GRBL questions

[geoff_p]

I have used GRBL for a couple or more years and am very, very pleased with it.  However ...
(These questions are aimed at inducing those-who-can to help those-who-can't get started:)

Basic questions
1/  Just how do you "load" GRBL onto an Arduino from the stuff that comes off Github?  (I did it before but since then, my single brain-cell has addled.)

2/  Gerritv has posted what looks to be a great interface between Windoze and GRBL but it seems to be only for GRBL version 0.9  Gerrit, can your interface communicate with a lowly v0.7?

Silly question
3/  Can one run two (2) separate Arduinos 'in parallel', so to speak.  One GRBL looking after the X, Y, Z axes and another looking after e.g. A, B, C axes?

Cheers,

Geoff,
Thailand

[Dawai]

Hi,

  I found "other" grbl software on the library of the Arduino IDE program loader conflicts with "the one" software you are trying to upload to the arduino. (why>? I dunno)  You can use "marlin" or "repietier" or "teacup firmware" on a milling machine, it has look ahead features, and other advantageous things over straight grbl.   Hearing promises of G81's and other cycle subroutines are coming.

  THERE is plenty of grbl communication software out there. Most is additive machining (3d printing) I downloaded a repeitier host for my new toy I've built here. It has a scroll button on the right that you can view the print by layers, like watching a plant grow in time lapse photos. It also has the option of printing multiple items on the table at one print.  It would be simple to use any terminal program to dump a proper gcode file format to the grbl one line at a time.

  MORE axis?? I have no clue how to interpolate more than one arduino CPU together to synchronize movements. You could run more than one on the same com link.  This is not saying it can't be done, just I've not figured it out yet.  you could add the code in the proper "pins.h" files, the config.h file?? and try it.

  I did buy a six axis board off ebay for $29 for my mach3 install, dual polarity drivers (positive or negative ttl step-dir signals) so it will work with the servo drives, or the new 203 gecko steppers drives. Am thinking of wiring a db25 inline with the arduino so I can swap it from Mach3 computer to Arduino.  Mach3 kicks any arduino's butt in machining. On a bridgeport with +200lb table it really does not matter much thou.

[gerritv]

I have used GRBL for a couple or more years and am very, very pleased with it.  However ...
(These questions are aimed at inducing those-who-can to help those-who-can't get started:)

Basic questions
1/  Just how do you "load" GRBL onto an Arduino from the stuff that comes off Github?  (I did it before but since then, my single brain-cell has addled.)

2/  Gerritv has posted what looks to be a great interface between Windoze and GRBL but it seems to be only for GRBL version 0.9  Gerrit, can your interface communicate with a lowly v0.7?

Silly question
3/  Can one run two (2) separate Arduinos 'in parallel', so to speak.  One GRBL looking after the X, Y, Z axes and another looking after e.g. A, B, C axes?

Cheers,

Geoff,
Thailand

You can download compiled versions of Grbl from https://github.com/grbl/grbl-builds/tree/master/builds. I find that http://russemotto.com/xloader/ does the upload job with no fuss.

My Grbl-Panel relies on the messages coming back from Grbl in response to ? command. No harm in trying on 0.7. Just remember that the baud rate default I have is 11500, you have to set that to 9600 for 0.7

Gerrit

[geoff_p]

Thanks, Gerrit but this is very similar to the early days of Linux - only the nerds can make-out what it's about.

Your first link (.../master /builds) is a list of .hex files and selecting one (the last one, at the bottom of the page) almost at random, opens a page attributing the next 1764 lines of hex to Chamnit.  I assume this must be downloaded-and-saved, somehow.  But how?  I am logged-in to github so nothing (much) should be hidden from me(?)

The only "save" options I have in Firefox 34.0.5 are html only, web-page complete, or text.

I tried getting rid of the .html-extension back to the .hex but viewing the saved file in UltraEdit shows the lines of "hex" are buried within other sh1t, e.g.
<tr>
        <td id="L1738" class="blob-num js-line-number" data-line-number="1738"></td>
        <td id="LC1738" class="blob-code js-file-line">:106C9000D8F09639B8F49E3848F4672F782F8827B3
</td>
      </tr>

Please Gerrit, how can I get the .hex file as a .hex file to use in that other, wonderfully simple-seeming XLoader?

