[Al_The_Man]

There is also an pcie solution (internal and external) - again - this is not an external motion controller - emc2 is the motion control.

sam

This may be the catch, I am looking at modeling a system around Panel PC.s Panel PC, Industrial Panel PC, Touch Panel PC, Panel PC Industrial, PC Panel, Touchscreen Panel PC
These have no facility for adding internal cards, this is the reason for looking at external DSP systems that are USB connected.
I have also made my own panel PC systems up using the Advantech line of MB and PC card, these however have the ability to take ISA or PCI cards.
Al.

[Larken]

Al, I bought one of these Dynomotion controllers the other day (to play with) after reading your post. There a good deal right now , under $300. Now i will have a really fast controller to test my drives on.

Samco, you realize the linix EMC type controller controller where the main cpu controls all axis using 0-10volts is Oldschool, eh ? All old controllers worked this way. One problem is if the main PC gets interupted for more than a few micro seconds the axes go astray.

Its nice to be able to have your machine running in the background while your working on other programs. Thats why a modular cnc controller is the way of the future.

LK

[Al_The_Man]

Al, I bought one of these Dynomotion controllers the other day (to play with) after reading your post. There a good deal right now , under $300.
LK

Yes the Kflop & Kanalog are both $250.00, I am going to need both, also the Kanalog increases the I/O features.
Al.

[samco]

heh - old school. could be. works well. The linux os is running realtime extensions. I have never had any realtime delays on any of my machines. And if I did - the mesa hardware has a watchdog to throw an estop if there was. (again - I have never had that happen)

I look at it as flexibility/expandability. I can add more mesa cards to get more I/O and they have other options. I am also not stuck with mesa. Because the hardware is 'dumb' I can find other i/o devices - even vital systems has a supported card.

Al - have you looked a touchy? but you are right if you want to go usb. emc doesn't do that. YouTube - ‪ChrisRadek's Channel‬‏
http://linuxcnc.org/docs/2.4/html/gui_touchy.html

I am using it because it will control steppers to servos and any mixture of.. True closed loop back to control. It will also do non trivial machines like hexapods.

sam

Al, I bought one of these Dynomotion controllers the other day (to play with) after reading your post. There a good deal right now , under $300. Now i will have a really fast controller to test my drives on.

Samco, you realize the linix EMC type controller controller where the main cpu controls all axis using 0-10volts is Oldschool, eh ? All old controllers worked this way. One problem is if the main PC gets interupted for more than a few micro seconds the axes go astray.

Its nice to be able to have your machine running in the background while your working on other programs. Thats why a modular cnc controller is the way of the future.

LK

[kmcwhq]

so - for me I am using 2 5i20 boards and one 7i33 and one 7i48. for i/o I am just using opto22 pannels plugged into the 5i20's. So total I have 96i/o and 10 axis worth of analog/encoder interface.
sam

Sam,
Can you offer the part numbers of the Opto items you are using?
Are they pricey?

Thanks
dan k

[samco]

the g4pb24 (24 port) is a direct plugin using a 50 pin cable.
G4PB24 OPTO 22 RELAY I/O RACK | eBay

you see them on ebay quite often - works great for i/o. With the mesa hardware you can config any i/o as either an input or an output.

I used what I had - you can see 2 - 24 port pannels + 3 16 port. (comes to my 96 i/o)

http://www.electronicsam.com/images/...n/DSCF1184.JPG

sam

[Al_The_Man]

Just a heads up on some of the differences out there, quite a few manuf make these products and the makes of modules are interchangeable across makes of boards.
You can still buy the older G1 versions, but these boards have the fuse and indicator on the board, the newer G4 version that Sam links to first has the LED and fuse on the module, the second link shows the older version.
Also when purchasing modules, they come in a couple of operating voltage versions, 5v and 24v logic input, they are colour coded the same so check the part #.
Some, especially for smaller projects such as the 4 module board, come with terminal input and output rather than IDC ribbon used on the larger units.
Opto22 is probably the leader in the field and have been around a long time.
Hope this helps.
Al.

Just to clarify, each type of board only accepts either the G1 or the G4, not both, i.e. modules are NOT interchangeable across boards.

[ad_bfl]

Question for Al_the_man

I have looked at this before and view it as having a lot of potential, but worry about the folks behind it "going away" plus their ability to maintain it over time.

My question is this, do you have any opinion on this vs a full on Galil based solution, I realize it's a naive question given the price differentail, but price is not the only decision parameter.

One very important parameter to me (at least today) is software integration, I need to integrate some computer vision capabilities I have developed via OpenCV into the control front, or the motion controller, depending on the overall architecture that settles out.

