Hey everyone! Big thanks to those who shared their Fall/Thanksgiving LongMill projects this week.
Last Week’s Winners
We are happy to announce that Sara Lynn, Kevin Mary Butt, and Todd McCracken are the winners of the Autumn/USA Thanksgiving-themed projects contest. Lookout for a prize!
This Week’s Theme: Sign Projects
Share your most creative LongMill sign projects for a chance to win prizes in this week’s “Projects That Are Signs” contest!
Happy Friday! Thanks to all who entered this week’s contest, showcasing your LongMill hosting/entertaining projects.
Last Week’s Winners
We are happy to announce that Cam Luchak, Brooke Piercy, Philip Christian, Carlo Quadrilatero, Bill Thorne, and Phil Cannizzaro are the winners of the latest projects contest. A prize is on its way!
This Week’s Theme: Autumn/USA Thanksgiving Projects
Happy Thanksgiving, neighbors! We’re reviving the Autumn/Thanksgiving theme. Share your fantastic LongMill projects inspired by the season, and we’ll pick our favorites to send some cool stuff your way.
Hey everyone! Big shoutout to those who shared their latest LongMill projects.
Last Week’s Winners
We are happy to announce that Brandy Flett-Hewitt, Tim Goodyke, Frank McDonough, Diana Mezei, Craig Pidsadowski, and Dave Mauger are the winners of the latest projects contest. Look out for a prize!
This Week’s Theme: Hosting/Entertaining Projects
This week’s theme: Hosting/Entertaining projects! Share your LongMill creations—beer stands, coasters, speakers, TV setups, serving trays, charcuterie boards, beer openers, games, and more. Our favorites win free prizes!
It’s contest time! Thanks to all who shared their LongMill wooden projects this week.
Last Week’s Winners
We are happy to announce that Scott Addy, Melissa Clarkson, David Stokely, Jim Shuler, Mark Renwick, and Michael Phillips are the winners of the wooden projects contest. A prize is on its way!
This Week’s Theme: Your Latest Project
Share your latest CNC project made with your LongMill for a chance to win prizes in this week’s contest!
Happy spooky season! Big thanks to all who entered their LongMill projects in our Halloween contest part 2!
Last Week’s Winners
We are happy to announce that Louis Boulay, Jack In The Shop, Jack Burak, Kevin Philpott, Lawrence LaMay, and Roger Bischoff are the winners of the Halloween contest (part 2). Watch out for a prize!
This Week’s Theme: Wooden Projects
This week’s theme: “Wooden Projects.” Show us your LongMill creations with a wood base for a chance to win cool prizes!
Hey folks! Thanks a bunch to everyone who joined in our Halloween contest (part 1) with their LongMill projects.
Last Week’s Winners
We are happy to announce that Jason Ice, Chrystal Sabyan, Brian Lister, Shannon Davis, Justin Smith, and Ivan Klok are the winners of the Halloween contest. Look out for a prize!
This Week’s Theme: A Project That is Halloween-Themed Part 2
Join us in celebrating the last week of October by sharing your LongMill Halloween projects (part 2) for a chance to win some cool prizes!
Edge 1.3.6 is released with some new functionality for gamepad and the grblHAL firmware!
The next Edge release will be focused on general app performance and connection reliability for vanilla GRBL controllers + a few other small new features like 4-corner probing on top of continuing to expand support for grblHAL firmware.
Ethernet Sending
Ethernet has emerged as the more reliable alternative to USB communications and is something that is both supported by more modern controllers and something that the upcoming Super Longboard will support.
We’ve added our first iteration of sending over ethernet instead of USB to this latest Edge build. If the grblHAL controller is selected, you should see a new “Network Devices” option with a configured IP address.
The IP address is configurable within preferences in the general tab.
For now, we’ve limited the functionality to TCP (port 23). We’ll be looking to expand it to work with websocket where supported in future releases.
Functionality should be similar as if sending over USB. We look forward to any feedback/issues experienced as we expand this functionality over the next few releases.
Gamepad Improvements
We’re slightly altering our approach to gamepad bindings, mapping available buttons as reported by the controller to actions instead of actions to buttons.
Each button can have a primary action and a secondary action by holding a modifier.
We’ve also added early iteration on joystick jogging and MPG mode jogging. Walid should have the details available for both soon.
We look forward to any feedback in this area since it will likely take a bit of iteration to get to our final implementation.
