I’m in San Bernardino CA. and looking to hire a coach/tutor to get me up and going before I resort to using a hammer!
I’ve set up and calibrated my machine but cannot get ground control to run any files. I’ve been given a ton of good advice but it never works the way it should. I feel like I’m missing something fundamental.
Please contact me if you are interested.
Thanks
probably should scrub the phone number from your post and ask for someone to send you a message instead.
that aside, what kind of problems have you been having?
I’m trying to create a simple sign from a Jpeg as a first project.
I’ve tried Corel Draw (trial version), inkscape ,Easel & carbide create to create a file that can be read by Ground Control. JPG to SVG to NC.
I thought I succeeded with 2 different docs from Easel only to have the scale go crazy or just not translate at all leaving a blank image in view regardless of zoom.
Also people keep talking about setting tabs but I don’t see how to do that either.
As a Mac guy, I’m used to software being intuitive and graphics based. Seems like I’m missing something crucial.
Out of curiosity and just to get a little bit of background, have you tried cutting anything out prior to this? Simple shapes, outlines, etc? I dont wish to sound sarcastic or dismissive. I just want to establish how successfull you’ve been so far with projects that might have a simpler workflow.
no. I tried simple shapes first but can’t get the software to work yet 
Ok, would you be up for an experiment?
Copy the following text into a text file called TEST_CIRCLE.nc :
(TEST_CIRCLE_3IN)
(TEST_CIRCLE_3IN)
(T1 D=0.25 CR=0 - ZMIN=-0.125 - FLAT END MILL)
(T2 D=0.25 CR=0 - ZMIN=-0.512 - FLAT END MILL)
G0 G40 G90 G17
G20
(2D CONTOUR1)
T1 M6
M3 S10000
G0 X1.1919 Y-1.1045
G0 Z0.2
G1 Z0.1644 F2.
G1 Z0.1
S5000
G2 X-1.1045 Y-1.1919 Z0.0109 I-1.1919 J1.1045 F13.3
G2 X-1.1919 Y1.1045 Z-0.0783 I1.1045 J1.1919
G2 X0 Y1.625 Z-0.125 I1.1919 J-1.1045
S10000
G2 X1.625 Y0 I0 J-1.625 F20.
G2 X0 Y-1.625 I-1.625 J0
G2 X-1.625 Y0 I0 J1.625
G2 X0 Y1.625 I1.625 J0
G0 Z0.2
(2D CONTOUR2)
M5
T2 M6
M3 S10000
G0 X1.1919 Y-1.1045
G0 Z0.2
G1 Z0.0394 F2.
G1 Z-0.025
S5000
G2 X-1.1045 Y-1.1919 Z-0.1141 I-1.1919 J1.1045 F13.3
G2 X-1.1919 Y1.1045 Z-0.2033 I1.1045 J1.1919
G2 X0 Y1.625 Z-0.25 I1.1919 J-1.1045
S10000
G2 X1.625 Y0 I0 J-1.625 F20.
G2 X0 Y-1.625 I-1.625 J0
G2 X-1.625 Y0 I0 J1.625
G2 X0 Y1.625 I1.625 J0
S5000
G2 X1.625 Y0 Z-0.3391 I0 J-1.625 F13.3
G2 X1.3111 Y-0.96 Z-0.375 I-1.625 J0
S10000
G2 X-0.96 Y-1.3111 I-1.3111 J0.96 F20.
G2 X-1.3111 Y0.96 I0.96 J1.3111
G2 X0.96 Y1.3111 I1.3111 J-0.96
G2 X1.3111 Y-0.96 I-0.96 J-1.3111
S5000
G2 X-0.4308 Y-1.5669 Z-0.4435 I-1.3111 J0.96 F13.3
S10000
G2 X-0.6502 Y-1.4892 I0.4308 J1.5669 F20.
G2 X-0.7018 Y-1.4656 Z-0.387 I0.6502 J1.4892
G2 X-0.9183 Y-1.3406 I0.7018 J1.4656
G2 X-0.9646 Y-1.3077 Z-0.4435 I0.9183 J1.3406 F2.
G2 X-1.3077 Y0.9646 I0.9646 J1.3077 F20.
G2 X-0.9646 Y1.3077 I1.3077 J-0.9646
G2 X-0.9183 Y1.3406 Z-0.387 I0.9646 J-1.3077
G2 X-0.7018 Y1.4656 I0.9183 J-1.3406
G2 X-0.6502 Y1.4892 Z-0.4435 I0.7018 J-1.4656 F2.
G2 X1.4892 Y0.6502 I0.6502 J-1.4892 F20.
G2 X1.6148 Y0.1815 I-1.4892 J-0.6502
G2 X1.6202 Y0.125 Z-0.387 I-1.6148 J-0.1815
G2 Y-0.125 I-1.6202 J-0.125
G2 X1.6148 Y-0.1815 Z-0.4435 I-1.6202 J0.125 F2.
G2 X0.9112 Y-1.3455 I-1.6148 J0.1815 F20.
G2 X-0.4308 Y-1.5669 I-0.9112 J1.3455
S5000
G2 X-0.643 Y-1.4924 Z-0.4514 I0.4308 J1.5669 F13.3
G2 X-0.7018 Y-1.4656 Z-0.387 I0.643 J1.4924
G2 X-0.9183 Y-1.3406 I0.7018 J1.4656
S10000
G2 X-0.975 Y-1.3 Z-0.4564 I0.9183 J1.3406 F2.
G1 X-0.982 Y-1.2947 Z-0.4651
S5000
G2 X-1.6176 Y-0.1547 Z-0.512 I0.982 J1.2947 F13.3
S10000
G2 X-1.0193 Y1.2655 I1.6176 J0.1547 F20.
