Ramps 1.4 LCD PCB & Circuit

[Michael Sullivan]

My PCB was done in Express PCB (Single Sided)

Circuit image was found online with information here ---> http://www.justblair.co.uk/Personal/attaching-a-lcd-display-and-rotary-encoder-to-a-ramps-controlled-reprap-printer.html

Enjoy

Michael 

[Bernd Wachs]

Hello Michael,

You need to connect the R/ W on the LCD to ground. The only time you need to connect it to the Arduino is if you want to see if the LCD is in a Busy state.

The Arduino LCD library works well.

Regards

Bernd

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Connected Community HackerSpace" group.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/connected-community-hackerspace/-/_9NsayMnfwEJ.
To post to this group, send email to connected-commu...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to connected-community-h...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/connected-community-hackerspace?hl=en.
<LCDCircuit.jpg><RepRap LCD.pcb>

[Andy Gelme]

hi All,

On 2012-05-16 05:47 , Bernd Wachs wrote:
> You need to connect the R/ W on the LCD to ground. The only time you
> need to connect it to the Arduino is if you want to see if the LCD is
> in a Busy state.

The other situation is reading either the character generator memory or
the display memory.

This is rarely used, because it's easier to just keep track of what
you've sent to the LCD ... and more complicated to query the LCD.

--
-O- cheers = /\ /\/ /) `/ =
--O -- http://www.geekscape.org --
OOO -- an...@geekscape.org -- http://twitter.com/geekscape --

[Luke Weston]

https://github.com/lukeweston/RAMPSdisplay

That should do the trick, now people can get that manufactured (with standard Gerber photoplotter files) if they want to.

Cheers,
  Luke

[Michael Sullivan]

Thanks for doing that Luke!

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Connected Community HackerSpace" group.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/connected-community-hackerspace/-/hsc1NEJrgRwJ.

[Andy Gelme]

hi All,

I think it is time to set a practical goal for the CNC machine !

*** Let's see if we can get the Ramps 1.4 LCD PCB into GCode ... that
the CNC mill can attempt use ***

Any suggestions regarding conversion from Eagle output into something
usable ?

We'll also need to ensure that we have the appropriate milling bits for
cutting / drilling PCBs.

We also need to produce a simple document for the GCode that our milling
machine accepts.

So far, I have found ...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

For those hackers new to GCode, here is a nice tutorial ...
http://cncutil.org/gcode-introduction.html
And of course, the Wikipedia provides good basic info ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GCode

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

LinuxCNC: http://www.linuxcnc.org

Previously known as EMC2 (prior to version 2.5).
I'll install a copy of this on CCHS laptop #1.

By the way, I'm in the process of installing on all 12 of the CCHS
laptops ... LibreCAD, OpenSCAD, Processing IDE and SketchUp (running on
Wine). This is in addition to the Arduino IDE that Dave already installed.

Presumably, LinuxCNC is a candidate for running the laser cutter as well ?
If so, let's move that to a different email discussion subject / thread,
specifically for the laser cutter.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

PCB-GCode: http://www.pcbgcode.org

This is an Eagle ULP (User Language Program).
Some instructions ...
http://wiki.techfam.com/index.php?title=Eagle_CAD_-_PCB-GCode

Here is a good tutorial ... http://www.brusselsprout.org/pcb-routing #
Put sunglasses on now !
Here is a simple tutorial ... http://tech-tut.com/?p=1027

There is an optimizer ...
http://cnc.goodbits.net/wiki/index.php5/Pcb-gcode_optimizer

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

HGPL2GCode: https://github.com/geoffd123/Hpgl2Gcode

This takes Eagle HPGL Cam processor output and converts it into a form
usable by a RepRap 3D printer.
Interesting that Eagle uses the old HP Graphics Language for output ...
that's pretty old school.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Eagle2Emc: http://www.yty.net/cnc/eagle2emc.html

Looks pretty simplistic.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As an aside, here are some other GCode generators ...
http://replicat.org/generators

[Stuart Mitchell]

HI Any

 

Eagle how a plug-in that lets you made the files needed to do so.

It's called PCB-Gcode and you can fine info here

http://millpcbs.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10&Itemid=44

 

Follow the docs and you should be OK.

 

StuartM

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Connected Community HackerSpace" group.

