Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] I/O for the future

Hi Chris,

As Dennis pointed out sometime earlier, USB for stepper control could be
quite useful. What I think you're saying is that a "core" USB
interface, with lots of pins, could be used for several designs, and
with it's 8051 processor core (in Cypress parts) could replace a
processor.

I've been looking at the Cypress CY7C68013, a high end part of the
ez-usb family for inclusion in our products at work. Hopefully I'll be
able to "time share" the $500 USD development kit! AN21xx family would
also useful.

Alan KM6VV

Chris Stratton wrote:

>
> > Your idea of the USB to ISA adapter box sounds interesting. However, who's
> > going to be making the ISA cards in a few years? I suspect that we'll do one
> > of two things: We'll either start developing controllers that interface
> > directly to the USB or Fire Wire or we'll go back to separate computers
> > designed for control applications. Given the economics, I'm betting on the
> > first alternative.
>
> The thing is, since ISA is so similar to the native interface of most
> of the interesting chips for motion control, a design for a USB-ISA
> converter is about the same as the design for a generic USB 'front
> end' building block that can be slapped onto any project which we
> would today design for ISA. Of course if the converter is to be used
> with a single chip you don't need any address decode in your circuit,
> and perhaps it could be configured to provide 4-8 unmultiplexed
> address lines for selecting on-chip registers so you save on that
> latch, too. (driver software hacks would let you use these as chip
> selects for multi-chip projects).
>
> But basically, I'm looking to do the work of handling the new
> interface once. And have to redo it only once for each upgrade to
> Firewire or whatever.
>
> Chris