anyone know of any? I have code to resize and move the G code to fit the work piece but I have yet to find anything that would allow me to rip a True Type font into G-Code or just a source of G code fonts. I am trying to avoid purchasing an expensive CAD package just to have the ability to generate signs. Maybe there is a CAD for Ubuntu? I am new to Linux but so far am very pleased at the quality and robustness of the whole OS and EMC support. Thanks, Jim Combs Lexington, KY - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
[Emc-users] Request for Fonts
I have built up a router table with XYZ motion stages. My intent is to produce wood and Corian type signs. I have EMC driving steppers via a 1284 parallel port. It's working out very well. Now I am looking for fonts in the form of G code. Does anyone know of any? I have code to resize and move the G code to fit the work piece but I have yet to find anything that would allow me to rip a True Type font into G-Code or just a source of G code fonts. I am trying to avoid purchasing an expensive CAD package just to have the ability to generate signs. Maybe there is a CAD for Ubuntu? I am new to Linux but so far am very pleased at the quality and robustness of the whole OS and EMC support. Thanks, Jim Combs Lexington, KY - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] DRO input?
Yep! Wilson machine bought a 50' x 4' CMM at a Boeing auction. Got it cheap and spent a million moving it and getting it set up again. And that was only a few miles. Holy COW! a 50 FOOT CMM? There must only be 2 or 3 in the entire US that big. (I can understand why Boeing would need such a machine.) 50 foot at .0001 / Inch resolution would almost be at the limit for a 32 bit unsigned integer! I could see some really strange software bugs begin to show up. (Signed vs unsigned integers). Would a double precision float handle that? Yikes! 0xD693A400 - or something like that. Jim Combs - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Need some help - Stepper Mode 2 - HAL - WORKING!
John, Kirk, Thanks so much for the help. It was the ctrl_type = v,v,v that was the biggest problem. I am off and running now with phased motor drivers. Tonight, I can finish the wiring and then off we go. If anyone is interested in the .HAL and the .INI files, let me know. I didn't want to clutter up the list. As a note to the folks that are coding the stepconf utility. It would nice to have the option of setting phased mode vs step/dir for the step interface. When I get some time, I might take a crack at adding that myself. Thanks, Again. Jim C - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
[Emc-users] Need some help - Stepper Mode 2 - HAL
I am new to this, and need some help. I am trying to setup a three axis mill using stepper motors and a parallel port to output the motor phases. I have used the step wizard and that works but it defaults to mode 0 (step- direction). When I change to mode 2 (Phase A/B), I get HAL errors. I have tried looking through the documentation, but seem to be missing something. Does anyone have a working example of what the HAL file should look like for mode 2 steppers? Any help would be much appreciated. I am converting a wood router tool from a HP 7475 emulation to CNC. So far the EMC2 stuff is really sweet. I am almost there, but this has me stumped. Thanks, Jim C - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Need some help - Stepper Mode 2 - HAL
Yep, I do get the real time errors. I have fixed most of the obvious ones. I have my setup at home and for some strange reason my E-Mails from home get bounced back immediately from the list server although I am getting output from the server (different problem). I will grab one of the error logs and post it (at least the bottom portion). Thanks, Jim C Kirk Wallace [EMAIL PROTECTED] company.com To Sent by: Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) emc-users-bounces emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net @lists.sourceforg cc e.net Subject Re: [Emc-users] Need some help - 01/23/2008 12:45 Stepper Mode 2 - HAL PM Please respond to Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) [EMAIL PROTECTED] sourceforge.net On Wed, 2008-01-23 at 12:19 -0500, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I am new to this, and need some help. I am trying to setup a three axis mill using stepper motors and a parallel port to output the motor phases. I have used the step wizard and that works but it defaults to mode 0 (step- direction). When I change to mode 2 (Phase A/B), I get HAL errors. I have tried looking through the documentation, but seem to be missing something. Does anyone have a working example of what the HAL file should look like for mode 2 steppers? Any help would be much appreciated. I am converting a wood router tool from a HP 7475 emulation to CNC. So far the EMC2 stuff is really sweet. I am almost there, but this has me stumped. Thanks, Jim C I assume when you start EMC, the banner pops up for a while, then disappears. Then an error window pops up. Are there any error messages about twenty or thirty lines down, and at the bottom of the messages? Or any place else. If you can indicate what those error messages are, I can try to help, but I don't have any stepper setups myself. -- Kirk Wallace (California, USA http://www.wallacecompany.com/machine_shop/ Hardinge HNC lathe, Bridgeport mill conversion, doing XY now, Zubal lathe conversion pending) - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] Need some help - Stepper Mode 2 - HAL
