Re: [Emc-users] Machmaker USB -> Parallel

[Bari <bar...@gm...>]

An Orange Pi has an integrated microcontroller that may be used for 
stepping to >400KHz. It already does what you are mentioning internally. 
I haven't explored how fast that it can read encoders yet for closed loop.

On 8/15/20 3:46 AM, Chris Albertson wrote:
> What are you missing?  THe Orange Pi is not a microcontroller.  It is a
> small size PC.  It runs Linux and acts like a PC,    I microcontroler is a
> single chip with a much less powerful CPU and memory measured in Kilo and
> mega bytes, not gigabytes. And they don't run Linux.
>
> The Orange Pi or a PC is OK for open loop stepper moter based systems but
> can't handle a rotary shaft encoders without help.  It also, no matter how
> good it is, there is jitter in the timing.   To get past this most people
> will use a Mesa Card of some type.
>
> But rather then Mesa, what about a $3 SMT32 based card, or several of
> them?    Then if done right you would not need the real-time version of
> Linux.    The system would be much easier to set up
>
> If you don't need RT Linux then maybe you don't need Linux and a Mac or
> Windows or maybe an iPhone could work as long as all the real-time
> parts ran on these microcontrollers.   Some robots work like this.  So
> there are many examples.
>
> So what you are missing is the suggestion was  not to replace the Linux-PC
> (or Linux-Pi) with a micro controller but rather create another external
> real-time board from a mass produced product.