I too have looked at the BBB as a machine controller. Using the Xylotex Cape I temporarily hooked it up to my mill conversion that had Z and Y completed. MachineKit. The Xylotex DB-25 PP Port output to a PMDX-126 Break out board. https://youtu.be/9GF709ZfLRQ Although it worked I found the BBB video a bit laggy. And I needed more and the either the limit switch or the ESTOP were for N/O switches which I don't believe is safe. It was the extra I/O and NO switches that moved me to a stock PC and for LinuxCNC I'm using the MESA 7i92 which is similar to a Ethernet Smooth Stepper for MACH. The new Xylotex Cape for the BBB doesn't have this NO Switch problem. They are also working on a larger cape that has drivers built in so a Break Out Board isn't needed. I also own but haven't used the Replicape to install on a POS Delta 3D printer. Both are sitting collecting dust as other projects have a higher priority. The Replicape, now discontinued, could also have run small CNC milling machines with the on board drivers although still more targeted at 3D printing hardware. For example I don't think it will support an encoder on the spindle. I think most of the small stepper drivers out there are for motors under 2A and 24V. Realistically it might be better to aim at using modules like the Gecko G250X to plug into the cape. https://www.geckodrive.com/g250x-digital-stepper-drive.html Perhaps add a second socket for the cheaper drives used on 3D printers. Google " 3D Printer Parts StepStick Motor Driver With Heat Sink A4988" This way at least you can switch up to 3.5A motors at 48V which is handier for say Sherline Mills and lathes. Perhaps the best way to make this cape is with the headers for the Gecko on the bottom like their G540 https://www.geckodrive.com/g540-4-axis-digital-stepper-drive.html Add enough I/O for both types of heaters and also encoders and you might have something that works for both types of products. The question is. If you have a small Sherline Mill or Lathe would you even buy something like that? John From: 'David benson' via Machinekit [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: May-05-20 1:08 AM To: Machinekit Subject: Re: [Machinekit] Seeed to design and build Machinekit focused Cape for BeagleBone Black/AI
On Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at 11:12:49 PM UTC+11, Jason Kridner wrote: I think we have to reliably enable hobby-class machines first. Now, some people take hobby pretty far and I'm not trying to cap this off too small, I just don't want to boil the oceans. I'd say if we can do a bit more than what CRAMPS can do today, we should. Personally, I'd want to at least be able to handle the larger 3D printers, smaller CNC mills and some pick-and-place machines. Looking around for some open source ones where the controller could be swapped: * Aleph Objects LulzBot Tax Pro * SeeMeCNC Rostock Max v3 * PocketNC V2 * Charmhigh CHM-T36VA (not open source, but affordable and hackable) * Lasersaur The desire for the above is mostly to be a vehicle for demonstrating motion control in a familiar way. Something CRAMPS-like could largely serve the above, though would need to be done regarding the price to make it sufficiently attractive, perhaps bundling as a kit. Getting to the standard DB25 seems like a required thing to be widely usable in the community, no? Hi Jason I've just found this discussion regarding a new cape for the BBB\BBAI for the hobby focused cnc community. A little background, so you know where I'm coming from, and what my biases are :P. I've been using Mach3 Hobby grade mills and lathes for not quite 20 years now. Three years ago I cnc'ed a 9 X 20 Lathe and was very happy with it's performance. Two years ago I made a AI tool changer for it. build blog here: https://cambamcnc.com/forum/index.php?topic=6844.0 <https://cambamcnc.com/forum/index.php?topic=6844.0> The blog is a bit dated now and goes to MK6, I'm currently at MK8. Here is a video of it running on the bench for the battery torture tests and AI detecting the tools. Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH2_B-Vgblc <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH2_B-Vgblc&t=413s> &t=413s I'm here because, I'm working on the Linuxcnc version of the software and have a BBB with Machinekit installed, so that I can write a Linuxcnc component for it as well. I don't know if you are aware, but Centroid have a Beagle Bone Green powered Acorn CNC controller, and that board may be worth a look for some Ideas as it has some serious thought gone into it. A lot of the existing Hobby CNC installations I've seen have been as a general rule Mach3/4 or Linux cnc powered machines. either using the DB25 and a parallel port or with an external motion controller like for example a Smoothstepper or UCCNC UC100 200,300 or 400. The UC stuff retrofits into existing systems people have very easily as they have a DB25 connector. All you do is plug them in and set the pins parameters ect. Hope this was useful. Dave -- https://beagleboard.org/about -- website: http://www.machinekit.io blog: http://blog.machinekit.io github: https://github.com/machinekit --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Machinekit" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/machinekit/7b7a1aa3-7e6f-4ed8-998c-04f4d780625f%40googlegroups.com <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/machinekit/7b7a1aa3-7e6f-4ed8-998c-04f4d780625f%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> . -- website: http://www.machinekit.io blog: http://blog.machinekit.io github: https://github.com/machinekit --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Machinekit" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/machinekit/102601d622fa%24b8a6dd00%2429f49700%24%40autoartisans.com.
