RE: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Deskam DeskNCW

I am also testing out DeskWinNC in my setup of Bridgett.

First, I know of no group or list for this software.

I really have not done extensive testing, but here is my thoughts so far.
- Jog functionality needs improvement.
You can use key strokes, but it is all alt + key type of stuff (may be ctrl,
done remember). This is not only inconvenient, but not very intuitive as the
buttons don't form a pattern. Right and Left arrow keys along with the PgUp
and PgDn buttons would be much more intuitive and immensely more convenient.
Even the labeling of the jog buttons on the screen is confusing. They are
left, right, forward, back, up, down. I would vote for X+, X-, Y+, Y- and so
on. Forward means Y- so the table moves away from you. Also you can only jog
in the discreet steps you have set up. Meaning that you can not just hold
down a button and have it move until it gets to where you want. If you want
to move the table for positioning 8.7 inches or so you would change the jog
to 5" than click the move, then pick 2" and move, then pick 1" and move,
then pick .5" and move, you get the idea. Of course you could just pick .5"
say and keep clicking the move. Also if you touch any key during a move the
move is aborted.
- MDI is not very usable.
MDI (where you type in a g code line directly) is frustrating. Type in one
line and hit enter and the move is fine. Want to type in another move while
the first one is occurring, no dice. As soon as you hit a key the move is
aborted. Also the complete text of the last move is left in the display
window. This means that you have to either pick up the mouse and select it
to delete it or use arrow keys, delete, backspace, whatever to be able to
put in your next move and only after the first move is completed. MDI also
does not remember mode. IF you do a G1 X1 Y1 Z1 F10 and now want to just
move to X2 you have to put in the G1 again. Additionally, MDI loses track of
it's self. If you do a move to G1 X1 Y1 Z1 F10 and then hit the zero all
button the display says you are at X0 Y0 Z0, but if you retry the move to X1
Y1 Z1 it does not go anywhere.
- Display
The display of the cutting progress gets cleared if you bring up another
application. Say you have your part cutting and you want to work in Vector
while you are supervising the machine running (why else would you want to
run in a multi tasking OS). Well, if you flip back to the DeskWinNC window
all the previous cut lines are erased and it starts the display from when
the focus was returned to the window.
- Acceleration
This is a single global setting. This means that if you have axis's that
have different characteristics (the knee on a mill) you have to set the
acceleration for the worst case and hope it works OK on your fast axis.
- Misc.
- I have locked the program up a number of times and lost communication to
the "black box". Haven't gotten it down to a repeatable pattern, but it
seems to involve aborted moves.
- Parallel port layout does not match any other software I know of. This
means that I had to use one of Doug Fortune's pBREAK boards as a breakout
board to convert the output to match EMC so I can switch between software
and not have to rewire my hardware. Not a problem if it is the only system
you will run, but it does require a breakout board like Doug's where you can
access all the pins and the one Camtronics puts out will not work unless you
use Doug's board as a converter first.

On the positive side, the pulse output seems rock solid and it does run on
all of the MS 32 bit systems including NT and 2000.

I will keep testing it as new revisions of the software come out, but as
soon as I get the Z axis of Bridgett on a G320 I will be switching to EMC as
the controller of choice. I think that DeskWinNC can mature too a great
package, but it is a little raw after using EMC right now. For someone that
is intimidated by computers, hates working from a command prompt, and is
putting it on a Sherline, Taig type machine it would be worth considering. I
have not tried Art's Master Control program to say which is a better Win9X
controller, but DeskWinNC does have the advantage of working on NT and the
new NT derivative OS's.

I am going to copy this to Carl as I have not given him any feedback since I
requested individual axis max speeds which he has added.

Tim
[Denver CO]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: cadcamcenter@... [mailto:cadcamcenter@...]
> Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2001 7:12 AM
> To: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Deskam DeskNCW
>
>
> Hi,
>
> Hoping to hear from those using Deskam and DeskNCW. Someone said he
> will be posting his experience with DeskNCW. Wondering if that had
> already been posted?
>
> Is there a discussion group for the desk.... group of software?
>
> Will be very delighted to hear from the Desk... users.
>
> Peter
>
>
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