LinuxCNC (EMC2) on Puppy

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vtpup · #101 Post by **vtpup** » Sat 20 Sep 2014, 00:08

anikin wrote:vtpup,

What gets me thinking is why CNC in DebianDog runs on Toni's old laptop and doesn't run on yours. From my reading, CNC depends on HAL. DD doesn't have it, as HAL has been deprecated a long time ago and replaced by udev. But it's still available:
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apt-get update
apt-get install hal
/usr/sbin/hald --daemon=yes
BTW, installing HAL will have a side effect, or added bonus - it will enable flashplayer to play DRM video.

I dunno Anikin..... wouldn't that mean it wouldn't run on either computer?

vtpup · #102 Post by **vtpup** » Sat 20 Sep 2014, 00:11

greengeek wrote:
vtpup wrote:...And also hoping for a (wireless) network program.
Frisbee (or puppies stock version(s) would be a VAST improvement over Ubuntu's original 8.04 junk.
I would recommend trialling rcrsn51's "PWF" (PeasyWiFi) from here
It gives you really good control of the wifi setup, and is easily removed if you don't like it. Frisbee can be overly 'automatic' sometimes - and hard to remove if it doesn't prove to be reliable.

PWF gives you full manual control (as if you were working via cli) but adds a gui for convenience.

I think I've tried them all (on Puppies since 4.x) and any of them is far more reliable than Ubuntu 8.04's programs. I do like the more manual versions, as you say. But grateful for anything that works!

saintless · #103 Post by **saintless** » Sat 20 Sep 2014, 08:39

Hi, Vtpup.

Uploaded Ubuntu8.4-test-2.iso - 353Mb
Direct download link

Mirror download from here:
http://www.mydrive.ch/
username: guest@saintless
password: download

md5sum: a334d1a6e288c7aa573d134601dba422

Edit:29.04.2016 - I have e-mail from mydrive.ch my free account will have 100Mb storage limit in a month. I had to remove all files over 100Mb limit. Uploaded text file ISO-files-Moved-Here.txt with new storage location in dropbox in case someone visits mydrive.ch. This is the new download link:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ca58blnh2m6h ... Th0oa?dl=0

There is much more than icon names for user configuration. You can easy remaster the iso as you like it best later.

User accounts login details:
username root with password root
username puppy with password puppy

Booting from CD or frugall install will autologin as root and autostartx to desktop.
Booting from full install to command prompt for username and password. Choose to login as puppy or root and the system will auto-startx.

Included /usr/bin/remasterdog-cli script if you are using full install to change configuration settings and installing/uninstalling programs. For frugal install read the Edit: at the end of this post.
Before starting remaster open /opt/bin/remasterdog-cli with gedit and change DEST="/media/sda1" to point the correct partition where you will build new 01-filesystem.squashfs file. Then run in terminal remasterdog-cli and make sure you have swap 1Gb or more.
The script will build /media/sda1/work-dir executing cleaning and configurations for clean first live cd boot. Then the script will exit.
If you like to clean manually /root/.mozilla cache or other files in /media/sda1/work-dir do it and then make new remastered module with:

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mksquashfs /media/sda1/work-dir /media/sda1/01-new-name.squashfs

it is important to use mksquashfs only from this live CD frugal or full install. It is old ubuntu version with old squashfs-tools and the kernel can't boot squashfs module made with later squashfs-tools versions. For example if you make the module from DebianDog or some modern Puppy it will not boot.

Frisbee included. If your wifi does not work we need to find the correct deb packages with drivers for ubuntu-hardy and install them manually with dpkg -i path-to-package command.

This is all from me for the moment. I'm not going to make further remasters and updated versions but i will check this thread if I can help you further with some fixes.

If you have any problems configuring ubuntu use google search for Ubuntu 8.4 and description of the problem. If you need to ask something in ubuntu forum do not tell the system boots to root. Use puppy user account to describe the problem.

Edit: Option to use partition for saving changes and remaster from frugal install.

Toni

vtpup · #104 Post by **vtpup** » Sat 20 Sep 2014, 13:31

Thank you Toni!

perdido · #105 Post by **perdido** » Sat 20 Sep 2014, 21:22

I have an old IBM 390e laptop with PII 300mhz and 256 MB of ram.
I tested Ubuntu8.4-test-2.iso and it all seems to function as desired. No errors.

Don't have a CNC mill to try it on though.
Seems plenty quick. Great job.

.

saintless · #106 Post by **saintless** » Sun 28 Sep 2014, 12:51

Small improvement for Ubuntu8.4-test-2.iso in case of frugal install or CD boot to add save partition option and make possible remastering from frugall install.
Patched initrd.gz to use save partition (ext2 or ext3).
Download from here (also uploaded in http://www.mydrive.ch/).
Rename initrd.gz-patch to initrd.gz and replace the old with the patched one inside /casper directory. Create ext2 or ext3 partition with Label casper-rw and add persistent to the kernel boot line.
Still can't make save file to work the same way.

