[Coco] moving files on bootup >> leading to that CNC Cocomachine

[Joel Ewy]

George,

I think what you're doing is very cool, and I'd love to see the BASIC09
code when you're done, if you're willing to share.  I built a CNC drill
press from Dan Mauch's plans in 'Nuts &Volts' in the early '90s.  Didn't
actually build it myself till '98.  I had been using DANCAD/DANCAM on an
old Epson '286 laptop to run the thing until recently, and I've
installed Ubuntu/EMC2 on an older Pentium 4 system which I intend to use
next.  But I love the idea of running a CNC machine with OS-9.  I'm
tempted to try building my own 68K machine for that purpose.  (I'd be a
bit scared to try using the MM/1.)  It probably won't ever happen, but
who knows?

JCE

George Ramsower wrote:
> Before someone replies with:
>
> Live Linux CNC or some other thing similar to that. I should point out
> that this whole coco system is fabricated with "STUFF" I've had laying
> around in boxes. It cost nothing to build except my time. This is a
> hobby and it's fun. Hard work, but fun nonetheless.
> I've put a lot of thought to this project and I've decided that once
> it's done, I've made a part or two, then I will probably do the Live
> Linux CNC thing and buy the stepper motor controllers and all that and
> get to some faster, more powerful work.
> I have to prove it can be done on a coco first. Period.
>
> THIS IS FUN!
>
> After all, isn't that what attracts us to the Coco in the first place?
>
> George
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "George Ramsower"
>>
>> Okay!
>>
>> Once I snapped that piping dsave to shell did the trick(thanks to
>> Robert Gault for reminding me), this little snag was done. Although
>> I'm not ready for it yet, I am planning for the future.
>> This is part of a larger project that I brought up several months ago
>> about using a Coco to control a Mirco Milling Machine. The extreme
>> time since then is because I've tossed the whole idea of using ball
>> bearing slides on the machine and have totally redesigned and
>> fabricated a new machine. This has taken some time. The coco has just
>> been waiting for this to happen and I haven't had much time to work
>> on the software. Now that I've got the machine/mechanical parts
>> almost ready, I'm actually using the coco and the machine to do some
>> milling and drilling to finish the darned thing.
>> I've impressed myself with the way it's working. (Pat myself on my
>> own back). I did some checking on backlash and accuracy and I am
>> proud to say that each of the three(X, Y and Z) axis are pretty cool.
>> Backlash is is less than .0004 inches and accuracy over the entire
>> length of travel is within .0015 inch.
>> Most of the inaccuracy in the total length is because of the way I
>> was doing the math when I move it in such a way that leaves fractions
>> of steps and those steps were getting out of sync with the real
>> position and the cheap lead screws which are nothing more than "all
>> thread rods".  So, I'm working on converting actual, desired
>> positions and then converting that number to the stepping of the
>> motors to get to that point. This will help, but will not compensate
>> for the threaded rods.
>>
>> This is not easy to explain.
>>
>>
>> Anyway...... I also discovered that in Basic09, using While/Endwhile
>> is faster than stomping through those steps using FOR / NEXT.
>> While/Endwhile is actually easier to use also!!
>>
>> WOW! I gotta tell ya, this is a learning experience.
>>
>> The plan on using Dsave to a ram drive is that when I build a design
>> to machine a part, the computer should get the control
>> commands(hopefully G-Code) from the ram drive and then execute those
>> commands. Of course, the ram disk needs to be quick. I can now use
>> Dsave to save the ramdisk back to the floppy when I shutdown the
>> operation. Otherwise, the software will rely on the ramdisk to
>> operate. I can delete files manually, so this isn't an issue.
>>
>> I'm constantly amazed how powerful OS9 and Basic09 is. Not quite fast
>> enough, but still very powerful.
>>
>> Gene Heskett said the other day."a coco doing actual work!"
>>
>> Well, here it is...... almost.
>>
>> George
>>
>>
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>
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