Presently I am using smoothstepper and quite happy, and it has driven home the message that external controllers like smoothstepper are the way to go.

So before I drop the dollars for a Galil PCI solution, I wonder if you have any suggestions and/or recommendations for a external motion controller with a Windows front end and the ability to integrate custom application code (Native Windows C++ and/or message based)?

I keep hoping to find a link that bridges the gap between SmoothStepper and Galil but no luck.

Thanks and Best Regards
Al

Al, I bought one of these Dynomotion controllers the other day (to play with) after reading your post. There a good deal right now , under $300. Now i will have a really fast controller to test my drives on.

Samco, you realize the linix EMC type controller controller where the main cpu controls all axis using 0-10volts is Oldschool, eh ? All old controllers worked this way. One problem is if the main PC gets interupted for more than a few micro seconds the axes go astray.

Its nice to be able to have your machine running in the background while your working on other programs. Thats why a modular cnc controller is the way of the future.

LK

[samco]

Yes - thanks for clarifying that. (I used a mixture of older and newer because that is what I had.)

Just a heads up on some of the differences out there, quite a few manuf make these products and the makes of modules are interchangeable across makes of boards.
You can still buy the older G1 versions, but these boards have the fuse and indicator on the board, the newer G4 version that Sam links to first has the LED and fuse on the module, the second link shows the older version.
Also when purchasing modules, they come in a couple of operating voltage versions, 5v and 24v logic input, they are colour coded the same so check the part #.
Some, especially for smaller projects such as the 4 module board, come with terminal input and output rather than IDC ribbon used on the larger units.
Opto22 is probably the leader in the field and have been around a long time.
Hope this helps.
Al.

Just to clarify, each type of board only accepts either the G1 or the G4, not both, i.e. modules are NOT interchangeable across boards.

[Al_The_Man]

Question for Al_the_man

I have looked at this before and view it as having a lot of potential, but worry about the folks behind it "going away" plus their ability to maintain it over time.

Al

Well I guess no one can predict the future, but so I far I have been impressed with the response and apparent dedication that Tom K. has for the Dynomotion products, there is now a Yahoo forum and he answers both the forum or P.M. questions very promptly.
I would like to see it taken to its own completely full HMI rather than the limited one now that relies on Mach to do much of the expanded functions, although features are gradually being added.
If you can program in C++ and Visual Studio you can do your own integration.
I am still deciding if this is the way to go?

My question is this, do you have any opinion on this vs a full on Galil based solution,
One very important parameter to me (at least today) is software integration, I need to integrate some computer vision capabilities I have developed via OpenCV into the control front, or the motion controller, depending on the overall architecture that settles out.

I wonder if you have any suggestions and/or recommendations for a external motion controller with a Windows front end and the ability to integrate custom application code (Native Windows C++ and/or message based)?

Thanks and Best Regards
Al

This has been a thorn in my side for several years, the fact that apart from developing ones own front end s/w for Galil using VB. The only option for Galil for a long time has been Camsoft.
I have been using motion cards for some years now, both Galil, and Acroloop in its hay day before being absorbed by Parker.
I really like and am comfortable working with Galil, both product and company, but for industry standard CNC front end I have had to go with commercial systems, I tried Camsoft but never got completely comfortable with the product or company, I believe since then they have improved their product?
I am very surprised that Camsoft has never had a challenger in the market, especially with a product with the reputation of Galil, who incidentally should have developed their own CNC front end, IMO.
Not sure whether this has been any help, just my couple of cents.
Al.

[ad_bfl]

Thanks for the reply, and yes it was very helpful.

We need to brow beat Bob Warfield of cnccookbook into making a front end for Galil, he could likely do it in his sleep, but he is also a "software as a service" guy so getting him to do that would likely be a bit challenging...

In the meantime I will likely save my loose change for a Galil system and use the existing Mach3 plugin.

If I had any spare cycles and half a brain I would see if I could use any of the reprap front end stuff and the Galil libs in a open source front end.

There are enough of these back end systems like Dynomotion, smothstepper, Galil and Mariss's stuff in the pipeline to maybe have enough critical mass to work.

Thanks
Al

Well I guess no one can predict the future, but so I far I have been impressed with the response and apparent dedication that Tom K. has for the Dynomotion products, there is now a Yahoo forum and he answers both the forum or P.M. questions very promptly.
I would like to see it taken to its own completely full HMI rather than the limited one now that relies on Mach to do much of the expanded functions, although features are gradually being added.
If you can program in C++ and Visual Studio you can do your own integration.
I am still deciding if this is the way to go?




