Remora - Rpi Software Stepping Using External Microcontroller via SPI

Linuxcnc on the RaspberryPi has since evolved, and there became less of a need for Scott/Remora to maintain a linuxcnc build for the RPI. While Im sure the steps are fundamentally the same, the section is out of date, and I am questioning if we should remove the section entirely.

My personal opinion, is to look for a premade image, or the steps for it. I think theres a configuration setting in the RPI imager software where you can select RPI3, but I do not recall. There were a few threads from earlier this year that you may be able to find more current steps/references.

Not to try and pass the buck on this, but RPI builds/installs have fallen from the per view of the remora project, and now more of a linuxcnc standard thing. Have a look through this section of the forum, and you will probably get more help if you have questions regarding linuxcnc on the rpi3

forum.linuxcnc.org/9-installing-linuxcnc

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions ! I have been able to bring the Rpi3B back to life with the proper selection on the Raspberry OS software. They seem to have versions that go way back.

I guess the next step is to head over to the link you provided and start to dig to see if I can find any info / images there re: LinuxCNC installation.

As to the deletion of the outdated info on the Remora docs site, I think that perhaps a notice that the information is now out of date but the general steps remain the same (if they do remain the same). As a noob I did find these steps to be educational even if they did not get me the exact process to get Linuxcnc on the Pi3B.

Thanks again and I'll continue on with my searching and learning.
Cheers,
Lewis

I will always recommend using a premade image, because it is soooo much easier. Its not terribly difficult, especially if there are step by step. Instructions will be similar, but version numbers will probably be different. Also, I have found that no 2 guilds will be the same, so prepare for that.

Here is the thread about the RPI3 from earlier this year

forum.linuxcnc.org/9-installing-linuxcnc...-rpi3-dietpi?start=0

I'll have a read of that link once I get squared away with some coffee here. I came across another thread in the general section yesterday where a fellow made a slight modification to an older iso image (2.8.0) and got it to work on a Pi3B. It involved modifying the config-rt.txt file in the \boot section on the sd card post-etcher and pre-Pi3B boot. Figuring I needed a Linux machine to made this edit, I went off and installed a virtual box, along with xubuntu (which seemed to take forever). I then began to dig for how to "see" the sdcard in Linux, but before I did that I discovered that the \boot section on the sdcard is accessible by windows and I could easily see and mod the config-rt.txt file with someting like notepad++. That's as far as I got.

Here's the thread where I came across this approach -
forum.linuxcnc.org/38-general-linuxcnc-q...aspberry-pi-3#228816

lol yeah, thats one of the good parts about it. but yeah, I would do that. Try to see if you can use the expatria image, linked in the docs



Good news, stepper board moves motors and didnt blow up

No luck with that approach of modifying the config-rt.txt file before booting the pi3. It just sat there with the green led blinking 7 times, pausing and then repeating. The screen was a rainbow / multicolor thing.

I will take a look at the expatria image but I seem to recall that's for the Pi4 and being newer there's probably not a hope that the adjustment of the config-rt.txt would work on it if so.

I was going to re-flash the sd card and now my Etcher program is tossing errors when I go to select the drive. Can't seem to get anywhere today !

Looking forward to more updates on your new boards.