Full Notes:
General
Connect over Ethernet using grblHAL controller/boards. IP address configurable within connection preferences
Fixed connection routing on HAL – should now be faster connecting
Fixed HAL pin states not reporting correctly
Unlock button now available on the UI at all times
Fixed HAL startup routine to correctly parse alarm code if in alarm state rather than assuming homing
Added better error logging to quickly address issues
Clearer distinction between planned lines and cut lines in visualizer – configurable in custom visualizer theme
Moved firmware selector in connection widget to bottom
Fixed issue with bitfield input in firmware tool
File parsing simplified to only need to parse the file once across several tools (outline, start from line)
Fixed edge case where Outline function would never return
Gamepad
Restructure of gamepad logic
Actions are set based on buttons present on your gamepad
Button labels can be modified by hovering over them and typing in your desired label
New feature allows you to add a second action to a button which can be used by pressing and holding the set button to activate the secondary actions (similar to the modifier key on keyboards)
New feature: Lockout button. Used to activate/deactivate gamepad buttons when needed. To use this feature, you must assign it to a button of your choice, then press and hold the button for 4 seconds, then it will toggle between lock and unlock
Added section for adjusting joystick functionality. Can now map joystick directions to certain axis. Have the ability to reverse the direction of the axis movement as well by checking the box next to the option
Added MPG mode for joystick
Jogging using gamepad is now dynamic, speed of jog will depend on the amount of force put on the joystick itself, if you push it all the way to the end jogging will be at max speed
Happy Friday the 13th everyone! Thanks to the individuals who participated in this week’s contest, where we asked you all to post your nature-themed projects made on the LongMill.
Last Week’s Winners
We are happy to announce that Shane Jiang, Brad Jaycock, Glenn Thomas, Jared Husband, Johnny Sykes, and Ritchie Bedard are the winners of the “A Project That is Nature-Themed” contest! A prize is on its way!
This Week’s Theme: A Project That is Halloween-Themed
Happy spooky season everyone! Celebrate the rest of the month with us by sharing your Halloween-themed projects made on your LongMill. We will select our favourite spooky projects and send some scary (not really) prizes to the makers!
Happy Friday! Thank you to the makers who entered the contest for this week, where we asked you all to share your best coaster projects made on the LongMill.
Last Week’s Winners
We are happy to announce that Adam Payne, Andrew Fetzer, Michael Parker, Ed Lagace, Homestead Acres, and Jerry Brown are the winners of the “A Project That is a Coaster contest! Watch out for a prize!
P.S. We will be closed Monday, October 9th for Canadian Thanksgiving and back in the office on Tuesday, October 10th.
This Week’s Theme: A Project That is Nature-Themed
The theme of the week is “projects that are nature-themed” Share with us your favourite plant, animal, scenery, outdoor, and any other nature-themed projects made on your LongMill for a chance to win some prizes!
Hey everyone. Here are some informative videos that you might have missed last month. Check them out below and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with our CNC-related videos.
LongMill MK2 User Spotlight: Interview with Ed Clarke
Over 18 months have passed since the debut of the LongMill MK2. In our ongoing quest for valuable insights, we have recently engaged in fresh interviews with our customer base. In one such interview, we had the pleasure of conversing with Ed Clarke. Join us as he recounts his CNC milling journey, shares his experiences with the LongMill MK2, and explores the exciting opportunities it has provided for him.
First Vortex Rotary Axis Project: Crafting a Chess Piece
Now that your Vortex rotary axis is fully configured, it’s time to kickstart your inaugural project! Follow along with Daniel and Johann as they walk you through the process of crafting a captivating chess piece. This project is designed to be both beginner-friendly and strategically advantageous for your checkmate tactics.
Cottage Country Sienci: Creating Multiple Copies of a Fishing Lure on the LongMill CNC
In this installment of Cottage Country Sienci, Scott shares valuable knowledge on efficiently crafting numerous replicas of a fishing lure using the LongMill. Mastering this technique will enable you to boost your production capacity and make the most of your time—ideal for those looking to enhance their business endeavours.
LongMill MK2 User Spotlight: Interview with Carmine De Luca
It has been over 18 months since we introduced the LongMill MK2. To gather valuable insights, we recently carried out fresh interviews with our customers. In one such interview, we had a conversation with Carmine De Luca. Come and join us as he recounts his CNC milling journey, discusses his experiences with the LongMill MK2, and explores the doors it has opened for him.
Quick Start Guide for the Vortex Rotary Axis
This video is a definitive guide on how to set up your Vortex Rotary Axis for carving. You will see us set some zeroes, explore the various work-holding options, and make some beautifully round stock and the whole works, so sit back and enjoy the show!
Cottage Country Sienci: Creating Profitable In Scale Coasters Using the LongMill MK2 CNC
In this exciting episode of Cottage Country Sienci, Scott will be your guide as he demonstrates the art of crafting high-volume projects for your business using cutting-edge CNC technology. Watch as Scott masterfully leverages the power of the LongMill and the LaserBeam to craft a stunning collection of meticulously scaled coasters, each designed for maximum profitability.
