Manual pulse generator: Difference between revisions

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[[File:CNC panel Sinumerik.jpg|thumb|Each of the handwheels on this CNC control actuates a manual pulse generator. One moves the cross-slide (X-axis) and the other moves the Z-axis]]

A '''manual pulse generator''' ('''MPG''') is a device for generating [[pulse (signal processing)|electrical pulses]] (short bursts of low [[Electric current|current]]) in [[electronics|electronic systems]] under the control of a human operator (manually), as opposed to the pulses automatically generated by [[software]]. MPGs are used on [[numerical control|computer numerically controlled]] (CNC) [[machine tool]]s, on some [[microscope]]s, and on other devices that use precise component positioning. A typical MPG consists of a [[rotation around a fixed axis|rotating]] knob that generates pulses that are sent to an [[controller (control theory)|equipment controller]]. The controller will then move the piece of equipment a predetermined distance for each pulse.

For example, the handwheel of a typical CNC control will move any of the slides of the machine by one minimum increment, such as 1 [[micrometre]] or 1 [[thousandth of an inch#Tenths|ten -thousandth of an inch]], for each pulse, and the handwheel will give one [[ratchet (device)|ratchet]]-like click or other [[haptic technology|haptic click]] to confirm to the user that a single increment occurred. Several selector switches control the handwheel's output: one allows each of the machine's axes (X, Y, Z, and so on) to be selected in turn; another shifts through several ranges of output, so that one click of the wheel is either one minimum increment, 10 times that, or 100 times that.

The modern trend in CNC [[user interface design]] is to place the MPG on a handheld pendant that the operator can carry, making it conveniently independent from the main control panel, just as a [[game controller]] is independent from the [[video game console]].