#linuxcnc Logs

Mar 15 2023

#linuxcnc Calendar

12:04 AM boostedcabbage[m: spoke too soon of course
01:22 AM * boostedcabbage[m uploaded an image: (581KiB) < https://libera.ems.host/_matrix/media/v3/download/jauriarts.org/VzeRTQDmzdoCSDVEcYYfCJaa/image.png >
01:22 AM boostedcabbage[m: it could have to do with bad timing around zc
01:23 AM boostedcabbage[m: getting somewhere by staying away from zc. just can't be very slow
01:25 AM boostedcabbage[m: seems tunable now
01:26 AM boostedcabbage[m: i'll see if i can get lower power pulses back later
01:39 AM rmu: boostedcabbage[m: perhaps you need something like a PLL or timer to synchronise on line frequency. line frequency should be very stable, so you shouldn't need each zero crossing if you have a reference clock that is kept in sync occasionally
01:39 AM boostedcabbage[m: neat idea
01:43 AM boostedcabbage[m: the other thing is currently, the triac is fired every time. it could not
01:45 AM boostedcabbage[m: (i think.. lol)
01:46 AM boostedcabbage[m: well yeah.. other wise i'd be able to get near lower rpm
01:46 AM boostedcabbage[m: pretty much have 400-1000 right now
01:47 AM boostedcabbage[m: with no load
02:11 AM Deejay: moin
02:14 AM boostedcabbage[m: good morning
02:36 AM boostedcabbage[m: are functions run in the order they're added in hal?
02:42 AM jpa-: yeah, unless you specify an index to addf
02:43 AM jpa-: halreport will show the execution order nicely
03:01 AM menace is now known as Deknos
03:45 AM mits[m]: oh dang, the 7I95 doesn't have a spindle control... have to think about this then
03:45 AM mits[m]: 0-10V sipindle control I mean
03:47 AM boostedcabbage[m: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohb9n8f_3GQ
03:47 AM boostedcabbage[m: spicy feedback
03:47 AM boostedcabbage[m: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ES5j1IN-zw
03:47 AM boostedcabbage[m: green(firing of triac) and orange(zero cross) flirting
03:52 AM boostedcabbage[m: i think to bridge the gap, the triac needs to not be fired sometimes
03:55 AM boostedcabbage[m: the servo thread is at 8khz. getting closer at least
03:56 AM rmu: is this a brushed universal motor?
03:58 AM boostedcabbage[m: brushed dc
04:00 AM boostedcabbage[m: i do sort of wonder if there's ever some inductive stuff going on and the triac doesn't turn off or something
04:04 AM boostedcabbage[m: i do look forward to a proper lathe in the near future, but i need to tinker and bringing this thing back to life will help. i'm also learning loads about linuxcnc, so it works out
04:04 AM rmu: if you go too near to zero cross maybe you turn it on after the crossing because of jitter
04:04 AM boostedcabbage[m: yeah. that's what i presume is happening in the second video
04:06 AM rmu: you won't get much torque out of the motor at those low speeds anyway
04:11 AM boostedcabbage[m: yeah. it running at like 400 min is fine probably
04:16 AM rmu: you don't have to run the servo thread with 8kHz, you can add a second thread (usually called base thread i think) that only does your triac control. just need to add base_thread_fp=1 http://linuxcnc.org/docs/html/man/man9/motion.9.html
04:19 AM travis_farmer[m]: G'Morning ☕️
04:25 AM boostedcabbage[m: rmu: perfect
04:28 AM boostedcabbage[m: probaby check out jitter next. i can see that triac output dancing in that half cycle. prefer if it didn't as much
04:33 AM boostedcabbage[m: sleep time
04:34 AM rmu: boostedcabbage[m: there is a syncwait branch, don't remember exact name, where you can trade one core for next to no jitter.
04:37 AM boostedcabbage[m: Yes please
04:40 AM boostedcabbage[m: If it's tight enough, I could get closer to zc again
04:42 AM rmu: busywait
04:42 AM rmu: https://github.com/LinuxCNC/linuxcnc/tree/busywait6
04:45 AM boostedcabbage[m: Sweet
04:54 AM Tom_L: morning
05:07 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
05:07 AM JT-Cave: morning
05:09 AM JT-Cave: trying to clone mesact with my phone yesterday and it's being throttled back because I used all the data and it stayed at 50% for an hour...
