Question regarding the standalone controller vs software option

Question for support

What are the pros and cons of using the redline dedicated computer vs the software on a pc ?

I have ran grbl software in the past with no iseues does the redline software run smoothly and reliably?

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Timeline on Mac RealTime CNC Sender?

Thanks,

Karl

How about Linux ? Ditch windows and Mac lol

Also is this real time cnc sender the same as the redline screen or different ?

Exactly the same. Realtime is the software that powers the controller.

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Will you be offering an upgrade kit that uses a computer instead of the touchscreen?

I’ve been doing some digging and this seems do-able from a technical standpoint. Seems like Redline’s controller is actually a RealTime CNC RTS-X controller. The RTS-X controller is available in both closed loop (elite series) and open loop (BB version) as seen here - Home - RealTime CNC Documenation Hub . If you look here Software - RealTime CNC Documenation Hub their software UI matches the Redline UI, and further down the page you’ll see their software can run on a raspberry Pi, they even provide the image for it. Here https://realtimecnc.com they note they have partnered with Redline and Onefinity for distribution, Furthermore, if you look here Product Specs - RealTime CNC they note their software (the UI, etc.) can run on Windows, MAC and Linux (Raspberry Pi). This is super awesome!

I believe what this all means is that with an updated Redlline/RealTime CNC RTS-X standalone controller (hardware) it may be possible to just re-flash the Raspberry Pi in the BB controller to run the UI software, or if you prefer simply use a PC/MAC to run the software for more power. The heavy lifting appears to be done by the controller itself though.

Anyhow, I think that’s what all that means. Of course I could be completely wrong :slight_smile:

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The Redline controller seems to run on a Raspberry Pi 5 which is way faster than what’s probably in the Buildbotics… So while it could (should) work, the experience would probably be bad. I did test the image provided by RealTime CNC on a Raspberry Pi 3B (offline mode since I do not have the Redline controller - yet) and it does work but it is quite slow, especially navigating the 3D rendering of gcode.

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Which model how much ram on it ? The pi

Does it have a power supply or running off the pc ?

Lots of factors that can cause that , I have a bunch of Lenovo think clients I will Be using one with a touch screen

To add to the conversation, just for giggles I burned three days last week configuring a RasberryPI 5 to work with a $100 touch screen from the RTCNC image. 8GB of RAM with both a 64GB SD card and, just for fun also installed on a 256GB M.2 SSD drive, which surprisingly didn’t boot much faster than the modern SD card, though you want to use a modern SD card, the older one I first tested w/was slow as moles-asses.

It appears that the UI/UX software is running on python, so I’m guessing that should account for cross system portability. Since the PI runs on Debian linux, I can’t imagine you won’t be able to run the front end on any flavor of linux you like, though I imagine that might be a choose your own adventure setup. From a systems perspective, it’s sometimes best to limit how many different configurations you have to support.

All that being said, I received my batch 2 Redline Elite last week and have unboxed the Redline Controller and it’s an absolutely gorgeous beast of an enclosure. It has a self contained power supply to drive, what I’m pretty sure is a Pi 5 and touchscreen, but just damn, it’s this big beautiful chunk of milled black anodized aluminum. I wouldn’t want to drop it on the screen, but boy that enclosure sure looks like it’ll last a lifetime.

I may continue to tinker with the idea of a bring your own touchscreen solution, but more for the adventure than any real world $$$ savings. I have a vision of 15” touch screen in a walnut case milled on the Onefinity, with brass steam punk accents. I have no idea where this idea sprang from, though likely it was the bourbon…

If I had to do it over again, I’d do it the same thing and buy the UI/UX touchscreen from Redline, and you can use my discount social influencer code…. nah, just kidding, I have no affiliation with RL, 1F, or RTCNC, just my general observations of the sheer build quality of the enclosure probably being worth it.

Jury’s still out on software, as I have to still setup the machine and get things configured, but it seems like RTCNC is working hard at sorting issues as the rollout and development continues.

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Did you install it? Did you have the chance to test the responsiveness of the jogging buttons?

No, I haven’t played with in the real world.

I’m still working on assembling the machine and will probably familiarize myself with the RL controller before I ever try hooking up my home brew, which honestly was just a cludge of screen HDMI cables, power bricks and a Pi 5 sitting on my desk.

Unless there’s an issue with the responsiveness of the touch screen itself, I imagine it will be similar to the kit Redline put together.

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I meant the responsiveness of the Redline HMI itself… I know gSender (Sienci labs) is not very responsive and I am wondering if Redline HMI is better

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Take a look at this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzTPMHOK7oY

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