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Comparing new Blackbox to old Blackbox

Discussion in 'Controller Boards' started by txcomp, Nov 20, 2022.

  1. txcomp

    txcomp New
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    #1 txcomp, Nov 20, 2022
  2. David the swarfer

    David the swarfer OpenBuilds Team
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    briefly, the main things are
    x32 has:
    2 relay outputs (BB has 1)
    XYYZ or XYZA driver configuration, where A is a rotary axis (BB is always XYYZ, no rotary)
    builtin Wifi interface
    much higher step frequency limit, which means you can run something faster, or run higher microstep rates and get the same feedrates.

    and a few other small things I cannto recall right now. I suppose one could compare the page you linked to this one docs:blackbox-4x:start [OpenBuilds Documentation] for the details.
     
    #2 David the swarfer, Nov 22, 2022
    sharmstr, txcomp and Peter Van Der Walt like this.
  3. txcomp

    txcomp New
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    Thanks David!!

    I've been working my way through the documentation page but the info you provided is what I was looking for. I appreciate the follow up!
     
    #3 txcomp, Nov 22, 2022
  4. txcomp

    txcomp New
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    #4 txcomp, Nov 23, 2022
  5. sharmstr

    sharmstr OpenBuilds Team
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    #5 sharmstr, Nov 23, 2022
  6. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    In this example just marketing language - same drivers, so same specs? Or did I miss some big typo
     
    #6 Peter Van Der Walt, Nov 23, 2022
  7. sharmstr

    sharmstr OpenBuilds Team
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    Ok. That's what I thought. Thank you.
     
    #7 sharmstr, Nov 24, 2022
  8. that-jim

    that-jim Journeyman
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    Maybe its obvious but one item that you could add to your list is that the X32 will likely get new features added to it and the 4X will probably not. Just seeing tool change support in the grblHal settings has me hoping that it will be in the future.
     
    #8 that-jim, Nov 24, 2022
  9. txcomp

    txcomp New
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    Agree. I expect the existing BlackBox to be superceeded by the new version with more computing power.
     
    #9 txcomp, Nov 24, 2022
  10. Carl W. Livingston

    Carl W. Livingston New
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    I'm getting the new Blackbox x32 and the "INTERFACE" pendant. They will be delivered on Saturday. The he-cup is that I can't install them until Christmas, because they are Christmas presents. Santa told me I could order it now, but I had to wait... I can't wait!

    The X32 is replacing an older "Blackbox" model. I'll let you know what I think when its installed.

    A couple items that I don't think was mentioned here... This new design has a microSD card slot. It also has two buttons, one button, I assume is "RESET". The second button, I'm betting is "RUN"/"PROGRAM", which will be very convenient for repeat-part processing and firmware upgrades.
     
    #10 Carl W. Livingston, Nov 24, 2022
  11. that-jim

    that-jim Journeyman
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    It would be a shame if you accidentally wrapped up the old one. Just saying....
     
    #11 that-jim, Nov 24, 2022
    Giarc, sharmstr and txcomp like this.
  12. Carl W. Livingston

    Carl W. Livingston New
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    Well, its still running the machine the X32 is going to be installed into.

    It would be rather suspicious if the wife saw the machine tore up and asking what I was doing.

    I'm not a very good lair!
     
    #12 Carl W. Livingston, Nov 24, 2022
  13. David the swarfer

    David the swarfer OpenBuilds Team
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    nope, it is labelled 'Mode' and since ESP32 chips need a particular pin held low in order to boot into 'flash new software mode', that is probably what it is for.

    The SD card operates with the webgui so you can upload and then run files.
    but, better wait to you actually have one before making assumptions...
     
    #13 David the swarfer, Nov 25, 2022
  14. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Correct, though it could be used by GrblHAL after bootup - not implemented. But GPIO0 is tied to the button, and one can configure some use case for it
     
    #14 Peter Van Der Walt, Nov 25, 2022
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