05:38 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
05:57 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
06:08 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
06:24 AM Loetmichel: *GNAAAH* **klick* half of the company dark. GFCI tripped. **Searching for the culprit** "Oh, it smells like dead electronics in the workshop!" Turns out all thre steepper drivers of one of the CNC mill now have craters. (TB6560AHQ)... and those are not that easy to get these days :( And no idea why they tripped the GFCI either :(
06:25 AM JT-Cave1: ouch
06:28 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
06:29 AM JT-Cave: now qt designer is not displaying mesact2 the correct size... it never ends
06:32 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
06:32 AM travis_farmer[m]: JT-Cave: sounds like quite the run of bad luck. starlink, starlink 2, starlink 3, several computer issues... i can recommend not buying a lottery ticket right now. ;-)
06:32 AM * JT-Cave has never bought a lottery ticket
06:33 AM travis_farmer[m]: may be a good thing ;-)
06:33 AM JT-Cave: I did bet on a football pool once and won 3 quarters
06:34 AM travis_farmer[m]: only thing i ever won in my life, was a dodge-ball game... when i was 10 ;-)
06:34 AM JT-Cave: I might have to move on to debian 12 dunno but that will be after my trip
06:36 AM JT-Cave: can you clone mesact2 and run it and see what the reported screen size is on the machine page?
06:36 AM JT-Cave: https://github.com/jethornton/mesact2
06:38 AM travis_farmer[m]: i don't have a working linux machine in the house. i will try a bit later when i head out to the shop, unless somebody beats me to it
06:40 AM JT-Cave: no need, I just copied to another linux pc and it showed up correctly so this display driver is borked on debian 11
06:40 AM rmu: Loetmichel: mouser hast stock
06:41 AM travis_farmer[m]: hmm... either that or it couldn't find the correct driver, so it used a fail-safe display driver
06:42 AM Loetmichel: rmu: told the company procurer already to get 4 of them. And told him to make it QUICK because we need the machine.
06:42 AM Loetmichel: but thanks
06:42 AM rmu: Loetmichel: IME these toshiba chips are not very reliable if you use them with 2A motors
06:42 AM Loetmichel: problem is that i dont know WHY they fried and are a bit reluctant to just do "business as usual" when they are replaced
06:43 AM Loetmichel: 3A motors :)
06:43 AM Loetmichel: its a CNC 6040, what did you expect from the Chinaman?
06:43 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
06:44 AM Loetmichel: also: those chips are pretty sensitive to anything happening to the outputs. a bad connection to the motors is basically a guranteed crater
06:44 AM Loetmichel: but other than that they are not THAT bad
06:44 AM rmu: I had a similar machine, aluminium extrusions, trapezoidal screws ø12mm for 1000mm, so i know that crap
06:44 AM travis_farmer[m]: JT-Cave: have you tried to side-load firmware in from a USB drive, during install?
06:44 AM rmu: had one driver explode per 6 months
06:45 AM rmu: replaced with gecko drives
06:45 AM Loetmichel: rmu: my two here at the company do have 16mm by 4mm ballscrews though.
06:45 AM JT-Cave: no clue what you're asking
06:46 AM rmu: never figured out why they exploded
06:46 AM Loetmichel: but yeah, crap is somewhat accurate.
06:47 AM rmu: 12mm on 1000mm is too much, with some speeds you can get it to vibrate with >1cm amplitude
06:48 AM travis_farmer[m]: JT-Cave: sometimes with obscure firmware, they leave it out of the main distro. but if you load it on a usb flash drive and pop it in durring the install process, it can pick it up. https://wiki.debian.org/Firmware#Firmware_during_the_installation
06:48 AM travis_farmer[m]: i have to do it for some of my hardware
06:49 AM JT-Cave: how does that help after the install is done?
06:49 AM travis_farmer[m]: ... it doesn't, i guess
07:05 AM JT-Cave: looks like I need to upgrade to debian 12 to get the amd navi 23 drivers...
07:05 AM * Tom_L gives JT-Cave a Staples 'Easy' button
07:06 AM JT-Cave: I have one but it's broken
07:06 AM Tom_L: aparently
07:06 AM Tom_L: just think blue thoughts today
07:07 AM JT-Cave: I guess I'll upgrade to 12 and burn the rest of the wifes data lol
07:07 AM Tom_L: i was looking at the new router i got a while back and aparently it supports teather and usb wifi
07:08 AM JT-Cave: wish me blue Thursday
07:13 AM JT-Cave: I think I'll remove a bunch of useless software like fcitx first
07:15 AM rmu: JT-Cave: you could try enabling backports and installing a 6-series kernel first
07:15 AM JT-Cave: ok
07:19 AM JT-Cave: 26°F
07:20 AM JT-Cave: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bullseye-backports main contrib non-free
07:20 AM JT-Cave: is there a deb-src for bullseye backports?
