Where do we go from here, was [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: A crazy idea

This thread seems a little on the edge, but I hope that this chat is
so intertwined with CAD CAM CNC EDM DRO and Machine control in
general that it passes muster.

The 'black box' as you put is and will be a computer. it will have a
microprocessor as Brian pointed out. the controlled device may also
have a computer. There are steppers that already have a micro on
board and get instructions via serial input.

In most cases we use a PC front end for a variety of reasons.
primarily is that we want to cut parts. some want to build, but most
want to make things. the fastest path is buying things that are
already assembled.

If we did a pol of how many of us started out attempting to design
our own controller then realized that would add weeks onto the
project we just bought a Gecko.

ditto for the PC. I do not want to build a one off microprocessor
board that would offer less than one tenth of the features that a PC
has.

What the problem is, was and always will be is software. From the
first time an engineer dragged a terminal from accounting into the
engineering department and gave birth to what we now call computing,
software has always been the problem.

Computing speed is well beyond our needs. running a 5 axis mill with
5 GECKO's all clocked at 50 hz running silmutaniously, with encoder
feedback will still be less than one gigahertz, so there is time to
play FreeCell while the machine is running, or paint pretty screen
shots of numbers moving. or even tool path overlays of the CAD
drawing of the part, in real time, and still do look ahead for the
tool path, while doing cutter wear compensation.

--- on topic question ---
Interesting question here is "is anybody doing force feedback to
monitor tool bit wear"? if so how ? if you respond, change the
subject line please.

Will Mariss make a GECKO on a PCI card to reduce the wire length
between the CPU and the drive? then offer an expander card to connect
to the other I/O's ? Then your PC becomes the Black Box.

Then your controller could not only control and interput G-code, but
it would be so powerful that you could do CAD on it, and even add a
Word Processor.

Will we put micro controller on steppers ? yes, they are doing that
now. will they get faster ? you betcha ! one day they will be AMD 2
gigaherz and we will remeniss(spelling?) about when our main box was
running on a 486-66 !

Spindle speed, your VSD has a micro. Coolant pump? why not ? at
$5.00 each it could monitor coolant level, temperature,
concentration, contaminants, pressure and run it's own skimmer and
oxidizer and ion exchange generator to keep coolant fresh.

then your black box is part of a network. Heck, I would bet that in
the next 20 years the micro on the coolant system will be faster than
a 486-66 ! Of course it will need to be more like a gigahertz if you
want to run it under Windoz.

The black box is just all the stuff you need to make your stuff work,
packaged neatly, but it will be software that limits the functions,
as it does now.

IMHO

Dave