Are you running a Touch Screen Monitor? Questions

Thanks. Monitor will be here Thursday. I'll let you know how it goes.

EW57 wrote:

This is what I used for a setup tutorial (I'm very new to linux/linuxcnc)
help.ubuntu.com/community/EloTouchScreen
My config is posted below, although its not quite perfect at the very extents of the screen:

Section "InputClass"
        Identifier "Elo class"
        MatchProduct "Elo TouchSystems"
        MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"
        Driver          "evtouch"
        Option          "minX"          "50"
        Option          "minY"          "-50"
        Option          "maxX"          "4050"
        Option          "maxY"          "3950"
        Option          "swapY"         "1"
        Option          "swapX"         "1"
EndSection

EW57 -

Are you running Serial or USB? I ask, because I ran through that tutorial, but it's geared to USB users and I'm running Serial. So, when I type "lshal | grep Elo" I get nothing in return.

Looks like this right now -

I am using inputattach to attach my serial touchscreen: wiki.edubuntu.org/Touchscreen

DaBit wrote:

I am using inputattach to attach my serial touchscreen: wiki.edubuntu.org/Touchscreen

Thanks. This one worked. I really need to get my wifi adapter installed and configured. I had to disconnect the router and place it physically proximate to the pendant for now so I could run a cable to it, in effort to get the packages called out in that tutorial.

Now with it working, I need to make the change permanent...

It does not appear to call up a keyboard with anything I do. Is there a way to make that happen? Like, if you enter a field expecting keyboard input, a keyboard appears? Or some manner of screen taps and matching elicited dolphin clicks by the user? For lack of better description, make it act like a common smart phone? Thanks.

The gmoccapy GUI displays a keyboard whenever there is a need to input text or a number.
The generic Linux desktop does not since it is not designed as a a touchscreen GUI. However, there are ways to accomplish this; if I google for 'onscreen keyboard ubuntu' there are plenty of hits. Many of them basically say 'install onBoard and be happy' , but I did not try it.

Personally I will keep the physical keyboard and make a drawer for it or something (my machine is still work in progress and has not milled anything yet)
Editing a HAL or INI file or handcraft a piece of G-code using only a touchscreen is awkward. I missed growing up with smarthphones so my SMS-fingers are less than well developed and as soon as I have to enter more than 10 characters I run to something with a keyboard.

Same for the mouse; I probably attach it and just move it out of the way. It won't be needed very often, but if I need to do a bit of simple CAD drawing/modifying on the machine itself for example, nothing beats a mouse.

DaBit wrote:

The gmoccapy GUI displays a keyboard whenever there is a need to input text or a number.
The generic Linux desktop does not since it is not designed as a a touchscreen GUI. However, there are ways to accomplish this; if I google for 'onscreen keyboard ubuntu' there are plenty of hits. Many of them basically say 'install onBoard and be happy' , but I did not try it.

Good to know. Thank you for that.

DaBit wrote:

Personally I will keep the physical keyboard and make a drawer for it or something (my machine is still work in progress and has not milled anything yet)
Editing a HAL or INI file or handcraft a piece of G-code using only a touchscreen is awkward. I missed growing up with smarthphones so my SMS-fingers are less than well developed and as soon as I have to enter more than 10 characters I run to something with a keyboard.

Same for the mouse; I probably attach it and just move it out of the way. It won't be needed very often, but if I need to do a bit of simple CAD drawing/modifying on the machine itself for example, nothing beats a mouse.

I think the keyboard hidden away is a good idea, but if I'm to have this 17" up right in front of me, I may as well take as much advantage of it as possible.

I agree, in general. I won't say I've been forced to keep up, but I have kept up because many of my customers are younger than I. So, their natural medium is email and texts. I adapt because I like the business and having money. Heck, even customers older than I text. Like or hate it - it's the way of the world now. And, like CNC ( and the NC punch tapes I ran back then ), we either adapt and overcome, or we lose relevance.

For CAD/CAD, I already have a CAD/CAM box. I don't expect to do much of that on this machine outside of playing around with ncgui and the routines within Gmoccapy, which I can use the pop up keyboard for, I imagine.

Thanks!

Zahnrad wrote:

EW57 -

Are you running Serial or USB? I ask, because I ran through that tutorial, but it's geared to USB users and I'm running Serial. So, when I type "lshal | grep Elo" I get nothing in return.

I'm am indeed running usb.

