Very handy to know.

DazTheGas

the M4 scripting manual is under manuals in the web site

After lots of research today I've ordered an Arduino yun in replacement for the Leonardo, it's got dedicated Ethernet and Linux bridged to the Arduino opening up a whole new avenue for communication between Mach 4 and external devices.

DazTheGas

After lots of research today I've ordered an Arduino yun in replacement for the Leonardo, it's got dedicated Ethernet and Linux bridged to the Arduino opening up a whole new avenue for communication between Mach 4 and external devices.

DazTheGas

You may want to also look at the new Rasberry, especially if you are going to use the processor based 4D libraries.  It has Ethernet and a bunch of other stuff built in, can run Linux OS and has multi processors. My current product uses the Arduino MEGA and the next Gen (MACH3 and MACH4 TCP) uses the Arduino DUE.

The MEGA was pretty much maxed out and the only avenue to loading it more would be to implement interrupts, but I could never get the interrupts to work right on the MEGA.

In the real world, the DUE is about 5 to 7 times faster for typical stuff. For me the real highlights are the FP performance and also the DUE's interrupts work perfectly. I have added a LOT of load to the DUE and was anticipating (but not looking forward to) the need to move to the Rasberry, but the DUE is chomping thru everything without any perceptible slowdown.

My current product uses the Arduino MEGA and the next Gen (MACH3 and MACH4 TCP) uses the Arduino DUE

What libraries you using on the arduino to connect to modbus??

DazTheGas

don't forget about the Beaglebone Black! Now we are talking. Let's load Mach4 (didn't they say cross-platform?) on these little guys that can run full Linux. The Aurdrino Yun is good for comms as an interface to your host to which your requirement is for.  But as a host, the Beaglebone can run full Linux...I think the Raspberry Pi does to. Mach4 in my pocket! w/ an MPG cape/shield. Fingers crossed on Ubuntu/ Mach4 platform. Mach4 needs to be a type of open-source API is paid for but the core code is available for customization. It would become LinuxCNC on steroids I bet.

http://beagleboard.org/black

The Arduino yun that I am playing with also run a cutdown version of Linux, plus able to run Python scripts, there is a bridge library which enables the Arduino chip to communicate directly to the Linux os,  so I decided to use pymodbus for communication via tcp and have the atmel chip collect or send via the bridge.

DazTheGas

Dude, you are totally opening up a world in which we can program and use Mach 4 's core engine for customization on a very small footprint. You are beating me to it! haha! I'm glad. It's the love for the game right there. The experimentation and the excitement of accomplishment...plus the frustration, trial and error, and cost...but funk it. It's about learning, expanding our knowledge and sharing it. Mach3 boards have good Audrino threads in it too. You can start to see common themes and patterns. Once they are identified, it doesn't matter what language something is programmed in. How do you think people can talk five or six different languages? They are good at pattern identification and association. It's only a matter of time before Mach 4 is broke wide open and is truly customizable. I am not talking about cracking Mach 4. What I am talking about is the potential of Mach 4 to be a PLC interface that everyone can afford and tailor to their specific requirement. It's pretty cool actually and exciting. Knowledge, experience, skills, abilities...it is those characteristics we need to share. Other than selling our foreign competitors the licensing fees to our patents and property rights at minimal value while they turn around and buy US debt and resell their products from our designs at a higher value. But, it is cheap you say? How cheap does our investment in our future become? ....FML, i just went into left field. Sorry.

Keep on rockin Daz!

yah, I know. The PCB boards we are experimenting with are manufactured in China. I just went off the cliff there. Off topic and I promise not to bring it up again.

the amount of faster boards that are coming out almost make what don't you use, some of them are still a arm and leg to buy some are at a good prices a few of them will work with arduino code it would be good to try one of the faster boards using modbus