As RealTime CNC, Redline and Onefinity continue their work on improving the UI/UX and general over all stability of the Redline System I thought I’d play a bit and see what might be possible in the future. WIth that in mind I modified a test Raspberry PI-5 to make the UI/UX remotely controllable via VNC and a web browser.
Working on systems that are largely based on open source platforms / software really opens up a world of possibilities for those of us who enjoy DIY projects.
I need to channel my inner lawyer (oh, ‘tis a dark place) and say nothing I’m demonstrating here has been tested in a production environment and I highly recommend the Redline controller/HMI due it’s build quality and access to important physical interfaces like E-Stops! I have one, and it’s what I’ll use in the long run. For those who aren’t getting a Redline HMI, I see the possibility where you could use a setup similar to this and have a light weight solution using an older tablet that you might have on hand. The iPad I’m demoing on probably costs more to replace than the whole RL HMI, and it’s the wife’s, but she was at work… (gotta get all the sawdust off before I put it back!), so there’s no real practical reason to use a solution like this if you’re going to build it out of new parts (plus the iPad’s screen is substantially smaller) I also have a fairly robust wireless network, which helps a lot with responsiveness and working in noisier EMI environments, with no guarantee this would stand up to the dust collector running and the VFD drawing amps during heavy cuts / fast moves with the steppers.
Finally, due to flu season (Yay!) I haven’t physically been able to be in the shop for any length of time, but keyboard jockeying is within my capabilities, LOL.
Blah, blah, blah… Here’s some videos:
MacOS built in VNC viewer software:
Firefox on MacOS:
ipad RealVNC Viewer:
ipadWebApp (so Safari web browser converted to a web app to give a more ‘full screen’ experience)
I genuinely enjoy playing around with ideas and the potential I see in products. It’s nice to have something you can tinker with a bit without causing any harm, though sometimes I feel like I spend more time playing w/my gear than I do actually making stuff with it,
I think at the moment 1F, RTCNC, and RL are focused on making core functionality as rock solid as possible. It’s hard to roll out a new product and nail down all the variables. The more bells and whistles you put in at the beginning the more potential stumbling blocks you set up in front of yourself. At my last job we used to say, no product/demo survives first contact with the client (and, yes that’s a blatant rip off of the military saying, but if it works, it works).
IMHO I think they’re doing a great job. I know that is hard to see when folks are struggling with stuff that just doesn’t work right and the solutions can never come fast enough, but I’ve also watched much larger organizations completely fumble roll-outs (not just have use case issues that don’t affect every unit) and not have enough passion for their products to work out the bugs, have a corporate higher up do a ROI and pull the plug on the whole shebang, leaving their customers in the lurch without a care in the world.
For three companies to work together in cohesive manner and by all appearances actually CARE about what they’re producing, well, they have my vote and my patience.
I prefer the approach I’ve seen them take which is to stay lean, squash the bugs, and add functionality in a progressive manner. It’s good stuff.
May you all have a safe, prosperous and joyous new year.
Yep, they seem to be trying hard. They asked about what else I would want in the web interface vs what’s there now and I didn’t have a whole lot because I want to be at the machine when setting up a job and pushing the go button. If I had an ATC I might use the web side for more than just file transfers and progress monitoring. Your project might give them additional ideas.
