Re: Driving the parallel port in WindowXP

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "Kory Hamzeh" <kory@...>
wrote:

>
>
>
> Thanks for the input. EMC looks like the right way to go, but I

just

> don't see that many robust CAD programs for Linux. I don't want to

use

> two machines or do a dual boot setup. Maybe I just haven't searched
> enough yet. What do most people use in Linux?
>
> My main purpose is to design a CAD application that simplifies the

whole

> design process for simple operations. For example, if I want a

quarter

> circle milled, I just want to be able to position to cutter at the
> center and tell the software "cut a quarter circle with a diameter

of X

> here". One of the problem I see with current CNC software is that

it

> takes a just as long to do something real simple as it would take

to do

> something more complicated.
>
> I also wanted to write a visual, easy to use rotary table driver

to make

> gear cutting, etc. simple and fool proof.
>
> Lastly, I own the rights to a product called the Frog, which is a

simple

> single axis programmable controller which also supports thread

cutting.

> I'm thinking of porting this with a good UI to a PC based system
> (Windows or Linux) and expand it to support more axis. It may

become the

> basis for a "simple CNC language". I'm just kind of thinking out

load.

>

Investigate the Wizard Scripting in MACH3. There is also an SDK for
programmers. It's Windows based and supports pulsing through the
parallel port, external pulsing via the Gecko G100 and soon a USB
pulse card. Because of it's popularity and use by a lot of OEM's
there is a lot of external hardware support as well. It may be fun
to reinvent the wheel but not ususally very profitable.

If your intent is to give the program away in order to sell hardware
then EMC might be the best approach. If your intent is to make money
from the software piece you may find your (paying) marketplace in
the Linix world limited.