Hope posting this does not offend anyone, but here is the .hal file edited. I commented out the old mode 0 lines and added in the mode 2 lines based on my interpretation of the section 7 HAL documentation. Is there some other file that I need to change or are all my troubles in these changes? I have marked in bold type the changes Thanks, Jim C --- .HAL -- # Generated by stepconf at Sun Jan 20 16:30:40 2008 # If you make changes to this file, they will be # overwritten when you run stepconf again loadrt trivkins loadrt [EMCMOT]EMCMOT base_period_nsec=[EMCMOT]BASE_PERIOD servo_period_nsec=[EMCMOT]SERVO_PERIOD traj_period_nsec=[EMCMOT]SERVO_PERIOD key=[EMCMOT]SHMEM_KEY num_joints=[TRAJ]AXES loadrt probe_parport loadrt hal_parport cfg=0x378 setp parport.0.reset-time 5000 # loadrt stepgen step_type=0,0,0 loadrt stepgen step_type=2,2,2 ctrl_type=v,v,v loadrt pwmgen output_type=0 addf parport.0.read base-thread addf stepgen.make-pulses base-thread addf pwmgen.make-pulses base-thread addf parport.0.write base-thread addf parport.0.reset base-thread addf stepgen.capture-position servo-thread addf motion-command-handler servo-thread addf motion-controller servo-thread addf stepgen.update-freq servo-thread addf pwmgen.update servo-thread net spindle-cmd = motion.spindle-speed-out = pwmgen.0.value net spindle-enable = motion.spindle-on = pwmgen.0.enable net spindle-pwm = pwmgen.0.pwm setp pwmgen.0.pwm-freq 0.0 setp pwmgen.0.scale 1166.6667 setp pwmgen.0.offset -133.3 net spindle-cw = motion.spindle-forward net probe-in = motion.probe-input net estop-out = parport.0.pin-01-out # net xstep = parport.0.pin-02-out net xphase-A = parport.0.pin-02-out setp parport.0.pin-02-out-reset 1 # net xdir = parport.0.pin-03-out net xphase-B = parport.0.pin-03-out # net ystep = parport.0.pin-04-out net yphase-A = parport.0.pin-04-out setp parport.0.pin-04-out-reset 1 # net ydir = parport.0.pin-05-out net yphase-B = parport.0.pin-05-out # net zstep = parport.0.pin-06-out net zphase-A = parport.0.pin-06-out setp parport.0.pin-06-out-reset 1 # net zdir = parport.0.pin-07-out net zphase-B = parport.0.pin-07-out # net astep = parport.0.pin-08-out net aphase-A = parport.0.pin-08-out setp parport.0.pin-08-out-reset 1 # net adir = parport.0.pin-09-out net aphase-B = parport.0.pin-09-out net spindle-cw = parport.0.pin-14-out net spindle-pwm = parport.0.pin-16-out net both-home-x = parport.0.pin-10-in net both-home-y = parport.0.pin-11-in net both-home-z = parport.0.pin-12-in net both-home-a = parport.0.pin-13-in net probe-in = parport.0.pin-15-in setp stepgen.0.position-scale [AXIS_0]SCALE setp stepgen.0.steplen 5 # setp stepgen.0.stepspace 1 # setp stepgen.0.dirhold 7 # setp stepgen.0.dirsetup 7 setp stepgen.0.maxaccel [AXIS_0]STEPGEN_MAXACCEL net xpos-cmd axis.0.motor-pos-cmd = stepgen.0.position-cmd net xpos-fb stepgen.0.position-fb = axis.0.motor-pos-fb # net xstep = stepgen.0.step net xphase-A = stepgen.0.phase-A # net xdir = stepgen.0.dir net xphase-B = stepgen.0.phase-B net xenable axis.0.amp-enable-out = stepgen.0.enable net both-home-x = axis.0.home-sw-in net both-home-x = axis.0.neg-lim-sw-in net both-home-x = axis.0.pos-lim-sw-in setp stepgen.1.position-scale [AXIS_1]SCALE setp stepgen.1.steplen 5 # setp stepgen.1.stepspace 1 # setp stepgen.1.dirhold 7 # setp stepgen.1.dirsetup 7 setp stepgen.1.maxaccel [AXIS_1]STEPGEN_MAXACCEL net ypos-cmd axis.1.motor-pos-cmd = stepgen.1.position-cmd net ypos-fb stepgen.1.position-fb = axis.1.motor-pos-fb # net ystep = stepgen.1.step net yphase-A = stepgen.1.phase-A # net ydir = stepgen.1.dir net yphase-B = stepgen.1.phase-B net yenable axis.1.amp-enable-out = stepgen.1.enable net both-home-y = axis.1.home-sw-in net both-home-y = axis.1.neg-lim-sw-in net both-home-y = axis.1.pos-lim-sw-in setp stepgen.2.position-scale [AXIS_2]SCALE setp stepgen.2.steplen 5 # setp stepgen.2.stepspace 1 # setp stepgen.2.dirhold 7 # setp stepgen.2.dirsetup 7 setp stepgen.2.maxaccel [AXIS_2]STEPGEN_MAXACCEL net zpos-cmd axis.2.motor-pos-cmd = stepgen.2.position-cmd net zpos-fb stepgen.2.position-fb = axis.2.motor-pos-fb # net zstep = stepgen.2.step net zphase-A = stepgen.2.phase-A # net zdir = stepgen.2.dir net zphase-B = stepgen.2.phase-B net zenable axis.2.amp-enable-out = stepgen.2.enable net both-home-z = axis.2.home-sw-in net both-home-z = axis.2.neg-lim-sw-in net both-home-z = axis.2.pos-lim-sw-in net estop-out = iocontrol.0.user-enable-out net estop-out = iocontrol.0.emc-enable-in loadusr -W hal_manualtoolchange net tool-change iocontrol.0.tool-change = hal_manualtoolchange.change net tool-changed iocontrol.0.tool-changed = hal_manualtoolchange.changed net tool-number iocontrol.0.tool-prep-number = hal_manualtoolchange.number net tool-prepare-loopback iocontrol.0.tool-prepare = iocontrol.0.tool-prepared - This SF.net
