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Running Easel On Raspberry Pi

Sacha De’Angeli uploaded Easel on the Raspberry Pi turning it into a CAD workstation.

Sacha De’Angeli uploaded Easel on the Raspberry Pi turning it into a CAD workstation.

 

The Raspberry Pi has been used for everything from a stand-alone PC to an arcade machine emulator but could it be used to run as a CAD workstation? The answer to that question used to be no, however Sacha De’Angeli over at Simple Switch Labs was able to turn that answer into a yes with the help of Raspberry Pi.

The secret to his success lies with Inventables’ Easel cloud-based 2D/3D CAD software, which does most of the heavy lifting for design and fabrication projects. Sacha loaded the Easel app on his Raspberry Pi (model B) running Raspian and the Epiphany browser to grab 2D and 3D files, turning them into g-code. That code is then sent to an Arduino (via USB) that’s running the GRBL CNC milling controller, which provides the needed instructions to run his Shapeoko milling machine. Suffice it to say, there’s no longer a need to use an expensive laptop or desktop to power a Shapeoko, which is notorious for producing dust when carving out materials. To read a complete walkthrough on how Sacha built his setup head on over to the Simple Switch blog.

Programmer Revives Teletype With Raspberry Pi

Sudo Bob’s Teletype (image courtesy of Sudo Bob)

Sudo Bob’s Teletype (image courtesy of Sudo Bob)

 

If you were around before desktop computers were commonplace in-home, then you probably remember the teletype. Well folks, the old school communication device is making a comeback, thanks to the efforts of a self-proclaimed nerd by the name of Robert Coggeshall (co-programmer of sudo), and of course, the popular Raspberry-Pi SBC.

Teletype (image courtesy of Sudo Bob)

Teletype (image courtesy of Sudo Bob)

 

Teletypes fell off the radar with the advent of the fax machine and personal computer, but for some (like Sudo Bob), having retro devices that are much more difficult to use than the newer gadgets brings a certain level of nostalgia. It’s like rushing home to use your corded home phone, even though you have a cell phone, just because you still like wrapping that curly cord all around the living room furniture. Ah. It gets you every time.

Regardless, Sudo Bob resurrected the teletype just because he can. He snagged a spare teletype from another 70s kid from the NYC Resistor crew at the 2013 Maker Faire and the rest is history. Oh glorious teletype, you have returned!

Diagram of Bob's RPi and relay board (image courtesy of Sudo Bob)

Schematic for wire the connections of Bob’s RPi and relay board (image courtesy of Sudo Bob)

 

With a 2-Channel Relay Module, Raspberry-Pi, N-Channel Mosfet, 200 OHM 1 Watt Resistor, 24VDC Wall Wart, F<>F Rainbow Jumper Wiring and a little rewiring, the 50-year-old device has been fully restored. Bob also used the Raspbian Wheezy distro and ran the Ras Pi headless for coding, but use your own discretion if you’re building your own.

The complete package that powers the Teletype (image courtesy of Sudo Bob)

The complete package that powers the Teletype (image courtesy of Sudo Bob)

 

If you’ve got an old teletype you’re looking to restore as well, check out Sudo Bob’s blog for the full specs and building process for making your own.