This has been a thorn in my side for several years, the fact that apart from developing ones own front end s/w for Galil using VB. The only option for Galil for a long time has been Camsoft.
I have been using motion cards for some years now, both Galil, and Acroloop in its hay day before being absorbed by Parker.
I really like and am comfortable working with Galil, both product and company, but for industry standard CNC front end I have had to go with commercial systems, I tried Camsoft but never got completely comfortable with the product or company, I believe since then they have improved their product?
I am very surprised that Camsoft has never had a challenger in the market, especially with a product with the reputation of Galil, who incidentally should have developed their own CNC front end, IMO.
Not sure whether this has been any help, just my couple of cents.
Al.

[kmcwhq]

Thanks for the Opto info guys.......
All of you always have great info.

I have a -bunch- of iron just setting....and with the value of scrap making most of it worth 2X as much as what i have invested......(or more) it's getting tough to just let it sit and wait for a solution.

Agreed.....and puzzled why Galil never came up with a CNC front end for their products. I -almost- committed to Accroloop 'back in the day' but glad I did not now.
I guess I'm going to get off my hands and try EMC2
I just put some stuff on EBAY to collect some seed money for hardware.

dk

[Al_The_Man]

I -almost- committed to Accroloop 'back in the day' but glad I did not now.

dk

Actually I have a mill I am still running with Acromill, they initially developed Acrocut, which was aimed at Gas Plasma cutting or router machines, I have both the software for Acromill and Acrocut.
MG systems and Koike-Aronson used their products for a while.
They had the motion card and they also had the front end s/w to go with it, unfortunately it was not marketed aggressively enough and was slightly ahead of it time for the DIY market.
I was in the process of trying to convince them to provide Lathe s/w when they were taken over by parker, and the guy doing the s/w was gone, AFAIK.
Al..
.

[Larken]

One very important parameter to me (at least today) is software integration, I need to integrate some computer vision capabilities I have developed via OpenCV into the control front, or the motion controller, depending on the overall architecture that settles out.

I keep hoping to find a link that bridges the gap between SmoothStepper and Galil but no luck.

OpenCV, thanks for mentioning that. Thats what i need for a pick and place application i'm working on. I wonder does it support Delphi ?

The problem with smooth stepper, is its just a pulse generator, it needs constant steering from a main program at least 1000 times a second. Its basically a USB interface connected to counters. But its a smart use of 2 main chips.

[ad_bfl]

OpenCV is WONDERFUL, it you need to find the corners and correct orientation of smt pieces or orient on alignment features on the board, it is a great place to start. Buy the OpenCV book and read read the forums.

A friend of mine designs commercial Pick and Place machines, so if you have any questions let me know and I will ping him. One thing I found with my OpenCV work is that you can really make your problem simpler if you do a good job on lighting and optical design.

In my case I spent a lot of time reinventing dark field illumination techniques, so get the optics/illumination correct and optimized for the problem at hand. It is too easy to sit down with a cam and compiler and get quick results with OpenCV (not to mention fun).

SmothStepper is a nice way point between the raw parallel port and a full on system like Galil. I am amazed that there is not any other options out there between the two. You, the smoothstepper guy and Mariss should team up and fix that market hole.

OpenCV, thanks for mentioning that. Thats what i need for a pick and place application i'm working on. I wonder does it support Delphi ?

The problem with smooth stepper, is its just a pulse generator, it needs constant steering from a main program at least 1000 times a second. Its basically a USB interface connected to counters. But its a smart use of 2 main chips.

[Larken]

Does OpenCV handle reading USB cameras too. Where can i get a Small USB camera with 10x mag and cross hairs.

You, the smoothstepper guy and Mariss should team up and fix that market hole.

I try to make a living doing this, developing for the public domain ain't my thing

[ad_bfl]

Yes it does, I bought a logitech $20 640 x 480 usb webcam from a local store, plugged it in and followed one of the code examples. Had it working in less than 30 minutes.

A low resolution camera like this is a good learning tool, since you will be likely instantiating a lot of memory buffers as you preprocess the images, edge recognition, line recognition etc... I am quite amazed at how well a dirt cheap USB camera is working.

Getting a camera with a reticle may be a different story. I have not seen (but never had the need to look) for a reticle webcam.

Here is a place you may want to use for educating yourself on "industrial CCD cameras" and their scary prices:

Cameras - Edmund Optics

Best Regards
Al

[granado]

Any news?

CncBrain – Is it alive or dead?

[Al_The_Man]

Any news?

CncBrain – Is it alive or dead?

Dynomotion | Motion Control Boards probably replaces it in features and price?
Al.

[granado]

Yes, but I bought a cncbrain.

Dynomotion | Motion Control Boards probably replaces it in features and price?
Al.