GearHeads Forum

Dan:

  I think the ability to change focus to take advantage of smaller and larger beam diameter would be handy too, by calibrating diam vs speed one should be able to use the beam as a variable width brush to engrave with... or 3d scintter print with.. just  thoughts Ive had on the subject of variable focus..

Art

If you can get it to work on 3D topographical objects i think you will make a million. I have a friend that makes jewelry boxes on his 5 axis homemade machine and he is interested in laser engraving on various domes and other shaped objects. When i looked into 3D laser engraving I could only come up with one company that makes them and they want a ton of money. There are a lot of machines out there that have the stepper motors on the platforms so anyone that comes up with a way to vary the focal length relative to the toolpath would be interested in such a product
Dan

Hi Dan:

  I doubt it will be "finished" per say, but Ill be releasing it as a GCode editor and wizarding program as Gearotic starts development again. It will likely be  a
dual pipeline from that point as Ill work on both as I see fit.  As I go, Im seeing where it really could be quite useful for gearotic and may allow me to put out modules
that use Auggie as well as G2 to make a particular widget or process easier. Fourth axis work comes to mind, or engraving outputs...

    As you can imagine, making a full control program is pretty complex ( I think Mach4 is into its 5th year), so it will take awhile to get to completion,  but I expect non-motion control releases of Auggie this fall, with Motion slowly being turned on as the year progresses from simple to complex. Im finishing the interpreter at this point
and soon will have Gcode and toolpath simulation. By the fall I should have a few good screens to release as general utilities, what I'm finding is that Auggie
may make it possible for me to simply release screensets that add functionality in all segments of Gearotic.. if so it will have paid for its investment in time
this summer. So unlike most motion control programs where its useless to run it without motion, Im trying to make Auggie useful in various ways as it builds
to full control. Im in a lull where I cant show much as Im deep into the main code to tie together many aspects of the programs internals. Once I have toolpath,
3d simulation and Gcode properly interpreted and displaying the way I have always wanted personally to see them, Ill start releasing video's explaining my rather
different way of looking at the issues involved.. hopefully anyway, Im having enough fun with it that I can see it going pretty far, and I look forward to a time
where others can more easily add parts to its whole, who knows ,that may change its direction even further. :)

  Im renovating my laser as well to have a table that moves up and down to control focus on the fly, so Ill want motion myself this winter, if that helps give you
an idea of when motion is likely. As you probably know Im always very careful about timelines, I dont like being accused of vapourware promises, (which has never
really happened but I credit that to being very careful about what I promise. :)  ). So in that vein I wont promise completion times, but I will be attempting
to have my laser running up and down by XMas or so..

Art


Art


Art

It's been a couple months since you started this thread on 3D laser engraving and was wondering if you will have it done before you put on your gearotic hat and return to that.
Dan Mauch

[quote="ArtF"]
Dan:

    The decision to use the PoKeys wasnt a hard on in this case for a couple reasons,
first, it has a motion engine, Arduino's , though handy, are not fast enough for
what I need to do. Secondly, it has a C library for programers, it is unique in that,
Thirdly, it has a built in utility for PLC operations with a well designed graphic program
where you just drop and place AND, OR gates and such and download programs into it. This
capability runs in parallel with whatever software may be controlling it. This is like
having Brains built in from Mach3.

   Its top speed of 125khz for the Pokeys57cnc makes it twice as fast as my printer port.

  The PMDX and ESS are great boards, I like them both, but they are not at a point in
their development where I can as easily attach to them. ( I am designing this so that other
baords "could" be used in future if the protocols do get taken up.), but for design and testing,
Im using 4 different Pokeys, the Pokeys 56u and 56e should work for 3 axis motion and digital bit output
during motion, while the 57U and 57E woudl work for 3 axis with variable on the fly PWM manipulations
(thus allowing power manipulation during motion. ) the 57CNC is both usb and ethernet and should work with 8 axis.

