Smoothieboard

I got the smoothieboard, and played with it a bit just to make sure it seemed to work. When I plug it in, this device shows up in the lsusb output:

Bus 001 Device 027: ID 1d50:6015 OpenMoko, Inc. 

And this slew of messages show up in /var/log/messages:

Apr 11 21:45:29 zooty kernel: [636684.922280] usb 1-12: new full-speed USB device number 27 using xhci_hcd
Apr 11 21:45:29 zooty kernel: [636685.087853] usb 1-12: New USB device found, idVendor=1d50, idProduct=6015
Apr 11 21:45:29 zooty kernel: [636685.087861] usb 1-12: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
Apr 11 21:45:29 zooty kernel: [636685.087865] usb 1-12: Product: Smoothieboard
Apr 11 21:45:29 zooty kernel: [636685.087868] usb 1-12: Manufacturer: Uberclock
Apr 11 21:45:29 zooty kernel: [636685.087872] usb 1-12: SerialNumber: 1701301EAE3E952753B7C463F50020C3
Apr 11 21:45:29 zooty kernel: [636685.089105] cdc_acm 1-12:1.0: ttyACM0: USB ACM device
Apr 11 21:45:29 zooty kernel: [636685.089857] usb-storage 1-12:1.2: USB Mass Storage device detected
Apr 11 21:45:29 zooty kernel: [636685.090019] scsi host14: usb-storage 1-12:1.2
Apr 11 21:45:29 zooty mtp-probe: checking bus 1, device 27: "/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb1/1-12"
Apr 11 21:45:29 zooty mtp-probe: bus: 1, device: 27 was not an MTP device
Apr 11 21:45:30 zooty kernel: [636686.093667] scsi 14:0:0:0: Direct-Access     MBED.ORG MBED USB DISK    1.0  PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 CCS
Apr 11 21:45:30 zooty kernel: [636686.093894] sd 14:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg8 type 0
Apr 11 21:45:30 zooty kernel: [636686.094154] sd 14:0:0:0: [sdg] 7744512 512-byte logical blocks: (3.96 GB/3.69 GiB)
Apr 11 21:45:30 zooty kernel: [636686.094305] sd 14:0:0:0: [sdg] Write Protect is off
Apr 11 21:45:30 zooty kernel: [636686.094441] sd 14:0:0:0: [sdg] No Caching mode page found
Apr 11 21:45:30 zooty kernel: [636686.094443] sd 14:0:0:0: [sdg] Assuming drive cache: write through
Apr 11 21:45:31 zooty kernel: [636686.119843]  sdg: sdg1
Apr 11 21:45:31 zooty kernel: [636686.120662] sd 14:0:0:0: [sdg] Attached SCSI removable disk

Using the send-this program I wrote for automating stuff with UDEV, I see this output when I send an M115 command to get the firmware version:

[root@zooty smoothie]# send-this /dev/ttyACM0 M115
Smoothie
ok
ok

I then made the mistake of trying to backup the initial contents of the sdcard by mounting it and using rsync. The transfer rate is microscopic. You really don't want to read or write any large amount of data across that interface. Taking the card out and using a more normal sdcard reader made things go orders of magnitude faster.

Time has passed, and I figured it was about time I got the board configured the way I want it. I soldered on the voltage regulator so I don't need a separate five volt source, and I also soldered in headers for the five stepper drivers, which will make it easy to jump two of them together to drive the two z axis steppers (or to add an external stepper that can handle the load required to drive both).

I hooked up the power supply to the connector that plugs into the board, and nothing got blowed up, so I guess I got the connections right.

I changed the config file to enable networking, and got a crossover network cable to hook to the computer I'm using to talk to it. Enable the dhcp server on the computer and I can access the web server on the smoothieboard just fine on the very local network with just the computer and the smoothieboard. [Update: dhcp wouldn't work consistently, so I just defined a static IP in the smoothieboard config file, and that does seem to work].

I suppose I could enable forwarding and have the computer do the routing if I ever want access from everywhere in the house.

After finding how to access it in pronterface via the network, I discovered the ubuntu pronterface version barfs attempting network access, so I downloaded the main branch from github, and it works. (Here is the ubuntu bug report.)

Looks like there is more soldering to do: Apparently I need to add diodes to the small mosfets, and perhaps add jumpers to provide power to them (or add external power connectors).

External power to the mosfets might make the most sense as I also need extra power to provide fan and light connectors, as well as (eventually) power to the heated bed SSR.

I should consider adding a separate box for all the power stuff and smoothieboard rather than trying to mount things on the printer itself. I've added a couple of power distribution terminal bus bars to my amazon wish list, that might be one of the things I need to organize all this properly. With a separate box, I could also install cooling fans for the electronics. I'm starting to think a box that allows me to put everything under the printer with a top that sits slightly above the box and could lift off to give access to plug in everything. Perhaps lifting off in separate sections for the motherboard, power supply, etc.

If the bottom mounted box is screwed to the bottom rails of the printer, it could also be part of holding them square. The parts that lift off would be inside the rails.