Introduction and Questions About OpenGlow Design Decisions

I have. I work with the LightBurn developer on a few things. I may have seen you on the LightBurn FB group - no profile pic and Thunder Laser?

These are my opinions, not speaking for LightBurn here: If the controller is going to present itself as a GRBL device and act similarly (meaning job streaming via USB cable/ COM Port), it should be possible for LightBurn to support it directly - meaning all the live jogging and direct running. Otherwise, if the GRBL stuff is more under the hood, it might still be possible to save gCode from LightBurn that runs on the OpenGlow board. I’m not clear if there’s going to be some interface layer like a website or other control program.

When Scott talks about this, is that the answer to my question about why it might not be possible to run a 3rd party firmware on the stock controller?

Do we know if the USB ports on the stock board usable at all?

If no, that meaning the interface would have to be over network and new protocols would have to be written - so that complicates things.

If yes, or if the replacement OpenGlow board allows taking gCode commands over a COM Port, that makes things as simple as possible from the perspective of LightBurn supporting this.

And then there’s all the questions about how things like the camera get interfaced - since LightBurn can use a camera for scanning artwork placed on the bed and work piece alignment, but it is currently for a camera plugged into the USB port of the computer - so it again depends on how the camera is presented, and whether it’s possible to get that to be as a typical Camera USB device.