LinuxCNC on Raspberry Pi 5

Hello cornholio,

Thank you for your reply!

I see your point about "AI".

In your reply you separated the "CNC" part of the task (feed speed, etc.) from the "system" part of the task (boards, drivers, etc.). I agree with your split and then assert the "system" part of the solution should "just work".

LinuxCNC on Pi 5 should work as easily as say Google Maps on Android, with no system experience required to install and use the application.

Do you see folks in this thread who believe a better experience is possible? Who exactly would champion a better experience for Pi 5 and LinuxCNC? I believe many of the people who answer the system questions posed in this thread would also be contributors to an effort to revise the code. I have seen similar efforts succeed.

Let me know!

Thanks,
Tom Alborough

If you want true "as easy as an installing an app on your cell phone" buy a commercial cnc machine from one of the Big Boys.

This is all I have left to say on the matter.

Hello cornholio,

I get your point.

I would like to buy (some kind of a) Raspberry Pi 5 and the electrical hardware needed to make a CNC machine. The reason I'm writing to you is to ask you this: What should I buy? I'm not looking for a configuration that works. I'm interested in a configuration that people want to work. What hardware do the readers want to load software on and run without any hitches?

Thanks,
Tom Alborough

You coming at this arse about. Which makes me wonder if this is for academic purposes, a potential commercial endeavor or a tech blog.
First one decides on the type of cnc machine they want to build, then they choose the controller to suit.
The simplest entry point for one who has no plan for their actual "cnc machine" would be.

A Lenovo M73e tower, preferably with an i5, the appropriate MB to Parallel Port cable ( there's some trickery with the cable that enables the PP hardware) and a generic Parallel Port breakout board. I've recommended this combination as I know it works, I have tested it with a lathe for basic functionality. I actually found this machine on the side of road with a celeron processor, which I swapped out for an i5 (3470 I think) and an SSD from the "useful box".

What people want is something that will run their hardware (their cnc machine be it a plasma cutter, lathe, mill router, laser tube profiler, PnP machine, cnc soldering machine) at a price point they can afford. As you can guess this is quite an expansive list.

Thank you cornholio.

I'm looking to cut wood for building boats.

If I run into issues doing the above well, I earned a living doing Unix driver and kernel work a while ago; I would like to contribute now if I could. I have experience with a number of device driver debugging and kernel development techniques.

Let me get some hardware and software in. Again, if there is a certain feature that doesn't work that should work, let me know.

Thanks,
Tom Alborough

Not exactly sure what this is all about, but
1. RPI is not a good choice anymore, there were several hardware versions of RPI5 with many issues
2. There is a ready made image for RPI5 that works out of the box
3. SPI does/did not work at all on RPI5, but Scot has done some work on it so by now it probably works
4. To expensive for what it is
and personally (after buying 3 of RPI3)
5. having a very small SBC controlling a big machine is ...
6. to damn weak for comfortable use
7. to much hoops to jump just to get things working, so utmost respect for whoever made the images
8. for the same price a good used PC or laptop can be bought, and everything works.
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As for making user experience better, utmost respect, see with ScotA if he needs help with SPI