07:23 AM rmu: probably same line with deb-src in front
07:24 AM rmu: do you need it?
07:26 AM rmu: inxi -G may show relevant information
07:29 AM JT-Cave: not sure
07:29 AM JT-Cave: bash: inxi: command not found
07:31 AM rmu: is available in package inxi
07:35 AM rmu: -G , --graphics
07:35 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
07:35 AM rmu: Show Graphic device(s) information, including details of device and display drivers (X: loaded:, and, if applicable: unloaded:, failed:, and active gpu: drivers), display protocol (if available), display server (and/or Wayland compositor), vendor and version number
07:46 AM JT-Cave: john@cave:~$ inxi -G
07:46 AM JT-Cave: Graphics:
07:46 AM JT-Cave: Device-1: AMD Navi 23 driver: N/A
07:46 AM JT-Cave: Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.20.11 driver: X: loaded: vesa
07:46 AM JT-Cave: unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,radeon dri: swrast gpu: N/A
07:46 AM JT-Cave: resolution: 3840x2160
07:46 AM JT-Cave: API: OpenGL v: 4.5 Mesa 20.3.5 renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 11.0.1 256 bits)
07:46 AM JT-Cave: brb gotta give the wife her phone back and use mine now
07:51 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
07:54 AM JT-Cave: we'll see in 30 minutes if the 6.1.0-6 rt kernel is a winner...
07:55 AM JT-Cave: download rate 70 kB/s lol
08:27 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
08:38 AM travis_farmer[m]: JT-Cave: at least your download rate is slightly better than dial-up ;-)
08:42 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
08:44 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
08:45 AM JT-Cave: john@cave:~$ inxi -G
08:45 AM JT-Cave: Graphics:
08:45 AM JT-Cave: Device-1: AMD Navi 23 driver: N/A
08:45 AM JT-Cave: Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.20.11 driver: X: loaded: vesa
08:45 AM JT-Cave: unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,radeon dri: swrast gpu: N/A
08:45 AM JT-Cave: resolution: 3840x2160
08:45 AM JT-Cave: API: OpenGL v: 4.5 Mesa 20.3.5 renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 11.0.1 256 bits)
08:45 AM JT-Cave: john@cave:~$ uname -a
08:45 AM JT-Cave: Linux cave 6.1.0-6-rt-amd64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_RT Debian 6.1.15-1 (2023-03-05) x86_64 GNU/Linux
08:45 AM rmu: hmm. not much different it seems
08:46 AM JT-Cave: well it's rt now :)
08:48 AM rmu: is this EFI boot or legacy?
08:48 AM JT-Cave: I don't know
08:50 AM JT-Cave: hmm I think I need to upgrade xserver-xorg-video-amdgup
08:50 AM travis_farmer[m]: JT-Cave: https://wiki.debian.org/AtiHowTo maybe?
08:51 AM JT-Cave: looks like that was for debian 10
08:51 AM rmu: that is all outdated. you want the "modesetting" x-server
08:51 AM rmu: and "kernel mode setting"
08:53 AM rmu: look in dmesg output for stuff containing EFI, efifb, fbcon and for errors
08:53 AM travis_farmer[m]: Hmmm...
08:54 AM rmu: navi 23 should be supported since kernel 5.11
08:55 AM JT-Cave: amdgpu 0000:09:00.0: firmware: failed to load amdgpu/dimgrey_cavefish_sos.bin (-2)
08:55 AM JT-Cave: amdgpu 0000:09:00.0: amdgpu: failed to init sos firmware
08:55 AM JT-Cave: and a few more
08:55 AM rmu: ok seems you need newer firmware-amd-graphics package
08:56 AM JT-Cave: I'm updating now
08:56 AM JT-Cave: the graphics package
08:57 AM rmu: bullseye-backports firmware-amd-graphics contains amdgpu/dimgrey_cavefish_sos.bin whereas the original non-backport version does not
09:00 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
09:00 AM mits[m]: I'm trying out bookworm on my new box
09:01 AM mits[m]: I'm wondering if I should use the packaged linuxcnc since I'm just hobbying
09:01 AM JT-Cave: looks like I have a display driver the screen is actually 3840x2160 now and it knows my monitor
09:01 AM JT-Cave: now it's at 2560 x 1440 and usable I think
09:01 AM * JT-Cave breaks fast
09:02 AM JT-Cave: thanks
09:18 AM rmu: just for future reference, what does inxi -G say now?
