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SoliForum - 3D Printing Community → Solidoodle Discussion → Minimum PC to run Solidoodle?
Hi All,
Right now I am using my MacBook Pro to run my Solidoodle but really don't want to tie up the machine.
I have an old Dell D600 Laptop (1.6 pentium m and 1gb ram) that I would like to marry to the Solidoodle and do all of my slicing,etc on my more powerful computer. Would the Dell be up to the task?
As a side note: I had no luck using the OSX side of the MacBook for the Solidoodle software but on the Windows side setup was super easy.
If your only using it for sending gcode to the printer I don't see any reason it wouldn't handle the task but the only true way of knowing is to try
A guy has managed to get a Raspberry Pi to run a RepRap so I'd assume as long as it's as powerful as a Pi you're right 
His setup was quite neat, as he setup a web page that allowed him to upload models from anywhere on the net and have it automatically start printing.
Edit: Turns out I can't post the link (maybe because I'm new), but check out walter . schreppers . com for the Pi web interface.
I think it's fair to say:
Any PC that can run windows XP, can control a solidoodle machine.
right now here come the caveats.
the minimum specs for XP are 266 with 128MB RAM, - and this will work, for a very very basic installation with no service packs etc.
it won't run a lot of stuff at the same time either.
but that's the beauty of dedicating an old machine to controlling the setup.
if it's old it's practically useless, so flatten it, put a simple OS on it.
don't worry about service packs and updates, (just don't connect to the internet using it)
I really loved my old D600, if you stick 4GB of Ram in it, you can happily run windows 7, given that I was able to run windows 7, and VMware with a couple of XP workstations on top of that... I suspect that it'll cope perfectly fine with being the head for a solidoodle.
When you think about it, the Solidoodle can run itself with a Panelolu on simple Arduino electronics, so its requirements are minimal.
The only thing you need to look for in the PC are the required specs for the software, like Repetier/Pronterface. Obviously slicing is quite computer intensive, so a faster PC will save you a lot of time here.
if you're anything like me and seem to collect old/junk computers, and just don't get rid of that old workstation because it can be a perfectly good file server.
I'm planning to do design/slicing on my main computer for speed. but then just send the files to my old/crap "solidoodle head" computer so it can just do the printing.
-when I get the SD card reader/LCD mod installed I guess I'll have no cause to use that either.
if you're anything like me and seem to collect old/junk computers, and just don't get rid of that old workstation because it can be a perfectly good file server.
I'm planning to do design/slicing on my main computer for speed. but then just send the files to my old/crap "solidoodle head" computer so it can just do the printing.
-when I get the SD card reader/LCD mod installed I guess I'll have no cause to use that either.
As an aside, it seems that there is a rumor going about that Pronterface doesn't work on Windows 2000. The obvious question is: Why would you still be using Windows 2000?
I too was hoping to have a reason to resurrect a couple piles of old computers i was about to trash,hell i may come accross a win 98 OS
I too was hoping to have a reason to resurrect a couple piles of old computers i was about to trash,hell i may come accross a win 98 OS
I'm sure we could make a fun contest of this. I'd love to see someone fire up Solidoodle on an old IBM PC.
I'll stick the printer (when it arrives) on the back of an ESX host and see what the oldest OS I can get working is
I'll stick the printer (when it arrives) on the back of an ESX host and see what the oldest OS I can get working is
Any progress? I'd love to see this.
Ooh! Any fellow Amiga users out there? I wonder if 3d printing ever caught up with the Amiga 500 crowd.
Ooh! Any fellow Amiga users out there? I wonder if 3d printing ever caught up with the Amiga 500 crowd.
Now THIS I would like to see. I was almost afraid to ask about Amigas.
Ooh! Any fellow Amiga users out there? I wonder if 3d printing ever caught up with the Amiga 500 crowd.
http://www.monkeyhouse.eclipse.co.uk/amiga/python/ seems like you might stumble over getting Python Unicode support going.
danny wrote:I'll stick the printer (when it arrives) on the back of an ESX host and see what the oldest OS I can get working is
Any progress? I'd love to see this.
I'm still waiting for the post office to do their job...
apparently I should be getting my import duty notice any time soon.
coleke wrote:Ooh! Any fellow Amiga users out there? I wonder if 3d printing ever caught up with the Amiga 500 crowd.
Now THIS I would like to see. I was almost afraid to ask about Amigas.
Amiga? Never heard of those are they a computer?
I do have about 20, and a dedicated room.
solidoodlesupport wrote:coleke wrote:Ooh! Any fellow Amiga users out there? I wonder if 3d printing ever caught up with the Amiga 500 crowd.
Now THIS I would like to see. I was almost afraid to ask about Amigas.
Amiga? Never heard of those are they a computer?
I do have about 20, and a dedicated room.
Amiga was an early personal computer. There is still a dedicated following of users modding them out and modernizing them.
I am running a single core AMD 1.8GHz notebook with 1 GB RAM as the host PC.
Fresh XP pro install and fully patched. It has crappy graphics so the 3d preview is lame.
I usually slice on my main rig, quad core 3.6 with gaming graphics, remote (mstsc) into the host, paste the gcode and hit run.
The host can slice but I only do that if I know beforehand the model will slice without issue and time is not a factor.
Note, I have the slicer add the starting G28, M190 and M109 codes to enable paste and run printing.
Ooh! Any fellow Amiga users out there? I wonder if 3d printing ever caught up with the Amiga 500 crowd.
I am guessing, if it can speak RS-232 it can control it.
I assume the Amiga could be programmed to sing along in harmony with the steppers. Perimeters, circles and squares, infill and detail all make distinctive sounds. I am getting to know what the contraption is up to listening to it from down the hall. It might only need more cowbell is all.
coleke wrote:Ooh! Any fellow Amiga users out there? I wonder if 3d printing ever caught up with the Amiga 500 crowd.
I am guessing, if it can speak RS-232 it can control it.
I assume the Amiga could be programmed to sing along in harmony with the steppers. Perimeters, circles and squares, infill and detail all make distinctive sounds. I am getting to know what the contraption is up to listening to it from down the hall. It might only need more cowbell is all.
I'm surprised no one has suggested (or done) an Apple-II 3D printing mod. Tried to google around for it, but of course google was flooded with "What shall be the apple of 3d printing?" type news articles. Oh sheesh.
Ooh! Any fellow Amiga users out there? I wonder if 3d printing ever caught up with the Amiga 500 crowd.
Have a 500 around here somewhere along with a couple 1000's with genlock's and 2000 toaster setups.... mostly in storage I'm afraid but every once in a while we bring em' out to play with
I did a pawn shop commercial once with a Toaster. I managed to legitimately use the golf wipe going out of a shot of their golf club selection. Never managed to use the Kiki wipe or the falling sheep however.
I love the Amiga's they were a great box way ahead of their time I look back on some of the videos we made back then and think how simple the effects can be done today but at the time it was the coolest thing since sliced bread !!!
you can run a printer on anything that can run RH.
the more important question is minimum PC to run slic3r?
personally i run my printer from an old windows vista laptop with 2 gigs of ram. RH and Slic3r can run on it and manage to tackle simple low resolution models. but if i have a high resolution sculptural model i have an install of RH with exactly the same settings as the laptop install to slice on my gaming rig desktop with 16 gigs of ram, haven't found an object yet that it cant slice. but i also haven't really been trying to push it. haha
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