My only experience is with the BBB with the BeBoPr++. Configuration for me was not problematic as Bas made the HAL already, so I just needed to configure the ini. I plan to make a YouTube how-to video in the next one-two weeks because I find there's a gap in the 5-10min lenth how to arena. I'll share that then!
JFettig wrote:LinuxCNC or Machine Kit - I believe the real time stuff is all taken care of. Yes people use it for delta printers, and hexapods and all kinds of cool stuff!
SeeMeCNC even has a printer running on a BBB https://www.facebook.com/seemecnc scroll down a few posts. They used a BeBoPr++ https://www.facebook.com/seemecnc/photo ... 65/?type=1
I posted my build in the showcase a few days ago. You can see my results.
JFettig wrote:LinuxCNC or Machine Kit - I believe the real time stuff is all taken care of. Yes people use it for delta printers, and hexapods and all kinds of cool stuff!
SeeMeCNC even has a printer running on a BBB https://www.facebook.com/seemecnc scroll down a few posts. They used a BeBoPr++ https://www.facebook.com/seemecnc/photo ... 65/?type=1
just to clarify this is a regular bebopr, not the newest version
After looking at this, digging in and reading, talking to the developers, etc. I've decided that Smoothie is the lesser of the evils for now. It is so much simpler to acquire a 5 extruder board, one board ready to go, and the software is well done, almost elegant. The lack of processor speed and memory is not an issue today and I don't see it affecting my usage for at least a year or so. By then, there may be other more viable options. Also, Smoothie seems to be approaching the critical mass required for mainstream products, none of the BBB are in my evaluation. Finally, I also have to consider my downstream "pseudo customer support" involvement - lots of people seem to follow some of the things I do and then email or PM questions asking for help, etc. It actually takes a fair amount of time and is at the point where I think carefully about posting anything new!
I had to make a similar decision when building a 10x22 CNC lathe last fall. I've used parallel controllers and Mach 3 for each of the other 6 CNC machines I've built. It's tried and true and works. With it becoming more difficult to find PCs with parallel ports, a few products have popped up for USB based machine control with much more of the smarts on the control board rather than in software (i.e. Mach). After much research I hopped on the wagon for one of these solutions. Similar situation, one single-person vendor producing the hardware and open source software. It is really a nice solution but requires relearning everything, significant configuration just to do simple things, etc. Now, 3 months later I still don't have the lathe operational sole due to the overhead to get the control solution working. I'm biting the bullet and picking up a parallel BOB (break out board) and going back to the Mach 3 solution.
cheers,
Michael
Sublime Layers - my blog on Musings and Experiments in 3D Printing Technology and Art
That's kind of cool. The BeBoPr++ seems a little not well thought out in my opinion. 4 stepper drivers on board. If you want 5, you need to get 1 of 2 different boards that each provide 5 drivers and override the drivers on the BeBoPr++. So now you have the cabling and complexity to just pick up 1 additional driver. Then to support more drivers there is a device that you can connect two of the 5 driver boards to to get 10 drivers. But the point was, just to get 5 drivers, you leave need more hardware (and probably software config but I really don't know that for sure) and leave the real estate on the cape vacant. Seems silly, why not build an extension that ADDS to the built on driver support rather than completely overrides it. Oh, and there is a limit to the MOSFETS (3 as I recall) so if you are doing more than dual extrusion and/or needed more than 2 fans or coolers or other device control, that would have to be home grown. This is just my personal opinion based on my specific requirements and preferences.
Sublime Layers - my blog on Musings and Experiments in 3D Printing Technology and Art
At some level it's all about the software, the hardware to wire a pololu style driver is incredibly trivial, as is the hardware for the Hotend or the thermistor.
I haven't used Linux CNC for a while and on nothing as slow as a BBB, I'd be interested in seeing what the pulse train looks like on a scope, linux is hardly a great choice for a real time Application, better than windows, but not upto the latency guarantees you'd get out of a bare metal solution.
There are things you could do on a BBB using the PRU's to mitigate linux's short comings as a realtime OS, but I doubt Linux CNC does so.
Really your picking Marlin/Repetier vs Smoothie vs Linux CNC
mhackney wrote:That's kind of cool. The BeBoPr++ seems a little not well thought out in my opinion. 4 stepper drivers on board. If you want 5, you need to get 1 of 2 different boards that each provide 5 drivers and override the drivers on the BeBoPr++. So now you have the cabling and complexity to just pick up 1 additional driver. Then to support more drivers there is a device that you can connect two of the 5 driver boards to to get 10 drivers. But the point was, just to get 5 drivers, you leave need more hardware (and probably software config but I really don't know that for sure) and leave the real estate on the cape vacant. Seems silly, why not build an extension that ADDS to the built on driver support rather than completely overrides it. Oh, and there is a limit to the MOSFETS (3 as I recall) so if you are doing more than dual extrusion and/or needed more than 2 fans or coolers or other device control, that would have to be home grown. This is just my personal opinion based on my specific requirements and preferences.
I must admit, I went away from a Cartesian Build (2 motors on Z) to a Delta build because of this. Now... I have NO regrets, and I'm actually glad this randomly happened (because my wife much prefers the look of the delta)... but I agree that it's frustrating.
