The current repository is "machinekit-hal". They only work on HAL. There are no CNC apps in the current repository. All the stuff for running CNC equipment is removed now. When the developers moved from "machinekit" to "machinekit-hal" they abandoned all the CNC-related stuff. It is all on GitHub, go look.
But it does seem to be actively developed although the last update was almost two weeks ago. I think someone took a Christmas break. If I had to guess what Tormach does, it would be to use their own closed-source "Path Pilot" app along with HAL from Machine kit. But I'm guessing. They are funding the ROS2 work. Someone asked, "What is ROS2?" It is the planner and motion controller that is now probably the most-used. The part of ROS used for manipulators (arms) is called "MoveIt" and a Google search will turn up information on MoveIt. Motion planning is harder with a robot arm because they don't usually run pre-programmed code. In the CNC world the motion path is designed when the g-code is written. But robot controls have to do this in real time as the world around them changes. When the palletizing robot lifts a box to be placed on a pallet the box might be in a different location and of course the pallets are placed more or less randomly wherever the human forklift driver left it. Even a pick and place robot has to find the parts which might be loose-packed in a open bin. Moveit is open source and integrated with ROS. ROS is larger "Robot Operating System" that includes things for communications, driving wheeled robots and other stuff like MoveIt. Not using MoveIt to move a robot arm is like saying "LCNC is too complex, I'll just write my own code on an Arduino to read g-code and generate steps for my 4-axis mill." You could, maybe, but it would take more than a few days. For those who like looking at interesting robots here is a video from 2019, these have been improved but are not moving boxes in warehouses. You can see that the task they are doing can't be pre-programmed. Really this is not much more than a CNC mill. The wheels but the machine in (X,Y and the orange suction cup-thing is like a spindle that moves in Z, it just operates in a larger space than a mill table https://youtu.be/5iV_hB08Uns On Wed, Jan 5, 2022 at 11:49 AM Ralph Stirling < [email protected]> wrote: > The newest version of Machinekit separates "emc" from hal, > and permits their hal to compile with standard Linuxcnc 2.8 > if I recall correctly. Their focus has always been on the > hal end of things rather than gui's and cnc machining. > > I can't find the email post that explained this, and the machinekit > documentation is rather sparse, so how one actually installs > things with current LinuxCNC high level code and Machinekit > hal code, I couldn't tell you. > > -- Ralph > ________________________________________ > From: Rob C [[email protected]] > Sent: Wednesday, January 5, 2022 10:53 AM > To: Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) > Subject: Re: [Emc-users] Tormach writing open sorce ROS2/Machiekit/LCNC > bridge. > > CAUTION: This email originated from outside the Walla Walla University > email system. > > > I was also confused by machine kit reference from tormach. I thought > tormach was based on linuxcnc and not the machine kit branch/fork > > although I guess if Tormach are running a 2.7 linuxcnc version I guess you > could say they have their own branch/fork > > I would have thought that since the change to python 3 with linuxcnc that > will be quite a divergent change to linuxcnc that will make it difficult to > integrate any items pushed back to 2.7 > > On Wed, 5 Jan 2022, 18:38 John Dammeyer, <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > From: Chris Albertson [mailto:[email protected]] > > > > > > On Wed, Jan 5, 2022 at 3:29 AM Gregg Eshelman via Emc-users < > > > [email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > That repeatability is plenty good enough to drop work into an > automatic > > > > holding fixture (which does the final precision positioning) then > pick > > the > > > > pieces out for transfer to another manufacturing stage or into a box. > > > > > > > > > > > > As it turns out, for all the really hard tasks, +/- a quarter-inch > > (0.25") > > > is accurate enough. You only need 0.001 inches for the simple no-brain > > > jobs. So my point is that you can do a LOT with the cheaper 3D > printed > > > plastic version of this robot. > > > > > > I'm surprised there are not more people here working on robots. hey > are > > > very much like CNC tools but more interesting. > > > > > > > I'm headed in that direction once I get the power drawbar working to my > > satisfaction. I had considered using one of the Size24 Steppers with > 50:1 > > planetary drives to replace the butterfly impact wrench. Easy enough to > > track turns with an encoder on the back of the motor and let it stall > when > > target torque is reached with software control of motor torque. Then to > > remove use full torque for required number of turns. > > > > Then the tool changer. To me a robot arm seemed more useful since I'm > > using TTS and R8 tooling. Lining up the R8 is possible because the > spindle > > has step/dir so the spindle could be rotated until the R8 tool slips up > the > > key. > > > > Anyway, my Ball Bearing Jacobs Chuck with R8 weighs in at 1.7kg without > > tooling so I think a 3D printed version of this arm is probably just a > bit > > undersize along with the planetary gearboxes not being 0 backlash. > > > > You're right. His software is minimal but still the entire project as > > open source is impressive. Few people are doing it to that level even if > > he's earning income off the metalwork and part sets which comes to over > $1k > > if you buy his metal and bearing and parts sets along with the > > StepperOnline motors and gearboxes. > > > > But still it's interesting other than I'd much rather dedicated a Pi4 and > > LCNC to it. With no idea where to start since I don’t' even know what > > ROS2 is and am confused as to why Tormach is using the MachineKit version > > instead of LCNC. I thought MachineKit had stalled and was no longer > used. > > > > John > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Emc-users mailing list > > [email protected] > > > https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flists.sourceforge.net%2Flists%2Flistinfo%2Femc-users&data=04%7C01%7Cralph.stirling%40wallawalla.edu%7C927f98bdb466429393e908d9d07ca945%7Cd958f048e43142779c8debfb75e7aa64%7C0%7C0%7C637770056117520462%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=lZrq9WQkB8RdlXePS6pA7hkoankChBqt%2FC19vyoBSfA%3D&reserved=0 > > > > _______________________________________________ > Emc-users mailing list > [email protected] > > https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flists.sourceforge.net%2Flists%2Flistinfo%2Femc-users&data=04%7C01%7Cralph.stirling%40wallawalla.edu%7C927f98bdb466429393e908d9d07ca945%7Cd958f048e43142779c8debfb75e7aa64%7C0%7C0%7C637770056117520462%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=lZrq9WQkB8RdlXePS6pA7hkoankChBqt%2FC19vyoBSfA%3D&reserved=0 > > > _______________________________________________ > Emc-users mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > -- Chris Albertson Redondo Beach, California _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
