Database of configuration files: Milling machine, lathes plasma

When I hinted at a 'framework' and 'curating' I was thinking of something external to the LCNC forum.  I'm not familiar with GH enough to know if that would work.

What I do know is that a 'database' in the forum isn't a database.  It'd be a series of forum posts only slightly more searchable than the current situation.  A DB has tables, is searchable and sortable, and is - this is the whole point - easy to retrieve data.  No scrolling through pages and pages of random text looking for a needle in a haystack.

And I can guarantee - with 100% certainty - that a 'Config Database' forum thread will get completely hosed up and off track when people start making comments or asking questions because they can't figure out how to use a config they just downloaded.  Every single thread on this forum that's supposed to be a focused topic gets derailed by at least one person who cant figure out forum etiquette.  I'm guilty of this a couple times, and Tommy's rightly slapped me down.  Mea culpa. 

Unless Tommy or another moderator viciously deletes - without warning - any post which isn't solely a config post it'll be a mess.  Post a question?  POOF - gone.  Post a comment because you thought it was helpful or clever?  WHACK.

Enough snark... moving on:

In its simplest form, I had in mind something like the stepper drive timing page:  linuxcnc.org/docs/devel/html/integrator/stepper-timing.html

To be more useful, we need an actual database, with an interface that forces the users (during data entry) to only input certain information in a some key fields.  Machine type, LCNC version, number of axes, ATC or not... these all need to be drop-down selections rather than free-entry text fields.

Managing a technical database is one of my professional responsibilities, and you wouldn't believe how incompetent  otherwise-sane technical experts become when entering data.  They suddenly can't spell, can't be bothered to find previous entries to match, and can't figure out which fields are for what data types.  A multi-user DB without strict data entry controls is like herding cats in the rain.

Maybe a moderator or one of the LCNC devs can answer this: is there a location outside of the forum - GH, a web site, somewhere... where a web-based DB can be set up and then linked to the forum (and/or manual pages)?

It is much better for someone like you to start such a topic. I think that way more people will join the campaign. My name has no business there.
Feel free to open a thread. We can hope more people will join this.
Thanks! Best regards!

Thanks for the thoughts Tommy.

If it needs to be a forum thread, that's better than nothing.  But I think I'd rather wait until a few more people have a chance to see this... There are a lot of very clever people who frequent this forum and maybe someone else has a workable idea.

Just because I've got to sort-of manage a DB doesn't make me a computer guy - not remotely.  When I got sick of never finding info because the rest of my team were high-functioning illiterate clowns I had a tantrum and started figuring out ways to force them (and me) to be tidy.

They dont exactly need to be "working" configs, that would break the linuxcnc standard anyways. I dont think there should be an expectation of anyone using an unmodified config from someone else in this manor.

I agree the main database would not be good as a forum thread, but I think thats the best way to do it, then we can just package them up into a github every few months or whatever. I like the framework spumco has suggested, and this way people can ask questions in the thread, and we dont need to clamp down as hard since the curated list can be in a github

So it looks like an actual DB is not really viable, but a forum thread with periodic uploads to somewhere might be workable and require less 'draconian' measure to keep the thread tidy and useful.

To avoid the dead-link problem Andy has illustrated, is there a central GH page or some other location for files which is not dependent on a single person?  I don't imagine the LCNC devs want what could be an orphaned mess (thinking critically here) in one of the LCNC repositories.

If we can find a place to stash files/configs/folders we can maybe work on a format for what/how users can upload configs.  This sounds like petty bureaucracy but I think trying to maintain a format will make things much easier for whomever is transferring forum posts to a file repository.

spumco wrote:

So it looks like an actual DB is not really viable, but a forum thread with periodic uploads to somewhere might be workable and require less 'draconian' measure to keep the thread tidy and useful.

To avoid the dead-link problem Andy has illustrated, is there a central GH page or some other location for files which is not dependent on a single person?  I don't imagine the LCNC devs want what could be an orphaned mess (thinking critically here) in one of the LCNC repositories.

If we can find a place to stash files/configs/folders we can maybe work on a format for what/how users can upload configs.  This sounds like petty bureaucracy but I think trying to maintain a format will make things much easier for whomever is transferring forum posts to a file repository.

The whole thread reeks of petty bureaucracy, but that kind of kafkaesque shit is needed to long term solve the problems we've all illustrated, and avoid a dead link stale mess. A little planning at the beginning we can hopefully avoid a one-person-show, have users upload their config in a centralized location(s), and no unreal expectations/work.
I was hoping there was a way we can do it with github using pull requests, with the intention that users with github can upload their own, cutting the workload for curators

but point taken, heres some of cakeslobs shitty configs

LK2- highspeed xyz cnc mill with 60k spindle and remaps. Hardware is mesa 7C81. db25 is a chinese DB25 BOB with pololus stepper drives, and the other is a 7i76 config. pretty basic and not clean, but the 2 hal/ini were working last time i used it.

garbageMachine is xyza gantry i made from something my friend found in the garbage (but it had ballscrews and linear rails, so nice garbage). It is using Remora hardware

remora.rar is is some remora configs i use for testing xy gantry, closed loop steppers and spindle stuff. pretty basic




hmmm need to figure out a basic structure guideline for posting these, pictures would be nice, and probably need to use valid updated readme files in the configs. This will look much better on github or even a directory somehow