Let me see if I understand how DeskCNC works.
Unlike other software such as KCam and Mach2, DeskCNC requires an interpreter board (DeskCNC controller). Instead of bit-banging the parallel port it sends move commands to the interpreter board through the serial port. The interpreter board generates all the signals needed for (your) axis drivers. This avoids the rather nasty Windows PP API which doesn't give software control over timing of the parallel port. The result is faster and smoother motion than is normally possibly under windows.
One thing I'm not grasping. The web page says that it requires the same pitch screws on X and Y to do circular interpolation. Since it knows how many steps per inch each axis is, I can't see it having troubles doing circles. This only leaves me simply not understanding what is meant by "Circular Interpolation". So, what does this mean and what are the implications should you not have identical pitches on X and Y? |