Hello all
I just wish to brainstorm with some of you and many of you may have some experience and recommendations.
Over my engineering career i have done many projects that involve precision motion control.
However, one problem continues to lurk. I have yet to tackle a project that required multiple motor coordination that is nearly real time. For example a CNC machine.
Now anyone can google and see that DIY cnc machines are the norm project now. so i ask the following.
How are people achievement dang near real time multi motor control? IF someone asks me this question my mind runs to the most complex solution i know of. Real time target machines using matlab models or perhaps an FPGA based solution.
I have done lots of old projects with RS232 communication based motors and some PLC motor control but non o those options are fast enough for a cnc machine.
So these DIY yourself kits are what..........?
The only guess i have is micro controller based.
IS the micro controller able to execute fast enough to issue 3 lines of commands . e.g move the x motor to this postion the y motor to this positon and the Z motor to this position fast enough that there is not a total loss in resolution of a movement?
Take for example, you want to cut a 2D circle on a a cnc machine
The Micro Controller executes a line that says
Move the X axis motor to this point. As it moves to the second line to execute the Y axis already the X has already moved. And around and around we go.
If you could zoom in with a microscope you would see not a perfect circular cut but a stairway cut pattern in your circle.
So my question is, are cheap micro controllers just fast enough these days to where the "stairway" i speak of above is so small that it does not effect the machine?
I often wonder how people are building $1000 cnc machines because my real time target machine i would use for one cost $5k just for the computer lol so...... obviously its something else
Who here has the answer to my question?
Thanks for the ideas
I just wish to brainstorm with some of you and many of you may have some experience and recommendations.
Over my engineering career i have done many projects that involve precision motion control.
However, one problem continues to lurk. I have yet to tackle a project that required multiple motor coordination that is nearly real time. For example a CNC machine.
Now anyone can google and see that DIY cnc machines are the norm project now. so i ask the following.
How are people achievement dang near real time multi motor control? IF someone asks me this question my mind runs to the most complex solution i know of. Real time target machines using matlab models or perhaps an FPGA based solution.
I have done lots of old projects with RS232 communication based motors and some PLC motor control but non o those options are fast enough for a cnc machine.
So these DIY yourself kits are what..........?
The only guess i have is micro controller based.
IS the micro controller able to execute fast enough to issue 3 lines of commands . e.g move the x motor to this postion the y motor to this positon and the Z motor to this position fast enough that there is not a total loss in resolution of a movement?
Take for example, you want to cut a 2D circle on a a cnc machine
The Micro Controller executes a line that says
Move the X axis motor to this point. As it moves to the second line to execute the Y axis already the X has already moved. And around and around we go.
If you could zoom in with a microscope you would see not a perfect circular cut but a stairway cut pattern in your circle.
So my question is, are cheap micro controllers just fast enough these days to where the "stairway" i speak of above is so small that it does not effect the machine?
I often wonder how people are building $1000 cnc machines because my real time target machine i would use for one cost $5k just for the computer lol so...... obviously its something else
Who here has the answer to my question?
Thanks for the ideas