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OpenBuilds CONTROL Software

Discussion in 'Control Software' started by Mark Carew, Oct 8, 2018.

  1. Mark Carew

    Mark Carew OpenBuilds Team
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    OpenBuilds_CONTROL_Software.jpg

    OpenBuilds CONTROL Software
    Hey guys, check out the all new and free OpenBuilds control software.
    OpenBuilds Machine Driver - Interface Driver for all CNC style machines (Grbl)
    With this software you can:
    • Jog your CNC machine​
    • Preview, Edit and simulate Gcode​
    • Run Gcode Jobs​
    • Troubleshoot and access Machine settings​

    Quick Start Docs for OpenBuilds Control
    Tips and Tricks: Things you didn't Know about OpenBuilds Software

    NOTE:This software is free to use and is in beta

    Here is a nice tutorial video by SethCNC. Where he goes over some of the features of the OpenBuilds CONTROL Software



    A place to discuss all things related to the OpenBuilds CONTROL Software
     
  2. DavidCNC2017

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    Hello
    Anybody who has Phoenix CNC controller ( actually Arduino in different shape) could run this soft?
    For me it does not work.
     
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  3. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    This software works with controllers running Grbl 1.1 (Preferably 1.1f) or Smoothieware. If your controller is Grbl compatible, maybe just update Grbl first. Or check the Serial Console tab for clues
     
  4. DavidCNC2017

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    Thank You for the answer.
    I have GRBL 1.1.e.

    But this soft still do not work. However , UGS, both regular and NetBeans Platform 8.1 works just fine.
     

    Attached Files:

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  5. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Screenshot of the Serial Console tab please (after clicking Connect) - we do log all that happens to help with troubleshooting. Without the log, we're in the dark. Sidenote: 1.1e is kinda old. 1.1f has been out for a year and 4 months already :).
     
  6. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Flashed a Uno with Grbl 1.1e and tested for you, works for me.
    Something in the hardware must not be 100% arduino compatible... (Disabled autoreset circuit, DTR not wired up, nonstandard Grbl startup strings, etc)

    [-> USB Connect -> When port opens, DTR fires, Grbl Resets, Grbl Sends welcome string, we detect welcome string and print it to log. If its too old, we warn you, else we pull down the settings...]

    1.1e.PNG
     
  7. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    If my suspicion is correct (Cant find a schematic for the Phoenix, doesnt seem to be open source) and they didnt hook up autoreset properly, I added some code to handle the noncompliant boards. Try driver 1.0.103 or newer please OpenBuilds/SW-Machine-Drivers
     
  8. Kyo

    Kyo Veteran
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    @DavidCNC2017
    I am not sure what chip is used on the newer and full smd phoenix boards. Assuming @Hayri PhoenixCNC is still using the same usb chip he did on the older revision of the phoenix board I once had ( MCP2221A ) @Peter Van Der Walt is correct. The board is not resetting when DTR fires due to the fact the mcp2221a does not have a DTR pin. This is the main reason I had problems with my older Gecko Controller with Laserweb. Updating my design to use a chip with a DTR line ( I personally use FT232RL now ) resolved all problems. Sadly this info does not really help those with a phoenix board as they can not swap out usb chip's Hayri would need to update his design.
     
    #8 Kyo, Oct 10, 2018
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2018
  9. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Thanks for the clarification :) - either way, have a test with v 1.0.103, it should work then. Desoldered the DTR cap on the Uno while i added that code.
     
  10. DavidCNC2017

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  11. Hector Beltran

    Hector Beltran Well-Known
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    I am getting a WebGL not enabled error on Ubuntu 18.04. How does this software check for WebGL support hardware-wise? I ran a few test like http://helloracer/webgl and granted it is a bit slow, it passes. Ubuntu 18.04 comes preloaded with Firefox.
     
  12. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Note that although you are using Firefox, we don't rely on the browser installed (Not on the Machine driver) - that ships with its own instance of Chromium wrapped in an Electron shell.