To post to this group, send email to connected-commu...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to connected-community-h...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/connected-community-hackerspace?hl=en.

--

Stuart (Auzze) Mitchell

Australia

[Stuart Young]

On 20 May 2012 10:37, Andy Gelme <an...@geekscape.org> wrote:

hi All,

I think it is time to set a practical goal for the CNC machine !

*** Let's see if we can get the Ramps 1.4 LCD PCB into GCode ... that
the CNC mill can attempt use ***

Sounds like a plan!

 

Any suggestions regarding conversion from Eagle output into something
usable ?

Using PCB-GCode should be fine.

 

We'll also need to ensure that we have the appropriate milling bits for
cutting / drilling PCBs.

I bought a whole heap and gave them to the space. There are a few cutting bits, and a lot of bits suitable for drilling holes.

 

We also need to produce a simple document for the GCode that our milling
machine accepts.

The machine runs a modified version of GRBL, so anything GRBL supports should be available.

 

LinuxCNC: http://www.linuxcnc.org

Previously known as EMC2 (prior to version 2.5).
I'll install a copy of this on CCHS laptop #1.

By the way, I'm in the process of installing on all 12 of the CCHS
laptops ... LibreCAD, OpenSCAD, Processing IDE and SketchUp (running on
Wine).  This is in addition to the Arduino IDE that Dave already installed.

Presumably, LinuxCNC is a candidate for running the laser cutter as well ?
If so, let's move that to a different email discussion subject / thread,
specifically for the laser cutter.

I, personally, would NOT install LinuxCNC on the laptops.

 1. LinuxCNC is not recommended for laptops, and most of the issues reported with LinuxCNC are on Laptops.

 2. In almost all cases, you lose sound support.

 3. The RT kernel that ships with Ubuntu LTS releases does not have ACPI support (incompatible with RT), so all your power saving and battery management features go out the window.

While we shouldn't need the RT components of LinuxCNC (we should be spitting GCode to external hardware to deal with, as that's the hardware model we have for ALL of the CNC/3D/Laser-cutter hardware we have), I don't believe there is an easy way to just install all the non-RT components from my quick review of the docs.

Re: The Laser cutter: From previous comments from and conversations with Luke, the board is designed to be Lasersaur compatible, so we can use the Lasersaur application (LasaurApp - win/mac/linux versions) and the Lasersaur firmware (LasaurGRBL - a fork of grbl). IMO, we should at least be looking at this tool-chain for the Laser-cutter first, before we even consider looking at anything else.

--
Stuart Young (aka Cefiar)

[John Bosua]

Hi, I agree with stuart I have mach 3 and it doesnt run properly on any laptop .Its something to do with the parallel port.

John B

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Connected Community HackerSpace" group.

[David Lyon]

I tried pcb2gcode at the Sydney Hackerspace and it definitely
worked. My pcb came out properly but I think there were some
minor gcode hacks. Nothing major.

Seems to be Linux only. So it installed and ran without any fuss
(greater than any other ubuntu package - lol).

Seemed fairly easy to control from what I saw. Result was
just fine for the amount of time that went into producing it.

[Luke Weston]

https://github.com/lukeweston/RAMPSdisplay

The new version incorporates the SD card and three thermocouple interfaces (or just one or two, if you don't want to install the components for all three sets), LCD, buzzer, and appropriate components to glue everything together. The off-board wiring comes off via one single 20-pin header to accept a 20-wire ribbon cable with IDC header socket.

In order to keep the board compact and fit everything into a limited amount of space, the thermocouple connectors are Omega PCC-SMP-V miniature vertical PCB-mount thermocouple sockets, which stand up vertically on the board.

[Michael Sullivan]

You have done a great job Luke so thanks and well done

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Connected Community HackerSpace" group.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/connected-community-hackerspace/-/YtsQesx4ssIJ.

[George Patterson]

On 27 May 2012 12:17, "Michael Sullivan" <simply...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> You have done a great job Luke so thanks and well done
>

Agreed. Especially dealing with multiple suggestions from multiple people that conflict with each other, when they arise.

George

[damie...@gmail.com]

Thankyou Luke, and Michael.
Looks like you've merged together a bunch of useful features into one
tidy board, with a bit of room to spare for further prototyping/mods.

