Setting up my Maslow. Do i use web control or ground control?
I use WebControl and find it to be adequate and not terribly complicated with community support.
Got web control downloaded but can’t get the machine to move. Says it’s trying to connect or not connected. Any ideas?
Ground control 2022 is the best IMO. It’s stable, easy to install and calibrate, also yields the most accurate results as reported by many users.
Webcontrol is based on Ground control, it adds wifi wireless capabilities and a different calibration option.
Makerverse is a modified and renamed copy of an Open Source project called CNCjs
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Would you mind pointing me to Ground control 2022, i’m tired of getting random disconnections with webcontrol. CNC routers and wireless connections apparently do not mix well.
ground control (2022) does all it needs to be done, faster and glitch free
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Installed ground control yesterday… I wish I had done this before. Thank you so much. it works flawlessly now, no more disconnections, “sled can’t keep up… alarms” or mystery hang-ups, Webcontrol was very frustrating, to say the least.
EDIT: I went ahead and upgraded the firmware as well (using EBS firmware installer tool) and now my Maslow cuts faster too!
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How did GroundControl get compiled? I keep getting errors when trying to compile.
I am assuming Ground Control is not for the DUE boards since it won’t connect.
Your assumption is correct, you need to use makreverse with the Arduino due
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Is there a github or the like for the GroundControl 2022 source? I’m going to set it up on a Raspberry Pi or another Linux based system.
Go to settings Maslow menu and hit the refresh arrows for it to autoselect then hit submit at the bottom and you should be good…
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Never mind, I gave it a shot and didn’t like it, it hangs up all the time, and a wirelessly controlled CNC machine is a big no-no in my safety book anyway.
Groundcontrol 2022 is much simpler to use and 100% stable. Also, my machine cuts way faster when it’s on GC.
In my experience, the triangular (“basic”) calibration gives way better results than the holey (less than 1mm error)
I’ve found it’s almost impossible to get accurate measurements between holes, required for the holey calibration process (got random results each and every time). The best I could get was ~2.5mm error
Thanks for the help though.
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I see you prefer Webcontrol over Groundcontrol, but in my opinion, if we leave personal preferences and assumptions aside, Groundcontrol is way better, is updated for functionality and compatibility, easy to install, requires no extra hardware, is 100% reliable (glitch and disconnection free), and gets the job done.
Remember, when it comes down to software or firmware controlling a machine, the simpler it is, the better it works. The mechanics, not the software, determine the machine limits.
A CNC is similar to your desktop inkjet printer in that you don’t need to mess with its software or firmware anymore as long as it prints (or cut) what you want. Better spend your time learning to design parts on CAD-CAM software instead of beta-testing unstable software that adds nothing but complexity to the machine.
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How is that possible? How much faster? Did you measure the same job in both? It would be cool to see the data on that. And it would be interesting to try…
They run the same firmware if being calibrated the same way. Groundcontrol just sends data at 57600 bps over USB emulated serial connection to the mega as does Webcontrol send ing gcode line by line over the usb to the same firmware on the mega. The mega is the limiter. the only way to get around that is to go to the Due like the “other” other guys. I’ve been using the classic calibration for the last 3 months. I tried out GC 2022 and it is pretty nice. but I don’t take my computer in the shop. The raspberry pi lives out there, so it was a short experiment. Makerverse was way faster because of the 32 bit controller, but I don’t trust it because it doesn’t have the “sled not keeping up” code in the mega. that has saved my bacon a few times and I’ve seen pictures of what happens when it isn’t there.
If you are getting better than 1 mm accuracy on a Maslow, then that is super impressive. More impressive if it is in the lower corners and you are either a wizard, or you are cutting slower than paint dries and holding the sled as it moves. I love Garth, my maslow, but it has its limitations.
I’m not sure how or what they did, but the sled moves much faster on Groundcontrol 2022, regardless of whether it’s jogging, calibrating or cutting. You can read the exact ipm it’s moving from the DRO.
Webcontrol cuts at ~30ipm max and any attempt to increase the feedrate will stall the sled, while Groundcontrol can cut at ~42ipm all day long. Someone later said that it can be pushed up to 50ipm but I can’t confirm that yet.
I don’t believe baud rate (or bit encoding/protocol) plays a limiting role here, Mega’s baud rate can be “speed-up” to 115200 if desired, but in any case, it’s way more than needed, and obviously the “due” or a 32bit controller isn’t the only way to get around this, as my setup still uses the Mega and cut as fast as Makerverse (maybe even faster)
Noting to write home about, I believe ~1mm has been the Maslow standard for a long time. If your machine isn’t close to 1mm try running the triangular calibration again, it gets more accurate each time.
I don’t cut in the lower corners for obvious Maslow limitations.
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I suggest locking this forum as it is going nowhere and violated the community guidelines.
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I’ve been using webcontrol for a while now, and most of the time it has been quite stable. Your post regarding faster cutting speed caught my attention. Could you please elaborate on what steps you took to upgrade to Ground Control 2022 and what hardware you’re using?
Thanks in advance.