Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Training a paint arm robot

Peter:

Actually, Rab did ask me about it. Is this a case of your wanting to Jog
each axis? or do you intend to force each axis manually and wish to read an
encoder position. Unfortunately, Mach2 uses only 3 encoders as inputs. I
should up it to 6 really, but pin-in's are valuable space, so I haven't yet.
If its a case of using 6-axis of jog to position an arm and you wish to
record the end positions of each jog movement, that would not be too
difficult. Mach2 already does a point cloud output from G31 commands, and at
the end of each jog, the axis locations are internally "sync'ed" so I could
output the coordinates at time of syncing to the same point cloud. This
would create a 6-axis point cloud file. Of course, I could put out the point
cloud as a series of G1 moves so in essence you'd be creating a jog-written
G-Code file. I don't know of any cam program that will take 6 coordinate
point clouds and do anything with them, but a 6 axis G-Code file could be
written pretty easily I think. Most of it is already possible in Macro's,
I'd just need to add a macro command for output of synced coordinates in
some form or another into the Digitize file. To make Mach2 do this would
probably only require about an hour or two programming.(Mach2 is pretty open
and modular for just this reason.) This I may be able to do for you as it
fits my rule of "whats good for one is probably good for others...", so it
could go on my "easy to add list" for the next version.

If , however, you need to read all 6 axis from encoders and wish to
follow the movement as a feedback operation, this would take some doing.
First I'd have to add an IO48 card for the inputs, do a ton of boilerplate
code to set it up...etc...

With the demands on my time these days, it could be awhile. (The Mach
series is a little too popular nad lathe is a bitch.)On the other hand, if
you wish to write such a program ,I could provide the driver and the tools.
("So, have you ever programmed in C, Billy?").

;)
Art
www.artofcnc.ca