What is GrblGru ?

April 13, 2019

Contents
1 Motivation 3

2 The name ’GrblGru ’ 3

3 What is GrblGru ? 3

4 The operating modes 4

4.1 Simulation mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4.2 Real mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4.2.1 Outlook into the future, the 5 axis machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4.2.2 Terminal mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

5 Functions 9
5.1 CAM functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
5.2 STL functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
5.3 Slicer function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
5.4 DXF templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

6 System requirements 14

7 Download 14

8 Installation 15

9 It should be noted ... 17

10 Attachment 18
10.1 Available 3D machine models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
1 Motivation
Recently, I’ve been often asked to describe what GrblGru actually is. This document is now an
attempt to fulfill this request.

2 The name ’GrblGru ’

Grbl is the name of a free brilliant open source software for controlling the motion of machines. It
can interpret G-code and creates pulse and direction information to control stepper motors.
Because GrblGru controls Grbl in control mode, the name GrblGru is the consistent continuation
of the ’stupid’ name Grbl , which nobody really knows what it means. The pronunciation is also not
clearly defined. I prefer ’Grabble Gru’ and because I often make a slip of the pen, I very often use
a simple short ’GG’.

3 What is GrblGru ?
GrblGru is ...

• a 3D-simulation tool for mills and lathes

• a G-code sender for Grbl and TinyG

• a CAM-program for mills and lathes

• a tool to learn the CNC-technic without having a ’real’ machine.

I myself noticed only relatively late, which immense advantages the use
of virtual simulations offers for training purposes.
It would be a great pleasure to me if the program could be used, e.g. to
introduce young people to this great hobby. If changes or additions are
necessary, of course I am willing to do so.
4 The operating modes
GrblGru has 2 operating modes that basically differ:

• Simulations mode
for virtual 3D simulation of a CNC machine

• Real mode
for real control of a CNC machine with Grbl, TinyG or G2Core (currently in preparation)
operating system.
4.1 Simulation mode
This mode of operation is the original idea of the program, which was primarily intended to check ex-
isting G-code on a virtual machine and show possible collisions. This kind of early virtual verification
has become more and more prevalent in the industry in recent years because it saves valuable machine
time and uncovers errors in advance.

GrblGru is started and the mode switch is set to the ’Simulation’ position. This gives the following
situation.

GrblGru

visualization

G-code Intern G-code interpreter

Figure 1: GrblGru in simulation mode

There is no connection to a controller. The G-code, to be examined is loaded and the commands are
processed by the internal G-code interpreter. The loaded 3D model is animated accordingly.

Attached you will find the available 3D models of milling machines and lathes.

A special feature of the program, however, is that the user can also
import their own 3D models. This makes it possible to model each mill
or lathe as a simple model in GrblGru .

So if someone is a little familiar with 3D and interested in visualizing his homemade machine, I am
happy to assist.
4.2 Real mode
In this mode, GrblGru is connected to an Arduino or TinyG. The connection is made via the USB
interface, which transmits both the G-code commands to the controller and the information about the
current axis positions back to GrblGru . GrblGru uses this information to control the 3D model so
that the 3D model moves parallel to the ’real’ axes.

The main difference between the two controllers is that TinyG can also control a rotary axis, often
called the 4th axis, in addition to the 3 linear axes. Also there are already 2.5 A drivers on board, to
which you can immediately connect corresponding motors. For bigger motors, however, the signals for
controlling external drivers are also available.

GrblGru is started and the mode switch is set to the ’Grbl’ or ’TinyG’ position. This will give you
one of the following two situations.

GrblGru Arduino Driver Stepper

USB
X

Controller
pulse- and.
Y
axis positions directions-
visualization signals

G-code Controlling
Gcode
G-code interpreter Z

Figure 2: GrblGru in real mode with Arduino (3 axes)

GrblGru TinyG Driver Stepper

X
Y
USB

Controller

visualization
axis positions
pulse- and.
Z
directions-
Gcode signals
G-code Controlling G-code interpreter
A

Figure 3: GrblGru in real mode with TinyG (4 axes)

4.2.1 Outlook into the future, the 5 axis machine
At the moment still in progress is the G2Core software on an Arduino DUE. This system provides 6
axes (linear and rotary), making it to the ideal controller for my 5-axis ’dream’ machine. :)
g2core has a number of advanced features including:

• Full 6 axis motion control - XYZ linear axes and ABC rotary axes

• Step outputs available for 6 motors (motors are mappable to axes)

• Jerk controlled motion for acceleration planning (S curve 3rd order motion planning)

• Extremely stable and jitter-free 200 kHz step generation

• USB is native on the ARM chip and runs 12 Mbps or 480 Mbps

• Complete status and system state displays

• Advanced hardware abstraction layer for easy port to multiple ARM and non-ARM processing
environments

GrblGru G2Core Driver Stepper

X
Y
USB

Controller
Z
visualization
axis positions
pulse- and. A
directions-
Gcode signals
G-code Controlling G-code interpreter B

Figure 4: GrblGru in real mode with G2Core (5-axes)

Additional information about Grbl, TinyG and G2Core:

• Grbl
https://github.com/grbl/grbl/wiki

• TinyG
https://github.com/synthetos/TinyG/wiki

• G2Core
https://github.com/synthetos/g2/wiki/What-is-g2core
4.2.2 Terminal mode
It is also possible to send individual commands for control via the two control windows. So you can,
for example also display or change the settings of the controller.

