#linuxcnc Logs
Aug 13 2025
#linuxcnc Calendar
12:04 AM lcnc-relay: <meisterdippel@> moin
12:44 AM memleak: openntpd is better from a security standpoint
04:30 AM Tom_L: morning
04:34 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
04:47 AM Tom_dev: memleak, Linux bookworm 5.4.290-rtai-amd64 #1 SMP Sun Feb 16 14:27:43 CST 2025 x86_64 GNU/Linux
04:47 AM Tom_dev: i've run my mill config on the mill with it for testing
05:35 AM Deejay: hi
07:16 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
07:21 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
07:21 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
08:24 AM lcnc-relay: <ccatlett1984@> Fyi https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/13/secure_chat_darling_matrix_admits/
08:24 AM lcnc-relay: <ccatlett1984@> Isn't Martin the backend for unifying discord and irc here?
08:24 AM lcnc-relay: <ccatlett1984@> Matrix
08:25 AM lcnc-relay: <ccatlett1984@> Stupid autocorrect....
09:28 AM lfluffywof: "linuxcnc terminated with an error" that is not a message I like to see...
09:29 AM lcnc-relay: <captainhindsight_.@> ccatlett1984@ ask Turboss
09:30 AM lcnc-relay: <captainhindsight_.@> He manages the bots here
09:31 AM lfluffywof: I might end up having to upgrade linuxcnc now instead of when I switch to the mesa boards. bleh.
09:32 AM lcnc-relay: <captainhindsight_.@> Depends on the error
09:39 AM lcnc-relay: <satiowadahc@> If you run lcnc from terminal you generally see more output and can diagnose it easier
10:02 AM * JT-Shop memorizes what the 7c81 looks like and continues to search for it... maybe it's not in original bag...
10:04 AM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> lol - good luck
10:05 AM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> I found my extra mesa cards because I though - hmm - maybe it is under this pile of amazon packages..
10:05 AM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> and it was
10:35 AM Unterhaus_ is now known as Unterhausen
10:36 AM Unterhausen: I once ordered a new mesa card because I couldn't find one. I mistakenly ordered 2 mesa cards because I had already placed one in my cart and didn't notice
10:37 AM Unterhausen: so now I have 3
10:44 AM lcnc-relay: <ccatlett1984@> turboss@
10:53 AM roycroft: sounds like an opportunity to build some more machines, unterhausen
10:54 AM roycroft: it would be a waste to have those extra mesa boards sitting around idly
10:55 AM Unterhausen: I'll get right on that
11:07 AM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> Me too!
11:50 AM JT-MShop: nap time here
12:05 PM lcnc-relay: <captainhindsight_.@> ccatlett1984@ look for Turboss in qtpyvcp
12:07 PM lcnc-relay: <captainhindsight_.@> He does not seem to be around right now
12:38 PM xxcoder: wow nice and cool now
12:48 PM rdtsc-w: curious, anyone know if https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Network-Converter-Computer-Hardware/dp/B0971CQH4H/ref=sr_1_87 would work in Linux to add an IDE port? Or would this be driver-hell
12:48 PM xxcoder: it has driver cd? odd
12:50 PM roycroft: how quaint
12:50 PM roycroft: i just ran across some 5-1/4" floppy disks from adobe containing fonts that i paid hundreds of dollars for
12:50 PM xxcoder: yeah. I wonder what percentage of computers nowdays even have cd drive
12:50 PM roycroft: only slightly more quaint than cds
12:50 PM roycroft: fortunately i have copies of those fonts
12:51 PM roycroft: i've been migrating my troff directory from computer to computer since the '80s, and that's where i store all my fonts
12:51 PM xxcoder: yeah I bet those disks have bit rotted since
12:52 PM roycroft: quite possibly
12:52 PM roycroft: but i don't think i have a 5-1/4" floppy drive anyway
12:53 PM roycroft: i know that old windows 95 machine that i have with the eprom burner has a 3-1/2" floppy drive
12:53 PM roycroft: but i don't think it has a 5-1/4" drive
12:53 PM roycroft: it has a qic-525 tape drive
12:54 PM roycroft: and i bet i can still read all my decades-old qic tapes - those things are pretty much indestructable
12:54 PM roycroft: almost as robust as 9-track
12:54 PM xxcoder: I remember my grandparents having bunch of 9-tracks
12:55 PM xxcoder: I wonder what happened to them
12:55 PM lcnc-relay: <ccatlett1984@> captainhindsight_.@: He uses discord, he'll see the ping
01:00 PM roycroft: when i was taking programming classes (pascal) at western washington university, whenever i wanted to save a program that i was working on staff would save it to a 9-track tape and hand it to me
01:00 PM roycroft: i was working on a vax running vms for this, and there was no concept of floppy drives for a vax
