What improvements/suggestions for EMC2, if it was up to you?

[chester88]

So I was reading the thread asking y people don't use EMC2 which seemed strange in a EMC forum....Still it brought up interesting points as well as some tempers...Here is another try at what I think that thread was trying to find out. What would improve the acceptability/use/capability of EMC2? I'm kinda betting EMC2 has a lot of capabilities that people are not aware of. Actually I should add a list to the EMC wiki.
If you are a person who likes tinker with controlling/building machines, programming new features or finding out how things work, then EMC2 seems the hands down winner. So If YOU were making all the decisions what would you improve first and why?

For instance a GUI conf program (like stepconf) for basic servos using the (most popular?) Messa card would showcase some of the reasons to use EMC2
Namely closed loop servos!

[chester88]

By the way anyone who has suggestions for EMC's version of Marc Le Douarain's Classicladder program please speak up - as right now I maintain it for EMC and have influence over modifications...

[dertsap]

anyone who uses windows and is unfamiliar with linux or emc can run into brick walls trying to figure out how to setup emc and use it , ive used emc for a few years now but it took a number of attempts and i gave up a good few times , the irc was a frustrating thing to figure out , i long gave up on that and i wont do the email thing . any info i collected was from endless searches to get a simple answer . my persistence payed off enough to get it working decently

the post you refered to was geared towards starting a forum and to see what support was there for it , i as well as a few others were all for it , Benny offered his free time to create a forum , something that would have been a great benefit for those of us who would have liked an alternative to the primitive other options .
it was a great idea that was shot down by the emc guru's ? something i didnt understand why but it pissed me right off !
maybe things have come a long way since i started using emc ,but how does anyone know unless they sift thru hundreds of emails

apparently there are features implimented that i had been waiting for , i dont know how to get them working nor do i care anymore , i had searched enough to figure that crap out , support on this site was slim to none as well when i started to use it , there were only a few people using it

people who are new or old to emc could greatly benefit from a forum whether the guru's want to agree with it or not

I'm not willing to get into a pissing match again about this because i give up , i've pretty much given up on emc , i'll stick with something which is much easier to navigate in use and in setting

[chester88]

So we'll sum that up as more centralized / easier accessed documentation.
The formal Docs have come along way, I know John monitors this forum and has fixed up the docs many times to clear up confusion.

I think maybe detailed examples of different set-ups are still lacking/all over the place.
For instance I am trying to add fairly detailed classicladder examples to the wiki and i'm sure if we find some common examples they would be added to the manual.
My biggest problem is I don't know what anybody else is doing (or wants to do) with classicladder. I'm not an expert by any means but have helped a couple of guys out - it helps me to learn.
So maybe more examples?

[dertsap]

Originally Posted by chester88 For instance I am trying to add fairly detailed classicladder examples to the wiki and i'm sure if we find some common examples ?

this an example of how a forum would be of benefit , take a look at other forums and how the guys have posted examples and pictures of what they have done , people can ask questions and generally get a quick answer . all of which eventually becomes a huge achieve of extremely valuable information with ease of access

[jcoats]

I love Linux, but I am a computer weenie from way back, so EMC is great. But to 'mass market' it, how could we put in some mods, so a windows weenie can feel comfortable?

I might suggest, make a windows Axis style client, including a gui config utility. Have it talk over ethernet or USB to a EMC/Linux 'appliance' that is the real controller. Especially if it could be done by having an 'EMC Appliance Boot CD'. This way the linux
machine doesn't need to do anything but run a 'canned' system, so the windows folk will feel warm and fuzzy. Also, to help make it easy to set up, allow it to only drive a 'simple' gantry system (one each x, y, z stepper, etc) just to make the 'appliance 1.0' easy to implement.

(weenie in this case is a 'technical' and not a derogatory term. It just has to do with the skewed way I see the world! ... please take the comments in the positive light I mean them to be in.)

[cyclestart]

Originally Posted by chester88 The formal Docs have come along way,

Absolutely. In addition Ubuntu has a pretty decent help system accessible from the task bar. Linux is not Windows and emc is not a simple piece of software, but a great amount of effort has been made to ease the transition. Remember, no one is being forced to use this software.

Personal wish list:
Rapid override (this exists on the formal feature request list)
The ability to select larger co-ordinate display using Axis.

Shoot for the moon wish:
Built-in CAM

[chester88]

I've heard the 'bigger display of co-ordinates" a fair amount. I assume that building a pyvcp panel to do this is a pain.
Actually there is another suggestion- a pyvcp panel builder GUI style.

[Dan Falck]

in the later releases of emc2/Axis you can toggle the larger font by clicking on 'view' and there is a check box for 'Large Coordinate Font'. Try that out.

[BillTodd]

How about adding a run in full screen function (i.e. automate the maximise window function) ?

[jalessi]

I prefer beenie aka propeller head.

Jeff...

[cyclestart]

Chester
There was a topic on using a pyvcp co-ordinate display. Not sure where this stands atm.
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60199

Dan
Not seeing that option under View. Running 2.2.8 on Dapper.

Bill
This is from a year and a half ago. Haven't tried it myself.
http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/emc...ge_As_Possible