CRAMPS V2.1

I finally got around to finishing the updated version of the CRAMPS board.  This version focused on simplifying the design as much as possible, and I really like the end result.  It feels much closer to the original RAMPS for the Arduino Mega in spirit than the previous 1.0 version and the RAMPS-FD.

Changes in this version include:

• No fine-pitch surface mount parts, so the board is much easier to hand assemble
• No servo outputs
• SPI expansion header changed to allow use as extra GPIO if needed
• Expansion headers modified to support an additional 3-axis add-on board (the CRAMP3)

The design files remain on github, and the home page for the design is still the CRAMPS page on the RepRap wiki.  A BOM file including Mouser and Digi-Key part numbers is also available via Google docs.  The boards  have been ordered, and should arrive before the end of May.

While the design is fully open, not everyone wants to build their own boards from scratch.  I am working on getting someone to build and sell completed boards, so stay tuned for updates!

UPDATE: 2014.05.12 – The first batch of 20 boards has shipped, now the 0-30 day wait for a “registered air parcel” begins.

Machinekit BeagleBone Debian Images

If you’ve been following developments around the BeagleBone, you know the new RevC boards with 4Gig eMMC are coming soon, and these boards will ship with Debian instead of Angstrom. I have been working to get my Machinekit binary images tracking the new BeagleBone Debian vs. the generic minimal Debian install used previously.  This means you can run Machinekit without loosing any of the BeagleBone specific add-ons like node.js, and switching between the Machinekit image and the official BeagleBone software should be fairly painless.

I am pleased to announce the first public Machinekit test image based on the new BeagleBone Debian release.  Download the image file, then check the md5sum.  This is a raw image file, so just uncompress it and dd it straight onto a 4 GB or larger uSD card, pop it into your BeagleBone, and boot.  If you need help writing the uSD card, follow the BeagleBone instructions, just use the image file above instead of the official BeagleBone files.

If you encounter any problems, please report them via the Machinekit issue tracker on github, or on the Machinekit Mailing list.  While this is the first public release, there have been several test images for limited release (check the Machinekit list to keep updated!), and it looks like things are pretty solid.  As soon as there is a final BeagleBone Debian build, I’ll make a matching Machinekit version and post it on the Machinekit page.  There will even be an eMMC flasher version for those of you lucky enough to get a RevC board.  I’ve got mine on order, and am hoping that I’m near the front of the line!

CRAMPS Update

I have been building up the second CRAMPS board to verify the low-cost PCBs from off-shore really work as expected.  Since I’m doing another build anyway, I have been documenting the process with pictures and have created a CRAMPS 1.0 page with assembly details, ECOs, and other board details on the RepRap Wiki.  Follow along there if you’re interested in tracking progress or are building your own board.  If you are interested in building up a board and can hand-solder the six fine-pitch SMT parts, send me an email and I’ll try to get you a bare PCB.

Meanwhile, work is progressing on the next version of the CRAMPS board thanks to Murry Lindeblom.  Murry has been doing some great with KiCAD getting the schematic whipped into shape while I’ve been busy with other projects.  The main changes are to simplify the design, reducing parts count and making the board cheaper to produce.  See the list of ECOs on the RepRap Wiki for hints about the next version.

tBone Cape

The tBone 3D printer / CNC cape has been announced for the BeagleBone.  It looks like an interesting board with some unique features.  I like the use of more sophisticated stepper driver chips from Trinamic, and the support for higher-current stepper motors.  This board seems to have an Arduino on-board to handle real-time, so it will likely take a bit of coding to get it working with MachineKit which is expecting to control real-time motion with the PRU.

For more details, see the tBone website and their Indiegogo campaign.

MRRF Report

by Charles Steinkuehler

I feel the Midwest RepRap Festival was a great success.  My primary goal was to increase awareness of using LinuxCNC and the BeagleBone to control a 3D printer.  I was interviewed by Hackaday, talked so long to many key people in the RepRap world that my throat was sore, and have been requested to write an article on using the BeagleBone for a major publication (stay tuned for details!).  It was great to meet and talk to Josef Prusa, see Nicholas Seward again, meet Drew Fustini and Jason Kridner in person, and talk to everyone else at the Festival.

From the many discussions I had with folks looking for something more than an AVR based Arduino to use for machine control, several key tasks became apparent.  Look for these to be implemented soon, and feel free to help out if you can!

• Debian Packages:  With the BeagleBone soon to ship with Debian installed by default, it is important to have packages available so LinuxCNC can be easily installed without having to build from source.
• Custom interfaces and/or an interface API.  No one likes current interfaces available with LinuxCNC for 3D printing (myself included).  There needs to be a simpler interface geared towards 3D printing, and many folks were interested in running headless or with a custom simplified interface (think small text LCD or OLED panel vs. Linux desktop).
• Example configurations:  Ease of use is critical, and besides being put-off by the LinuxCNC interfaces, most people were further discouraged by the complexity of configuring a machine.  This needs to be made a lot simpler.  Part of the power of LinuxCNC is it’s flexibility, but that makes for complex configuration files.  Most of this can be hidden for standard machines (Cartesian 3D printer, linear-delta printer, gantry desktop mill, etc), leaving users to simply adjust machine specific details like axis gain.

There are some other big news items and projects I learned about at the Festival, but can’t talk about publicly yet.  Stay tuned, watch for news from the Beagle Board folks, and you might want to keep an eye on what Josef Prusa is up to.

Crunch Time (MidWest RepRap Festival)

by Charles Steinkuehler

At the last minute, I got permission from my wife to attend the Midwest RepRap Festival in Goshen, Indiana this weekend (March 14-16).  That means I am now in serious crunch mode (along with the rest of the folks working on MachineKit) to get some demos working for the event.  I am working on finishing my Wally beta build so I can get it printing using real-time kinematics powered by LinuxCNC.  Michael Haberler and Alexander Rossler are working on a networked HAL demo that will show some of what is possible using the new real-time foundation at the heart of MachineKit.  Everyone else is helping with marketing materials, website updates, and all the other tasks that need to get done.

If you’re going to the festival, look me up.  In addition to demos, I plan on bringing what is likely the largest assortment of hardware CNC capes for the BeagleBone ever in one place for show and tell  I will have what is currently the worlds only working CRAMPS board, one of a very few K9 boards in existence, as well as several others.

Stay tuned for updates and pictures/video from the Festival!

CRAMPS Board Working

I have the first CRAMPS board assembled and mostly checked out.  There are a few minor glitches (see the ToDo file on github), but so far no serious problems or anything that makes the current PCB design useless.  I have an example LinuxCNC configuration available if you want to try things out on your own.  The configuration requires you install my new Universal BeagleBone I/O Overlay, which can be used to switch between most “interesting” hardware options for the various I/O pins without having to load multiple overlays or possibly merge several incompatible overlay files by hand.


If you’re a fan of scary movies, I even made a video: