Anyone know if LinuxCNC is usefull
 

wrote in message
news:1110520779.8a0ed961e022eb72a47a26154a255573@t eranews...
Anyone know if LinuxCNC can run a tool changer with limit switches
etc? I didn't see a clear answer at the web site as to what you have
to do. Looks like the PLC would be a separate app under Linux.

Jon Elson, are you lurking out there somewhere?


( Crossposted to rec.crafts.metalworking )

--

SVL

PrecisionMachinisT wrote:

wrote in message
news:1110520779.8a0ed961e022eb72a47a26154a255573@ teranews...


Anyone know if LinuxCNC can run a tool changer with limit switches
etc? I didn't see a clear answer at the web site as to what you have
to do. Looks like the PLC would be a separate app under Linux.

Jon Elson, are you lurking out there somewhere?



Limit switches for axes are easy. EMC (the actual program that LinuxCNC
is the web
page for) supports limit and home switches quite well.

Tool changers are a bit more complicated. There has been a lot of work
on this, but it still hasn't been made easy. There are a couple of ways to
do it. The hard way, but maybe worth it if you are going to make many
of them,
is to code up something, either using the ClassicLadder program that is
partially
integrated with EMC, or in C code, that will do all the sequencing
through some
I/O points. The other way is to use some generic interfacing that
several other
people have used to give the most concise info to a PLC, and have all the
sequencing and interlocking done by the PLC. The PLC only needs to know the
next tool number, and when to start a tool change cycle. EMC just needs to
know when it is done (or when the PLC has run into a problem, and can't do
it.)

When EMC2 is finished, and the "HAL" layer is fully implemented and
connected
to everything in EMC, this will become much easier to do.

Jon

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 16:37:02 -0600, Jon Elson
wrote:

When EMC2 is finished, and the "HAL" layer is fully implemented and
connected
to everything in EMC, this will become much easier to do.

Jon

Thanks Jon,

Any idea of when EMC2 may be available?

Know anyone in L.A. that might write something for a tool changer?


--
Ken

"The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits."