About 2 years & 3 months ago I had computer problems and life wouldn’t allow for me to continue with my Maslow 
I was geeking out on it and everything but after all this time I’m basically going to have to start over (besides the initial build). No computer, hence no programs. A sufficient computer would kick me off on my revisited journey but time has removed much recollection. Please help. Thanks 
Welcome back! My recommendation would be to go with and RPi 3B+/4 (to me the RPi 4 is best) to run as a WebControl server. Then you can pick any laptop/computer/tablet as you can then just pull up any browser, input the IP address of the Pi, and off you go. You can search the forums for RPi set up and you’ll find plenty of info on it.
2 Likes
Thanks Great idea, I vaguely remember that concept.
I actually have a raspberry pi! And a tablet that I’ve yet to open. Would an Amazon fire tablet HD8 work?
anything with a browser will work. I use my phone as a handheld remote and a
computer (sometimes in the next room) to load the files.
David Lang
2 Likes
So awesome! Okay what are the requirements for the pi? I remember mine was said to need reformatted years ago but I was afraid because of how long it took me to get the display set up (the screen wasn’t initially aligned with the display)
Just wondering if a new one will be needed.
a pi 3b or pi 4 (get a 4 if you have to buy one, they are the same cost), and a
SD card. There are pre-made images available for you to use.
David Lang
1 Like
I agree on the Pis. I use Pi4 to run my maslow and another Pi4 to run my secondary monitor, but I think that one for the monitor is overkill. I rather not mix Pi models though. As far as Fire HD goes, me personally I wish bought the smaller amazon tablet. The HD8 (I think the one I got) it a touch wide for 1 hand. Looking back I would buy the cheaper smaller screen one. Cell phone works great especially for doing calibrations! To design your projects, I used an i7 laptop gaming laptop which I bought deliberately for maslow. Reason being I taught myself Solidworks, and SW’s is taxing on your CPU. I had an i3 laptop previously and it ran way too slow. Hope this helps -V
2 Likes
I use a 3B+ for the maslow and an i7 laptop to design and a phone for sled placement and job start. I have a 4, but it sits idle and has been much less stable than all my 3’s (2 others running 3d printer and emulation setup). That may be because I use passive radiative cooling rather than fan-mount coolers for the processor and ram. The 3’s have straight HDMI output and that makes them easy to plug into a tv or monitor without waiting the 2 days for amazon to bring the the micro adapter if you forget to get one, so don’t forget the adapter if you get the 4. Speed-wise, the 3 is slower than the 4, but at 57600 bps, the processor isn’t the bottleneck, it is the mega.
1 Like
I use an I7 laptop for my CAD/CAM work of sufficient memory and speed to run fusion 360 and AutoCAD.
i use two RASPI 4’s for my Maslow. one is configured headless, running RasPi OS lite. This one acts as my WebContorol Webserver and is directly connected to the Arduino. The other Pi 4 is running the RasPi OS basic desktop with a Firefox browser. This is the local client i use to operate my Maslow. even though i could use any mobile device browser to control via WebControl, i prefer a larger screen, traditional set up. the pi4 could in theory handle both functions (webserver, local client), real world experience has shown this to be pretty taxing, even for a Pi 4. which is why i have them split up.
1 Like
Okay, I think I have Rpi 2 or 2b. I’m probably due for an upgrade. What I’m hearing is that if I buy a 4 I will need an adapter for a monitor…? If I’m using webcontrol, however, I can use the Fire HD8 that I already have (new in box)?
Lots of i7s out there and I’m not sure I know their advantage… larger screen and processor? To be fair, I don’t want to scrimp or anything that would lead to problems BUT the simpler the better for me.
Last time I tried to use my Maslow I purchased a custom computer based on specs that everyone on here said should work and I never got anything working as nothing would download or work for me. I’m sure I am the weak link in the chain🤣.
Originally, I used an old asus laptop that was experiencing many problems and updating issues but for awhile I crippled through with it. Now I don’t even know how.
I’ll be looking for the step by step instructions that I used before (hopefully updated) but if anyone has a link I would sure appreciate it. Thanks all for your help as always 
the pi 3 uses the full size HDMI connector, the Pi 4 uses a micro HDMI
connector. If you are buying new cables, just buy the right one, if you have
cables laying around one may fit what you have on hand.
you could make a pi 2 work, but the 3/4 have built-in wifi, which is extremely
handy, and are significantly faster so there is no way that the computer will be
the bottleneck.
sorry I don’t have a link to give you.
1 Like
the i7 laptop is for more than just maslow, so is not required. The step by step instructions for webcontrol are likely the same. A newer image is likely available, but the steps to install it are the same, so your older instructions should be just fine. the wiki section has details and there are videos on youtube now as well.
1 Like
Oh, I never had webcontrol. Only heard of it when I was just hooking up my laptop directly to the Maslow or arduino or however that works (case in point… I don’t remember much about anything some things are probably just still hooked up with dust on them). Life happened after I was battling computer problems and electrical issues with my shop. My house stole the custom Maslow shop computer (that never worked for me anyway).
I vaguely remember some people making software packages that they would share that included everything in one download (which was very attractive to me as I never operated with a good computer and downloads were a challenge in and of themselves.)
My flow at the time usually started in paint. I would draw or copy/paste images and move that .png to Inkscape, trace bitmap to create .svg, then I’d move that to makercam to create gcode then move it to ground control. It was rumored (at that point) that makercam would go away. Maslow Create was in the works and as I recall it would cover multiple functions and potentially reduce the number of steps in my workflow. I was even interested in the new (at the time) grading that we could allegedly do and actually 3D CNC things. People were welding gantries and what not.
I’m sorry this is so long I just thought that dating myself might paint a picture of my needs.
And my silly questions may make more sense 
Will this work?
HP Chromebook 14 Laptop, Intel Celeron Processor, 4 GB RAM, 32 GB eMMC, 14” FHD (1920 x 1080) Chrome OS, Webcam & Dual Mics, Work, Entertainment, School, Long Battery Life (14a-na0160nr, 2021)
I know I’m being redundant but admittedly I have asked on here before from so many people and I ordered a custom computer at one point that never worked for me. This has made me a little gun shy to pull the trigger.