Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Mach3 & laptops

<snip>as long as a PHYSICAL port exists and the machine is at least 1GHz
then it will work with Mach3</snip>

For the most part that may be true because of the extreme speed of a 1GHz+
machine, but there are hardware functions beyond the control of any
software. As far back as 1985 companies that made PC chip sets started
adding power management functions that worked by controlling the clock speed
for the CPU and other circuit elements. The manner in which this is done may
or may not be programmable, and is (or was) proprietary to each chip set. As
computers have become more complex the trend has been to virtualize legacy
functions as newer peripherals and I/O channels were developed, meaning
different hardware elements are used to emulate the functions of older
hardware elements that may no longer be available, such as the parallel and
serial ports. In fact with Vista the entire machine has been virtualized
through the use of "managed code" as Microsoft calls it, which is a
euphemism for what used to be called interpretive code, such as BASIC. Today
programs compiled under the .NET framework are even more removed from the
hadware than their predecessors. So while it is true that by using older
compilers and hacker tricks, to get your program to run at a higher
privilege level than Microsoft would like, you can achieve near real-time
performance like Artsoft does. None the less there are hardware features in
the PC that may still blow that out of the water, particularly in laptop
computers. In fact Intel has been workig on a scheme to virtualize the
operating system, allowing multiple operating systems to run sumultaneously
on one machine, completely oblivious of one another. It's sort of a constant
struggle for power between Microsoft and Intel. So it is always sort of a
crap shoot unless a particular machine is known to work with Mach up to a
particular step rate on a particular number of channels. I know these things
because I worked on some of the teams that designed the PC chip sets and
also worked at Intel.
--
Phil Mattison

----- Original Message -----
From: Lester Caine <lester@...>
To: <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 26, 2008 1:28 AM
Subject: Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Mach3 & laptops


> gcode fi (hanermo) wrote:
> > Well - it´s always good to think and look for solutions..
> >
> > Artsoft does not rely on "some specific behavior of the parallel port ".
> > It writes directly to the port outside windows control at ring 0 on the
> > processor.
> > There is *no driver* in use.
> > There are not any windows-specific "virtual ports" in use.
> >
> > This is an elegent solution since it solves the windows-created problem
> > of non-specific timing.
> >
> > Thats why a usb solution must be either a smart solution like the SS
> > (and the gecko g-rex) or absolutely transparent hardware solution.
> > And also why you cannot use a "usb endpoint with timing" as there is no
> > virtual driver.
> > There is no windows involved it the driver - none. The data is pumped to
> > the parallel port, and sync is maintained by the driver itself. No
> > windows services are available at ring 0, nor are they used. The driver
> > then gives temporary control back to windows on the 40 us ticks.
> >
> > Just thought I´d mention it.
>
> That sums it up nicely!
> While some older laptops are available with a 'real' parallel port and
many of
> these are in use with Mach3. The newer laptops - IF they have a 25 way
> connector for the parallel port - implement it via a separate 'USB' chip
> internally to cut down on real estate. In most cases nowadays you simply
will
> not have a parallel ( or serial ) port on the laptop, and need to use an
> external USB box to provide them. Which will not then work with legacy kit
> using the speed of the parallel port to achieve their performance.
>
> Art's original comment about the power save functions does have a bearing,
but
> I think that in most cases now, as long as a PHYSICAL port exists and the
> machine is at least 1GHz then it will work with Mach3. There were a few
> niggles with the ITX based machines as well so this is not simply
restricted
> to laptops, but rather the newer lower power options on computer hardware.
>
> --
> Lester Caine - G8HFL
> -----------------------------
> Contact - http://lsces.co.uk/lsces/wiki/?page=contact
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