09:24 AM JT-Cave: john@cave:~$ inxi -G
09:24 AM JT-Cave: Graphics:
09:24 AM JT-Cave: Device-1: AMD Navi 23 driver: amdgpu v: kernel
09:25 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
09:26 AM rmu: hmm. that was cut off.
09:30 AM JT-Cave: john@cave:~$ inxi -G
09:30 AM JT-Cave: Graphics:
09:30 AM JT-Cave: Device-1: AMD Navi 23 driver: amdgpu v: kernel
09:30 AM JT-Cave: Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.21.1.7 driver: X: loaded: amdgpu
09:30 AM JT-Cave: unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,radeon,vesa dri: radeonsi gpu: amdgpu
09:30 AM JT-Cave: resolution: 2560x1440~60Hz
09:30 AM JT-Cave: API: OpenGL v: 4.6 Mesa 20.3.5 renderer: AMD Radeon RX 6600
09:30 AM JT-Cave: (DIMGREY_CAVEFISH DRM 3.49.0 6.1.0-6-rt-amd64 LLVM 11.0.1)
09:30 AM * JT-Cave heads to the shop to tend to the fires
09:30 AM rmu: thanks.
09:39 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
09:43 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
09:59 AM JT-Shop: crap I forgot to take the hose off last night
10:05 AM JT-Shop: at least my Mesa order is out for delivery
10:23 AM JT3196[m]: Is there any way through the Ethercat HAL comp to halt on any slaves with errors? One of the drives I use for IO for homing had a config error that cause homing switches to not work so it crashed 😦
10:35 AM * JT-Shop goes to see if the poop table has thawed out enough to finish cleaning it
10:36 AM rmu: JT3196[m]: there is no silver bullet against config errors
10:53 AM JT3196[m]: After config could we just check the status of the slaves such as ethercat slaves and checking for an E
10:54 AM JT3196[m]: The home stop switch config wasn't the issue it was another configuration error that halted it from adding to the `lcec` hal
10:54 AM JT3196[m]: * `lcec` hal comp
10:56 AM mrec: hmm can anyone recommend a 1500mm scale?
10:58 AM ZincBoy[CAON][m]: 1.5m ruler? 1.5m tape measure? What type of scale?
10:58 AM ZincBoy[CAON][m]: I have used dropros.com for manual machines.
11:00 AM mrec: I think 1000m should be fine I will check a local store tomorrow
11:08 AM rmu: JT3196[m]: if you have some sort of status from the ethercat drives, look at that in your machine-enable or e-stop chain
11:08 AM rmu: so ethercat drive not ready -> machine can't be brought out of estop
11:11 AM JT3196[m]: I think this is a good approach thanks
01:56 PM perry_j1987: hi all
02:33 PM perry_j1987: quiet in here today
02:38 PM XXCoder: ps 2.5.1 monotonic lines is interesting
02:38 PM XXCoder: itssimiliar to monotonic but it doesnt have spots where it goes short distance then go do next line. it stops extrude and goes to next line
02:39 PM XXCoder: https://images-ext-2.discordapp.net/external/PFxs0A7D9D5TbF9Q7OlArpcRnYklibQ0RCAUvIfh_QA/https/user-images.githubusercontent.com/33929324/214859075-d250d4a8-e24c-443e-8af4-30a29e9b62db.png
02:39 PM XXCoder: oops wrong channel
02:40 PM travis_farmer[m]: lol
03:05 PM perry_j1987: there we go just finished the final ops on some parts i've been meaning to get to for about a year now heh
03:13 PM perry_j1987: bare servo motors seem a bit expensive on ebay
03:30 PM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
03:37 PM travis_farmer[m]: well, i thought i was going to have paying work this week... but so far, nothing :-(
03:38 PM XXCoder: darn
03:39 PM Tom_L: windy windy today
03:39 PM travis_farmer[m]: yeah, i was really looking forward to a paycheck
03:43 PM CaptHindsight[m]: even too windy for Toto?
