RepliCape and BBB .dts File(s) for Using this Cape...

General Discussion
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Hello,

Are there any people in userland using the RepliCape along w/ a BBB lately or would you mind sharing a shelved project of yours or someone else that may have done something w/ it?

Seth

The files, an image file and a .dts can be found here and here and here:

  1. Releases · intelligent-agent/Refactor · GitHub
    a. It is the RepliCape image in the Assets section.
    b. There is also a .tar.gz file for sport!
  2. Dang it. I am coming up short on the RepliCape .dts file now. If someone knows, please direct your attention to this post.

P.S. I am smart but not the smartest, i.e. as some of you are aware of currently. Anyway, enough about me, RepliCape. I wanted to build w/ it but I am finding things difficult as of now w/ the lack of people using it. I was wondering, does the .dts file handle all RepliCape pinouts and muxing?

Oh. The fellows that put this together, for my lack of knowledge here, are located on the Discord channel under Thing-printer and it is linked somehow like this: Discord . That is their RepliCape channel. I think the fellow that produced the daughter cards, the RepliCape, stopped. So, this will put a damper in anyone looking to attain more but if you got, flaunt it or whatever. Send Rations!

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My Replicape and LCD screen along with the BBB is in the kennel. I did rewire my POS Delta Printer to use the Replicape connectors. That’s when I discovered one of the Replicape stepper drivers wasn’t working properly. Using the second extruder driver sort of worked but I think there is some software that doesn’t like that modification. I could never get it to properly level the bed.

So once again, with the BBB I gave up, put the puppy back into the kennel for raising my frustration level another day.

I have a second BBB that has a cape with CAN driver. It’s been running 24/7 connected to an HDMI 1080 screen for a number of months. Mostly to test Lazarus CANopen code that I want to have work on WIN-PCs, Pi, BBB and LinuxCNC.

John

image001.jpg

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Hello Sir,

Seth here. @jcdammeyer , if you have any notes you are willing to share, please post at will. I changed up the initial post to an edited post. I added some good info. but w/out community around the board, it seems like a stalemate for me. I will post when I get things up and running.

Until then, Godspeed. Oh! Do not forget. Please send any notes you are willing to part w/ currently.

Seth

P.S. LinuxCNC is nice on Debian. It is like MachineKit but w/out the .d files on Windows video application(s). Anyway, my screen was a bit hazy and tired of competing w/ the shear speed of the LinuxCNC movement on the LCD. I think I needed to have the PRUs handle such tasks. Before beginner here on PRUs .

Blah…so. That is it for now. If and when you are willing to keep this alive, please post more or I will! My posts are usually elongated and boring, not to-the-point, and never attract too many persons of interest. Let the fun begin.

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Hi Seth,

I moved over to the RPi4 + MESA 7i92H for playing with LinuxCNC on the desktop so I could send CANopen messages to what will become a self contained tool changer. (used a Lawicel CANUSB although I do have a couple of CAN HATds)

I found the Machinekit for LinuxCNC worked well but the cape I had couldn’t handle NC switches and was limited in I/O.

https://youtu.be/9GF709ZfLRQ

I switched over to a regular PC and first just parallel port so I could do dual boot for MACH3 on WIN-XP or LinuxCNC. Then I moved to the 7i92H which doesn’t run with MACH3 and stayed with LinuxCNC.

Testing on the bench is done with the Pi4 and some small break out boards.

I was going to try to run MachineKit and the cape for a lathe controller and clone my Electronic Lead Screw project. I got as far as adding quadrature sensors but not much further. Just way too many projects on the go.

The dog kennel houses one older BBB and two of the newer ones with more memory. A Xylotex Cape, the Replicape and the two different LCD displays offered by the same designer. Also the serial/CAN cape, a couple of Proto Capes. LCD4 cape with buttons that step on the CAN bus channel.

All my Beagle stuff essentially went south when the pile of 6 books or so became useless after the OS kept changing. I’ll make up a detailed list of what I have and perhaps offer the entire works up for sale.

John

John

image001.jpg

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Hello,

@jcdammeyer , those sound like my projects but to a greater detail. I have not made it that far but I have a 3D Printer already put together for the RepliCape. It came already done. I know…boring. It is an older 1403 from PrintrBot, i.e. when they still put 'em together in “heavy duty” aluminum.

It is pretty heavy duty actually for a 3D Print base but I only get 6 * 6 * 6 out of the build environment.

The next tackle should be made of CNC. I cut the metal that was delivered at some point during this year and ordered another 72" piece for the base. I have this really nifty ball screw with a plate, i.e. 18" long. So, I can really explore a small piece of cutting but the height may be what matters.

For some reason, and I am not bragging or justifying anything about Machinekit, and I could not explain what actually happened in this insight into Machinekit but…

  1. While on Win 10, the video player ended up w/ tons of .d files known to Linux and not to Win at all.
  2. Since I could not explain the issue on my host, I dropped machinekit like it was bad news.

I want to take time out now to rectify what I said and what I am saying.

I can no longer blame Machinekit for the abuse of my Win 10 host

and…

If I ruffled some feathers along the way, sorry.

So, I am a new person to machines, circa '15. The company I contract my time to currently has a couple machines but they are “old news.” They are beat, old, out-of-service, and I cannot wait to get my hands on them.

One needs some TLC, a new wiring, and the " computer " it holds now…well. It seems like more oil has been in it than the Gulf of Mexico. So, I think of lovely days fixing gates, Infrared and Chains, and making machines reinvent themselves as my understudies.

So far, at the ole homestead, nothing has made me, YET, build and build well. I am still trying to master source and get things associated while doing contract labor. Boo!

Anyway…enough rambling. Thank you, really, for replying and putting in your “two cents.”

Seth

P.S. I will go to the youtube video soon, i.e. as I have just build a patch to a house overhang that needs more mending. Blah. One thing and two steps back is the route these days…

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@jcdammeyer ,

I watched the video. Nice. It is more upright than I thought it would be.

How did you manage a pull upward to hold the machine in place off its base to get the work done?

Seth

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I don’t understand your question “pull upward”.

The machine is similar to the Grizzly Tools Mill.

http://cdn0.grizzly.com/manuals/g3616_m.pdf

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Hello,

I thought you had to float it like w/ a pulley and chain, i.e. like a engine removal hoist.

Seth

P.S. I understand now. I thought you had modified it a bunch and had to suspend the top to handle the work below. I thought you were customizing the machine.
gant

@jcdammeyer , this is all I have so far and some extra parts, e.g. some busted 15s’, some drivers, and some boards to start Replicating ideas, builds, and oofs. Ha. Anyway, I was going through some older posts and thought, why not contact this person about my acquirements. STILL TRYING!