Re: Black box ??

Hi,

The "black box" project is what a number of people on this group
(myself included) have taken on independently to get around the
bottle-neck of having a PC generate step pulses for CNC motor drives.

Step pulse timing (frequency generation) is a task that places an
inordinate burden on the PC. The general consensus is this task
should be off-loaded onto external, dedicated hardware.

This hardware (the black box) would generate the requisite
frequencies (step rates), freeing the PC to do more intelligent tasks
rather than being tied down with this donkey work.

Once that had been resolved, the question became how much should the
black box do? Should it just generate frequencies on command from the
PC or should it include the motion routines themselves? If so should
it include a display and a keyboard as well?

If you are of an ironic frame of mind, you would appreciate the full
circle back to a PC that extension took. That was fine though, it
explored fully what role the proposed project should fulfill.

There are other parallel efforts that I am aware of, but the
conclusion I have arrived at is it will require the use of a
microcomputer no matter what the level of "smart or dumb" the box
takes.

Once that is recognized, it becomes a matter of communications
bandwidth that determines the level of "smarts" the box must contain.
Concurrent with that is the requirement that it also provide the
maximum flexibility and value for the price (read cheap).

It will be very interesting what others will come up with. I belive
in the concept enough to have budgeted for a project that will take a
year before it makes a profit.

Mariss

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., "docholliday01201" <whollid1@m...> wrote:
> could someone explain what exactly is the black box project marriss
> is working on. I haven't heard of it