G2 X-0.975 Y1.3 Z-0.4564 I1.0193 J-1.2655
G2 X-0.9183 Y1.3406 Z-0.387 I0.975 J-1.3
G2 X-0.7018 Y1.4656 I0.9183 J-1.3406
G2 X-0.6361 Y1.4953 Z-0.4588 I0.7018 J-1.4656 F2.
G2 X-0.5863 Y1.5155 Z-0.512 I0.6361 J-1.4953
G2 X1.5155 Y0.5863 I0.5863 J-1.5155 F20.
G2 X1.6057 Y0.25 I-1.5155 J-0.5863
G2 X1.6152 Y0.1785 Z-0.4405 I-1.6057 J-0.25
G2 X1.6202 Y0.125 Z-0.387 I-1.6152 J-0.1785
G2 Y-0.125 I-1.6202 J-0.125
G2 X1.613 Y-0.1968 Z-0.4588 I-1.6202 J0.125 F2.
G2 X1.6057 Y-0.25 Z-0.512 I-1.613 J0.1968
G2 X-0.25 Y-1.6057 I-1.6057 J0.25 F20.
G2 X-0.5863 Y-1.5155 I0.25 J1.6057
G2 X-0.653 Y-1.488 Z-0.4405 I0.5863 J1.5155
G2 X-0.7018 Y-1.4656 Z-0.387 I0.653 J1.488
G2 X-0.9183 Y-1.3406 I0.7018 J1.4656
G2 X-0.975 Y-1.3 Z-0.4564 I0.9183 J1.3406 F2.
G2 X-1.0193 Y-1.2655 Z-0.512 I0.975 J1.3
G2 X-1.6176 Y-0.1547 I1.0193 J1.2655 F20.
G0 Z0.2
M5
M30
Once created, try to upload the file to ground control. This should result in a simple, 3 inch circle with tool paths being generated in GC.
This file loads in both GC and Web Control. If this doesnt work than we know which way to head next in our troubleshooting.
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Well I created your simple Text file labeled it Test_circle.nc
Ground Control couldn’t “see” it although it sees some other files. I tried to type it in search but search bar is inoperative.
I’m not sure what you mean about web control.
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You said you were a Mac user correct? I’m suspicious of Ground Control running on a Mac these days as GC is outdated and not being developed any further. Most users who still use it are running it on older windows machines or have migrated to Web Control. I’m even less sure and knowledgeable of GC’s current functionality on Mac’s. Maybe @bar or @Orob can speak to this a little.
Have you considered using Web Control by any chance? Using a Mac you would have to set up a Raspberry PI webserver to do it but your interface on the Mac would be a web browser.
Web Control is the second generation control software for the Maslow. It was written to be a replacement for Ground Control as GC was increasingly becoming harder to maintain and at this point is fully depreciated and no longer being maintained.
Web Control can be run on a Windows based machine as a stand alone application or it can be installed and configured as a web server on a Linux based computer or, a Raspberry Pi. Web control implemented several impriovements over GC. Most notably it uses a platform that is easier to maintain and update. You being a Mac user would have to either find a windows client to use as the platform to install Web Control on, or you would need to provision a linux computer or Raspberry Pi to function as the Web Control web server. Going the webserver route, any device that has a current web browser could function as your Maslow control interface. With your Mac for instance, You would point Safari to the local IP address and port of the Web Control web server and perform all of your interactions from the web page. The web server makes the Maslow platform agnostic.
That being said, I’m curious to hear what the current status is of others running Ground Control on a Mac.
Let me see about that. I’ll try to set it up. So those are the only 2 options available?
I assume I’ll need to re-calibrate?
Not necessarily. Web Control has a feature that allows for the import of the Ground Control configuration file which should allow you to import your calibration data as well.
A third option is to use another flavor of control software which is called Makerverse and available through Maker Made. I’ve never used it but is supposed to be the future successor to Web Control. It appears that there is a version for Mac as well.
I’ll tag @Orob to see if he can offer any input on it’s functionality on a Mac as he seems pretty active with it.
OK I’ll try it.
Thanks
Ground control uses a visual library that doesn’t work on all platforms and is no longer in use, so no further development is underway.
Webcontrol works on linux, pc, and is based in python so can be used on a mac, but isn’t compiled for a mac, so you won’t find it in the release options. It would take a manual dependency installation and a fair bit of babysitting iterating through installations to get it to work. The simplest* option is the $30 raspberry pi. *=Simple doesn’t always mean easy. A mac version isn’t available because the developers didn’t have one to generate a release, but it could be done. It is python code and has very little additional work going on other than minor bug fixes.
Makerverse is being pushed and developed by makermade. Their github repository lags their development efforts, so it appears they are moving away from the open source model. On facebook there is chatter of a $200 premium for the latest m2 edition and it’s based on software upgrades. Their github page hasn’t been updated this year. Makerverse runs both old and new systems. Works on mac, pc, linux, and rpi. It is nodejs based.
It is probably the svg export from coreldraw. Can you send it or a similar sized export?
Looking into using Makerverse. Seems Ground Control may be twitchy.
I downloaded Makerverse but I can’t connect to my machine without doing a weird github install that I don’t understand. Am I adding the code? Replacing code? Everything I try seems to just create more problems
Hang in there. Is This what you downloaded?
Uh, you may have buried the lead here.
that is what I have. I had to upgrade to get there. What do you mean buried the lead?
I just can’t get it to work. It keeps asking me what model I have (there are absolutely no brand names other than Maker Made anywhere in packaging or on sled) It requires I upload firmware v51.28 that is totally opaque and I’m not even sure if it’s version I need.