RE: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Introduction & request for help

| -----Original Message-----
| From: Weyland [mailto:weyland@...]
| Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2001 1:20 AM
| To: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com
| Subject: Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Introduction & request for help
|
|
| Hey Jerry -
|
| Okay, is it me or does $130 on average seem a little high?
| I'm by no means criticizing the product *or* their pricing policy,
| it just seems like a lotta dough-ray-mee for this po' boy when
| multiplied by
| three?

From my perspective, these controllers are dirt cheap. Before I retired, I
was involved in building control systems for a major lighting company. I
would use products built by Compumotor. These were #23 size motors with
controller (Equivalent would be one Gecko + 1 motor). The cost was in the
neighborhood of $2,500 per axis. The Compumotor board that ran these cost
another $2,500. Now, the circumstances were different. The machine cost over
a million bucks and had to run 24 x 7 if necessary to meet production
requirements.

| What does the Camtronics kit go for?
| If it's somewhat close in range at least I'll be able to buy in pieces,
| yet still see progress as I go...
|

I'd suggest vectoring to Dan Mauch's Camtronics web site for pricing.
Unfortunately, he does not have an easy domain to remember. It's
http://www.seanet.com/~dmauch/ Dan offers two driver boards. One is the two
amp kit that costs around $159 (including shipping) for three axes another
$50 for the fourth axis. The other is a 5 amp kit that costs around $240
(including shipping) for three axes and another $75 or so for the fourth
axis.

| > Then, there's software. When you're running a part, you'll need a G-Code
| > interpreter to convert commands from the computer into a series of step
| and
| > direction pulses and levels in the correct timing. These can either be
| > purchased, or had for free. TurboCNC is the freebie while most of the
| others
| > cost anywhere between $20 and out of sight, with $100-$200 being the
| typical
| > price.
|
| Ahhhhh, okay, a G code interpeter...gotcha.
| So *this* is the part that actually "talks" to the "driver"?

Yes, the G-Code interpreter takes commands from either your hand-written
program or from the output of something like ACE Converter and converts them
to step and direction signals for each motor. Many of the G-Code
interpreters run under DOS because Windows is not a good environment to send
three or four sets of synchronized pulses to a parallel port. The key word
is "synchronized" - The pulses for all of the motors have to get to your
driver at the right time or the cut you want to make at 45 degrees to an
axis will look somewhat stepped. If you're moving only one axis, the timing
is not as critical (but I wouldn't want to have the computer "pause" the
mill at any particular location for any length of time)
|
Somewhere, you asked about G-Codes being the same. I'm on somewhat thin ice
here, but as I understand it, the majority of the G-Codes are standardized.
However, not all of the G-Code interpreters will execute all of the G-Codes
which means that you will have to pick and choose. Some of the software (I
believe the CAM portion of VectorCAD is one that does - Fred???) can be set
up to use only those G-Codes that your G-Code interpreter can understand.
However, that kind of software does not come for free.

-- Jerry Jankura
Strongsville, Ohio
So many toys, so little time