03:46 PM Tom_L: it's been worse but it's a steady 30-35mph
03:47 PM Tom_L: but it will shift out of the north soon and get back down into the 20's
03:47 PM Tom_L: it's ~65 right now
03:53 PM roycroft: it's still cool here, but we're having sunny breaks this afternoon
03:54 PM roycroft: we're forecast for unseasonably warm temperatures for a few days starting tomorrow
03:54 PM roycroft: that would be nice if it works out
03:54 PM roycroft: i might even be able to cut the grass on saturday
03:54 PM travis_farmer[m]: send some my way, if you would
03:54 PM * roycroft is wondering right now why anyone uses android devices
03:55 PM roycroft: or windows, for that matter
03:55 PM travis_farmer[m]: because i hate apple
03:55 PM roycroft: i'm installing some apps on various devices as part of the product we're developing
03:55 PM roycroft: on linux, mac os, and ios, they're a breeze to install and configure
03:55 PM roycroft: on windows and android it's like pulling teeth to get them configured
03:56 PM roycroft: and i'm talking about the exact same apps on those various platforms
03:56 PM roycroft: so it's not a good app/bad app thing
03:56 PM roycroft: it's a good os/bad os thing - the app does the best it can
04:00 PM roguish[m]1: stopped raining here yesterday. wind died off. now bright and sunny. cool, low 60's (F for roy)
04:00 PM mits[m]: In axis_mm.ini in the examples there are lines for HALFILE=core_sim.hal and others... those files are in /usr/share/linuxcnc/hallib but I can't figure out where that search path is defined... does anyone know?
04:03 PM roycroft: is there some inherent restriction in windows that does not allow aps to open multiple windows?
04:03 PM CaptHindsight[m]: mits: your cuctom/unique .INI file that you create for your machine will have the paths to your .hal files and some other unique files
04:05 PM ZincBoy[CAON][m]: @roycroft no, you can open as many windows as you like if your app is written to do so.
04:05 PM mits[m]: I'm not sure my question was clear then... I'm asking where linuxcnc has that path defined as a place to open .hal files other than the current directory
04:05 PM mits[m]: that path is not defined in the ini file
04:06 PM CaptHindsight[m]: cuctom/custom
04:07 PM mits[m]: I did comprehend that typo
04:07 PM CaptHindsight[m]: yah never know :)
04:08 PM mits[m]: I'm still not sure what your statement has to do with my question
04:08 PM CaptHindsight[m]: mits: it all depends, LCNC has files all over the place
04:08 PM mits[m]: I was talking about the ini file, and you said to check the ini file?
04:08 PM mits[m]: Well, something is telling lcnc to look in /usr/share/linuxcnc/hallib
04:08 PM mits[m]: and it's not the ini file
04:09 PM CaptHindsight[m]: I don't recognize axis_mm.ini, is that one of the sims?
04:09 PM mits[m]: yes
04:11 PM CaptHindsight[m]: you'll have to just dig in like the rest of us or ask about structure on the forums
04:14 PM ZincBoy[CAON][m]: I usually dig into the git repository to figure out things like that.
04:19 PM mits[m]: sadly I think it's an autoconf populated string, that's why I'm asking... but I'll keep looking
04:22 PM mits[m]: oh, I found it back in 2014 in the commit log, ok
04:24 PM CaptHindsight[m]: mits: just FYI, most of the original LCNC devs have moved on to other things
04:25 PM CaptHindsight[m]: lots of the current ones work on features but are no too involved with IRC, the forums or the mail list
04:38 PM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
04:40 PM perry_j1987: you guys ever sell industrial components to radwell?
04:42 PM CaptHindsight[m]: perry_j1987: https://www.radwell.com/en-US/ ?
04:42 PM perry_j1987: ya
04:50 PM CaptHindsight[m]: #linuxcnc-devel for development questions if anyone is around
05:08 PM * JT[m] uploaded an image: (342KiB) < https://libera.ems.host/_matrix/media/v3/download/matrix.org/qYNMnrcuxQCFVuuuSkLsKdAw/20230315_170642.jpg >
05:16 PM XXCoder: bowl bottom?
