Stand alone CNC controller to drive stepper or servo+lcd input to make a backstop.

[Apples]

I wonder what electronics and components you would need to make a electronic stepper or servo driven back stop or back gauge.

So instead of using the tape measure, the idea is you input your length you want, say 2500mm then hit the go button. The a motor will spin x amount of times/pulses which is geared and pre calculated ie steps per mm or steps per inch.

Then you hook that drive to a mechanical setup to make the stopper go to the desired length.

This would need to run with out a pc, otherwise I'd just use Mach3. I would be nice to get rid of the whole computer and have maybe a Arduino or PIC. I have no experience with these at all....

Then you would need a keypad and some type of screen LCD? So you could input your desired length.

Maybe also a standard positional speed which is slow, then a faster jog speed for manual rapids, when you hold a butting down.

And also real time readout on the display to show where the stop, or what distance the stop is at at all times etc.

So anyone know how I can do this at all?
Any tutorials for the Arduino, PIXAC, PIC to do this anywhere?

[doorknob]

I would think that most of what you need is available in this PIC-based rotary table indexer project:

Rotary table indexer