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I am planning yo migrate to Linux for CNC Openbuild control ONLY, What is the best flavour?

Discussion in 'Control Software' started by Peter Sesselmann, Aug 2, 2021.

  1. Peter Sesselmann

    Peter Sesselmann New
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    I have a Windows laptop dedicated to running Openbuilds Control.
    It works well, however windows being windows it needs restarting almost every time I load a new job...
    so I am thinking of using Linux as the CNC control host.
    Just wondering what the best flavour is?
    I don't plan to do anything else on this computer. Using Mac for everything else.
    Peter
     
    #1 Peter Sesselmann, Aug 2, 2021
  2. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    If you don't already have a favourite distro, that you are skilled in to debug and troubleshoot, it might just be frustrating. Windows is the easy option.

    Thats not normal, even for Windows. Why does it reboot, address that cause instead
     
    #2 Peter Van Der Walt, Aug 3, 2021
  3. Peter Sesselmann

    Peter Sesselmann New
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    Thanks. yes I assume there is something wrong with windows.. every night when I put the computer to sleep, it wakes up the next morning frozen and the USB red light on the "black box" is flashing as if there is a busy communication. so I either need to force quit.. and sometimes I need to re-boot. Anyway if I am curious about linux and want to try a side by side install.. which version should I choose?
     
    #3 Peter Sesselmann, Aug 3, 2021
  4. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Did you remember to do step 4.2 of the BlackBox documentation? docs:blackbox:install-windows-selective-suspend [OpenBuilds Documentation]

    Also, avoid SLEEP modes on Windows, hibernate or power off instead. If your hardware doesn't do well with sleep, it would likely not be better under a different OS either. Except now you run an unfamiliar platform and its even harder to troubleshoot :)
     
    #4 Peter Van Der Walt, Aug 4, 2021
  5. David the swarfer

    David the swarfer OpenBuilds Team
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    Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
    works for me on a Raspberry Pi 4 and desktop, though my main CNC host is an ancient i7 laptop running Xubuntu 18 with bCNC as GUI, though OBcontrol does run on it I just prefer bCNC.

    It is time to do do upgrades on all of it too, if only I had time....
     
    #5 David the swarfer, Aug 4, 2021
  6. Rob Taylor

    Rob Taylor Master
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    Whatever this one is. ;)

    upload_2021-8-4_8-31-17.png

    LinuxCNC needs little-to-no technical capability for general maintenance beyond changing a couple of apt repositories to prevent certain updates. Depending on your hardware setup, you may not even need much technical capability for connecting and configuring your machine hardware either. The wizards are quite good, if a little light on documentation. It's only if you choose to use more advanced features- encoders, unusal kinematics, etc- that you have to get better at dealing with LinuxCNC itself.

    If you like using grbl and want to keep the BlackBox, I probably wouldn't do it, I'd figure out what's wrong with your Windows install or try a different sender- like David, I prefer bCNC. If you could see potentially higher performance and more capable automation features in your future, LinuxCNC is pretty great. Definitely apples and oranges though.
     
    #6 Rob Taylor, Aug 4, 2021
  7. David the swarfer

    David the swarfer OpenBuilds Team
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    But Rob, then you need all that expensive driver hardware.....
    but it does make a nice system, I have a 4 axis hotwire cutter running off a parallel port.... well, it would be running if I had a big enough flat spot to put it on, the flat spot was nearly existant and then the garage got filled with son-in-laws 'stuff'.
     
    #7 David the swarfer, Aug 4, 2021
  8. Rob Taylor

    Rob Taylor Master
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    To be fair, a Mesa 6i25 and 7i76 is in the same price range as a BlackBox, but many times more powerful. Technically a 6i25 by itself (or with Mesa's ESD protection breakout) would run most machines very well regardless of the host PC's specs and still be super easy to set up with the PnCConf wizard. It does get away from the "cheap and non-proprietary" aspect of LinuxCNC, which I get, but in terms of systems that just work... It's hard to beat this side of a commercial control.

    If I were to use a generic non-FPGA parport, like a StarTech unit, I'd just use the 2.8.0 Debian 7 Wheezy RTAI option underneath in the screenshot. Works fine, I think that's what I used to use when I was first trying LinuxCNC. I know Linux is designed to be modular and manipulable, but I personally like to keep it straightforward and by-the-book. Hardly ever have problems that way.

    I'm unfortunately overly familiar with the lack of flat areas! I'm hoping to actually build a building in the next few years, which should fix things... At least for a while. :D
     
    #8 Rob Taylor, Aug 4, 2021
  9. ljvb

    ljvb Well-Known
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    *starts war* .... Screw linux.. go FreeBSD :)


    .....

    Kidding... maybe..

    I've been considering a 7i96e
     
    #9 ljvb, Aug 4, 2021
  10. Christian James

    Christian James Journeyman
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    I would just re-install Windows..
     
    #10 Christian James, Aug 4, 2021
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  11. David the swarfer

    David the swarfer OpenBuilds Team
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    yes, but, not in South Africa. Transport will double the price, import duty will treble it. >-:

    I am a geeky IT tech and programmer, and I use stock installs whenever possible. It just works, but if it doesn't, I can fix it. Good luck fixing Windows without a reinstall. oh wait, I get paid to fix Windows....
    [/quote]
    Use your planned floor plan, but go 2 floors (-:
     
    #11 David the swarfer, Aug 6, 2021
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  12. David the swarfer

    David the swarfer OpenBuilds Team
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    My 3 servers at work are FreeBSD. Just works, stays working.
     
    #12 David the swarfer, Aug 6, 2021
  13. ljvb

    ljvb Well-Known
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    Linux has too much bloat.. It has its place, but I can setup a freebsd machine from scratch in far less time than linux, and not worry about superfluous services being installed. Unless it's an appliance, all my machines and VPS's (one on AWS and 2 on VULTR) are Freebsd.. and pf is so much better than iptables (I despise iptables)
     
    #13 ljvb, Aug 9, 2021
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