Re: emc (TOME)

Fred Proctor wrote:

> My question is, what should this conversational or
> fill-in-the-blanks interface look like? Jon mentioned
> Proto-Trak. Can someone (Jon) describe this in some detail?
> What would be the ideal way to do this?

I'm sure everyone is going to have their own little tweaks as to what's
ideal, but in general this is how conversational controls work.
All have soft menu selections displayed across the bottom of the screen.
Typical main screen offers selections for such things as file maint.,
system parameters, run program, generate program.
Typed out indented to indicate menu levels, a generate program submenu
might look like this:

Mill Linear

Mill Pockets
Inside Pockets
Outside Pockets (island)
Inside Pockets w/island
Inside Pockets with irregular islands

Mill Boss
Mill Inside (hole)
Mill Outside (boss)

Drill Holes
Linear Array
Grid Array
Bolt Circle
Frame Array

Selecting Bolt Circle would bring up new soft menu selections,
and the screen would prompt for XY location of center of pattern, number
of holes, angular location of first hole, clearance height, depth of
hole, peck increment (which if left blank would assume simple drill
cycle).
Now, I've just sort of slammed this out without referring to any
literature or manuals, but it gives the basic idea.
New routines when added, could simply be compiled into the program,
adding a menu choice or perhaps altering it slightly.
Once questions have been answered, there is a soft menu selection that
saves this routine into the main program. You also need a menu selection
to allow editing of the parameters that have been entered.
Once back to the main program screen, which typically will NOT show
G-code, but a text description of the operations planned, there should
be menu choices for reordering operations, deleting specific operations,
or adding a new one.
If this could be integrated directly into EMC that would be fantastic.
I was asking for a standalone program that could be used by anyone with
a PC for generating -basic- G-codes for any mill (or lathe). I love the
aspect of Linux in that people are willing to write software and
distribute programs and source code for free, but I'd be willing to pay
for this program, as would many commercial shops. I was suggesting the
commercial angle to point out the financial carrot. If this came about
as freeware or low-cost shareware, or integrated directly into EMC, I
think I could contain my dissapointment...<G>

If there is serious interest in implementing something like this into
EMC, I would be willing to collect sales videos from anyone I can get
them from and send to you for reference, along with any literature that
helps explain some of the various approaches.

Jon