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  1. #21
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Posts
    403
    Just stumbled onto this thread, and I too am investigating using visual basic express 2008 to control stepper motors via inpout.dll and the printer port and am also in the beginning stages of coming up to speed on visual basic. (I've converted 2 minilathes which is documented is the mini lathe section but using mach2). My current project is tracking solar collectors, and I visualize using visual basic and outputting az & el data from a data base to move the collector every 15 minutes or so. With the price of electric going up I want to develope a tracking scheme where I can drive multiple collectors and PV panels (the price of the PV is suppose to drop in the near future because of some new technology). By tracking the sun, the effeciency of the panel can increase some %50 percent. By tracking using calculations, instead of actually tracking the sun, you are able to track even during cloudy days on the days when you are only able to catch a little sun here and there.

    So, anyway maybe we can keep this thread going for a little while longer.

    Ron

  2. #22
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Posts
    14
    Total cnc noob, several years vb coding and considerable uC/embedded programming exp.

    Again Im just getting my feet wet w/cnc, so be gentle. Is the goal of the VB project to have the pc run the motors realtime? If so I think this will be very difficult w/any windows based platform.

    I would think a better approach would be to have an uC based controller run the stepper drivers while being updated by the pc. Isnt this the typical operating scheme for cnc?

    I can tell from exp attempting to use vb.net < version 3.5 (2008) has some severe bugs in IO components. Since version 2008 tho I havnt expd any issues.

    Im very interested in this project.

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Posts
    3312
    VB is a great tool to build a quick user interface, but this is no simple task to do it correctly. The meat of a cnc controller though has to be a precise timed IO routine. MACH3 for example has a minimum 25khz kernel, and can have up to a 100khz kernel. Someone familiar with Windows Internals and drivers is really needed to build that kernel. My educated guess is the kernel timing needs to output step/dir pulses based on a buffer the background builds as it's intrepreting G-code and doing trajectory planning. That needs to be a low latency timed event. At 50khz that's an update every 25us which doesn't seem like a real difficult task, but you don't want that 25us wondering from 50us one iteration to 15us the next iteration. The emc guys have some applicable documentation:

    http://www.linuxcnc.org/content/view/42/13/lang,en/

    http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/emc...HardwareDesign

    Trajectory planning:
    http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/emc...imple_Tp_Notes
    Phil, Still too many interests, too many projects, and not enough time!!!!!!!!
    Vist my websites - http://pminmo.com & http://millpcbs.com

  4. #24
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Posts
    14
    I agree, especially now that windows is designed around the net framework where everything is managed. You run into all kinds of "race" conditions which either corrupt or crash what your doing. I have little exp writing services which is a nightmare due to the inability to debug them and no exp writing kernels. When I do use vb it is usually to create a gui or database for an embedded system that is running io realtime.

    wayne

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    10

    embedded system

    Hi Wayne,

    I have an MSDN Subscription that has expired, and it came with the eMbedded Visual Tools 3.0 - 2003 and eMbedded C++ 3.0 - 2003

    Are these applications capable of building a bootable system? I ask, because I would like to build an application to control a robot. I have 4 mother boards that controls specific parts and functions. To reduce the electrical load, I would like to do away with as much hardware as possible like the hard drives and use USB thumb drives

    I am a programmer by trade but never had the time to look into these packages.

    Carl



    Quote Originally Posted by wayneosdias View Post
    I agree, especially now that windows is designed around the net framework where everything is managed. You run into all kinds of "race" conditions which either corrupt or crash what your doing. I have little exp writing services which is a nightmare due to the inability to debug them and no exp writing kernels. When I do use vb it is usually to create a gui or database for an embedded system that is running io realtime.

    wayne

  6. #26
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Posts
    14
    Hi Carl

    I have no exp w/windows eMbedded visual tools, just ansi c and c++ compilers for the given micro controllers (uC's) I use (microchip and freescale). Pardon my use of vague jargon. If you looking to minimize hardware I would definatley look to a uC vs a micro processor as uCs are designed with a wealth of onchip peripherals such as memory. Not to mention uCs run at MHz, not GHz greatly reducing power consumption.

    Wayne

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    0
    Too bad this thread just kind of sputters along...

    Are these applications capable of building a bootable system? I ask, because I would like to build an application to control a robot. I have 4 mother boards that controls specific parts and functions. To reduce the electrical load, I would like to do away with as much hardware as possible like the hard drives and use USB thumb drives
    You are wanting to build the operator interface in VB or the onboard moton control system? I would not even mess with VB or windows on the 'bot itself, but follow Wayne's advice to going to a microcontroller, depends on how your connectivity is run. If you really wanted to us the PCs, and use PC wireless and controller HW, a barebones DOS or LUNIX with nothing but your motion controller and connectivity program on it. That ought to fit on a thumb drive.

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Posts
    0
    HI everyone,

    i am very interested in this project and looking for updats.

    i have found same problem while developing application in vb that the speed of stepper motors is very slow is there any way to improve the speed ! please help.

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Posts
    17

    uC

    Has anyone considered using the cubloc series of uC's. I have used these for various. I have found them to be reliable, and inexpensive. I have 40+ years in process control, none in stepper or machine timing. These units have a built in basic, and ladder logic. I want to build a cnc router and mill. Willing to work with others. no need to purchase software, provided by mfg. device should be able to interpret and control. mfg

    thanks

    ronb

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Posts
    17

    visual basic

    I agree with jamesg, why not forget visual basic, it will never be any better than windows. use a microcontroller and communicate with what-ever. microsoft only screwed the serious computer user.

  11. #31
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Posts
    1

    Re: Completely revised program for simple lasing/etching

    dont play the program((

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