I guess the ultimate request for me would be like the other machine software function where you can directly load in board designs with an eagle board file. Not sure if it’s a direction you may go, but i’m sure there are many interested.
Brian - have you seen or would you be willing to share a PCB milling tutorial? I make probably a half dozen circuit projects a year and always use store bought prototyping boards but since I have an x-carve - I could make these projects SO much cooler (and probably smaller… and more reliable).
I’m in the same boat as you, I design the boards in eagle but haven’t got around to figuring how to make them with the x-carve, i believe some one is doing a tip jar on it. I send my eagle designs out at the moment. But looking fwd to figuring out how to get it done on the xcarve
Interesting way to zero the bit! Learned a lot!
ChiliPeppr has an Eagle BRD import like Other Machine Company. Just drag the BRD file into the browser window and presto!
Hi @JohnLauer
That would be great, but recently i’ve been having an issue and not been able to use chilipeppr because the Axis widget does not change from mm to inches nor do the numbers on the axis change when I jog the machine. None of the buttons on the grbl widget work
I’m using Serial Port JSON Server 1.8 and grbl v9 with my x-carve and tried both chrome and internet explorer.
All was fine till about two weeks ago. Did something change? I’m trying to see if a windows update screwed me up.
In any case you should do a youtube tutorial on it, so many people here want an easy way to make boards and chilipeppr may be the answer.
Brian
That makes it sound like you’re just not connected to your device. Could you send a screenshot so I can analyze version numbers, statuses, etc?
I’ll send some screenshots tonight, but i’m definitely connected, the buttons jog the machine. It doesn’t register with the numbers though and if I send the gcode the machine carves crazy
@BrianSaban I have been having the same issues. Axis number don’t change, none of the buttons on the grbl widget work. I’m using Serial Port JSON Server 1.8
If your by your computer upload a video or screenshots for @JohnLauer, he actually is the guy who came up with chilipeppr maybe he can get to the bottom of it.
“The machine goes crazy” indicates to me you did not pick a buffer algorithm. If you are using Grbl, you need to be in the Grbl workspace and make sure you have “grbl” chosen in the pulldown menu in the serial port next to the baud rate. If you don’t pick “grbl” as the buffer flow control algorithm, your controller will get overhwhelmed with gcode, drop lines, and it will go crazy.
FYI: I tried that, it is the only option in the drop down menu and it can’t be selected. So something is not working right. I will see about trying different versions of JSON server.
You are correct seems it was on default, strange never had to do that before. but as long as it’s back up, now i can try out the eagle brd.
Finally got around to testing out chilipeppr with the eagle board and the traces came really nice but it didn’t drill the holes or even put them in the G-code. I checked to have it use the endmill, but nothing. Below is a small test board file I tried and a photo, is the issue in Eagle or am I doing something wrong in Chilipeppr? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
newE.brd (25.6 KB)
newE.brd (31.8 KB)Read some of the latest posts on the Google+ community and you’ll see there is active development on a version with drilled holes and there is a workspace you can use right now that has it.
Thanks @JohnLauer the other workspace worked perfect. Is there any way to export the gcode it produces? so I can add X-carve start and stop functions and home functions. Also so I can pause it and change drill heads.
Thanks
ChiliPeppr automatically pauses on tool changes M6, so wouldn’t that solve your pausing needs? It even lets you turn your motor power settings on to reduce the chance you’d move your machine out of position.
If you look at the Gcode at the bottom of the Gcode tab that’s all you would need. If you watch Frank Herrmann’s video you see he has a similar need as you. Also, since he’s in active development, you could ask him if he’d be up for adding the ability to put in headers and footers so you don’t have to do it manually. You could always possibly do that from a macro inside ChiliPeppr as well.
Also, there’s a macro in ChiliPeppr that lets you download your Gcode as another option.
@JohnLauer quick question. Is there any way to pull in the back of the board with the eagle widget?
There is not a way inside the current widget. There was a user who tweaked it a while ago and added that feature, so you’d have to search the Google+ page or Google group to find it. However, what you can do right now is use the “mirror” command in the command line of Eagle to save out the bottom of the board as the top. Then drag that into CP and you should be good to go.