Printing GCODE via Industrial computer

[Vignesh_Pandian 0]

Hi,

 

We would like to integrate an industrial computer with the Ultimaker 3 printer, wherein we have planned to send the GCode via an USB out of industrial computer to the USB of Ultimaker 3. Can you please provide us the settings that are needed to be performed to achieve this.

[gr5 2,268]

[EDIT - THE BELOW ANSWER IS FOR ULTIMAKER ORIGNAL OR ULTIMAKER 2 - *NOT* ULTIMAKER 3]

It's a serial port going through USB.   The biggest problem is probably to get the CNC computer to output through USB.  You could probably buy some kind of serial to USB converter but 90% of them go the other way (connect USB on computer to serial connector) so this might be tricky to find.  Try ebay.

 

Next you need to get the baudrate and such correct.  The older baud rates for CNC controllers is typically 9600 or 19200.  The UM2 arduino defaults to 250000.  Some arduinos use 115200 baud rate.  You could lower this baud rate by editing this value in Configuration.h but if you go too slow then the stream of gcodes won't be fast enough.  In other parts of this forum I describe how to build Marlin.  Marlin is the firmware on the UM2.  Learning how to build Marlin is not easy - it takes most people between 4 hours and 10 hours to get it working.  Once it compiles on your computer it's trivial to make lots of changes to Marlin.

 

The list of supported gcodes is here.  Note that this page describes several different firmwards but it documents very well which are supported by Marlin:

http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code

 

Make sure your CNC controller can output the gcodes you will need for your application.

 

I'm not sure why you would want to use a CNC controller when you can use some really nice software such as pronterface on the PC.  Pronterface can do all kinds of fine control (like a CNC controller can do) and it's free.  It runs on windows.  You just need a normal USB cable (which came with the UM2 printer) You can download it here:

http://koti.kapsi.fi/~kliment/printrun/

[tinkergnome 927]

@gr5 - the keyword is: Ultimaker 3 - i guess that's a completely different topic and probably not even possible without some modifications to the printer...?

 

[Vignesh_Pandian 0]

Yeah @gr5 we have a UM3. Is there a way we acheive it in it.

Edited March 23, 2018 by Vignesh_Pandian

[gr5 2,268]

Oh. Oops.  I'd sell it and buy a used Ultimaker 2.  Or you could hire a linux programmer for a few months and get it to work I'm sure.  the programmer would have to be very good - top notch.  All the source code in the UM3 is open source and it's also all just sitting there on the UM3.  The um3 has a complete linux computer inside with compilers and editors and so on.  The development environment is inside the UM3.

 

[Vignesh_Pandian 0]

Can we try interfacing via pronsole CLI of pronterface to UM3.

[gr5 2,268]

No that won't work.  There's no USB connection to connect to.  And if there was, the printer isn't listening for gcodes there.

 

There is a way to send gcodes manually if you ssh and login to the linux box.  You run a program on there and can type in gcodes but - it's not easy to automate that.   Maybe you could use CURL to send gcodes over ssh.  That's very messy but still doesn't get you serial connection.  You need a python programmer to spend many hours understanding how all that works and writing their own program.  It's a pretty big undertaking.  So much easier and cheaper to buy a used UM2.

[ahoeben 2,012]

“Many hours” is a bit of an overstatement. It shouldbe fairly straightforward to set up a server on the UM that accepts gcode over eg a telnet connection, and as far as I know pronterface supports those too.

 

Unfortunately I don’t have an UM3 to put my money where my mouth is.

[darkdvd 988]

[neotko 1,417]

18 minutes ago, darkdvd said:

 

That in my short experience doesn’t  work on um3. But hey, dunno. Also just ethernet access doesn’t give real gcode acesss if you want to do something else than just 1 operation at the time.

 

Like gr5 you need to use ssh to access sendGcode python program. You would need to make your own version and check how much commands/second you can actually send if the use isn’t just one at a time think. Also using sendgcode overrides some of the linux board controls like forcing a tool change, moving to parking before doing it and most probably the x/y calibration (I know Z calibracion does work using sendgcode but dunno about x/y). There are chances of breaking stuff, hitting the nozzle on the bed if you don’t have a controlled switch order etcetc

 

Indeed not a work of a day but doable since all the python files on the um3 are well commented inside and python isn’t exactly complex. But I doubt you can have total control (like send real print files) on a um3. 

 

You could make something hybrid but dunno. UM3 would require a lot of work to be integrated on other way than what um thinks it should be done since doesn’t have a direct gcode access. I would get any other printer (practical almost any other) with gcode and easy firmware changes. 

Edited March 27, 2018 by neotko

[darkdvd 988]

...sharing USB dongle...

http://www.smartlogicltd.com/products.html

[neotko 1,417]

1 hour ago, darkdvd said:

...sharing USB dongle...

http://www.smartlogicltd.com/products.html

 

UM3 doesn’t have USB. The board does but is blocked by the frame so isn’t accessible unless you drill the frame. Even so I doubt it works without the linux board that controls the hotend amps, heat sequence and all the magic necessary to make work a 220W limited PSU

[darkdvd 988]

 

"Sharing USB dongle (or stick)"

[neotko 1,417]

1 minute ago, darkdvd said:

 

"Sharing USB dongle (or stick)"

 

That’s only to send files or upload firmware but doesn’t give control over the machine since goes directly to the linux board not the white printerboard

[darkdvd 988]

...that's why I think it's a better solution to buy another computer or another UM...

[neotko 1,417]

7 minutes ago, darkdvd said:

...that's why I think it's a better solution to buy another computer or another UM...

 

There’s a way to make a direct connection with the board linux and send commands to the sendgcode python without net or wifi, using the usb to serial

 

https://www.olimex.com/Products/Components/Cables/USB-Serial-Cable/USB-Serial-Cable-F/

 

Is what I did use to unbrick a um3. But ofc connecting this probably can void the warranty (a20 olimex board seems to be, according to um, specially sensitive to electrostatic). With this cable correctly wired you can do a direct usb to serial to the linux and then with a bit of coding you could send the gcodes. 

 

Any path involves work. Not easy, not super hard. There ar other dual printers with easy gcode usb access on the market. 

Edited March 27, 2018 by neotko

[gr5 2,268]

I totally agree with neotko.  Better to get a different printer.  I think it would be helpful to know why one needs to control a printer from a CNC controller in the first place.  Maybe there is some other simpler solution that involves the UM3 and doesn't require a serial interface but can use network instead and hopefully doesn't involve a CNC controller either.

[gr5 2,268]

You could certainly hire ahoeben - he's a competent programmer so he's not cheap.  He used to work for Ultimaker.  He'd need to rent a UM3.  You should first explain what the goal is.  As neotko says, the interface might not be able to handle the required quantity of gcodes per second.

[gr5 2,268]

I wouldn't worry about "voiding warranties".  Ultimaker is very nice about warranties.  For example if you damaged the a20 with static you would indeed have to buy another one yourself but if your power supply died and that has nothing to do with your modifications then the supply would be covered.  Besides, every part on the UM3 can be purchased from Ultimaker.  So if you break anything you can get a new part.