clinc

A minimalist, scriptable command-line interface for GRBL v0.9.

Installation

Install the package directly from npm:

[sudo] npm install -g clinc

Then seed a config file:

clinc config > ~/.clincrc

You may need to change the default server.serialPort path in ~/.clincrc. To see a list of available serialports, run:

clinc-server list

See the wiki for an in-depth guide to configuration.

Executables

Theclinc package will install three executables on your $PATH:

Executable | Purpose -------------------|-------- clinc-server | Connects to GRBL via the serialport, and displays GRBL output. clinc | Provides a user-interface for controlling GRBL via a connection to clinc-server. clinc-grbl-debug | A debugging tool that was used while developing clinc. See the wiki for more information.

Usage

Physically connect your CNC machine to your computer, then connect to GRBL with:

clinc-server -c

Note that $USER must have access to the serialport, or clinc-server will fail with an error. On Debian-based systems, it may be necessary to add $USER to the dialout group.

You may then use these two commands for sending G-code to clinc-server:

• clinc send (<commands> | --file=<path>)
• clinc shell

send

send can be used to send individual commands to GRBL:

# view GRBL configuration
clinc send '$$'

send can also send entire G-code files:

#send foo.nc
clinc send --file=/path/to/foo.nc

Shell scripts can streamline the process of running multi-part jobs:

#!/bin/sh

# unlock the machine
clinc send '$X'

# send the first file
clinc send --file=./step-1.nc

# prompt the user for a tool change
read -p "Tool change required. Press 'Enter' when ready".

# send the second file
clinc send --file=./step-2.nc

shell

shell can be used to control GRBL interactively. Any command entered into the shell will be sent directly to GRBL. It is also possible to manually "jog" the machine from within the shell.

Jog Commands

Use the following keypresses to jog the machine:

Keypress | Action ---------------------|-------- Ctrl + Left Arrow | Jog left Ctrl + Right Arrow | Jog right Ctrl + Up Arrow | Jog backward Ctrl + Up Down | Jog forward PageUp | Raise spindle PageDown | Lower spindle <F1> | Feed hold Ctrl + l | Clear screen

The .step dot-command (see below) can be used to change the machine's step distance.

"Dot-commands"

Several "dot-commands" extend the shell's functionality:

Command | Action -----------|------------------------------------------------------------ .aliases | Lists the aliases configured in ~/.clincrc. .cheat | Displays a clinc cheatsheet. .exit | Exits the shell. .reset | Sends a reset instruction (Ctrl + x) to GRBL. .send | Sends a G-code file to GRBL. (Usage: .send /path/to/file.nc). .step | Sets the GRBL step distance. (Usage: .send 0.5).

Note that .help will reveal other available dot-commands (including .help itself). These are built in to node's REPL object (upon which clinc shell is built). They are of no value to clinc users, and should be ignored.