Re: Black Box

So Jon,

What plans for production do you have for this board? Are you planning
to make it a commercial venture? Offer boards/kits to the group? What
time frame do you have in mind? I'm sure several in the group are
interested in this project! I know I am! Perhaps, if you're ready, you
could run down your plans/schedule for release.

Alan


Jon Elson wrote:

>
> Alan Marconett KM6VV wrote:
>
> > Hi to the list,
> >
> > Too bad FlashCut's "signal generator" is a "closed architecture", we
> > might think of doing something along those lines. I have no more then
> > a
> > guess what is in FlashCut's box, but I like it.
> >
> > Jon, would your "black box" be along these lines?
>
> I think it is probably better. I am guessing here, but I suspect the
> flashcut box is either a fixed pulse generator used to interrupt the
> processor at a fixed interval, or a programmable timer used to
> cause interrupts at the desired rate.
>
> What I am working on is a 4-channel programmable pulse generator
> that would actually send the step and direction pulses to the stepper
> driver. Each channel would be given a velocity value and a direction.
> It would also generate quadrature pulses that followed the step and
> direction signals, and could be used to drive old phase-drive type
> stepper drivers, as well as be counted by an encoder counter, for
> open-loop systems. For closed loop, the encoder counters would
> read actual encoders on the motors, or on the machine itself.
>
> I am running EMC with a 100 MHz Pentium, and updating the
> servo loop at a 1 KHz rate, with plenty of CPU power to spare.
> This type of device would look about the same to the CPU,
> encoder values are read in, servo calculations are done, and a new
> velocity command is written out.
>
> A 24-bit counter/comparator circuit running at 10 MHz (100 nS
> resolution) could output up to 5 Million steps / second (although the
> jump from 3.333 to 5 million is obviously too big a jump).
> But, reasonable step rates would be well in excess of 100,000/sec,
> which might be needed for people using high microstepping
> division ratios. And, the timing resolution there would still be
> 100 nS, giving extremely fine velocity control, no large jumps
> in velocity, and smooth acceleration and running at any sped
> desired.
>
> The low end is one step every 1.6 seconds. The code could either
> stop the counter if no steps are needed, or just let it bump every
> 1.6 seconds, first one way, then the other. This would cause
> some VERY slow and small hunting, and might not be objectionable.
> If it is, the code could shut off the pulses when the commanded
> velocity is below some threshold, like .001" / sec.
>
> Jon