Author Topic: Greetings and salutations!  (Read 3927 times)

Offline Ryan7777

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Greetings and salutations!
« on: September 13, 2017, 05:12:20 AM »
Hello everyone!

I'm Ryan and I am from the Midwest in the United States

My background is over 30 years as an electronics hobbyist, I have a degree in electronics and work in electronics professionally. So yeah, I'm pretty much up to my elbows in electronics from the minute I wake up until my head hits the pillow again in the evening!

I also dabble in programming from PC and Linux based stuff to PIC's and arduinos and various other microcontrollers. I'm a bit more comfortable in the 8 bit end of the pool, but I know enough about ARM and the like to be dangerous 😁

I just bought a 4 axis 3040 ballscrew style desktop "engraver'  and have already started doing some mods to it so I can cut some material other than wood! My projects are mostly for project enclosures and panel layouts and stuff like that. Some light aluminum work will be my limit on this machine.

I have been looking for a better solution than the typical mach3-linuxcnc / parallel port configuration of these things. I've gutted the original stepper drivers for some better micro stepping models and took out the parallel board. I was planning on a smoothie clone but after buying one (of course) I start finding all kinds of weird quirks after more in depth research. I've honestly been thinking of doing a switching circuit that will let me simply swap between controllers with a rotary switch to whatever, that way I always have something to fall back to!

I ran across a forum post where someone mentioned the DDCSV (MMCNC/Pandora 😎) unit as the better alternative to the smoothie and that led me to here. Of course reading of the work that's being done to crack the thing and make it more open source really got me excited! That along with the fact it just sounds so much more straight forward having an off line controller.

As a final note to my long introduction, I'd like to say I really have enjoyed reading your posts as a guest thus far, you guys seem super cool and patient with each other, which is always good when you're trying to learn! I will also try to be as helpful as I can with respect to my background when it come to things electronic!

Warmest regards,
 
-Ryan

Online awemawson

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Re: Greetings and salutations!
« Reply #1 on: September 13, 2017, 05:26:06 AM »
Ryan welcome aboard  :thumbup:

Sounds like you'll fit in just fine - my background was electronics and industrial process control computers and the mechanical engineering was purely hobby based - I could escape to the workshop of an evening and clear my head  :clap:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline Pete W.

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Re: Greetings and salutations!
« Reply #2 on: September 13, 2017, 06:13:54 AM »
Hi there, Ryan,

Welcome to Mad Modders.

The great thing about Mad Modders is that you don't have to modify yourself to fit in!

I, too, have a backgound in electronics, though I didn't steer my career as well as Andrew did his!!  I got to a certain stage where my employers seemed happy with my competence but, if I wanted to progress up the salary ladder, I was going to move into junior management - something for which I had neither aptitude nor inclination!  I was the world's worst manager!!!  But, having left the development bench for too long, I had difficulty leaving management.  I did have in common with Andrew that 'I could escape to the workshop of an evening and clear my head  :clap:

Eventually I found a job where they could use my common sense, experience and work ethic.  Still, I persevered with electronics and radio as a hobby until the components got too small to fit by eye & hand.

Nowadays I amuse myself by making the occasional pile of swarf and asking provocative questions on here.   :lol:   :lol:   :lol: 
Best regards,

Pete W.

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, you haven't seen the latest design change-note!

Offline krv3000

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Re: Greetings and salutations!
« Reply #3 on: September 13, 2017, 04:33:56 PM »
hi and welcome

Offline Biggles

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Re: Greetings and salutations!
« Reply #4 on: September 13, 2017, 11:58:47 PM »
Welcome Ryan.  :coffee:

Offline Mike E.

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Re: Greetings and salutations!
« Reply #5 on: September 14, 2017, 04:27:53 AM »
Hello and Welcome !
Mike

California & Wales  - Home, & Home Away