Toni

Revolverve · #107 Post by **Revolverve** » Thu 06 Nov 2014, 08:09

Took the time to try a frugal install of DebianDog-Jwm-3.4-9-rtai-686-pae-2.iso for real machine testing.
.
Work beautifully! on a fast "desktopless"... motherboard is sitting in an open cardboard box...with 2 cheap pci parallel port card to a small 3 axis steppers based cnc ,2nd port is for an encoders board not yet configure for linuxcnc.

Its an hotgrade from Coolcnc .
Take less than 190mb of ram .

Look stable.

Well done Saintless ,Vtpup ,Mr Kauler,Dr. Debian & all.

vtpup · #108 Post by **vtpup** » Thu 06 Nov 2014, 14:21

Good to hear Revolverve! Keep us posted on this rig, pease!

(though all thanks due to Saintless...)

vtpup · #109 Post by **vtpup** » Thu 06 Nov 2014, 14:32

Some possibly extraneous, possibly dumb ideas, but I've been running Debian on an X86 tablet under Android as an image, and RDPing to it locally (ie to localhost).

It just occurred to me that a headless board might work in the opposite direction from a tablet. In other words, RDP or VNC to the headless board from the tablet and use the tablet for running the CNC machine.

I've already seen examples of people using cheap or discarded cell phones as DRO's via bluetooth. This would take it a step further -- the phone or tablet could be both a DRO and the CNC interface to a headless board running LinuxCNC in Debian -- or ideally Puppy.

Right now, the keyboard desktop computer and monitor take up a lot of space in a hobby size CNC setup. It would be interesting to just have a tablet in hand, like a CNC pendant that gives readouts and does the typing. If you added ftp you could send the G-code files as well.

Revolverve · #110 Post by **Revolverve** » Thu 06 Nov 2014, 16:41

Yep Vtpup , you would become another tweaker in the recycling kingdom ..
or inspiration for the future saint of recyclers,no offence to anybody,pls.

You mean an Arm puppy rtai? Faithful you....ask you know who,
your trusty puppy's "Petr Mitrichev on skies"

Call it St-Bernard....mmm,no, too big of a dog for a tiny distro,....
Sorry for my avalange of lack of seriousness ,could not resist...

saintless · #111 Post by **saintless** » Thu 06 Nov 2014, 16:50

Thank you for testing this, Revolverve!

Nice to read it works.
Maybe Vtpup will edit the first post with links:
Ubuntu8.4-test-2.iso - for old hardware.
DebianDog-Jwm-3.4-9-rtai-686-pae-2.iso - for newer hardware.
Both posts include Direct download link and Mirror download link.
It will be easier to find them in case someone else needs small linuxcnc distro (till someone makes puppy-linuxcnc version).

vtpup · #112 Post by **vtpup** » Thu 06 Nov 2014, 19:01

Revolverve wrote: You mean an Arm puppy rtai?

No, revolverve, something much simpler to accomplish (well that remains to be seen!!)

What I mean is. a single board computer driving the steppers running LinuxCNC and, say rdesktop server, or tightvncserver.

It wouldn't need a keyboard or monitor.

And then a tablet or cellphone running an RDP or VNC client app.

It wouldn't need to run puppy or Debian (though that would be nice). But an Android client app would work, too. Thus no need to use an ARM puppy (for ARM tablets) or an x86 Debian on the tablet.

What you'd end up with is the CNC desktop shown on your tablet or cellphone, controlling the CNC board. If you need to load files on the CNC board you could also set things up to allow ftp.

All this seems do-able, though the devil is in the details, and I don't know if there would be a problem running an RDP server concurrently with LinuxCNC on the controller board....

But maybe it could work......!

@saintless: done -- first post in thread updated. Thanks!

vtpup · #113 Post by **vtpup** » Thu 06 Nov 2014, 19:12

I might fool around with that concept using saintless LinuxCNC distros. I'll set up a testbed that can't actually move a mill, for safety sake.

There are some alternate LinuxCNC interfaces which are simpler than the main one, and might be more suitable for a touch screen on a tablet. I'll look into that.

Revolverve · #114 Post by **Revolverve** » Fri 07 Nov 2014, 01:48

Vtpup ,
For touch:http://linuxcnc.org/docs/html/gui/touchy.html
Your project sound kind of grbl?
Sorry very poor networking knowledge for me..cannot help.

Go ahead,have fun!

your right ,safety first...mine got no limit switch,can do 1200ipm ,

saintless · #115 Post by **saintless** » Fri 07 Nov 2014, 16:37

Hi, Vtpup.

I had positive experience controling desktop pc (Debian) from tablet (Android) using TeamViewer. Mostly using the tablet to start playing videos on the desktop pc.
There is android version and deb package for download and also puppy linux package (somewhere in this forum). If you decide to try it make sure the version on the tablet is newer (or the same) as TeamViewer version on the desktop pc. I remember I had troubles to connect if TeamViewer version on the tablet is older.

vtpup · #116 Post by **vtpup** » Fri 07 Nov 2014, 21:16

I was successful last night in remotely running LinuxCNC from my tablet.

LinuxCNC itself was running on Ubuntu 8.04 on the IBM Thinkad 600e. I was able to run a remote server by setting Ubuntu's Preferences to allow Remote Desktop -- the remote server is an existing feature of a full Ubuntu install.You just have to set the parameters and it becomes active.

