V1 Beaglebone Board and Software User Interface Upgrade

Owned by Erica Santos (Unlicensed)
Last updated: May 11, 2022 by Q Rothing

Revision History

V1.0: January 2019 (KN)

Introduction

This tutorial guides users through the process of getting an updated BeagleBone Board for their V1 machine and using the newer software user interface

Software needed: web browser, Chrome, Firefox, Safari are recommended. No internet connection is required.

Hardware needed: 2mm allen wrench, scissors or wire clippers to clip a zip-tie

Section 1: Locate Serial Number on V1 Machine

To order a new BeagleBone Board (BBB) first locate the serial number on your V1 machine. Pocket NC will load the parameters for your specific machine onto the BeagleBone Board prior to shipping it out. The serial number is located below the Z-rail as shown in Figure 1. The serial number is always four digits and starts with 0. When you order the updated BBB on the Pocket NC website you will be prompted to enter in the serial number.

Figure 1: Serial number on V1

Section 2: Removal of the BBB

  1. Power down the Pocket NC V1 and unplug all cables.

  2. Remove the side cover plate screws, see green circles for 2 of the screws in Figure 2, with the 2mm allen wrench.

  3. Clip the zip-tie that holds the HDMI cable to the BBB. The zip-tie is typically zip-tied on the upper right corner of the BBB shown in the red circle in Figure 2. Remove the HDMI cable either at this time or after removing the BBB. The HDMI cable is removed by pressing it out of the body of the machine and removing it outwards, instead of pushing it into the electronics area. This cable is not going to be used with the new board.

  4. Remove the BBB. To do this use tweezers or a small tool to carefully pry up each corner and continue loosening around the four edges until the BBB comes out.

Figure 2: Side panel removed 

Section 3: Installing New BBB

  1. When installing the BBB point the USB towards the slot where it goes and additionally line up the pins on the main board and the sockets on the BBB. If there is a mismatch between the pins on the main board and the sockets on the BBB this prevents communication between the BBB and the computer. Also make sure the BBB is pressed down completely on the pins on the main board.

  2. Reinstall the ground cable on the cover plate.

  3. Reset the cover plate and install the screws to hold it in place.

  4. Plug the power cord into the Pocket NC and plug it to a power outlet using the included C13 power cord.

  5. Connect the Pocket NC to the computer using the mini USB/USB adapter cable.

Figure 3: Pocket NC V1 plugged into computer and power (note, no HDMI cable)

You do not need to re-install the driver if you are using the same computer as you originally used, as the driver is already installed. If this is the case, skip to section 4. If you are using a different computer you can proceed with downloading the drivers:

If you are running Windows 10, use the driver found here. If you are running MacOSX, use the driver found here.

The drivers for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 should be preinstalled on the Beaglebone. If you need a different driver follow click on this link to view the available Beagleboard drivers.

Section 4: Connecting to the New UI

  • Turn on your machine.

  • Connect to your computer using the mini USB port.

  • Wait about 2 minutes for the machine to fully boot before attempting to connect to it.

  • Open your web browser (Chrome, Firefox or Safari) and type the Pocket NC’s IP address, “192.168.7.2” (192.168.6.2 for Mac computers) into the search bar.

  • The User Interface will open in the “Production” screen.

  • Navigate to the Conf tab > Version. As shown below, the Hardware Version should read v1 Revision. This indicates that the BBB knows that the V1 is the machine running.

Section 5: Troubleshooting

If the IP address does not bring up the software UI check the following:

  • Make sure that you can see blue lights on the BBB when the USB is plugged in. You can see the blue glow in Figure 3. If there are no lights, be sure that the BBB has been installed correctly. The BBB can be removed from the machine and the USB plugged in to troubleshoot this and determine if outside the machine the blue lights appear on the BBB.

  • If the BBB displays blue lights, but the UI is still not displayed then make sure the drivers have installed correctly.

If the machine does not home be sure that the E-stop button is pressed. Then try re-homing the machine.

If the v2 Revision is selected, simply press the V1 Revision.

For more information on the software UI please see the V2 Software Overview.