Editing GCode on the fly

[Aiph5u (Aiph5u (not affiliated with Onefinity))]

Hey Chris,

@cluksha

Now if I could at least edit the file on the controller then I wouldn’t have to go back to my house to edit all the info.

besides remote control of UI and ssh login via Ethernet or WiFi, the Onefinity/Buildbotics Controller also allows to open a terminal window by typing Ctrl-T Ctrl-C on the UI (you need to attach a USB keyboard to type this). You can exit this shell with “exit”. In this terminal window, you can become root with the command "sudo -i" and then you can use the “nano” text editor which is installed. With this text editor, you can edit your g-code file in the machine and re-run it from the UI again then.

The g-code files reside in /var/lib/bbctrl/upload

Alternatively, you could have a laptop with your CAD/CAM software with you in the workshop, and a short ethernet cable, and run the Onefinity UI on this laptop too (by visiting http://onefinity.local in the laptop’s web browser). You could then adjust the g-code file on your CAD/CAM software (if you don’t like editing raw g-code with a text editor). When using the UI in a web browser on the laptop, you don’t need a USB drive for uploading of a file into the Onefinity Controller, you simply choose the upload button on the UI and a file dialog which shows your laptop’s filesystem opens, where you can select your g-code file.

Running the Onefinity UI on a computer connected via WiFi or Ethernet also has the advantage that you can see the 3D toolpath simulation, which you don’t see on the touch display on the machine:

@Aiph5u

But you can get by completely without connecting a monitor directly to the Onefinity controller and skip buying the touch monitor, since the User Interface can be controlled completely from any remote computer. This even has the advantage that you can see the CAMotics.org 3D toolpath simulation that is not available on a monitor directly connected to the Onefinity controller, as the internal Raspberry Pi 3 has no 3D graphics acceleration package installed. In the case you use a remote computer, you need no USB drive since you can simply click the open file button and you will be able to select a file from your computer.

Image: The 3D toolpath simulation when viewed on a remote computer.

Welcome to the forum!