Is this the sort of thing we can make ourselves in the hackerspace? If
so, I'd love to have a go at it, provided someone's willing to give a
hand to a relative newbie at PCB making (same goes for the SMD stuff).
Otherwise, if there's plans to place an order with a PCB-fab place,
count me in for one, please.

Cheers,
Damien

> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Connected Community HackerSpace" group.
> To view this discussion on the web visit
> https://groups.google.com/d/msg/connected-community-hackerspace/-/YtsQesx4ssIJ.
>
> To post to this group, send email to
> connected-commu...@googlegroups.com.
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> connected-community-h...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit this group at
> http://groups.google.com/group/connected-community-hackerspace?hl=en.

--
Damie...@gmail.com

[Michael Borthwick]

On 30/05/2012, at 12:41 AM, damie...@gmail.com wrote:

> Thankyou Luke, and Michael.
> Looks like you've merged together a bunch of useful features into one
> tidy board, with a bit of room to spare for further prototyping/mods.
>
> Is this the sort of thing we can make ourselves in the hackerspace? If
> so, I'd love to have a go at it, provided someone's willing to give a
> hand to a relative newbie at PCB making (same goes for the SMD stuff).
> Otherwise, if there's plans to place an order with a PCB-fab place,
> count me in for one, please.

Hi Damien,

I am happy to help you or anyone else interested in making their own
circuit boards either one-on-one or through another PCB workshop.
In the case of Ramps board however there appear to be some vias
(electrical connections between the top and bottom layers) that are
located underneath surface mount IC's which complicates DIY
fabrication as the installation of a wire link makes it hard to get
the surface mount part to mount flush on the surface on the board.

Mike

[Luke Weston]

https://github.com/lukeweston/RAMPSdisplay

OK, I've cleaned up this repository a bit and added some stuff, so you've got 3 different sets of files here:

1.1: Simple version with no thermocouples or SD card. Can be made on a single-sided PCB, probably a good example of a project for people who might want to get some experience with DIY PCB fabrication (toner transfer, photolithography, CNC milling, whatever) with a relatively agricultural low-density board layout that is easy to make.

1.2: This includes the SD card and support for three thermocouples and the micro-SD card, using the same Amphenol 101-00660-68-6 micro-SD card socket which I used on the MobSenDat which worked well and has a production-proven Eagle library part. (Personally I don't really like designing a production design around random components from eBay with no documentation or minimal documentation, so I would be a little bit more comfortable with this for volume production.)

1.3: Similar to 1.2, PCB layout changed slightly to use the different cheap generic micro-SD card sockets from eBay, with a PCB land pattern the same as Kliment's original SDRamps board, which uses the same sockets I think.

Cheers,
  Luke

[Luke Weston]

Just before someone asks me (or I want to know myself), here are the board dimensions:

1.1: 5.25" x 2.45" (133.35 x 62.23 mm)
1.2: 5.58" x 2.75" (141.73 x 69.85 mm)
1.3: 5.58" x 2.85" (141.73 x 72.39 mm)

Note that the new version is slightly wider because the new SD card is slightly wider, just by 100 thou.

[Luke Weston]

https://github.com/lukeweston/RAMPSdisplay/tree/master/v1.3

There we go, I've finished rebuilding this version with some changes to the cable pinout and stuff as Rob and others have suggested :)

Cheers,

  Luke

[Michael Sullivan]

Thanks Luke,

Great job your a genius.

Michael

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Connected Community HackerSpace" group.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/connected-community-hackerspace/-/b8LQ6ZoOk-YJ.

[Andy Gelme]

hi All ... and particularly those interested in the CNC mill ...

On 2012-06-2 18:22 , Luke Weston wrote:
> https://github.com/lukeweston/RAMPSdisplay

>
> 1.1: Simple version with no thermocouples or SD card. Can be made on a
> single-sided PCB, probably a good example of a project for people who
> might want to get some experience with DIY PCB fabrication (toner
> transfer, photolithography, CNC milling, whatever) with a relatively
> agricultural low-density board layout that is easy to make.

Thanks Luke !

I specifically asked Luke if he'd mind still supporting that simple
version. Felt like it would be important to have a PCB design that was
interesting and useful ... that could be used as a goal for the CNC mill.

