From Norway
Posted by
Arne Chr. Jorgensen
on 1999-08-16 11:45:29 UTC
Hi,
First to Roland: Maybe I should look for a Swede to help me
pumping ? I am exhausted !
The flywheel idea is something I have to think about. ...hmmmm. But
thank you very much for all the good info you gave.
To Dan: No, - xfig don't seem to output DXF, but it outputs HPGL
among other things. I found Xfig to work well for making some simple
drawings, and it looks like you can create some good libraries, and
do a lot of nice work. I brought it up, because I had it on my
RedHad 5.2 CD, so I guess most of you have it. There could be some
newer releases of it. I have no knowledge of Varkon. What I would
like, was something similar to AutoCad working under Linux. I hate
to boot up dos/windows.
By the way, - I don't know how people install Linux. I have used
start with DOS, then used FDISK to make a DOS partition. For just
DOS, you get more than enough with a 100Mb. If I want to run
Windows, then I use a lot more. But I use 16bit Fat. That way, I
don't have trouble with DOS.
After that, I might install Windows, - but it will only "see" what I
have set up with FDISK. Then I install Linux, and it will include
the DOS partition option in Lilo. I have newer experienced any
problem - what so ever - in booting either Linux or Dos. I have
newer had any problem mounting the Dos partition under Linux
either. I can copy files back and forth between DOS and Linux.
Sometimes I download files from the net, and some may be for dos,
others for Linux. I don't care. If it get stored in a wrong system,
I just mount the DOS partition and copy it over.
PARALLEL PORT SPEED:
I heard you discuss this, and the computer will shuffle data out as
fast as it can. If it is a slow board, then there might be io wait
states included, but there are no limit at 5kHz - as some one said.
These figures may come from the EMC. The motor controller portion
of EMC, is running under the RTLinux system. What it does, is to
switch program execution between the normal Linux OS, and the Real
time kernel system. This system is made dynamic, so you can insert
modules to it. These modules ( small independent programs ) will run
separate from Linux. The system will switch between these two
system, and the time these modules are given, is set up in the EMC
software. If you want more throughput on the parallel port, you can
do so, but then you may slow down other portions of your system.
In Linux, every process ( independent program ) will be given a fair
change to execute. If you have many different programs that runs,
then it may slow down things like the XEMC display. These programs
can be remote login shells, mail server, samba server, PPP and all
kind of stuff you don't notice at all, because they do all their
work in the back ground. If you take away everything that is not
needed, I would not be surprised if a 386 cpu would work fine.
This is really a question we should ask NIST about. How to cut down
everything to the bare minimum.
POWER SUPPLY:
I have read that some of you have been working on these things. For
small voltages, there is an option I have not heard anyone say
anything about. Here I can buy a brand new power supply cheap. That
is to use a charger for a 12V or 24V car. Some of these can output
several hundred amps. There is very little you need to do in order
to use them. I bet I can buy a complete charger, for much less than
if I try to buy a single transformer.
In one system, I run 3 step motors + a DC motor. I took out the
transformer I am using from a charger. A 24V charger, will supply
more than 27 volt, - else you would not be able to charge a
battery. You may also find chargers for 48V telephone systems, fork
lifts, - where you may find something nice. ( A 48V charger will
give more than 56V )
In many cases, You could use the charger as it is. For real heavy
stuff, you may even use a transformer from some old welding
equipment. ( I have started diesels with my DC welder ! )
//ARNE
First to Roland: Maybe I should look for a Swede to help me
pumping ? I am exhausted !
The flywheel idea is something I have to think about. ...hmmmm. But
thank you very much for all the good info you gave.
To Dan: No, - xfig don't seem to output DXF, but it outputs HPGL
among other things. I found Xfig to work well for making some simple
drawings, and it looks like you can create some good libraries, and
do a lot of nice work. I brought it up, because I had it on my
RedHad 5.2 CD, so I guess most of you have it. There could be some
newer releases of it. I have no knowledge of Varkon. What I would
like, was something similar to AutoCad working under Linux. I hate
to boot up dos/windows.
By the way, - I don't know how people install Linux. I have used
start with DOS, then used FDISK to make a DOS partition. For just
DOS, you get more than enough with a 100Mb. If I want to run
Windows, then I use a lot more. But I use 16bit Fat. That way, I
don't have trouble with DOS.
After that, I might install Windows, - but it will only "see" what I
have set up with FDISK. Then I install Linux, and it will include
the DOS partition option in Lilo. I have newer experienced any
problem - what so ever - in booting either Linux or Dos. I have
newer had any problem mounting the Dos partition under Linux
either. I can copy files back and forth between DOS and Linux.
Sometimes I download files from the net, and some may be for dos,
others for Linux. I don't care. If it get stored in a wrong system,
I just mount the DOS partition and copy it over.
PARALLEL PORT SPEED:
I heard you discuss this, and the computer will shuffle data out as
fast as it can. If it is a slow board, then there might be io wait
states included, but there are no limit at 5kHz - as some one said.
These figures may come from the EMC. The motor controller portion
of EMC, is running under the RTLinux system. What it does, is to
switch program execution between the normal Linux OS, and the Real
time kernel system. This system is made dynamic, so you can insert
modules to it. These modules ( small independent programs ) will run
separate from Linux. The system will switch between these two
system, and the time these modules are given, is set up in the EMC
software. If you want more throughput on the parallel port, you can
do so, but then you may slow down other portions of your system.
In Linux, every process ( independent program ) will be given a fair
change to execute. If you have many different programs that runs,
then it may slow down things like the XEMC display. These programs
can be remote login shells, mail server, samba server, PPP and all
kind of stuff you don't notice at all, because they do all their
work in the back ground. If you take away everything that is not
needed, I would not be surprised if a 386 cpu would work fine.
This is really a question we should ask NIST about. How to cut down
everything to the bare minimum.
POWER SUPPLY:
I have read that some of you have been working on these things. For
small voltages, there is an option I have not heard anyone say
anything about. Here I can buy a brand new power supply cheap. That
is to use a charger for a 12V or 24V car. Some of these can output
several hundred amps. There is very little you need to do in order
to use them. I bet I can buy a complete charger, for much less than
if I try to buy a single transformer.
In one system, I run 3 step motors + a DC motor. I took out the
transformer I am using from a charger. A 24V charger, will supply
more than 27 volt, - else you would not be able to charge a
battery. You may also find chargers for 48V telephone systems, fork
lifts, - where you may find something nice. ( A 48V charger will
give more than 56V )
In many cases, You could use the charger as it is. For real heavy
stuff, you may even use a transformer from some old welding
equipment. ( I have started diesels with my DC welder ! )
//ARNE