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gerritv / Grbl-Panel

A control panel for Grbl
MIT License
180 stars 102 forks source link

Feature request - Macro auto-repeat / loop feature -> canned cycles #101

Open organetic opened 7 years ago

organetic commented 7 years ago

I have just started to use GRBL panel, and it seems to me now that this is the real standard for GRBL sender, G-code interpreter.

I just miss a feature related to macros: The possibility to have a field, where you select how many times you want the macro to be repeated.

This would open up many new possibilities.

Also, is it impossible to implement more axis? This question is not related to GRBL itself, but with GRBL-Panel GUI.

I guess it is just a matter of enabling more axis in the options, just like GRBL controller 3.6.1 has.

There's a number of GRBL firmware options on the web. The communication protocol and commands are pretty much the same. Only the ammount of axis changes.

You can check these two implementations as an example:

https://github.com/mlambm/grbl

http://grblminicnc.blogspot.pt/2016/03/installing-instruction-for-android-6.html

Keep up the good work. Your job is paramount to the community ;)

Compliments from Portugal :)

gerritv commented 7 years ago

Thank you :-) Where can I get a multi axis copy of Grbl Controller 3.6.1? It has not been supported since 2014 so not sure what it will work with. I assume A axis would be only rotation in degrees?

LETARTARE commented 7 years ago

Hello, You can try an very older version here Good night.

organetic commented 7 years ago

Hi! Indeed, that's exactly the one I used, from Letartare's repository.

Letartare was one of the pioneers on GRBL ports for the 2560, with 4 axis enabled.

I have used them once, without any problem noticed. I never had to move the 4th axis in simultaneous with the other 3 anyway.

As a picture is worth a thousand words, here you have GRBL controller 4th axis options :)

Any word regarding the possibily to define the number of times we would like a macro program to be repeated?

grbl_controller

gerritv commented 7 years ago

@LETARTARE and @organetic thank you for the links. I downloaded and had a look. Not too difficult, it is a matter of deciding to wait for the Arm version of Grbl and my rewrite in C# or code it up but not test it (I am not interested in buying a 2560).

Re: the macros, I will have to finish a related effort first, namely putting the macro gcode into its own queue so that it waits for Ok from Grbl. Presently it doesn't, just hoses it all out at once. Usually works ok but won't if the buffer fills up and you have to actually wait to send the next line. After that it is easy to just load x copies into the buffer. I am working on a machining project at present, should be able to do some coding in 1.5 weeks maybe sooner.

organetic commented 7 years ago

Thx for the update.

I'm actually using GRBL 0.9j with and Arduino UNO and 4 axis.

It works really fine.

This is the link for the UNO version: https://github.com/mlambm/grbl

As for the description:

"Grbl 4-axis uses grbl 0.9 as a base with no variable spindle or spindle direction pin. D11 is z-limit, D12 is A-step, D13 is A-direction. Spindle enable is on the A3 pin (previously coolant enable)"