    We run a little JS code to see if the embedded browser reports it either has WebGLRenderingContext, or a Canvas with experimental-webgl context. If it doesnt, WebGL isnt available on that machine unfortunately :( - Although the tests work, theres something else on that machine thats stopping electron from having WebGL support. Try a Windows VM (; or different PC


    var webgl = (function() {
    try {
    return !!window.WebGLRenderingContext && !!document.createElement('canvas').getContext('experimental-webgl');
    } catch (e) {
    return false;
    }
    })();

    To get around the browser disabling WebGL for certain Drivers/Chip combinations, we already throw the --ignore-gpu-blacklist switch in on startup.

    I'll make a note to test out the others too - see if they cause more issues and let you know when you can test again. That said though, overrides can only get you so far :) If the chromium team doesnt like your hardware/drivers theres usually a good reason behind it

    app.commandLine.appendSwitch('ignore-gpu-blacklist', 'true')
    app.commandLine.appendSwitch('enable-gpu-rasterization', 'true')
    app.commandLine.appendSwitch('enable-zero-copy', 'true')
    app.commandLine.appendSwitch('disable-software-rasterizer', 'true')
    app.commandLine.appendSwitch('enable-native-gpu-memory-buffers', 'true')
     
  13. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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  14. Hector Beltran

    Hector Beltran Well-Known
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    Thanks for your quick response. Now that I have more info, I’ll try to figure out what’s going on.
    Is this application checking for WebGL v1 or v2?
     
  15. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Check the docs for details: WebGLRenderingContext
    If you really want to dig in (If 1.0.104 doesnt help), you can try:
    1) Press F12 to get devtools on the Driver window
    2) Click the console tab.
    3) Check !!window.WebGLRenderingContext, !!document.createElement('canvas').getContext('experimental-webgl') and !!document.createElement('canvas').getContext('webgl') as shown below (Paste in, press enter) - if you get TRUE for even just one, we'll enable the viewer.
    webgl.PNG

    Then, you can also grab all the juicy details, by entering: window.open('chrome://gpu') [enter]
    This tells you all you need to know (Feel free to share if you want me to check it out)

    gpu.PNG
     
    #15 Peter Van Der Walt, Oct 11, 2018
    Last edited: Oct 11, 2018
  16. Hector Beltran

    Hector Beltran Well-Known
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    Cool. Thanks much!
     
  17. Hector Beltran

    Hector Beltran Well-Known
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    Hi again, I was wondering if you could compile this application for ARM. I just got a new Pi 3+ with the idea of using it with my Workbee. I can run chilippr but was hoping to get this app running as well. It is currently compiled for amd64.

    Thanks
     
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  18. Hector Beltran

    Hector Beltran Well-Known
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    Build 104 has fixed the WebGL issue on my 2009 MacBook Pro running El Capitan. Nice work!
    As you may have noticed, I am trying multiple options. I am trying to find the ideal solution. My plan has been to have a headless Raspberry Pi permanently attached to my CNC. I want to be able to remote desktop into the Pi and deploy jobs remotely. The beauty of the Pi is that it is cheap, doesn't have any fans that can get dusty, and it is tiny.
    So far with build 104:
    Ubuntu 18.04-WebGL error
    Raspbian Stretch - not working on ARM
    MacOS El Capitan works
    Windows 10 works
    MacOS Mojave works
     
  19. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    It does compile on Pi. We just cant automate the compile yet because of a TravisCI issue. So you need to do that manually. But trust me, its not worth it, Pi is a little slow, and also doesnt have WebGL. I know i am a Pi fan too, but unfortunately Reality doesnt always play along.

