dumb black box was Re: Re: interp and algorithms of multiple axes

Ian,

Ya gotta lay the tracks before the train can come to town!

What follows is just my opinion. We have a situation where many
people are dissatisfied, for one reason or another, with the current
offerings in CNC controllers.

We also have many people who feel that they COULD, if given
the 'needed stuff', write a controller which others would see as a
solution to at least some of the problems with the currently
available CNC control hardware/software.

The 'needed stuff' is what this thread is about. It has been decided
that some additional hardware needs to be designed and built to
accomplish the above objectives. The 'form' which that hardware takes
has taken two distinct paths.

One idea is to use a 'smart' black box which can understand very
basic motion/IO commands (minimal input required from the desktop
computer), and will then perform the requested functions, providing
some feedback along the way, and signalling when it is ready for more
input. Ron G has been a vocal and long time proponent of this
approach, which is currently used by many commercial companies. The
limiting factor so far has been either cost or the proprietary nature
of the commercially available systems.

The other idea is to add the bare minimum hardware necessary to the
desktop computer, in an effort to overcome its' design and
architecture limitations when pressed into service as a machine
controller. This we are calling a 'dumb' black box. Both Jon E and
Mariss have projects "in the works" along this line, and Jeff B and
Doug F/H? have recently added some food for thought.

Both Ideas will attain the goal of providing an "easier path" for
those who wish to write the software to create a CNC control.

At this point it is like a city whose council has two proposals to
consider: An airport and a rail station. Both will bring desired/
needed goods to the citizens. Both will require input from the city.
Both will take a lot of work until the results are available TO the
citizens...

Hope this helps.

Ballendo

>Thanks for the clarification but, if there is no software out there
>which would support this approach yet, what's the point of working
>just on the 'black box'? In my simplistic way, I would assume that
>the practicalities of modifying software should come first. I'm not
>trying to be a wet blanket but it just sounds a bit like making a
>pretty box for a wood fired microwave oven without the technology to
>make it work.
>Ian