Figure 5: Open controller windows

5 Functions
Regardless of the two modes, GrblGru provides a number of functions..

5.1 CAM functions

The current functional scope of the CAM currently serves at the moment only the 2D or partially
2.5D area. So you can, for example use GrblGru to generate G-code for the mill or lathe from DXF
or SVG files. To generate processes such as cutting, pocket-clearing or drilling, so-called job templates
are used to avoid repetitive typing. Users who are familiar with CamBam will be able to get started
very quickly.
In addition to the pure 2D work, however, there are also possibilities to include the 4th axis.

A real 3D editing is currently not yet available, but is a stated goal for the next future. :)

The generated G-code can then be transferred in control mode immediately to an Arduino or TinyG
connected via USB. It is also possible to load the G-code file into another controller.

GrblGru

CAM

visualization
SVG
DXF Intern G-code interpreter

G-code

Figure 6: GrblGru in CAM mode

Figure 7: Creating a job with the help of templates
5.2 STL functions
3D objects are traded as STL format. STL is the simplest format among many formats used by CAD
programs.

GrblGru can be used to create STL objects from 2D data (DXF or SVG files). The 2D graphics can
either be extruded, ie ’pulled’ to a 2.5D object, or rotated around an axis to a rotating body. It is also
possible to generate parameterized spur gears or screw threads. The created STL object can then be
stored and reused anytime.

GrblGru

System

SVG
DXF

STL

Figure 8: GrblGru in STL mode

5.3 Slicer function
In order to create ’real’ 3D objects, different sections of the object are often created, which can then
be processed in the usual 2D technique.
GrblGru provides a special feature for slicing 3D STL objects and calculating corresponding 2D
slices. These can then be saved as DXF.

GrblGru

System

STL

DXF

Figure 9: GrblGru in Slicer mode

5.4 DXF templates
The basic idea of this category is based on configurable templates.

An example is the box generator, which, based on some input such as height, width and depth,
creates a Dxf drawing that can be used to create its ’box’.
The Dxf file can also be exported to reuse in another system. Of course, you can also use the internal
CAM to calculate G-code and send it to the controller in control mode.
There are some very simple templates such as rectangles and circles. However, there are also more
complex forms such as the box, the spur or the puzzle generator

Figure 10: The spur gear generator

Figure 11: The box generator

6 System requirements
GrblGru has been developed in c# and unfortunately runs only under Windows operating systems
(Windows XP, Win 7, Win 10 ...). It uses the .NET Framework 4, which is usually part of the oper-
ating system. Under XP, it may happen that the framework must be installed later.

7 Download
From my website at:

http://GrblGru.com
8 Installation
The setup is done by simply starting the installer file. The installation time is only a few seconds.

Figure 12: The dialog at starting the setup. The disclaimer must be confirmed.

Figure 13: Query the destination folder. I recommend keeping the suggested path
Figure 14: Answering this question with ’Yes’ deletes the working directory under ProgramData before
installation, which is equivalent to a basic installation. For users who are not knowledgeable, this is
recommended.

Figure 15: The display after successful setup

The installer will automatically create a desktop shortcut to launch GrblGru .

Figure 16: GrblGru shortcut

9 It should be noted ...
There is certainly a lot more to improve on GrblGru . Also there might be be some hidden bug, and
some things will only work if you do it in a specific order.
I just do it all at my free time because I enjoy programming. Please do not sting me if it does not
work out. Let me know, and I’ll try to fix it and make the next version a little better.

Ideas, suggestions for improvement and also criticism are always welcome.

Have fun with GrblGru

10 Attachment
10.1 Available 3D machine models

Figure 17: ShapeOko 2

Figure 18: ShapeOko 3

 Figure 19: X-Carve

Figure 20: My DIY milling machine ’Milly’

Figure 21: My new machine ’Miss Marple’

Figure 22: BF 20
 Figure 23: Shapeoko with measure probe

Figure 24: Shapeoko with turning steel for thread production

Figure 25: Milly with attachment for Styrofoam cutting

Figure 26: THE Styro Cutter

Figure 27: Shapeoko with 4th axis

Figure 28: Machine without Y-axis

Figure 29: Johudis ’Monster’ Machine

Figure 30: Typ Sprite

 Figure 31: TennesseePilots 2.Machine

Figure 32: EggBot machine with 2 rotation axes

Figure 33: My China lathe

Figure 34: Artec C1

Figure 35: Cesares lathe