RepRapFirmware road map as at 15 February 2020

dc42

Here is a summary of development work on RepRapFirmware planned for the near future.

RRF 3.01, expected early March 2020

New firmware features:

GCode meta commands complete, but no support for variables yet
Object model mostly complete
GCode (M409) and HTTP (rr_model) commands provided to retrieve parts of the object model
Daemon GCode task

New Duet 3 hardware support:

Tool Board
Enumeration of connected expansion and tool boards
Triggers (M581) and wait-for-input (M577) supported on expansion and tool boards
Emergency Stop to shut down expansion boards and tool boards

RRF 3.02

New firmware features:

Variables in GCode meta commands
Support object model expressions in 12864 display menus
Support image buttons on 12864 display
Support cancelling some objects on a build plate (M486)
Support configuration of aux serial port either not at all (for Duet 3), in PanelDue mode (default), or in raw mode
Improved M303 heater tuning algorithm
Improved laser rastering support (multiple laser power values per G1 movement)

New Duet 3 hardware support:

Support M303 on Duet 3 expansion and tool boards
Support filament monitors connected to expansion and tool boards
Support switch-type Z probes on expansion and tool boards
Report stalls from expansion and tool boards

Later

RPi connection option for Duet 2

gtj0

Nice summary David! Thanks!

Danal

Thank you!

Is there any roadmap for DSF implementation of all above?

deckingman

@dc42 One quick question - are hiccups now working on expansion boards - or will they be? Some time back they weren't or not reliably - but that was a while ago. The reason for asking is that I'd like to see what combination of high micro-stepping and retraction speed I can use on my mixing hot end extruders. Alternatively, if I knew the max step pulse rate of expansion boards, I could work from that.

becky9

Just curious at the current level of functionality with the tool board in the current firmware given the roadmap x

dc42

@becky9 said in RepRapFirmware road map as at 15 February 2020:

Just curious at the current level of functionality with the tool board in the current firmware given the roadmap x

Nearly everything except filament monitor, stall detection, Z probe, and automatic heater tuning.

dc42

@deckingman said in RepRapFirmware road map as at 15 February 2020:

@dc42 One quick question - are hiccups now working on expansion boards - or will they be? Some time back they weren't or not reliably - but that was a while ago. The reason for asking is that I'd like to see what combination of high micro-stepping and retraction speed I can use on my mixing hot end extruders. Alternatively, if I knew the max step pulse rate of expansion boards, I could work from that.

Hiccups are not reported back to the main board yet, so the main board motors may get a little ahead of expansion board motors if there are no breaks in motor movement and there are hiccups on expansion board motors. I will probably fix this in 3.02.

garyd9

There was talk in the past of adding support in RRF3 to redirect certain file system related gcodes to DSF so that PanelDue could be fully utilized with a Duet3 attached to DSF.

Is this still on the road map?

whosrdaddy

@dc42 said in RepRapFirmware road map as at 15 February 2020:

RPi connection option for Duet 2

Is the plan to have this for the existing Duet 2 boards or will this option only be available for a newer revision board?

chas2706

@dc42 said in RepRapFirmware road map as at 15 February 2020:

RPi connection option for Duet 2

I think it might be a good idea to concentrate on getting the dsf up to date on duet3 rpi first??

@chas2706 said in RepRapFirmware road map as at 15 February 2020:

I think it might be a good idea to concentrate on getting the dsf up to date on duet3 rpi first??

mostly developed by different people if not mistaken it won't be detrimental to the DSF, might even be beneficial to get a larger user base providing feedback.

@whosrdaddy said in RepRapFirmware road map as at 15 February 2020:

Is the plan to have this for the existing Duet 2 boards or will this option only be available for a newer revision board?

it was said that you could in theory disconnect an ethernet module and wire that interface to a Pi once the firmware support is in place, but we'll have to wait and see I guess.

Danal

The Pi to Duet 3 interface is SPI. Duet 2 does bring SPI out to the expansion connector.

Pure speculation on my part... but I'd expect nothing will need to be removed, just hook up the SPI and run the correct firmware.

dc42

@chas2706 said in RepRapFirmware road map as at 15 February 2020:

@dc42 said in RepRapFirmware road map as at 15 February 2020:

RPi connection option for Duet 2

I think it might be a good idea to concentrate on getting the dsf up to date on duet3 rpi first??

Duet 2 will use the same DSF as Duet 3, so no additional DSF work will be needed.

dc42

@Danal said in RepRapFirmware road map as at 15 February 2020:

The Pi to Duet 3 interface is SPI. Duet 2 does bring SPI out to the expansion connector.

Pure speculation on my part... but I'd expect nothing will need to be removed, just hook up the SPI and run the correct firmware.

The plan in the short term is to use a Duet 2 Ethernet without the Ethernet module. The high speed SPI bus is on the socket for the Ethernet module.

dc42

@garyd9 said in RepRapFirmware road map as at 15 February 2020:

There was talk in the past of adding support in RRF3 to redirect certain file system related gcodes to DSF so that PanelDue could be fully utilized with a Duet3 attached to DSF.

Is this still on the road map?

Yes I hope to implement that, but it needs support in DSF, which may not be implemented in time for 3.02.

littlehobbyshop

@dc42 said in RepRapFirmware road map as at 15 February 2020:

Triggers (M581) and wait-for-input (M587) supported on expansion and tool boards

M587 is Add WiFi network. Do you mean M577? I would very much like a 'Wait for external trigger' function

bot

dc42,

I have an interest in beginning an effort to continue development on RRF 2 until end of life. RRF 2 in its current state is just splendid for me, and I see potential value in maintaining it as a sort of "long-term-support" firmware that users can rely on to always be available to troubleshoot or implement in mission critical machines.

Do you have any thoughts about RRF 2.0 you could document before leaving it to the community? I think you did some seriously magnificent things with RRF 2, and you seem off to the races with RRF 3. A short-medium length debrief of your thoughts about how you left it and what you may have wished to implement had development continued would be super-welcomed.

Thanks! You are literally one of the most important people in the RepRap community. I will continue directly supporting your products as long as you continue to produce them.

dc42

@littlehobbyshop said in RepRapFirmware road map as at 15 February 2020:

@dc42 said in RepRapFirmware road map as at 15 February 2020:

Triggers (M581) and wait-for-input (M587) supported on expansion and tool boards

M587 is Add WiFi network. Do you mean M577? I would very much like a 'Wait for external trigger' function

Thanks for pointing that out. I have corrected it.

deckingman

@dc42 said in RepRapFirmware road map as at 15 February 2020:

Support switch-type Z probes on expansion and tool boards

Bit confused by this on the road map for RRF3.02. I already have the Metrol switch that I use as a Z (nozzle) probe configured as a simple switch (using M574) and connected to an expansion board. Did you mean "non switch-type Z probes on expansion boards? Or did you mean add type 5 to M558 for expansion boards?

dc42

@deckingman said in RepRapFirmware road map as at 15 February 2020:

@dc42 said in RepRapFirmware road map as at 15 February 2020:

Support switch-type Z probes on expansion and tool boards

Bit confused by this on the road map for RRF3.02. I already have the Metrol switch that I use as a Z (nozzle) probe configured as a simple switch (using M574) and connected to an expansion board. Did you mean "non switch-type Z probes on expansion boards? Or did you mean add type 5 to M558 for expansion boards?

M574 configures it as an endstop switch, not a Z probe.