Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Interface. Gauging interest.

I've been thinking about this.... There's a language that was built for
exactly this kind of machine control thing: Forth. It's tiny,
extensible, and fast. It's mature. It's designed for machine control.

But, the world operates on g-code nowadays, so it's not clear to me that
a language switch makes sense at this point in time. Here's why -- a
new language could certainly be done (fairly easily), but would anybody
use it? You and I would, but how about all the other vendors out there?
It would require new drivers (post processors) for CAM software. And,
new training for 1000's of operators.

So, the benefits of a new language (whatever syntax you choose) would
have to be large/compelling, to overcome the disadvantages, I think.

Mike

Jack Hudler wrote:

> 1) That's what I thought.
> 2) Hear! Hear! This is what freaks me out about using the parallel port; I would
> not want my Domain Server backing up my CNC machines to wreck my machine.
> 3) Hexapod? Answer is; you wouldn't. The Hexapod would appear as a 3 axis
> device, or more depending on what end effecter you attach.
>
> To follow up on the G-Code part of the third point; there needs to be another
> language created for Modern CNC. Professionally I am a Windows programmer; I've
> played around with a CNC program that is driven via scripts. The scripts can be
> in any language the Windows scripting host supports. Currently VBScript,
> JavaScript, Python, PerlScript, RubyScript, TclScript, and ForthScript are but a
> few of the supported languages. Of course you'd have to reduce this to the
> lowest common denominator for *nix.
> Right now my stuff doesn't understand G-Code, I just program the part in and run
> the script.
> Example: CNC.Home(0,-1); // means home X axis rapid (G0)
> CNC.Home(1,-1); // means home Y axis rapid (G0)
> CNC.Home(2,-1); // means home Z axis rapid (G0)
> CNC.WaitForOperator("Ready to start making chips");
> CNC.Spindle(0,1000,0); // Main Spindle (0) spin up 1000 rpm, CW
> CNC.FeedRate(2,2.0); // Z Axis feedrate 2 IPM
> {
> // Create a 3D fractal
> // write your favorite Mandelbrot or Julia set here.
> // Or if your not into 3D than a simple Koch Curve.
> // http://www.jracademy.com/~jtucek/math/dimen.html
> // Show me this in G-Code.
> }
> // See where I'm going?
>
> Think of this new language like HTML and CSS, you just define a new keyword, or
> similar to embedding scripts in a web page. You give them names and call them.
> I am not proposing getting rid of G-Code just be allowed to augment it in a
> standard way without having to modify the interpreter.
>
> I have seen one case on a diamond turning machine where the finish pass on an
> beryllium mirror takes over 40 hours (non stop) to complete. I can't imagine
> G-Code could ever handle such a numerically complex task (paraboloids of all
> types, or interlaced paraboloids). Nor would I trust it. However, the machine is
> not as versatile as it could be because everything must be described in software
> to machine a surface where nanometers make the difference (floating point
> rounding errors taking off a few extra atoms on that radii or less on the next,
> looks like phonograph record when done, and not acceptable).
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com [mailto:CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com]
> On Behalf Of Mariss Freimanis
> Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 8:09 PM
> To: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Interface. Gauging interest.
>
> Couple of additional points:
>
> 1) I wish the G-Rex was a pizza you cut into 6 slices and take as
> many as you need, 1 slice or all 6.:-)
>
> It doesn't work that way; a single axis still needs the Rabbit
> RCM3720, the Xilinx FPGA, the FT245BM USB controller, the regulators,
> connector blocks, xtal oscillators, pcb, enclosure, LEDs, etc, etc.
> All you would save for a "single slice" would be a few 74HCT 10-penny
> parts.
>
> 2) Step pulse generation is donkey-work a PC shouldn't have to do. It
> is singularly ill-equipped for that task. This properly belongs in
> dedicated hardware like an FPGA; it was born to do that.
>
> Off-loading this onerous task from the PC relieves its burden. Art of
> Mach fame reported he could watch a DVD and surf the web while Mach4
> was running a complex contouring program. This on a slow PC without a
> burp.
>
> PCs are meant to compute, not to do bean-counter accounting parsing
> out microsecond step pulse timing and counting. It is the latter task
> that makes PCs difficult to run easily no matter the OS.
>
> 3) G-code is at best a 2-1/2 axis control code. It is unimaginably
> unweildly for higher axis counts. How would you efficiently write
> application code for 6-axis of coordinated motion like a hexapod
> using g-code?
>
> Mariss
>
>
>
>
>
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