Re: Members

Hi Art, Peter,

So is there any treatment for this disease we have? Will I too
deteriorate to a similar condition? I'm already past some of the early
warning stages you mentioned. But I just can't kick the habit! Is this
obsessive compulsive disorder or what?! I've also noticed other side
effects. Collecting large numbers of stepper motors, small and not so
small scraps of aluminum, gathering tool catalogues (nesting material?),
attending numerous auctions looking for additional pieces of machinery.
Do I really need my own engine hoist to move the RF-31 mill around? And
a huge air compressor? The list goes on. Multiple CNC machines,
lathes, band saws, ... Where can I get help? Is there a "self help
group"? Wait a minute, Is THIS the self help group??

Signed, Troubled.

Alan KM6VV


Art Fenerty wrote:

>
> >
> > Tell us some of your secrets
> >
> > Peter
> >
>
> Peter:
>
> The formula is easy. Take a topic you know nothing about, write a
> program to do it (EZCNC), find that is just simply won't do what you need,
> obsess about its problems, learn how to program device drivers, learn how to
> build a cnc table, build one, sucks, build another BIG one, thats better!.
> Buy a lathe to help with the parts, find out you don't know diddly about
> operating a metal lathe, learn slightly more than diddly to accomplish the
> task. Design , etch and build a micostep controller finding along the way
> it costs 3 times as much as buying one, build a vxd that can move it, build
> software around the vxd (MasterControlCNC), find that doesn't do it either,
> build 4 more versions...(Master5), decide to sell it to recoup some of the
> time involved, find out that vxd's don't work on everyone's systems without
> Major changes to make it do so, retool and make the changes, find out your
> customers know a heck of a lot more than you never did in the first place,
> rewrite the program to do functions correctly that you thought worked in the
> first place, find out that great gobs of the CNC world would prefer NT,
> notice that XP (the newest microsoft creation) requires a driver methodology
> that just does not translate from vxd's or match exactly NT or Win2000,
> Start work on an NT version (Master6) to incorporate all the great idea's
> that you get from people that really know what their doing because after
> all, they have trusted you with their software investment dollars, Start to
> learn XP WDM driver programming technology (Einsteins help would be great
> here), and notice that your not using your CNC machine because your too busy
> programming, and along the way someone will think your related to Einstein,
> when in fact, you've simply been hood winked into believing there's nothing
> as neat as seeing a machine move on it's own, almost as if IT has the brain
> you seem to be missing, so you plod along repairing and recoding until
> things look pretty good.
>
> All this and a dollar an hour? Sometimes I think I've gone to
> machinery heaven. The secret? Insanity! Thats why I blame Bill, before he
> invited me to this group, I was happy with my little sucky table and EZCNC!
>
> Thats why when someone writes in saying their gonna write a CNC
> controller, I sorta smile to myself and encourage them along, we nutcases
> love company, thats why this list is growing everyday, all of us have the
> bug to a certain degree, I probably simply have more spare time on my hands
> than most. But some of what I read here leads me to believe I'm not in the
> lowest cell in the dungeon. :)
>
> ( I'm looking for hexapod parts, if thats any sign of how far I've fallen)
> Art
> Master5 Software
> http://users.andara.com/~fenerty/master.htm