05:33 PM Tom_L: JT[m] just likes making puzzles
05:34 PM JT[m]: Inside bottom
05:34 PM JT[m]: That took 2 attempts lop
05:38 PM XXCoder: making progress :D
05:41 PM Tom_L: roycroft, i can open as many Notepad++ instances as i want in windows
05:43 PM XXCoder: roycroft: some programs would look if theres an instance and go to it
05:44 PM XXCoder: rather than open another window
05:45 PM JT[m]: And some are cornfused
05:46 PM JT[m]: Leave in the morning for Shreveport
05:48 PM JT[m]: Got a big shipment from Mesa today, I'll update stock after I return
05:49 PM XXCoder: nice
05:49 PM JT[m]: My wife finally noticed I cut 2-3 inches off my beard last night lol
05:49 PM Tom_L: heh
05:50 PM XXCoder: lol
05:50 PM XXCoder: play a beard shortening game
05:50 PM XXCoder: cut 1/4 inch each couple days
05:51 PM JT[m]: LOL
05:51 PM XXCoder: see if anyone notices
05:52 PM Tom_L: i keep mine short
05:53 PM XXCoder: I keep mine nonexistant
05:53 PM JT[m]: I quit going to the barber in October 2019, they were not wearing masks and covid was killing a lot so now it's pretty long loo
05:53 PM JT[m]: Lol
05:53 PM JT[m]: I can't grow sideburns at all
05:54 PM JT[m]: Dang speelcheker thinks lol is loo
05:54 PM XXCoder: I grow almost japanese anime style "beard"
05:54 PM Tom_L: google or siri?
05:54 PM XXCoder: long mostache, mostly only chin area
05:55 PM JT[m]: Matrix
05:55 PM JT[m]: Thing
05:55 PM Tom_L: didn't know it did that
05:55 PM Tom_L: i'm seldom on matrix but am signed up
05:55 PM JT[m]: Maybe it's the phone
05:55 PM XXCoder: autocorrect?
05:55 PM Tom_L: my kid has an iphone and he says the spellchecker is bad
05:56 PM JT[m]: Yup
05:56 PM Tom_L: she just got one and hated it since she was used to android
05:56 PM Tom_L: still adjusting to it
05:56 PM XXCoder: apple is more refined in some ways, horrible in others
05:56 PM JT[m]: I must have deleted 400 language things on the cave pc this morning
05:57 PM JT[m]: Yup I tried ipuke once...never again
05:57 PM Tom_L: i'm ok with it.. why change
05:57 PM Tom_L: android that is
05:58 PM XXCoder: my family had ipads and it wasnt really greaty
05:58 PM XXCoder: keyword: had
05:58 PM Tom_L: i can tether it to my modem if i need to or probably do the wifi thing via hotspot
05:58 PM JT[m]: Yup android for me
05:58 PM Tom_L: i almost grabbed a usb wifi thing to try it
05:59 PM Tom_L: all your problems got me thinking...
05:59 PM Tom_L: less likely to happen since i'm on cable
05:59 PM JT[m]: Of a backup plan?
05:59 PM Tom_L: yeah
06:00 PM Tom_L: my modem supports USB connection
06:00 PM JT[m]: Never can tell
06:00 PM Tom_L: s/modem/router
06:01 PM Tom_L: it has a list of supported devices and https://www.asus.com/us/networking-iot-servers/adapters/all-series/usb-bt500/ was on the list
06:02 PM JT[m]: At least I figured out the bug in mesact cpu Calc with Peter's help
06:02 PM Tom_L: saw that
06:02 PM JT[m]: I had servo units wrong and it blew up my calculations
06:02 PM Tom_L: you're stuck with a certain router with starlink aren't you?
06:03 PM Tom_L: ahh
06:03 PM JT[m]: Yup, there router
06:03 PM JT[m]: But in pass through it uses my router
06:04 PM Tom_L: https://www.asus.com/us/support/FAQ/1047774/
06:04 PM Tom_L: maybe not
06:04 PM Tom_L: oh
06:05 PM JT[m]: Hmm I think it's time to load up the Insight for tomorrow
06:06 PM Tom_L: wedding?
06:06 PM Tom_L: or just getting away
06:06 PM JT[m]: Yup, and family get together
06:07 PM JT[m]: Siblings, daughter and the nephew and bride to be
06:07 PM Tom_L: sounds like a good time
06:07 PM JT[m]: Going to try
06:08 PM Tom_L: Which Asus router is best for Starlink?
06:08 PM Tom_L: The best router for Starlink is the ASUS ROG Rapture WiFi 6 Gaming Router.
06:08 PM Tom_L: fwiw
06:08 PM Tom_L: mine is not that one but i'm real happy with it
06:24 PM roycroft: well my laser engraver just arrived - a full month early
06:32 PM XXCoder: awesome. hope it rocks
06:38 PM Tom_L: they must have had one in the ststes
06:39 PM roycroft: i'll try to check it out tonight
06:39 PM roycroft: i have to go to the eye doctor's right now, and i have a dinner engagement after that
07:42 PM skunkworks[m]: I don't know what router dad is using.. But it works good (the starlink dish is on the shop roof - using the starlink wireless down there - then fiber up to the house with another wireless router.