    Heres my advice coming from being the guy that sees everyone's complaints (gives you a better insight than just relying on having being a cnc user for a decade or so). Stick a PC next to your CNC. You are gonna want to run CAD and CAM on it. You are gonna want good performance and reliability. And you are going to be making things more than fussing with the computer. Old PCs are FREE almost everywhere in the world. Most even nowadays have access to a free copy of Win10. Yeah, I know linux is sexy :). I have a couple linux qualifications, worked for SuSE for another decade before. But heres the reality: 98% of our userbase, runs Windows. Guess where the most testing and bugfixes end up? :) on the other hand, guess how much support time has gone into getting it running for you on Linux now. Lol (; Meanwhile the Windows folks run the EXE and away they go. WebGL just always works too :)
     
  20. Hector Beltran

    Hector Beltran Well-Known
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    Thanks for the advise. I use Windows mostly for work, so it wouldn’t bother me using it for my CNC. I’ll see if I can find a cheap or old (but decent) laptop for this project.
     
  21. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    :) Glad to hear! You won't be sorry :)
     
  22. sharmstr

    sharmstr OpenBuilds Team
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    Is there any docs for the control? I will say its very intuitive and was super simple to setup. But I dont understand the "Unlock Alarm". In the Workbee build videos, its flashing since the motors aren't powered. Mine doesnt.
     
  23. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Alarm comes from grbl. Usually on startup if limits and homing is enabled, (thus you have to unlock and home to set the home state) . Or if limits are installed incorrectly (triggered all the time), or just after a limit was hit (works as intended). If homing is not yet enableD it won't alarm on boot. It may also go into Alarm mode when you send invalid gcodes etc. See Grbl docs at github.com/gnea/grbl/wiki for info
     
    #23 Peter Van Der Walt, Oct 24, 2018
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2018
  24. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Just a correction, alarm has no bearing on whether the motors are powered or not. Its a firmware state
     
  25. sharmstr

    sharmstr OpenBuilds Team
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    Ahhh, that makes sense. I dont have the limits wired up yet. Thanks!
     
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  26. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    For future reference, here's the 9 kinds of Alarms Grbl goes into: gnea/grbl
     
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  27. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    :) That part made my day by the way! (;
     
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  28. Nick W

    Nick W Well-Known
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    I just started to play with this software on my Minimill tonight. I like it. There are a few things keeping me from using it exclusively. These are not digs into your work, but just comments for future features. And maybe these exist and I'm just an idiot. (likely)

    • Keyboard input to control Jogging. I like to use my arrow keys to control the machine. The phone controller is a cool feature though.
    • Touchprobe macro for automatic Z height.
    • Easy access to tell the machine to go to prestored locations. I use G28 and G30. G28 is the center of my minimill work surface. And G30 is far away from the router and a safe place to load/unload parts. I can use the serial console to send the commands because I already stored the locations in Grbl Panel.
    It looks good and hopefully I can stop using Grbl Panel.

    -nick
     
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  29. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    probe.PNG
    • Predefined Positions ( and hand-in-hand will fall full on Coordinate Systems once we go down that road) : I'm on the fence on this one. The primary goal of this application is to ease entry into CNC - so for the most part we hide the work coordinate systems and only show Grbl's default (G54) along with the setzero functions. That gets the noobs up to speed easier. I am not objecting against catering to the advanced users at all, but, it takes a little work and thinking to integrate advanced features into the UI in a way that new users (often here, new to CNC overall too) can find their way without worry, and at the same time, have the features accesible to the Advanced user (So not hidden away in too many menus). I've opened an issue to track, but expect it to be a while, got to wrap my head around a few ideas how we can handle the UI (Well, and need to extend some parser code etc too) WCS Support · Issue #21 · OpenBuilds/SW-Machine-Drivers
      Alternatively if we ignore WCS, and just go for the predefined positions, a generic Macros buttons implementation may be more suitable (Add your own buttons from settings)
     
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  30. sharmstr

    sharmstr OpenBuilds Team
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    I just upgraded to the latest (1.0.111). Why did you take out the go to X, Y or Z 0 buttons? I used them. Yes, I know I can type in G0 X0.....
     

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