I’d be happy for anything that easily supports closed-loop feedback. Step encoders, vibration sensors, temp sensor - all things that could help the machine to intelligently decide to STOP. Everything else - more channels, more powerful drivers, etc. - is great, but making the machine smarter would be infinitely more valuable. If the controller could notice that a bit has, or may be about to, break or get lodged in the work piece (bit deflection [ick], vibration, heat), or that the thing is shaking so much that a screw has probably come loose (I love LocTite now), or that chip accumulation is slowing down the spindle (increased current draw, air puffer not running)... basically all the stuff I do when I’m staring at the thing for 30 minutes to an hour (or more!) while it cuts a piece out of half inch AL... THAT would get me excited. CNC technology seems to be stuck in the 90s. (I’m looking at you, Mach3!) If you’re going to design a controller from the ground up, make it possible for us software guys to close the loop by providing places for useful sensors and lots of GPIO. Hell - with the right feedback, the software could determine feeds & speeds on its own. THAT would be super impressive and a huge time saver, and it’s not rocket surgery. I realize these are mostly software requests, but: provide the proper hardware, and the community can figure out the rest.
Well, hope the BlackBox comes out soon at a reasonable price. These days so many ambitious projects are sold to the public and then die on the technology/manufacturing stages. Good luck on your endeavor, I'll believe it when I see it for sale.
aren't blackboxes something that gets found after a crash or if there's a problem to which it's attched --- or cnc will fly or not
Sure. But, in engineering, we also use the term to describe a Magical Thingy that does Some Thing, and we don't really know (or typically care) about what happens inside. We just treat it as a component like any other. In undergrad, I built a lap timer (I'm a car guy) that used GPS, accelerometers and some other crap, and logged data to an SD card. I discovered a few weeks into the project that the SD card module used the same model of microcontroller that I was using to drive everything else. If I'd wanted to do some soldering, or start over from scratch, I could've completely removed one of the MCUs, but the thing cost about $10 so I didn't really consider it. So, black box. Could I read and write to the SD card? Yep. Did I really care how it worked? Nope, not germane to my project. Complete overkill? Yes, once I learned how it worked, but, hey, it was college.
WOW! Been away for a while and when I come back more great news with exciting ideas bouncing around in my head. I've been playing with my 3D printer that was built from openbuild hardware. 3D is a whole new world and I feel like I get more water than air in this ocean called 3D; as I struggle to learn. CNC was way easier to learn. I hope to get back to my CNC build soon. Having undergone several major surgeries in the past few years, most of them since 2013 it has been hard to work on things. I did the 3D printer to help keep my mind occupied while recovering from my spinal-cord-stimulator implant. Had to stay in the house, trips to my shop were NOT allowed. With one more surgery, to replace my right knee, and I should be good for a few more years. So far both shoulders totally replaced, new disk in my low back with hardware to stabilize the repair of spondylitis at L5 S1, left knee replaced, and removal of half of my thyroid. Excited to get back to making things. Can’t wait to see what the new Blackbox will look like.
Wow that is a crazy story ! You should have asked doctors to put some v-slots in your body . Anyway good to hear you are fine now!