09:00 PM tantalum is now known as verm__
10:03 PM roycroft: things are not looking promising for the laser engraver
10:03 PM roycroft: it was easy to unbox and set up, but kind of a hassle installing their app
10:04 PM roycroft: and once installed, it requires email registration to activate, and i'm not getting the activation code
10:04 PM XXCoder: groan
10:04 PM roycroft: i emailed them and was impressed to get a quick response
10:04 PM XXCoder: sounds like it would die if company went under
10:04 PM roycroft: but the response was "you must use your gmail.com email to get the code"
10:04 PM XXCoder: wut
10:04 PM roycroft: when i told them i don't have one, they said "everyone has a gmail address - just use that"
10:06 PM roycroft: so it's almost certainly going back
10:07 PM roycroft: which is sad, because if it worked it would be perfect for what i need to do
10:07 PM Tom_L: borrow someone's gmail for the code
10:07 PM roycroft: i need it every time i use it
10:07 PM Tom_L: oh
10:07 PM roycroft: they have this "safety feature"
10:08 PM XXCoder: locked to server :(
10:08 PM roycroft: where whenever i submit a job to engrave, i get a code sent to me
10:08 PM roycroft: and i have to enter the code in the app before the laser will turn ont
10:08 PM roycroft: it's purportedly to keep people from putting their eye out
10:08 PM roycroft: i knew about this "feature" before i bought it, and thought i could probably live with it
10:09 PM roycroft: i did not know about the gmail part though
10:09 PM XXCoder: should be simple enough to setup one
10:10 PM XXCoder: I know you dont want to but yeah
10:10 PM boostedcabbage[m: i'd love like a 100w co2 laser
10:10 PM XXCoder: me too lol
10:10 PM roycroft: no, i won't do that
10:10 PM roycroft: this one is 500mw
10:11 PM roycroft: but that's fine for what i need to do
10:11 PM boostedcabbage[m: my dad has a laser pecker
10:11 PM roycroft: that's what i just got
10:11 PM roycroft: laserpecker pro 1
10:11 PM boostedcabbage[m: nice
10:11 PM roycroft: i just need to engrave my logo in pieces of wood
10:11 PM roycroft: and maybe leather
10:11 PM roycroft: the tripod is kind of sucky, too
10:12 PM XXCoder: can 3d print better one
10:12 PM roycroft: but if i could use the laser, i'd make a sturdy stand for it
10:12 PM XXCoder: but with cloudcrap not worth it I think
10:12 PM roycroft: hmm, they just sent me a code
10:12 PM roycroft: maybe they decided they did not want me to send it back
10:13 PM roycroft: i'll give it another go
10:14 PM roycroft: i really would like to make this work
10:19 PM roycroft: ok, it is working now
10:19 PM XXCoder: hope result is good
10:24 PM roycroft: it is making smoke
10:24 PM XXCoder: hopefully not magic smoke
10:24 PM Tom_L: don't burn the place down
10:25 PM roycroft: no, the expected kind
10:25 PM Tom_L: that happened to someone here
10:25 PM roycroft: i'm engraving a piece of baltic birch plywood
10:25 PM Tom_L: how does it focus?
10:26 PM roycroft: fixed focus
10:26 PM XXCoder: height setter I guess
10:26 PM roycroft: i adjust it to 200mm above the workpiece
10:26 PM Tom_L: what about non flat surfaces?
10:26 PM roycroft: there's a model with a roller for cylinders
10:27 PM roycroft: this is the bare-bones model
10:27 PM Tom_L: usb powered?
10:28 PM roycroft: yes
10:29 PM roycroft: and it looks like it doesn't need to do the email thing every time
10:29 PM Tom_L: that's good
10:29 PM roycroft: once registered, the "code" is a pin that i set that gets stored in the app
10:29 PM Tom_L: i have an app on my phone that has to check in every so often but i can have it on multiple devices just active on one
10:30 PM Tom_L: it checks in to make sure it's not being used multiple times
10:30 PM Tom_L: i had that happen once because i hadn't used it often enough i guess
10:31 PM Tom_L: so i have it licensed on apple and android
10:32 PM roycroft: well, i took a quick video of the laser, but the file is too big to email
10:32 PM roycroft: when i get back in my office i'll upload it
10:33 PM Tom_L: i'll be in dreamland
10:34 PM Tom_L: will it engrave metal as well?
