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Using Grbl

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chamnit edited this page May 16, 2012 · 39 revisions

This wiki is intended to provide various instructions on how to use Grbl. Please feel free to contribute more up-to-date.

How to Stream G-Code Programs to Grbl

Cross Platform:

Python Streaming Scripts:

Included with the source code and officially supported by Grbl, two Python streaming scripts are supplied to illustrate simple and more complex streaming methods that work well cross-platform. These are located in the 'script' folder on the main repo. Note: The streaming scripts require the pySerial module installed.

  • Install the pySerial module.
  • Download simple_stream.py Python script.
  • Open the script in a plain text editor and change the following line to reflect your system:

s = serial.Serial('/dev/tty.usbmodem1811',9600)

  • In place of /dev/tty.usbmodem1811(Mac), you should put the serial port device name of your Arduino. This will be different for each machine and OS. For example, on a Linux system this would look like /dev/ttyACM0. Or on a Windows machine, this may look like COM3.
  • The script looks for and reads gcode from a file named grbl.gcode, you should create this file and put the gcode you want to execute in it. Or simply change this name in the script to your needs.
  • Open a terminal/command window and change directories to the location of the Python script and execute the Python script with the following command:

./simple_stream.py (Mac/Linux) python simple_stream.py (Windows)

  • You should now see the gcode being streamed to grbl along with 'ok' messages and your machine should begin moving.

The other, more advanced streaming script stream.py has command line arguments and does not require modifying the script itself, unlike simple_stream.py. The main difference is that stream.py uses a character counting scheme to ensure the Grbl's serial read buffer is full, which effectively creates another buffer layer on top of Grbl's internal motion queue. This allows for Grbl to access and parse the next g-code block immediately from the serial read buffer, rather than wait for the 'ok' send and response in the simple_stream.py script. This is very useful for motions, like curves, that have very rapid, short line segments in succession that may cause buffer starvation, which can lead to strange motion hiccups. In other words, it ensures a smoother motion. Use this script, if you are not afraid of command line or are experiencing weird motions.

grblUI

A simple graphical user interface: https://github.com/jgeisler0303/grblUI. Programmed in Java, using rxtx for serial communication. Should theoretically run on Linux, Mac and Windows alike. Apparently some problems on Mac. Any feedback, tips and tricks appreciated (Issues or Wiki in grblUI). Check out the ready to use jar in the Downloads.

grblgui

A graphical G-Code Streamer: https://github.com/cody82/grblgui. Programmed in Java, using rxtx for serial communication and OpenGL 2.0 for rendering.

Notable features:

  • It displays the job duration and remaining time to complete in minutes.
  • It displays current speed.
  • You can toggle feed hold and enter G-Code commands.
  • It displays the buffer status graphically on the toolpath!

In development:

  • Simulate the milling process and display the resulting model.

For Linux:

Last updated: 2012-01-31 by Atrixium. (Tested on Linux Mint 9 (Ubuntu 10.04))

For Mac:

Last updated: To be done.

For Windows:

CNCinfusion - currently under development in C# https://github.com/nm156/CNCInfusion

Gcode Sender https://github.com/downloads/OttoHermansson/GcodeSender/gcodesender.exe

http://www.contraptor.org/forum/t-287260/gcode-sender-program

Last updated: Mar 4 2012 by patgadget

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