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Gallery - Smoothie Project
This looks like a well-made and reasonably priced controller board, the only problem is, even though it is stated on its website that it will control laser/cutters, there are no firmware or further instructions.
If any of you reading this have the skills to adapt this board to into an operational CNC laser/counter controller, I am sure that there will be lots of people interested.
Please post your thoughts.
I agree
What is the point you’re trying to make. The link has nothing to do with my first post.Quote:
Originally Posted by cinematic2
Really?Quote:
Originally Posted by Rolf_K
Hi !
If you look at the Smoothieware.org website, we now have MUCH more documentation ( actually I think we are way more documented than any other open-source CNC controller now ).
There are even specific guides for CNC milling and laser cutting.
I hope they help you. If anything you want is missing, don't hesitate to email at [email protected]
Cheers !
Wow, Aurthur, looks like you are the head of the stream there. Nice to have you here, and nice to have you tell us a bit about your project.
I have a few observations:
It is nice to see the developments showing up FINALLY in a forum like this, obviously from what appears to be the start of the movement, Arduino and Grbl. Your world (these new compact developments like grbl, tinyg, smoothie) seems to have knocked the ball out of the court when it comes to the actual motion applied in the control in comparison to what most people here have regarded as a fine working control (mach).
I believe where there has to be some catching up done is in the interfaces that are being used. Some of the reason is because it is clear that your world pretty much came from the 3d printing environment, where a primary focus of people in this forum have spent their energy specifically in CNC Milling and Lathe work. Why it is rather important, is that the majority of people here really are not "programmers".... MANY people really need a ready to go, easily understandable interface that has the things they expect to be there, and only via very simple configuration settings that would allow more or less functionality to be shown on the interface, dependent on what machine they are running. Any and all "geek talk" needs to be "behind the scenes" and only available when the right kind of person wants or needs to see it.
I bring this up, primarily from looking at the Chilipeper interface for tinyg. Not the worst by any means, but not exactly what someone here would think they should see right out of the box.
All the documentation in the world is great. It is required. But when a person can not perhaps understand the documentation because they are not programmers, then things get murky. When murky, less will want to even try it because of what they have heard about it. Two examples come to mind that are discussed here.... LinuxCNC and Kflop. Both obviously beyond very capable.... way, way beyond most peoples needs, but only IF they can get past the Geek talk and the assumed knowledge of the end user. For example, I recently looked to add a simple debounce period on limit switches in LinuxCNC. Sure, there was doucmention..... but it took me 4 days to find actual EXAMPLES of what was needed and where to locate it. There are developments that have not made things this hard, simply by making sure it was something available in the interface.
Another question I have is about interfaces..... I looked some time back at smoothie and found little on what the heck interfaces it uses. When I found tgFX and chilipepper and tinyg, I pretty much ignored smoothie from that point on. Yet, I find the METHOD of chilipepper appalling if the designer really would think that people like myself wouldnt mind that in order to run it, I am demanded to have an "internet connection" so the interface can even operate. Fine for some needs... some requirements, but probably not 99% of current, typical users in this forum.
So what is the direction of smoothie regarding interfaces ? Will it be simply "people can make what they need" ? or people can wait until someone who cares to get it right makes one to share ? If I was to direct someone toward what a nice interface is, I would have to tell them to look at developments by companies like Flashcut or Eding.
Finally, can you briefly indicate the differences or advantages smoothie may have over tinyg ?
Answers to these questions will be greatly appreciated here in the forum, and there are so, so many people who are running an old clunk of a control and would be blown away to see motion like I know your project is capable of. Thanks !