Driver software. ( List the features you want )

[ynneb]

This is a multi option selection poll


I know of a software designer who is planning to write a new program to operate CNC machines.

What are the features you think are important, and would like to see in this new software development?

Please list all your ideas in this thread.

You may see who has voted, and how they voted here.
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/poll.p...ults&pollid=38

[Al_The_Man]

Is this designed around a Motion control card or solely PC software based?
A few that would be on my wish list would be a full complement of G codes and canned cycles for both mills and lathes, including G31 skip input for probing, also the ability for parametric programing.
A professional looking, unclutered operator interface (not something that look like a kids game), with paging menu's, preferably.
A position screen that includes 'distance to go'.
Handwheel option.
I will probabally think of others.
BTW what operating system?
Al

[ynneb]

Al, I think it is designed around a motion control card in order to increase control speed. I will check though.

Edit: It will be for all Windows. Again, I will check to make sure.

[wisp]

Read encoder position for closed loop operation with steppers or servo's
handwheel option

[sol]

Editing on the fly. Stop cutting, edit g-code, continue cutting.

[drawbar]

Needs to have look-ahead processing. I very much like TurboCNC, but my only beef is that every point is Stop-Go-Stop-Go-Stop-Go...

Brian

[RotarySMP]

I am also very happy with TurboCNC, and am looking forward to Constant velocity conturing and tool radius compensation.

Why does you friend want to get into this incredibly crowded, low return on investment market?

[sendkeys]

i like to see high speed output like indexlpt 90khz. or some type of low cost driver board like deskcnc at 100khz +

also like to have the support for TRUE closed loop system

and everything everyone else said :P

[ESjaavik]

Originally Posted by drawbar Needs to have look-ahead processing. I very much like TurboCNC, but my only beef is that every point is Stop-Go-Stop-Go-Stop-Go... Brian

Are you sure this is not possible to configure?
A program that stops at each block must be very close to unusable. Several programs that generate G-code can hardly be teased to output an arc as one block, they spit out thousands of segments. That in combination with stop/go must sound like a machine gun, take forever to mill and wear down your end mills in no time.

@Benny: What Al wrote + Must have PLC functions.
+ Must be using intelligent motion control card for RT-functions and PLC. So the machine will be handled in a controlled manner each time Windows is "out for lunch".

Actually I prefer it's not running under Windows as Windows was never designed for this and is eminently unsuitable. But it needs to be "networkable". That is: NFS, Samba or similar for transferring code to controller.

I suggest your friend check out EMC and maybe use his programmer's skills to contribute to EMC2. As a business proposition why not install and support EMC instead of making his own? Lots of people make a living from supporting Linux, but none as far as I know from installing EMC.

[JFettig]

What I would really like to see is a controller with an editor that uses conversational code. Conversational code is extremely nice, line here, arch there, drill here, position there blend line all that good stuff. I recently wrote a 94 line code in conversational code that would have been probably 200-500 lines of G-code, plus its rather easy to understand.
This is all at work that I do this as all the cnc lathes and one mill runs conversational code.

Jon

[Dan S]

I think it would be cool, if I could run the software on the fast machine in the office, and control the computer/router in the garage via the wireless router.

[JFettig]

use winvnc or remote desktop, that and a webcam

Jon