Re: Black Box Goals

marris,

have you projected a price point for the black box yet...? the more i
read the more i'm intrigued, and i think i will hold out for it
unless something else comes along that makes it more compelling for
me to go with... i'm just curious at the price point considering that
you are going to have a core hardware session with the rest thrown
out in software...

methadras

> Ballendo,
>
> I got to start somewhere and that somewhere is to tackle the
> difficult part first. Kind of like a roller coaster; a steep

initial

> climb followed by a fun downhill ride the rest of the way.
>
> The process involved is an initial overview of the whole project so
> it can be defined (Black Box Goals) and what resources will be
> required (hardware and software). The project then breaks down into
> individual tasks. These are the equivalent of building the

individual

> pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. While each piece is being built, there

is

> no thought of the whole puzzle, just the faith all of the pieces

will

> come together properly because the initial planning was well

thought

> out.
>
> I am working on the velocity manager which is the very heart of the
> project. It requires the following parameters:
>
> For linear interpolation:
>
> VECTOR LENGHT
> VECTOR ANGLE
> or:
> NEW X COORDINATE
> NEW Y COORDINATE
>
> For circular interpolation:
>
> START ANGLE
> END ANGLE
> RADIUS
>
> For all motion:
>
> VECTOR VELOCITY
> BASE VELOCITY
> RATE OF ACCEL/DECEL
> ACCEL/DECEL PROFILE (linear ramp, S-shape, parabolic, user-defined?)
> SEGMENT OR CONTINUOUS?
>
> The "velocity manager" uses those parameters to generate all motion
> within the 1,024 Hz interrupt service routine. The background

program

> either generates or looks up those parameters and feeds them in a
> timely fashion to the velocity manager. Depending on how it

presents

> those parameters to or from the velocity manager, it will also do:
>
> PAUSE (end of segment or right now, fixed time or switch input)
> GEAR RATIO
> HOME
> ABSOLUTE AXIS POSITION (on the fly)
> HARDWARE HANDSHAKE ( moving/stopped output, go/stop input)
> JOG (joystick, quadrature, whatever)
> READ HARDWARE INPUTS (1,024 times per second)
> WRITE HARDWARE OUTPUTS (ditto)
> RUN AUTONOMOUSLY (once programmed, runs without a PC attached)
>
> The program will be open architecture. Anyone that wants to can get
> the Rabbit Development system with everything they need to change

the

> program and flash it to the Black Box ROM for $129. If you want
> a "dumb box", remove and replace the software so your PC can run

the

> all axies directly. If you don't like how it does things but want

to

> keep the velocity manager, you will be able to do that. Like Burger
> King, "you can have it your way".
>
> Right now I've got linear interpolation running just fine according
> to the memory dump results. Circular interpolation is a cinch and
> will be running in a week. Right now I don't think about or much

care

> how the data will get into the box, G-Code or other, just that the
> motion routines work. I will care when this task is done. Next is

to

> spring for prototype axis cards ($1,000) so I can solder them to

the

> Rabbit prototype board and actually generate pulses instead of

bytes

> for the output.
>
> Mariss
>
>
> --- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., "ballendo" <ballendo@y...> wrote:
> > Mariss,
> >
> > First four?
> >
> > So we have:
> > 0) rapid linear interp (or non-interp to position)
> > 1)Linear interp w/feedrate
> > 2 and 3) arc/circle interp at feedrate
> > Do we get 4) delay, or pause?
> >
> > How is plane selection for arcs/linear handled?
> > Homing to switches?
> > Will you have "gearing" for threading, or will this be a
> modification
> > of the linear interp?
> >
> > Looking at the Centent unit, we will send setup parms to the b-

box?

> > But these won't include SPI? And motor accel/decel parms, like

the

> > centent unit?
> >
> > Why are you calling this gcode in? It really isn't, or am I

missing

> > something?
> >
> > Thank you in advance.
> >
> > Ballendo
> >
> > P.S. This will be an impressive product.