+1 on keeping the actual keyboard. With my fat fingers, a touchscreen keyboard + MDI commands would be a sure recipe for a possible crash.

Zahnrad wrote:

I think the keyboard hidden away is a good idea, but if I'm to have this 17" up right in front of me, I may as well take as much advantage of it as possible.

Ever had one of those '4 season jackets'? Too cold in the winter, too hot in the summer? Or those 'one size fits all' clothing that doesn;t fit all that well?

The same is true for a touchscreen; they have their advantages but they are not a 'one size fits all'. Entering 'S10000M3' in MDI using the touchscreen is just baout as far as I am willing to go. For making a part by using MDI as a 'smart powerfeed' I want a keyboard.

So, their natural medium is email and texts. I adapt

Compare your speed of writing a 10-line E-mail on a smartphone to the speed of a 16-year old...

For CAD/CAD, I already have a CAD/CAM box. I don't expect to do much of that on this machine outside of playing around with ncgui and the routines within Gmoccapy, which I can use the pop up keyboard for, I imagine.

First of all: I am a hobbyist without a mechanical background. This CNC stuff only costs me money and I am making only parts for myself and family/friends (if I give my 2- and 4-year old kids a 1-cubic-meter block of concrete it only takes a little longer than the usual few minutes before they manage to destroy it and then daddy has to fix it of course). Most of my parts are simple. Few drill holes here, pocket there, contour this, bla.
That colors my view a little; in a real business things are probably very different.

That said: I think I am more than 5 times faster creating a rough drawing on a piece of paper and entering the simple geometry on the machine itself than drawing it up in CAD, dimension it, pull it through CAM, load it, see that something is not as intended, go back to CAM, modify, reload it on the machine, and finally push the 'play' button.

BTW, gmoccapy needs it's own flavor of subroutines to take advantage of the builtin keyboards I think.

EW57 wrote:

I'm am indeed running usb. +1 on keeping the actual keyboard. With my fat fingers, a touchscreen keyboard + MDI commands would be a sure recipe for a possible crash.

Ah. That 'splains it Lucy. Okay, thanks. See below RE: MDI.

DaBit wrote:

Ever had one of those '4 season jackets'? Too cold in the winter, too hot in the summer? Or those 'one size fits all' clothing that doesn;t fit all that well?
The same is true for a touchscreen; they have their advantages but they are not a 'one size fits all'. Entering 'S10000M3' in MDI using the touchscreen is just baout as far as I am willing to go. For making a part by using MDI as a 'smart powerfeed' I want a keyboard.

It is very rare that I MDI anything. In fact, aside from the occasional little BS stuff on the Haas machining center or Mitsubishi WEDM, I don't MDI at all. ( quick little G59X0Y0S1500 for gross positioning and prepping for edge finding stuff ) But even then, keying it in on the typical Haas keypad isn't all that terrible. Same on my Mitsubishi WEDM. If I gotta do something past that, I'll write a little program. Either by hand or by CAM.

DaBit wrote:

Compare your speed of writing a 10-line E-mail on a smartphone to the speed of a 16-year old...

Takes me about 20-30 seconds, depending. Not the same but not so terrible.

DaBit wrote:

That colors my view a little; in a real business things are probably very different.

True enough. Many things are different. Still, many are the same. I try and keep an open mind. A LOT of good things have come out of "hobbyists" and their efforts, here.

DaBit wrote:

That said: I think I am more than 5 times faster creating a rough drawing on a piece of paper and entering the simple geometry on the machine itself than drawing it up in CAD, dimension it, pull it through CAM, load it, see that something is not as intended, go back to CAM, modify, reload it on the machine, and finally push the 'play' button.

For me, yes and no... Really just depends on what's being done, really. Good CAM along with good knowledge of it is surprisingly fast. Of course, it also costs good money....

DaBit wrote:

BTW, gmoccapy needs it's own flavor of subroutines to take advantage of the builtin keyboards I think.

Good to know. Thanks!

Oh..., man...

Okay, so I installed Wheezy... Short of the three letter exclamation of frustrated curiosity, all I can ask is what gives?
Can it really be so hard to install a serial touch screen in Wheezy? ( or Debian for that matter )

Makes me want to go back to Ubuntu...

Is it better/easier with a USB connection? If so, I'll go buy a USB cable TOMORROW MORNING!

Good Gods...

And I used to run *nix machines exclusively...

Help?