Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Manual Pulse Generator (Handwheel) for EMC

Tim wrote:

>Hey Everyone,
>I've got a question for Jon Elson & Ray Henry..... and anyone else
>that may know??????
>
>Jon, Does your "Universal Stepper Controller" handle input from a
>manual pulse generator? Selector switches for axis & step rate,
>handwheel for direction?
>
>

It has 4 encoder counters. Every axis that is in use requires the
encoder counter
to measure movement, whether it just counts its own step pulses or reada
a real
encoder. If you only use 3 axes on your machine, the 4th counter could
be used
to read a MPG dial. EMC does not support this feature now, to my knowledge.
The HAL work of John Kasunich has already demonstrated this function,
however.

The selected axis and jog rates are done on the screen right now,
through the
TkEMC GUI. One could patch in a pendant control of some sort, however.

>Jon & Ray, Is "EMC" capable of handling this type of external input?
>

Maybe.

>or does "EMC" really not care/or have anything to do with it?
>
>

There is a "hack" that has been part of the BDI CD for some time in the
src/drivers directory that is called handwheel.cc, that apparently supports
this now. I have not tried it, however.

Jon