10:34 PM roycroft: no
10:34 PM roycroft: wrong frequency, and not enough power
10:34 PM XXCoder: with black paint you can do interesting stuff but mostly no
10:34 PM Tom_L: i saw amazon sold metal business card blanks is why i asked
10:35 PM XXCoder: yeah it just exposes the "burnt" areas, making a nice loojk
10:35 PM XXCoder: but it dont cut or mark metal itself
10:35 PM roycroft: i need to spend about $1k to get one that will engrave metal
10:35 PM roycroft: this is an led laser
10:35 PM roycroft: i need a co2 laser for metal
10:36 PM Tom_L: i know next to nothing about them
10:36 PM roycroft: i know little more than you
10:36 PM Tom_L: will probably keep it that way
10:38 PM roycroft: i'm sure i'll get another laser engraver, probably within the next year
10:38 PM roycroft: but this one looks good to start with
10:38 PM Tom_L: wonder how long the led will last
10:39 PM roycroft: i'll find out
10:39 PM roycroft: it would be hard to connect an hour meter to this thing
10:40 PM roycroft: but i'll be engraving the same image over and over again
10:40 PM roycroft: and i'll know how long it takes to engrave one, so all i have to do is count
10:40 PM roycroft: this sample image is going to take about a half hour
10:40 PM roycroft: but it's much bigger than my logo will be
10:41 PM roycroft: i can probably engrave the logo in 5-7 minutes
10:42 PM Tom_L: i saw an inkscape to gcode thing for it
10:42 PM roycroft: yeah, it has a place to upload gcode
10:42 PM Tom_L: i wonder if it uses grbl
10:42 PM XXCoder: yeah. roy btw its best to convert all objects to paths if lines. save it as seperate svg for reuse
10:43 PM roycroft: i figured that printing one of the built-in sample images would be good to start with
10:43 PM Tom_L: they're going to be optimized for best appearance
10:43 PM roycroft: my logo master is an eps file, with the fonts converted to vectors
10:43 PM roycroft: sure
10:44 PM XXCoder: cool
10:44 PM roycroft: and when i know what "best appearance" looks like then i can start feeding it my image, and tweaking that
10:44 PM roycroft: i'll know how good it can get
10:44 PM Tom_L: different wood will respond different too probably
10:44 PM roycroft: i also did not sand this plywood
10:45 PM roycroft: and there is some fuzziness at some of the edges, probably because of that
10:45 PM roycroft: i should sand it and spritz it with some distilled water before etching
10:46 PM roycroft: but again, this is just a baseline test
10:46 PM roycroft: i won't know the effect of any tweaks until i have an untweaked sample
10:47 PM roycroft: it's not etching very deeply, but the etching is pretty dark
10:54 PM roycroft: my guess was good - i guessed it would take about a half hour, and it took 29:57
10:55 PM XXCoder: pracially pinpoint
10:55 PM roycroft: and i engraved at 1k resolution - it goes up to 2k
10:57 PM roycroft: i think i can make this work
10:57 PM roycroft: i'm not going to be able to start an engraving business with it, but i should be able to engrave my logo
10:57 PM XXCoder: thats your intended use so yeah
10:57 PM roycroft: yes
10:59 PM roycroft: they sent me a card
10:59 PM roycroft: if i email them and say "this is nice" they will send me a free case for the laser head
11:03 PM roycroft: https://roycroft.us/LaserPecker/LaserPecker1.jpeg
11:03 PM roycroft: https://roycroft.us/LaserPecker/LaserPecker2.jpeg
11:03 PM XXCoder: the logo is nice
11:04 PM roycroft: i think if i sand the plywood first, and engrave at 2k resolution instead of 1k, it will come out a lot better
11:04 PM roycroft: that's not my logo
11:04 PM roycroft: that's the laserpecker logo
11:04 PM XXCoder: I just said logo :D
11:04 PM roycroft: yeah, i'm just being clear
11:04 PM XXCoder: ok
11:04 PM XXCoder: well its quite crisp and clean
11:04 PM XXCoder: is black wipeable or is it perment
11:05 PM roycroft: it's pretty permanent
11:05 PM roycroft: the wood is burned
11:05 PM roycroft: but that is what i want
11:05 PM XXCoder: nice. my laser machine was so shitty it looked nice till I wipe and its barely visible
11:05 PM roycroft: i'd like to make it a little darker and a little sharper
11:06 PM roycroft: and i think i can