It took quite awhile to figure out the parameters to get the tablet and server handshaking. The client software was androidVNC, running on an Acer Iconia A1-830 tablet.

I tried a number of more modern RDP clients, none of which connected, but finally realized that Ubuntu's "Remote Desktop" was not an RDP server but a VNC server, despite the R and D in the name.

Ubuntu also uses the address 192.168.1.201:0 to mean screen 0 on the IP address -- while the client understands it as port 0. Took some time to get that straightened out, but eventually I was rewarded with a connection.

How did it work? Well I'm pretty sure I could have cut parts, but the buttons on the screen are somewhat on the small side. Revolverve above suggested a different LinuxCNC interface with huge buttons that would have been ideal as a replacement.

Unfortunately it is designed to be used in conjunction with a mechanical jog wheel on a mill -- with inputs from that wheel. Thus the equipment it can be used with is very specialized, and it won't work in my situation.

I think the original interface is usable but not ideal.

saintless · #117 Post by **saintless** » Sat 10 Jan 2015, 08:09

Linux-headers-3.4-9-rtai-686-pae for DebianDog-Jwm-3.4-9-rtai-686-pae-2.iso (in case installing virtualbox or similar software) you can download here:
linux-headers-3.4-9-common-rtai_3.4.55-4linuxcnc_i386.deb
linux-headers-3.4-9-rtai-686-pae_3.4.55-4linuxcnc_i386.deb
linux-kbuild-3.4_3.4-linuxcnc2_i386.deb
Download all three deb packages in some-folder-name and install them by typing:

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sudo dpkg -i /path-to/some-folder-name/*.deb

Fix missing gcc dependencies by typing:

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sudo apt-get -f install

vtpup · #118 Post by **vtpup** » Mon 12 Jan 2015, 15:09

(double post-- deleted-- corrected "invisibility" error in post)

vtpup · #119 Post by **vtpup** » Mon 12 Jan 2015, 15:14

Thanks saintless, as always!
I've been fooling around with some interesting CNC stuff lately.

It is possible to run an R3 Uno Arduino board (clones available these days for about $9) to do all of the real time work for the stepper motor drivers. it runs a program called Grbl. However, it can only handle one CNC G-code instruction at a time, which it receives over USB.

So a second computer is used for a graphic user interface, and a cache for those instructions, which it sends to the Grbl/Arduino controller as needed. It also receives status information via the USB connection, and so it can update a graphic display of where the machine is.

This frees the GUI computer of needing a real time operating system,

I have been experimenting with a $35 Raspberry Pi B+ board as a GUI control computer, running software by user "zapmaker" here:

http://zapmaker.org/raspberry-pi/runnin ... pberry-pi/

Raspberry PI runs Raspbian, a Debian fork for its Arm v6 processor.

I will say, that the LinuxCNC/Ububtu or Debdog combination is far more sophisticated and the 3D display of the running mill is great. But it does require a computer with a parallel port, and the computer must have low realtime lag -- a combination increasingly hard to find nowadays.

But zapmaker's Grbl control program does get the job done, and that's the important part. I haven't yet cut anything with it though it does seem to run well.

I also hope to experiment with Puppy for the Raspberry Pi to see if that could run zapmaker's control program, an there may be other interesting possibilities.

Anyway, that's catching up with what I've been trying out.

saintless · #120 Post by **saintless** » Mon 12 Jan 2015, 16:06

Empty space (Spacebar) at the end of url (after ..raspberry-pi/ )makes your post invisible.

vtpup wrote:I don't understand what happened to my last posts -- the text isn't visible
Anyway:

Thanks saintless, as always!
I've been fooling around with some interesting CNC stuff lately.

It is possible to run an R3 Uno Arduino board (clones available these days for about $9) to do all of the real time work for the stepper motor drivers. t runs a program called Grbl. However, it can only handle one CNC G-code instruction at a time, which it receives over USB.

So a second computer is used for a graphic user interface, and a cache for those instructions, which it sends to the Grbl/Arduino controller as needed. It also receives status information via the USB connection, and so it can update a graphic display of where the machine is.

This frees the GUI computer of needing a real time operating system,

I have been experimenting with a $35 Raspberry Pi B+ board as a GUI control computer, running software by user "zapmaker" here:

http://zapmaker.org/raspberry-pi/runnin ... pberry-pi/

Raspberry PI runs Raspbian, a Debian fork for its Arm v6 processor.

I will say, that the LinuxCNC/Ububtu or Debdog combination is far more sophisticated and the 3D display of the running mill is great. But it does require a computer with a parallel port, and the computer must have low realtime lag -- a combination increasingly hard to find nowadays.

But zapmaker's Grbl control program does get the job done, and that's the important part. I haven't yet cut anything with it though it does seem to run well.

I also hope to experiment with Puppy for the Raspberry Pi to see if that could run zapmaker's control program, an there may be other interesting possibilities.

Anyway, that's catching up with what I've been trying out.

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LinuxCNC (EMC2) on Puppy