I am using the Ramps 1.4 board from you site.
Is there a way to use a joy stick on the board to move the motors around?
If so how do I hook it up to the board and what ones can I use?
I thought I have seen some YouTube videos on this
Thanks for any help
Do you have the LCD screen? AFAIK, that’s the only jogging possible with Marlin.
I did find this but its not my board
He shows how to use the key board and a game controller
That’s using the EstlCAM firmware and a connected computer. If you’re willing to connect a computer, then I think you can use keyboard shortcuts with repetier host or with octoprint.
I do have my computer hooked up to it so I don’t have to use the SD card.
At least until you design something. LOL
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Just catching up with this thread, but I’ve been using a RPi running Octopi to control the MPCNC. It allows jogging control through a phone, tablet or other computer and has proven to be a lot more reliable and useful than I thought it would be. I can’t imagine how to do the setup without some form of jog control.
I’m now building another system and will include the LCD screen as well, but will stay with the Octopi also. I’ll then be able to see which one is actually faster access and easier to use.
Okay, you have my attention about the octopi. I used it years ago to control a few printers so I don’t remember it well. I have just looked through their site. I think a few of us are willing to spend some more money to have some more abilities at the machine.
So what else is needed to make the dope setup, a tiny touch screen, the least expensive pi (with wifi)? The gcode goes where?
I guess maybe I should start a new thread but If I bought a bunch of this stuff in bulk, could we make a really cool “pro” control station. It seems like an awesome project.
Controlling the machine from your phone or tablet might be the better option and I think that would solve a bunch of questions for the people that really want a joystick instead of Estlcam firmware.
My Rostock Max runs off a raspberri pi zero, and octopi. You can get them for like $5, I think that little hub was $10.
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I have to try it.
So can you direct connect to your phone with wifi, like in a shop with no internet?
You can connect with no internet, but you have to do some networking backflips. You’d have to set the pi up with a DHCP server and as an AP, and you have to know the IP of the pi from your phone. It would be easier if you just hooked up an old router to do the DHCP and AP. Then connected the pi and the phone to the router. Your phone might get confused when there’s no internet…
I installed the adafruit touch screen on my pi and it wasn’t nearly as smooth as octopi in general. I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s much better to just have the LCD on Marlin and a web page for the pi.
There is a plugin for octoprint called “TouchUI” and it slows loading a little, but it make using it with a touchscreen, like a phone much easier.
You can also easily use the gpio on the pi to control relays. Things like powering off the Marlin after a job is pretty easy to script. I have a tutorial on thingiverse about it (I’m not at a computer but if you look at the jeffeb3 “things” you’ll find it).
The best part of octopi though, is that you can just upload the file to the pi from your CAD/CAM machine. No more SD cards!
Lastly, the other thing I did (which is more advanced) is to move the log files, configuration, and gcode storage to a USB stick. The sdcards can easily get corrupted in a pi after a year or so. Moving the storage to a USB stick makes them last a lot longer.
Here it is.
Interesting, I knew it couldn’t be that easy.