- - - - - -

Yesterday, Bob figured out the problem with the CCHS laptops and why
they wouldn't drive the CNC mill (it was the serial line hardware /
software flow control configuration). Now you can just fire-up
"minicom" and hand-type G-code commands ... carefully :)

It would be good to have a dedicated CCHS laptop to run the CNC mill and
accumulate the software and scripts that are successful in driving the
CNC mill. This laptop should also have the ability to compile and
re-flash the CNC mill firmware.

We now have momentum again with a group of people who clearly understand
the state of the CNC mill (mechanical, electronics, firmware and
host-side software) ... and have actually operated the machine. If you
are interested in the CNC mill, just ask Bob, Clare, Wes or myself. And
Tim is just an email away.

A next step with the host-side software is to get Tim's Python G-code
loader up-and-running properly.

There are still some mechanical and electronics tasks to complete,
before the CNC mill is truly across the line, e.g a big red button
(emergency stop).

- - - - - -

The CNC mill is capable, with the right host-side software, of doing a
number of different things. Selecting, configuring and tweaking that
software tool-chain is the current goal.

Bob was looking into using Inkscape, which has a plug-in for generating
G-code, which is how the EggBot works.

Sounds like Wes was interested in being able to mill the word
"HackerSpace" or similar into translucent acrylic. This would be along
the lines of acting as an engraver.

I (and others, I'm sure) would like to see the CNC mill achieve it's
original purpose of being able to make simple one-sided PCBs.

And, then there is 3D milling, for purposes such as making small parts,
sculptures, jewelry, etc.

So, if we have some interesting and useful test cases to drive each of
those possible build scenarios ... that would be good.

[Luke Weston]

Bob was looking into using Inkscape, which has a plug-in for generating
G-code, which is how the EggBot works.

Inkscape with a G-code plugin certainly seems like a good software choice to use for general creative works involving two-dimensional CNC milling machines - and laser cutters and 2D pen plotters!

[John Spencer]

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Connected Community HackerSpace" group.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/connected-community-hackerspace/-/h5w1stxzi4cJ.

To post to this group, send email to connected-commu...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to connected-community-h...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/connected-community-hackerspace?hl=en.

Are we talking about the gcodetools plugin here? http://www.cnc-club.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&p=101

I've never used it but I'm keen to have a play :)  My experience with outputting dxf files from inkscape hasn't been good, so this might be an easy way to bypass using extra applications.

John S

[Robert Powers]

Yes, that's the one. 

I've tried out a couple of images from simple to more complex and it seems a little buggy. It takes some tweaking to avoid extraneous movements even in the most simple, straight-line-only cases - but that could be me misusing the tool. 

And it crashes Inkscape about 1 time in 3...

I've got some more time this afternoon to fiddle with it and I'll hopefully have a couple of test cases to put to the CNC machine tonight. I'll keep notes for anyone that is interested.

Thanks,

Bob

[Paul Harrison]

On Sunday, June 17, 2012 5:53:18 PM UTC+10, andyg (@geekscape) wrote:

hi All ... and particularly those interested in the CNC mill ...

... 

Yesterday, Bob figured out the problem with the CCHS laptops and why
they wouldn't drive the CNC mill (it was the serial line hardware /
software flow control configuration).  Now you can just fire-up
"minicom" and hand-type G-code commands ... carefully :)

I can offer a few notes from my own experiences using a CNC mill... apologies if this is all old hat... I had similar problems with the serial connection on my mill. I ended up writing a Python script that uses PySerial, and keeps an eye on the flow control line that turned out to be relevant.

 

Bob was looking into using Inkscape, which has a plug-in for generating
G-code, which is how the EggBot works.

I have some python code that can manipulate shapes represented as bitmaps, including applying morphological operators such as dilation and erosion, and use an external program to convert bitmaps into polygons (OpenCV would be another option for this). This is all the basics needed to generate toolpaths. A bitmap representation of sufficient resolution isn't all that efficient, but it is terribly robust, is my thinking.

I (and others, I'm sure) would like to see the CNC mill achieve it's
original purpose of being able to make simple one-sided PCBs.

Two-sided might not be much harder than one sided. I mount my workpiece on a piece of MDF and get the mill to drill peg holes through the workpiece into the base (or just make the start of holes, and then drill them manually). Once it's finished one side, the workpiece can be flipped over and aligned with pegs.

--

Paul Harrison