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ScottW514
21d3a482c6
docs/SAFETY.md documents the control board's laser safing chain as reverse-engineered and bench-verified - parts, every net with its SoC pin, Linux exposure and polarity, the logic, and the software layers ForgeFIRM stacks on it - with docs/img/safety-chain.svg. Linked from the README. BRINGUP: Next work item 11 records the interlock-latch finding (an open loop never tripped the latch; the kernel now drives INTERLOCK_LATCH_RESET) and the charge-pump watchdog readback, both code-complete and pinned, bench validation on the next image.
77 lines
3.9 KiB
Markdown
77 lines
3.9 KiB
Markdown
# OpenGlow/ForgeFIRM Firmware for Glowforge
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Open-source firmware for Glowforge brand CNC lasers. ForgeFIRM replaces the
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cloud-dependent factory software on the **stock control board** — no hardware
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modification — and gives the machine a local controller, a local web control
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panel, and a standard Grbl interface.
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* [Latest Release](https://github.com/ScottW514/forgefirm/releases)
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* [Installation Instructions](https://github.com/ScottW514/forgefirm/blob/master/INSTALL.md)
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* [Build Instructions](https://github.com/ScottW514/forgefirm/blob/master/BUILD.md)
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* [Connecting LightBurn](https://github.com/ScottW514/forgefirm/blob/master/docs/LIGHTBURN.md)
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* [How the laser safing works](https://github.com/ScottW514/forgefirm/blob/master/docs/SAFETY.md)
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* [Community Support](https://community.openglow.org)
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## What it does
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**Two controller modes, selected in the web panel and switchable while the
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machine is idle:**
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* **GRBL mode** — [grblHAL](https://github.com/grblHAL) runs on the machine and
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speaks Grbl 1.1 over TCP port 23, so LightBurn, UGS, and cncjs drive the
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laser directly. Motion runs on the board's own hardware step engine (SDMA +
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EPIT), fed live by the planner. M3/M4 dynamic laser power, coolant-flow
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verification, over-temp holds, and an operator button press to arm the laser
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for each job.
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* **Cloud mode** — the machine presents itself as a stock Glowforge to the
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Glowforge web service, so the phone and web apps work as they always did.
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Optional, and off by default. GRBL mode jogs and cuts without it; the one
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GRBL-mode function that still reaches the Glowforge service is
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camera-referenced homing (below), until limit-switch homing lands.
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**Around both modes:**
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* A **web control panel** on port 8080: machine status and position, coolant
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and fan telemetry, safety-switch states, camera view, machine settings,
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hardware diagnostics, firmware updates, and boot-slot management.
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* Both **cameras** as MJPEG streams and full-resolution snapshots — the lid
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camera feeds LightBurn's camera overlay directly.
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* **Camera-referenced homing**: `$H` from any sender runs the factory-style
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camera homing cycle through the Glowforge service (a Glowforge account and a
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live service session are required for `$H`; everything else in GRBL mode
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runs without them), and the machine records where it is.
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* **Installs alongside the factory firmware** in the unused A/B rootfs slot,
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archiving every factory version first, so the machine can be switched back
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to stock at any time without the Glowforge cloud.
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## Hardware
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The control board is common to Glowforge Basic, Plus, and Pro. The 5 MP
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(OV5648) camera modules are fully supported; the 8 MP (OV8856) modules found in
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"HD" units bind but do not capture yet — see the camera note in
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[kas/README.md](kas/README.md).
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## Roadmap
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* Limit-switch homing as an alternative to camera-referenced homing.
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* Camera lens calibration and bed alignment for the LightBurn overlay.
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* Capture support for the 8 MP (OV8856) camera modules.
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* Cloud mode: stream jobs into the motion ring during the run, lifting the
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job-length cap that buffering the whole job imposes.
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## Safety
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**This machine contains a Class 4 CO₂ laser: it burns, blinds, and starts
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fires.** Never defeat the lid switches or interlock, always vent the exhaust
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outdoors, and never cut PVC or other chlorinated plastics. Never leave a
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running job unattended — keep a fire extinguisher within reach. Read
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[Before you cut — safety](docs/LIGHTBURN.md#before-you-cut--safety-read-this-first)
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before your first job, and the
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[Regulatory and legal](INSTALL.md#regulatory-and-legal) section before
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installing. [How the laser safing works](docs/SAFETY.md) describes the hardware
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safety chain and the software gates ForgeFIRM stacks on it.
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**A very important warning: this is experimental software. Use of this software
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could seriously maim or kill you or others, and voids your warranty. It is not
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affiliated with or endorsed by Glowforge. Use it at your own risk.**
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