Welcome to Our Community

Some features disabled for guests. Register Today.

Things you didn't Know about OpenBuilds Software

Discussion in 'Control Software' started by Peter Van Der Walt, Jan 16, 2019.

  1. David the swarfer

    David the swarfer OpenBuilds Team
    Staff Member Moderator Builder Resident Builder

    Joined:
    Aug 6, 2013
    Messages:
    3,461
    Likes Received:
    1,915
    if the MPG pretends to be a keyboard and can be configured then you can map its buttons to the keys that CONTROL uses.
    or you may be able to use software like Qjoypad (which is for linux) to map from the device to keystrokes.
    QJoyPad Alternatives and Similar Software - AlternativeTo.net
     
  2. arc1979

    arc1979 New
    Builder

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2014
    Messages:
    21
    Likes Received:
    0
    Is there a way to control an A axis (rotary) with the Open Buillds Control software?
     
  3. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
    Staff Member Moderator Builder Resident Builder

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2017
    Messages:
    15,050
    Likes Received:
    4,313
    Grbl supports 3 axis only. But checkout Wrapping around X or Y with Vectric

     
  4. Barry_W

    Barry_W New
    Builder

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2020
    Messages:
    3
    Likes Received:
    1
    I really like this software, previously using UGS. It would be great to have some options/buttons to jog 2 axis' simultaneous, ie moving X and Y to position.
    Great job thanks.
     
    rscamp likes this.
  5. Ronald4418

    Ronald4418 Well-Known
    Builder

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2015
    Messages:
    218
    Likes Received:
    33
    I'm coming over from UCCNC and Mach3 and already have a USB Pendant connected to my system. Will I be able to assign the buttons on the Open Controller to use it instead of a keyboard or my Cell Phone?
     
  6. sharmstr

    sharmstr OpenBuilds Team
    Staff Member Moderator Builder Resident Builder

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2018
    Messages:
    2,059
    Likes Received:
    1,448
    If you can program it to mimic keystrokes, then yes. Install the software, click on Wizards and tools, then keyboard shortcuts. You'll see a list of what you can control via the keyboard. You can also use your phone to control it.

    But, in case you dont know, it will only work with a grbl based controller.
     
  7. Barry_W

    Barry_W New
    Builder

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2020
    Messages:
    3
    Likes Received:
    1
    Has anyone ever experienced such an error? I run a job today and halfway in the cnc stopped and i noticed this ridicules z axis depth.
     

    Attached Files:

  8. David the swarfer

    David the swarfer OpenBuilds Team
    Staff Member Moderator Builder Resident Builder

    Joined:
    Aug 6, 2013
    Messages:
    3,461
    Likes Received:
    1,915
    You probably had a USB communication problem. Use a good quality and short USB cable, keep power cables away from the USB cable.
     
    Peter Van Der Walt and Barry_W like this.
  9. Barry_W

    Barry_W New
    Builder

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2020
    Messages:
    3
    Likes Received:
    1
    Yea had the same thought. Will try that and may tie on some ferrite beads. Thx
     
  10. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
    Staff Member Moderator Builder Resident Builder

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2017
    Messages:
    15,050
    Likes Received:
    4,313
    #100 Peter Van Der Walt, Nov 20, 2020
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2020
  11. Rhett E

    Rhett E Well-Known
    Builder

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2020
    Messages:
    113
    Likes Received:
    45
    Do you have a USB cable/brand you recommend? The shortest I can realistically go is about 6ft. Also, in regards to EMI, should the Blackbox and PSU be mounted X distance apart from each other? Thank you
     
  12. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
    Staff Member Moderator Builder Resident Builder

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2017
    Messages:
    15,050
    Likes Received:
    4,313
    - shorter is always better
    - the official USB spec limits all USD wiring to around 1.2m for optimal performance. 6ft is a bit outside spec
    - good cables have Ferrite cores on one or both sides
    - you can use a powered hub in between but note longer distance, extra hops, all increase likelyhood of EMI messing with Communications.
    -keep in mind this is a CNC in a workshop, not a office. Its an extreme environment, dust, vibrations, static electricity gets generated from all the moving and cutting, and dust extraction hoses too. Don't expect what works in an office to work in such an environment. Put the PC near the controller. Rather make longer cables from controller to motors etc
     
    #102 Peter Van Der Walt, Nov 21, 2020
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2020
  13. Ronald4418

    Ronald4418 Well-Known
    Builder

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2015
    Messages:
    218
    Likes Received:
    33
    Rhett E and Peter Van Der Walt like this.
  14. Ronald4418

    Ronald4418 Well-Known
    Builder

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2015
    Messages:
    218
    Likes Received:
    33
    Curious, will I be able to create point clouds using the Probe Port? I've been studying bCNC and for all intents and purposes this controller package looks exactly like bCNC except for the 3DWeb GL interface.
     
  15. David the swarfer

    David the swarfer OpenBuilds Team
    Staff Member Moderator Builder Resident Builder

    Joined:
    Aug 6, 2013
    Messages:
    3,461
    Likes Received:
    1,915
    Yes. bCNC will scan a surface and save the points to a file.
    It is setup to use that point file for wrapping flat Gcode around the probed surface so the format is not STL or STEP or any such, but a little php or python or ruby or perl scripting will convert any text file to any other. You may also be able to write a plugin for bCNC that does it all for you, plugins are all in Python.
     
  16. 2ler

    2ler New
    Builder

    Joined:
    Oct 7, 2020
    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    Is it possible to single step ( single block ) thru a program with the OpenBuilds controller?
     
  17. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
    Staff Member Moderator Builder Resident Builder

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2017
    Messages:
    15,050
    Likes Received:
    4,313
    Not at this time. But you can paste line by line into the serial console while you test something. Otherwise people usually run the job normally
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice