Do you have a thread on how you have the viking embroidery system working? My MIL has one of those.
I don’t have a write up. It’s been a while since I’ve used it so I’d need to dig out all the pieces and go through the process in order to document it. When I started playing with this I bought a big box of embroidery thread that came with a color pallete that InkStitch could import, so it was easy to select matching colors in the design. I use Inkscape to draw the design, and InkStitch to generate the sewing instructions. If I remember correctly, I then need to do a file conversion (from Brother to Viking), then I use an external USB writer to put the job on the pcmcia card for the sewing machine to read.
Yes, that’s where I added the commands to the user start and end codes
I suppose that is a possibility. I don’t want to replace my SKR board at this time, so GRBLHal might be an option. .
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I run klipper on the skrs and any old ender board i can find. Not enough channels? You can use more than one. Hook them all up to your host control system over usb.
I love the dissertation. I do like to vote with my dollars as well. I buy most of my endmills from V1E and Ryan because I want to see what LR5, LR6 and LR7 will be (can you guys imagine LR7 from V1E in 2030? Oh man!)
I really like that Lightburn tries to support hobbyists and keep their software affordable. I hope it lasts, but I like to support them. I know Vectric’s software is “da bomb” but I don’t know that I find their pricing as friendly, so I’m happy to hack around until something comes out that I can support.
Plus, I get my 2 college age sons to hit Chili’s with me on a Saturday night and I’m in for more than the cost of Lightburn. (Note here - I’d never make that trade, but I do like the context. Always pick time with them.)
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I definitely had a time period where I could not believe software cost more than a few dollars per person. I am really starting to understand it now. I am shocked it does not cost more. While you can copy it for nearly free, the support that comes with each new copy is insane.
I have almost flip-flopped in my thinking. Most hardware is drastically overpriced. Doing things in smaller quantities are kind of expensive, but mass production brings the cost down so much it is wild. Both hardware and software need support.
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What I do wish happened with software is a more of a use case type of situation. If I use CAD 2 months out of the year, paying for 12 months is a bummer. If the price is lower, not a big deal, but for big ticket items it would be nice to break it down a bit more. Not sure how any of that would work, but it would be nice to pay for more software and not always have to pay full price for light use.
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I like the Autodesk (Fusion) approach to this. They offer a Personal Use license, with less features, at no charge (must renew every few years, must declare you aren’t making more than X dollars per year from your hobby or home business).
It gets their software into the hands of more people, some of whom might purchase (or influence the purchase of) full versions once they are in a position to do so, because they are now trained and familiar with it.
Yeah, there is that.
I did try Marlin with LB. (Or rather RRF, but Marlin was as close as I could tell LB.) I gave it up, but did run it with GRBL-ESP32 (precursor to FluidNC.) That worked well, though sometimes with a bit of weirdness if the machine was connected via USB, so to this day, I do not let LB directly control the laser.
Estlcam also worked to generate laser gcode. It was acceptable, but lacks some features, like the ability to overrun the sides of the feature, to eliminate inconsistencies during acceleration, but it was capable of different intensities, and I could trick it into multiple passes. It did the job well enough.
I paid for an LB license, which has expired, but I’m not going to upgrade it any time soon.
It has been argued that Adobe didn’t to their best efforts to avoid piracy of their programs, since their software got in the hand of a load of younglings who learnt it. Then it became the only option for an employer to buy when they needed the programs professionally.
On the Lightburn discussion. I was kind of in the same place with my 10W laser. I do not use it a ton, but when I do I fire up Lightburn. I use maybe 20% of the features in it. Ripped the band aid bought Lightburn after the trial. I constantly try to cut way too thick plywood with my laser. Just the material tests (built in or lightburn template tuning files from others) was worth the price tag for me.
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Thank you for accepting the views of those that evangelize LightBurn on our behalf - if you already have a workflow that’s working for you, by all means keep using it. We hope LightBurn (or MillMage) provides the solution you need for some future problem!
The Custom GCode profile might be the solution to getting the feature support you’re after Device Settings: Custom GCode - LightBurn Documentation
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