Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Digest Number 2112

Rab

What Dan has done is make the standard EMC graphical user interface
available over a network so that he can view and run it using his MAC
cube. If you ask EMC it to open a g-code file it will. It doesn't
matter to the EMC where that file is located. That display will show all
of the controls that are normally available to any EMC user. The only
extra lag in the system is the ethernet.

A nice feature of Dan's approach is that you can use a single computer
like the cube to control an entire work cell. Each machine would have
it's own white box burried inside somewhere but the cube would display
all of the EMC guis in separate widgets and let you click between. The
cube will run some great cad programs directly. Using the same approach
as with the linux/emc connection you could grab control of an MS-Windows
box and run your favorite cam program and pass the results between them
and the EMC's.

The work cell might include two lathes, one with an auto-change bar feed.
A robot arm moves cutoff part to the second lathe for second end turning.
Second robot moves turned part to a pallet that shuttles into the five
axis mill with auto tool change. When milling is complete the pallet
shutles to a packaging robot and then gets reloaded from the lathe. All
supervised by a single PC or Mac with a single monitor. I've seen such
things work in commercial shops but imagine it for your home shop.

Now imagine the control computer sitting on your office desk or next to
your easy chair with some extra web cams to watch the whole thing.

HTH

Ray


On Tuesday 26 February 2002 02:22 am, CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com
wrote:

> Message: 15
>    Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2002 07:34:26 -0000
>    From: "rainnea" <rab@...>
> Subject: Re: EMC "Black Box" lives!
>
> This sounds like a remote interface, good in itself, but could the
> black box be used in the following way:
>
> send G-Code to it from the parallel or serial ports or over the
> network ?
> ie. Print a G-Code file to the Black Box via the printer port, the
> black box automatically interprets and executes the G-Code commands.
> Could it also be queried as to the status of EStop, Ready, Home, etc.
> conditions
>
> Now that would be really usefull.
>
> Rab