   I dont recommend anyone getting a device specifically for this as of yet, Im in the middle of the
screen designer ( the old chicken and egg problem ) , and it will be awhile before I report full motion
,at this point the program only displays test screen controls and attaches to all Pokeys in a system.
Id also point out, this will not be a full implementation of the GCode side of a controller, it is being
written specifically for Lasers and engravers, specifically because I have a laser and it NEEDS a solution
to handle the exact things Dan was asking about. Focus and Power during motion. :)

  The good thing I suppose is that anyone with a pokeys can use Mach3 , Mach4 AND gearotics controller when
it is done. What works well in Gearotic will likely end up in Mach at some point. Ive done quite a bit
of coding over time that has never been used or was just research. ( 3d from webcam was 4 years in
my projects folders for example). I have a 6 axis, 6th order Quintic planner I almost completed and was tested in
Quantum, I intend to use that for motion which means Ill have to finish its pause function. The Screen is a design
idea from the days of Mach2 ( which probably few remember. ), mixed with things Im learning this summer from GDI+
graphics.

   Anyway, thats the plan, I woudlnt rush to get ready, this is very experimental, as most of my summer projects
are. This is a standalone program which will be callable only from the Gearotic Tools screen as a module.
[/quote]

Hi Dan ( et al.)

 Here is a link to the screen designer shoudl anyone like to play with it.

http://www.gearotic.com/linkcnt/click.php?id=7

Art

Hay art I would be keen to have a play with the screen set it looks quite good

its all cool art the hope for ESS is that I will have to add a laser to my dad`s machine when I have it working on the emco and it does a good job I will just have to get my arise into gear to get the electric wheel chair addon`s finished to pay for what will be needed in a year or what ever.

it`s all good I will just make do to my xp computer blows up and do the change over then I will have to get gearotic any way for the scanner, gray scale, and laser when done.

if I can use one of the other podkey board`s it would be good in the long run what ever you say is good I will go with that

thanks for all your cool stuff you do art

Dan:

    The decision to use the PoKeys wasnt a hard on in this case for a couple reasons,
first, it has a motion engine, Arduino's , though handy, are not fast enough for
what I need to do. Secondly, it has a C library for programers, it is unique in that,
Thirdly, it has a built in utility for PLC operations with a well designed graphic program
where you just drop and place AND, OR gates and such and download programs into it. This
capability runs in parallel with whatever software may be controlling it. This is like
having Brains built in from Mach3.

  Its top speed of 125khz for the Pokeys57cnc makes it twice as fast as my printer port.

  The PMDX and ESS are great boards, I like them both, but they are not at a point in
their development where I can as easily attach to them. ( I am designing this so that other
baords "could" be used in future if the protocols do get taken up.), but for design and testing,
Im using 4 different Pokeys, the Pokeys 56u and 56e should work for 3 axis motion and digital bit output
during motion, while the 57U and 57E woudl work for 3 axis with variable on the fly PWM manipulations
(thus allowing power manipulation during motion. ) the 57CNC is both usb and ethernet and should work with 8 axis.

  I dont recommend anyone getting a device specifically for this as of yet, Im in the middle of the
screen designer ( the old chicken and egg problem ) , and it will be awhile before I report full motion
,at this point the program only displays test screen controls and attaches to all Pokeys in a system.
Id also point out, this will not be a full implementation of the GCode side of a controller, it is being
written specifically for Lasers and engravers, specifically because I have a laser and it NEEDS a solution
to handle the exact things Dan was asking about. Focus and Power during motion. :)

  The good thing I suppose is that anyone with a pokeys can use Mach3 , Mach4 AND gearotics controller when
it is done. What works well in Gearotic will likely end up in Mach at some point. Ive done quite a bit
of coding over time that has never been used or was just research. ( 3d from webcam was 4 years in
my projects folders for example). I have a 6 axis, 6th order Quintic planner I almost completed and was tested in
Quantum, I intend to use that for motion which means Ill have to finish its pause function. The Screen is a design
idea from the days of Mach2 ( which probably few remember. ), mixed with things Im learning this summer from GDI+
graphics.

  Anyway, thats the plan, I woudlnt rush to get ready, this is very experimental, as most of my summer projects
are. This is a standalone program which will be callable only from the Gearotic Tools screen as a module.

did you have to go with that one O well just have to use the arduino. looks like I wont be able to plug my G540 into it I new you would be changing I was hopeing a ESS or PDMX

time to start save then

Two in 5 voices is my head  ;) asked " will be ready tomorrow?"  I argued against them but lost!
My other voices simply say keep us informed. It exciting.

Dan Mauch