"RogerN" wrote in message
m...

I understand at this point the computer idea sounds too complicated
/ expensive but that's kind of like your EMC experience. Sounded
like too much unfamiliar territory but you took it step by step,
solved one problem at a time, and ended up with a system that you
can repair without high $$ parts and labor. And you added a 4th
axis + knee?, that may not have even been an option with the
original control.

RogerN

I considered similarly overengineering a computerized draft regulator
for my woodstove, with inputs from firebox, stack and outdoor air
temperature and the draft vacuum, all of which I was monitoring. It
would be fun and a considerable accomplishment to tune it properly.
I've designed relay-ladder controls for industrial production test and
burn-in stations and wired/programmed simulations of the rest of the
system for circuit board test and calibration fixtures.

For the woodstove I decided instead to add a remote thermocouple
temperature display above this computer's monitor, so I know at a
glance to go down and attend to it when it has reached operating
temperature or needs more wood. A second channel tells me when a pot
on the stove is nearing boil.

When I sandblast with an inadequate compressor I hang a large pressure
gauge on the wall nearby and attack a new area with hammer and chisel
until the pressure recovers enough to continue.

I've learned to be cautious of designing complex things for other
people's use that only the designer can fix.
jsw