Root controller ISO - which post processor for Fusion360 CAM?

Root Controller
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I’m nearing the completion of replacing my cnc controller with a RootCNC controller ISO.
I use both Fusion360 CAD/CAM and VCarve desktop.

Can I use the standard GBRL post processor or is there an better option?

I’ve been looking for guidance on establishing a connection between a gcode sender and the root controller but haven’t located anything yet. Is there a page describing the process?

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Nop, no specific post processor. Just use a standard GRBL post processor and you’ll be fine.

I personally use a program called Universal Gcode Sender via a USB connection. Or wifi also works well with the self hosted webpage.

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@sailorpete I just started feeding the first programs to my almost built root 4 lite. I initially tried by uploading the file to the sd card and then playing it from the webpage, but working with it I got many low memory errors and in general found it a bit hard to manage. Now I switched to Universal Gcode Sender and it seems better, I fear disconnections and errors from the PC via USB, but it seems ok for now.
Also I used F360 for CAM and standard GRBL, but it seems that it doesn’t wait for the spindle to completely spin up, I tried a “dry run” without endmill, it started the spindle and plunged before it was up to speed… Is there a way to force it to wait a bit for the spindle to reach the target RPM? For the first cuts I resolved by moving the spindle away from the place of the first cut, so while traveling the spindle had time to spin up, but that’s not the best solution I think.

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Yes there is a way to allow the spindle to get up to speed I just can’t recall exactly how to do it in Fusion360. I’ll take a look in the morning.

There is a g-code command for a delay, just add that between the M3 and G1 move. I think you can have F360 add it automatically when creating the g-code file.

1 Like
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@valerioa its seem like you’ve got a number of quirks, lets try and go through them:

Oh this seems interesting! I must admit, I typically use the laptop to control the machine and only use the web page for homing etc. Reading the Github page, they have been doing some updates to this in the Dev branch. So it might be wise to keep an eye on for the latest version of Fluidnc.

Unlike Arduino based controllers - this controller does not reset when you connect to it via the serial port. If your laptop goes to sleep it doesn’t cause any issues. the controller will just sit there, waiting for input. Just re-open the com port and carry on CNCing!

There is a quick with Fluidnc; if the Spindle speed is not set or changes value - then it will wait for the spindle to spin up, with a M3 command. for example M3S12000. If the “S” parameter is already set and you send M3, it start the spindle and continue onto the next line of Gcode. I think there is a command to disable the spindle with the S0 parameter.

This is a very good option, but might not be ideal if you change spindle speed, depending on the movement type; for example a ramp move might be faster with higher spindle speed, or the finishing pass might have a slower spindle speed, you might not want to dwell too long.

these are all software/ configuration related, so learning your machine goes along way.