Content deleted Content added
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
Line 1:
A '''manual pulse generator''' ('''MPG''') is a device for generating [[pulse (signal processing)|electrical pulses]] (short bursts of low [[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]] 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.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manual Pulse Generator}}
| |||