Re: emc (TOME)

> From: batwings@...
>Subject: Re: emc (TOME)
>
>At 04:22 PM 10/12/99 -0700, you wrote:
>
>>Something I would love to see, would be a PC or Linux based program that
>>duplicated the fill-in-the-blanks approach of Proto-Trak and such, and
>>generate standard G-code.
>
>Been there, done that. You're talking about the g-code ver of my stuff.
>Doesn't run the machine but it emits all the code for that. Still needs
>some development but it's not a real tough problem and I have it in Beta
>already.

<snip>

>what do you do when you
>find a function you need that emc doesn't support? Crank out the moves one
>by one?

To echo the thoughts of several others, that's exactly what I like about
emc. If you don't like something or something doesn't work for you, change
it. The code is all there for the semi-c++ literate. And if you know what
you want to add to emc but don't know how, tell Fred and it may get onto
the todo list. Even if it doesn't get NIST backing, others hanging around
may have some code like what you want or might be willing to write some.

As a quick example, I wanted some other stuff on the screen at the same
time the emc gui (Xemc) was up so I fiddled around with the Xemc file and
changed the size of the axis position readouts. What I wound up with was a
gui that would run on a 600x400 screen and allow lots of stuff around it.
Now I can run emc using an old monochrome vt100 terminal.

Another example is Jon Elson's code for bolt patterns and pocket milling.
These programs can be run right alongside emc and the resulting g code
pasted into the program as you write and test run it.

A third example comes from some old mechanical (air operated) indexers that
are laying around. There is no M45 (the usual index command) code in emc.
Since we have the native g code interpreter file I can play with adding my
own m45 and port it's output and inhibit signal to any line on a parallel
port or stg or whatever that I can.

Ray