Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!udel!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!o.gp.cs.cmu.edu!netnews.srv.cs.cmu.edu!gerry From: gerry@frc2.frc.ri.cmu.edu (Gerry Roston) Newsgroups: comp.robotics Subject: Re: Motor controller boards Message-ID: Date: 20 Nov 90 15:36:34 GMT References: <6058@munnari.oz.au> Sender: netnews@cs.cmu.edu (USENET News Group Software) Reply-To: gerry@frc2.frc.ri.cmu.edu (Gerry Roston) Organization: Field Robotics Center, CMU Lines: 50 In-Reply-To: ross@ecr.mu.oz.au's message of 19 Nov 90 23:05:29 GMT Someone hits a sore spot! Unfortunately there is a dearth of GOOD VME based motor controller boards. A quick summary follows, obviously, there is a bunch of personnel prejudice: GALIL: Crap. Uses ASCII, etc. CREONICS, Ver 1: Crap. Uses byte transfer. Also, very difficult to talk with card. Each transfer requires several interrupts, reads, writes, etc. I have written a really sweet VxWorks device driver for these, but there is no way to prevent things from screwing up if multiple interrupts near simultaneously. CREONICS, Ver 2: Crap? Supposed to fix bugs in Ver. 1, but I understand that it is very buggy. This may have been fixed. DELTA TAU DATA: Has a bunch of nice features, but is also limited by ASCII data transfer. Generates too many interrupts (?) PRECISION MICRO CONTROL: My current choice. Uses 32 bit word data xfer, supports interrupts (although maybe not flexible enough), and can have up to 6 axes per board. A device driver should be real easy. COMPUTER MOTION INC - 3DP: Looks super cool! Goes in backplace of a Sun, is screaming fast, and costs only $20,000. Seriously! Creonics Inc Etna Road Lebanon New Hampshire 03766 603-448-6300 Delta Tau Data Systems 21119 Osborne Street Canoga Park California 91304 818-998-2095 Precision Micro Control 3555 Aero Court San Diego California 92123 617-576-8058 Computer Motion Inc. 475E Cannon Green Drive Goleta California 93117 805-685-3729 -- gerry roston, field robotics center robotics institute, carnegie mellon university pittsburgh, pennsylvania, 15213 (412) 268-6557 gerry@cs.cmu.edu