While I wait for partial order from Aliexpress and rest gets ordered on openbuilds store, I am holding back on ordering the controller and drivers. I will be using 4 nema 23 HT (425 oz) motors and a 36V supply and most likely 1.8KW water cooled spindle. There are many choices out there and me being the usual first timer, it is a big confusion. I really don't want to go Linux route because (a) I do not know Linux at all and (b) I do not want to spend money on another machine. Would like to choose stuff for Windows . Please guide.
Arduino board and DQ542ma drivers. I used a screw shield on the Arduino to make it easier to wire everything up. The Sphinx build has a very good write up in hooking everything up. edit: see this: UNO GRBL DQ542MA Wiring Methods
Yes. And on Mac and Linux. GRBL is free and so are the various interfaces. Using Grbl · grbl/grbl Wiki · GitHub I use GRBL Panel on a windows based compiuter.
There is also Smoothieboard 5xC v1.1 . It has 2 amp drivers on it if you do not need more than that, or it can be used to control larger drivers like the DQ542MA drivers.
Yeah, Craig is correct. grbl is the firmware running on the Atmega chip and does not care what OS you run. No matter Linux / Windows / OSX you have a lot of control gui's to choose from. Windows OS options to only name a few. There are a lot .. - Grbl Panel - Bcnc - Universal G-code Sender - Source Rabbit - Candle - Laserweb4
Most are cross platform and run on Linux perfectly. With the exception of grbl panel ( windows only ) all of the prior posted links will get you started. I run Laserweb4 and Bcnc, try each for your self and see what you like.
Kyo, Thanks I just spent two hours of my rather precious life trying to get UGS running under Mint. The hell of it was that I got the Java Code working but try as I might when the dreaded Java went to open the specified port all I got was from the Java Universal Gcode Sender "Error opening connection (gnu.io.NoSuchPortException);null" This I could not beat. "Java write once troubleshoot one thousand times" BTW "ctob.sh" just went to version number 0.007, (http://docbox.flint.com:8081/3Dprint#ctob.sh) Regards, Flint.