01:00 PM roycroft: they gave me a fresh tape for every program
01:01 PM roycroft: so 50 lines of code that would be like 1k-2k of text would be the single file on an entire 9-track tape
01:01 PM roycroft: kind of a waste, but that's how they did it
01:02 PM roycroft: we were very limited in storage - i don't remember how small the quotas were, but they were in the megabytes at most
01:02 PM roycroft: possibly tens of kilobytes
01:02 PM roycroft: so students could basically keep one program online at any time
01:02 PM roycroft: i used to have a huge box full of 9 track tapes because of this
01:04 PM xxcoder: interesting
01:04 PM xxcoder: I recall that interesting tech connections video about using vcr as tape storage
01:05 PM xxcoder: it was at 1 gb or so? which would be huge amount of storage but it was just wrong era, not many people would need that much space then
01:07 PM rdtsc-w: looks like if ya want to add an IDE port to linux, get a StarTech.com - comes up as a JMB368 IDE controller in linux
01:28 PM roycroft: yes, i remember an old pick system i managed that used a vcr for backups
01:28 PM roycroft: that was the "new" old pick system
01:28 PM roycroft: the original one that the client had was z80-based, and it used a 9 track for backup
01:28 PM roycroft: i still have some of the 15" disk platters from that machine
01:29 PM xxcoder: disks was removable?
01:29 PM roycroft: then they migrated to a "new" system that was 8086 based, and used the vcr
01:29 PM roycroft: no, but when the disk drive died, i dismantled it and extracted the platters
01:29 PM xxcoder: ahh ok
01:31 PM roycroft: it is almost lunch time, and i need to unload some, if not all, of the flooring during my lunch break
01:31 PM roycroft: but i haven't figured out where i'm going to store it yet
01:32 PM roycroft: it is supposed to rain this weekend, so i really do need to get it unloaded and brought into the house
01:33 PM roycroft: just a mm or so, but that's enough to damage hardwood flooring
01:34 PM xxcoder: interesting. here it wont rain, but will be cloudy for good percent of day. few hours of sun starting just now
01:39 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> I have some 5-1/4 floppies new in box. Imation I think
01:39 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> like 10 boxes
01:51 PM roycroft: they're probably collectable now
01:51 PM xxcoder: for quite a while, nasa was buying floppies and drives off ebay
01:52 PM xxcoder: they had bought 8" drives and disks at whatever price too lol
02:40 PM lcnc-relay: <satiowadahc@> https://github.com/LinuxCNC/linuxcnc/pull/3544
02:40 PM lcnc-relay: This feels clunky to me, has anyone done something similar in a different way?
02:41 PM roycroft: our icbm silos are still run on '70s hardware with 8" floppy disks
02:42 PM roycroft: because that stuff works
02:42 PM roycroft: and is super-hardened
02:42 PM Tom_L: ever been down in one?
02:42 PM Tom_L: an old friend used to work in one
02:43 PM Tom_L: wasn't really aware any were still active other than sold for living quarters etc
03:03 PM roycroft: i haven't
03:03 PM roycroft: but they are still actdive
03:03 PM roycroft: or, at least, were a few years ago
03:03 PM roycroft: i used to have a gf who was from grand forks nd
03:04 PM roycroft: there's a big air force base a bit out of town to the west, and there were icbm silos there
03:04 PM roycroft: it was right by the border
03:04 PM xxcoder: I remember reading about one former silo for sale
03:04 PM roycroft: it probably never made canadians nervous until recently :)
03:04 PM xxcoder: pretty cool, huge space but yeah probably takes a lot of money to make it livable
03:05 PM roycroft: if you're in kansas it's probably a great place to live
03:05 PM roycroft: tornado proof
03:06 PM Tom_L: yup
03:06 PM Tom_L: pretty sure the ones around here have been closed a while
03:07 PM JT-MShop: there are 3 icbm bases still in use for minuteman III missiles
03:07 PM JT-MShop: montana north dakota and wyoming/colorado/nebraska
03:07 PM Tom_L: https://titanmissilemuseum.org/museum/map/
03:07 PM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
03:08 PM Tom_L: i was able to tour one once
03:10 PM Tom_L: they were pretty cautious about anyone touching anything
03:10 PM roycroft: so the one i was talking about is still there
03:10 PM Tom_L: likely so
03:13 PM roycroft: no, they're at minot afb
03:13 PM roycroft: that's halfway across the state, and not near the border
03:13 PM roycroft: there were some that were closer to the turtle mountains
03:13 PM pcw_work: I (vaguely) remember our cub scout group touring the decommissioned Nike missile bases in the Berkeley hills...
