Re: time for microprocessors!=>black boxes

Ron Ginger <ginger@s...>
Date: Wed Aug 30, 2000 6:45am
Subject: Re: Re: Lost Steps => time for microprocessors!

Ron,

Just such a box exists! Widely available, incredibly affordable,
maximally supported around the world, AND a proven performer in
motion control applications, to boot!

The IBM PC!

If we stop thinking of this collection of parts as a PC, maybe we can
see it as a DEDICATED motion controller. With street prices under 100
dollars, it will be hard to beat for versatility, expandability, and
availability. The EMC project has touched on this with their ability
to use a windows box to control the RTlinux box (on which the motion
control resides). Clean out everything on the linux box NOT necessary
for motion and It could really scream! Think distributed
architecture. (motherboard,memory,power,network card ;i.e. BLACK BOX)
Okay, beige box :-)


Drawbacks: Really only one, the size of the typical PC is larger than
we might otherwise want, but is this REALLY a problem, or just a
desire?

Ballendo

P.S. It's REAL now!

>Ah well, we dont disagree that a dedicated box of electronics should
>do
>the hard real time stuff. If its a microprocessor or a gate array,
>the effect is a special box of hardware.

>I assume your box needs to be told how many steps to move, and how
>fast to make them. How do you handle the acceleration, let the PC
>program it in a series of short moves until it reaches speed?

>If your box has a nice clean interfce so I can poke values to it by a
>simple driver, or even the BASIC equivalents of PEEK and POKE, then
>it should satisfy my needs just fine.

>I am very anxious to hear the specs of your box and know when it
>will be real.

>ron