Instructions

go back to the way you already know or forget the whole idea. I don't want customers
who think it'll be easy to learn because they'll be unsatisfied from the beginning and take
out their anger on Sherline.
You’re about to learn how to control your robot
These aren't instruction about operating a simple single system like a VCR, but
instructions about controlling a very complicated device. You are not operators of these
marvelous machines; you are masters telling your robot what to do, and you, the
controller, have unlimited choices to make. I want to get this concept through to that
average customer I mentioned, yet I know that only one out of five professional
machinists I know seems to really understand this point.
I’m going to be a student in my own class
I was shocked at just how much I had forgotten about the process of CNC programming.
I probably know as much as anybody of what you can do with CNC machines, because I
own at least twenty modern machining centers, yet I haven’t really written any code in
fifteen years. After thinking about it for a couple of days while unsuccessfully attempting
to write a simple program I decided this is a good thing. I also decided that I’d learn this
from the Linux site on my own and not use the books that were available to me. I
believed that if I wrote the instructions as I learned how to program EMC myself I’d
write better instructions; after all, all you have to be is one page ahead of your students to
teach.
Just joking, teachers.
Something for nothing
Sherline Products Inc. is not charging you for this EMC2 program, and it is free because
of work done by NIST (National Institute of Science and Technology), a government
funded organization. The EMC (Enhanced Machine Controller) was written by the NIST
and is a very sophisticated program. We all now have the benefit of millions of dollars of
programming along with the source code, if needed, simply by asking.
We all owe thanks to the EMC group
At the time this program was written it was thought that only very advanced
programmers and scientists would be using a program such as this, and the average
person stood little chance of making it functional. Fortunately for us, a lot of very smart
people before us, donating their time, started developing a programming interface that
allowed both businesses and hobbyists to take advantage of what they had done without
being engineers. I’m very pleased with what they have done. This group still works
together through the Internet, and help is available through Internet chat groups. Many
people have donated much of their time to make this system “user friendly.”
The EMC2 program operates under the Linux operating system, which is also a free
system, and it would be wise to operate it from a dedicated computer for this task. A dual
boot system can lead to problems, because Microsoft code has been purposely written to
be the dominant control of your computer whether you want it or not. I like the Linux
concept of people working together where all have the benefit of any single person’s
work. For example, these instructions will have a Sherline link placed on the EMC for all
to read whether they are Sherline customers or not. It will be my donation towards a
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