03:14 PM Tom_L: a total of 54 were deployed across the US
03:15 PM Tom_L: there was a missle in the one we visited way back when
03:15 PM roycroft: or maybe theywere at grand forks afb
03:15 PM roycroft: it's been a good 30 years since i've been to north dakota
03:21 PM JT-Shop: and my pallet jack has a new set of steer wheels complete with new hub caps
03:25 PM roycroft: grand forks afb had missile silos until 1998, when they were imploded
03:27 PM roycroft: its minuteman iii missiles were transferred to malmstrom afb in montana, where they remain today
03:35 PM Guest96: who is here?
03:35 PM roycroft: i am not
03:36 PM roycroft: or should i say, who is on second ?
03:39 PM Guest96: Can I use arduino uno with linuxcnc? I have some small stepper drivers but my pc doesnt have parallel port (and buying a PCIE one is not an option). It seems that only the rs232 and usb are relavant options I have. What do you recommend?
03:40 PM xxcoder: RPI is an option for you?
03:40 PM xxcoder: rpi4 and 5 can drive a machine with mesa board
03:44 PM Guest96: sorry, but raspberry pi is not an option. MESA cards are not common in my region. I read that usb is not realtime and serial is slow. But since I just want a simple, slow 3d printer, they should be good enogh. Right? I know grbl and I have worked with it, but I want to test linuxcnc with my creepy setup.
03:45 PM roycroft: i recommend a different pc
03:46 PM roycroft: usb and rs232 won't work
03:46 PM roycroft: actually, i recommend you keep the grbl controller you have
03:46 PM roycroft: if it's just a 3d printer and the grbl controller works, i would not change it
03:49 PM JT-Shop: linuxcnc requires a pc or rpi with a real time kernel
03:51 PM * JT-Shop wonders why internet programmers still think they know where you are with sat internet
03:52 PM xxcoder: worse ones dont even allow you to set location
03:53 PM Guest96: I can get the PC and real time kernel easily. But the hardware is my main question. I saw some firmware for arduino to use it with linuxcnc. namely: https://github.com/AlexmagToast/LinuxCNC_ArduinoConnector
03:54 PM Guest96: But my concern is motors. Do they work well or the jitter and delay ruins it all?
03:55 PM JT-Shop: I don't think anyone here has tried using arduino with linuxcnc
03:55 PM JT-Shop: sounds like the only way to find out is to try
03:55 PM roycroft: even with cablemodem they think they know where i am and they're almost always wrong
03:56 PM roycroft: i'm usually in cottage grove (an hour away) or in portland
03:56 PM roycroft: but i've been as far away as wyoming
03:56 PM Tom_L: if you're bent on using arduino you should use grbl
03:56 PM roycroft: all why sitting in my office
03:57 PM roycroft: not having visited that site, what is the role of the arduino with that connector?
03:57 PM roycroft: does it offload the motion control from your pc?
03:57 PM pcw_work: It's for non-realtime I/O expansion, not motion
03:58 PM roycroft: oh, so it would not help much
03:58 PM roycroft: or at all :)
03:58 PM * JT-Shop is glad pcw_work knows
03:59 PM pcw_work: Likely the cheapest way to test LinuxCNC is with a PC+parallel port or RPI (using GPIO for step/dir)
04:00 PM JT-Shop: so the pallet jack is fixed and the cabinet is back in place over the refrigerator
04:01 PM roycroft: i think it was stated above that guest96 has a pc with no parallel port and no mechanism to add one
04:01 PM roycroft: and for whatever reason could not or would not use an rpi
04:06 PM Guest96: I have a free weakend and nothing can stop me from testing that this works or not. First I try to see if it can spin a motor at all. Then comes more chalenging parts. I will share my result here. I can find a pcie parallel port adapter or a raspberry pi, but I want to see if arduino can do the job. I have programmed a xilinx fpga with an arduino +
04:06 PM Guest96: some resistors and jumper wires with this: https://github.com/mrjimenez/JTAG so linuxcnc may work too. Testing that doesnt hurt
04:10 PM pcw_work: LinuxCNC was not developed for 3D printers, so may be a disappointing exercise even with test hardware available.