Cheers,
Geoff,
Thailand

Edit:
Now that I have umpteen tabs open for various aspects of grbl, I came across this page:
https://github.com/grbl/grbl-builds/tree/5f9e7b0be42c3fc36d37370a634ce94d33d55d9e
at the bottom of which is "Download ZIP", and said ZIP turns out to contain all the hex-files for all the versions.
Now read:
"https://github.com/grbl/grbl/wiki/Compiling-Grbl"
which, in turn, leads to
"https://github.com/grbl/grbl/wiki/Flashing-Grbl-to-an-Arduino"

[gerritv]

Sorry, I wasn't very clear: Go to this page, at bottom is almost latest version https://github.com/grbl/grbl-builds/tree/5f9e7b0be42c3fc36d37370a634ce94d33d55d9e/builds
Right click, then select Save As to save the file to a place on your PC.

Gerrit

[Dawai]

There are two ways to download a arduino, one using the Arduino IDE software, load the file, click "compile" (top left) then if successful, click upload.. (after you select the right arduino board and com port) it will dump the file into the arduino by the "usb com port driver" to the arduino.

THE other way involves a direct hex dump to the arduino.. which I have not figured out yet either..  This is more C-programming like burning a Chip in a socket for a "vehicle upgrade", a actual avr programmer without the USER interface, which simplifies it all...

But.. the direct method makes a cleaner, faster running program on the arduino.. and I am missing out it looks like by not knowing how..    No matter how much I stuff into my head, I will never know enough..

[gerritv]

Dawai, use Xloader. It doesn't require messing about with source code. Other options are described here: https://github.com/grbl/grbl/wiki/Flashing-Grbl-to-an-Arduino

[geoff_p]

Woweeeeeeeeeeeee!
At long-last I have "risked" uploading the GRBL v0.9 to the Arduino, using X-loader.  That worked, and is recognised by GRBL Controller on 119200 baud (which I have been using up to now, on 9600 baud.)

Sent a file and watched my table move in X;Y;Z.

Found, and installed, Gerrit's GrblPanel, connected it to the com-port, et voila!

Thanks Gerrit.    All your help is much appreciated and I do rather like your Panel. 

Especially like your STOP, which works quickly, unlike the Controller, which let the Arduino plod-on executing a few (quite-a-few) more command paragraphs/blocks.

I've been cutting 76mm-dia pockets in hot-rolled steel so the feed-rate has been quite slow.  When I spot a mistake/booboo I want the confounded machine to Stop.  Now!  Not tomorrow or next Wednesday.

Now all I have to do is set-up the umpteen parameters in Grbl0.9, which could take this old brain a while to figure-out.

Geoff

[gerritv]

Awesome, glad it is all working for you.

Gerrit

[vtsteam]

Hmmmm, stop doesn't stop in Grbl Controller?

[geoff_p]

Yes, it does, eventually!  It stops/interupts more calculations but doesn't halt those signals to the drivers that have already been calculated.

At slow feed (Fxx) rates this can take a blooming long time.  In some instances I have had to wait ten-minutes for the steppers to finally stop moving and the positions suggest it has got to near the end of the file anyways.

Thanks also to Gerrit's Wiki, I have been able to follow-along more of the Grbl's Wiki pages and have learned/understood a lot more about that software.  Awesome!

Geoff

[gerritv]

Hmmmm, stop doesn't stop in Grbl Controller?

Stop for most of the GUI's means stop sending Gcode. Which means there might be up to 16 lines of gcode left to execute inside Grbl.
My approach in GrblPanel was to provide access to all of Grbl's features and interface to the GUI . So I have both a Stop sending and a Stop/Feed Hold 'button'
From a safety point of view you should always have a manual E-Stop as well.

Gerrit

[vtsteam]

I don't see stop hold implemented on the Grbl Controller, but there is a soft and hard port reset.

The stop hold is a nice feature. Maybe it will be implemented in the next version. I was planning on a hard wired Estop, as well.