04:12 PM pcw_work: An Arduino (or any processor) can offload real time processes such as step generation, but you still need a real time interface from the host computer to the Arduino/external processor
04:13 PM roycroft: i do not believe, guest96, that anyone here attempted to stop you from doing anything
04:13 PM roycroft: my reading of things is that folks suggested what might or might not work
04:15 PM pcw_work: The host CPU --> low level hardware is the part that's lacking here (real time interfaces include Ethernet, Parallel port, GPIO, SPI, EtherCAT etc etc but not USB )
04:15 PM Rab: I have a free weakend and nothing can stop me from testing that this works or not. <-- This is the right attitude in life
04:16 PM JT-Shop: yup
04:17 PM roycroft: "i have a free weekend and nothing can stop me from jumping into the cinder cone of this active volcano"
04:17 PM roycroft: it's not always the right attitude :)
04:18 PM roycroft: in this case the proposed action is more benign than my scenario
04:18 PM JT-Shop: after lots of testing I determined I like caramel rice crisps the best
04:20 PM pcw_work: There was someone on the LinuxCNC forum (long ago) that had a somewhat-working USB interfaced LinuxCNC motion demo so something like that is not impossible but a lot of work for iffy results
04:20 PM JT-Shop: interesting
04:24 PM Tom_L: JT-Shop, you should test some more to be sure
04:25 PM JT-Shop: I have to limit my testing to avoid over testing
04:26 PM * rdtsc-w is a reformed testaholic...
04:26 PM JT-Shop: still can't find my 7c81 but I have room for the 3-D printer down in the beer cave now
04:27 PM JT-Shop: I can also say nacho cheese popcorn is less messy than cheetos popcorn
04:28 PM Tom_L: you can't hide eating cheetos
04:28 PM JT-Shop: nope
04:28 PM pcw_work: The magic orange dust is better glued together?
04:28 PM Tom_L: it's like spraying luminol over a crime scene
04:31 PM JT-Shop: ROFLMAO
04:34 PM roycroft: i thought we were not supposed to discuss politics here
04:34 PM roycroft: so what's with the orange cheeto talk? :)
04:37 PM JT-Shop: is one cheetos a cheeto and multiple cheetos a cheetoses
04:40 PM Tom_L: cheeto and cheetas
05:18 PM JT-Shop: crap I forgot to get some large marshmallows for coon bait
05:23 PM xxcoder: bah. one seller keeps sending me stuff
05:23 PM xxcoder: this time its "kodak film velox paper"
05:23 PM xxcoder: I feel its drop shipper that keeps forgetting to change away from my address and name
05:30 PM xxcoder: I still have another one unknown. I hope its gold brick or million bucks :P
05:37 PM Tom_L: JT-Shop, bait it with cheetos
05:40 PM JT-Shop: wet cat food seems to work too
05:41 PM * JT-Shop calls it a day
07:05 PM xxcoder: "79f" lies. its well into high 80s f
07:06 PM xxcoder: it stayed cooler for much of day so its still better than very hot yeserday
07:47 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> new mend it mark video
07:49 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> lol agfa.. I haven't heard that for ages.. we had agfa film processors... (before film went all electronic)
07:50 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> I almost forget we used to have thousands and thousands of film positives for creating screens...
07:51 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> (now we explose the screens directly)
11:03 PM * roycroft wonders what is happening tonight
11:03 PM roycroft: we had to go to four sushi places to find one that was open
11:03 PM roycroft: none of them are normally closed on wednesdays
11:04 PM xxcoder: odd
11:04 PM roycroft: yes
11:05 PM roycroft: the first one is a small family place, and there was a sign saying they were closed this week
11:05 PM roycroft: we figured they were taking a vacation, which is fine, of course
11:05 PM roycroft: the next two, though, are larger, and were just closed with no notices on the door
11:06 PM roycroft: but we were persistent, and found one that was open :)
11:07 PM xxcoder: nice