I’m about to put my order in this afternoon for a S5P, my question is what would work best for running the machine.
I’d be doing my creating, etc on my MacBook Pro but I don’t want to bring it out to the garage and risk filling it with dust. Would a super cheap (fb marketplace, etc) windows tablet or Mac laptop work out ok?
I’m leaning towards a MS Surface tablet or an older MacBook Air. Any inputs or recommendations are greatly appreciated.
I’m super excited to plunge into this world.
Yes, so long as it meets the system requirements:
Some folks like the Surface (or other tablet) for touch input on the screen.
A fanless (sealed) tablet makes a lot of sense in a shop environment — wish Apple made one w/ a stylus which ran the Mac OS.
The MacBook Air will integrate well if you are using Mac OS for file sharing, or have an iPad for SideCar and the like (which will get you a touch screen).
Another option is a Raspberry Pi 4 — they are finally back in stock, and hopefully there will be a new build soon — it’s a good fit for folks who like Linux or Mac OS X’s Unix roots.
Be aware that there have been multiple reports of touch screen
buttons on the Carbide Motion Jog interface of double stepping
when using Windows. I bought a Windows tablet specifically for
Carbide Motion and have had to resort to external input to jog
after crunching down into stock unexpectedly using the touch
input.
I have used a Microsoft Surface for 4 years in my shop, super happy with how it has performed there!
Easy to keep clean, and easy to put away when I need the space.
That being said, I have fairly good dust extraction in my little shed, so it’s not the worst environment for a computer.
I highly recommend the MS
Same here MS Surface pro with a Elgato Stream Deck for my jog panel. I went for the i5 rather than the i7 to avoid the fan. I have the Elgato configured for X, Y, Z directional buttons and jog rate selections. Works very well. It used to have more functionality before CM changed and limited interaction from 3rd party devices to a few mappable keystrokes. I do use the MS docking station for my USB connection to my machine and to wired Ethernet.
The bottom of the line MacBook Air is currently on sale for circa $750. It’s what I just got. Being a Mac user, not ready to deal with Microsoft OS too. I figure I can bring it out to the shop with both CM and CC on it. I do my designs on iPad (Affinity Design) and can finish up on the laptop for the CNC work.
I’m using a 150 dollar Lenovo Ideapad 1 running as a shop beater. I got it open box off of Ebay a year ago and it’s been running well in my shop pretty well ever since. It has a full numpad, plenty of USB ports, and despite being really cheap runs Carbide Create, Motion, and Fusion 360 very well. I haven’t had any problems with dust or moisture although do I run my CNC in an enclosure. It comes with Windows 11 too.
There’s plenty of them around on ebay for very cheap. My only gripe with it is that the display colors are pretty bad (which is to be expected from something so cheap) but other than that its really good value for the money.
I’m leaning MacBook Air, but definitely not the $750 range. I’m looking for a sub $300 used fb marketplace find. Maybe down the road, but to leave out in the shop/garage I’m hesitant to buy more than that.
I am one of those (Surface Pro 3), using my finger on the touch screen every click is two clicks in Carbide Motion. However if I use the stylus it is a single click. Do not have this two-click problem outside of Carbide Motion. I’ve learned to live with it, so it doesn’t bother me.
I have a Linx 8, a Surface Go and a Dell XPS, all have jog issues with touchscreen. The little Linx 8 was 25quid used from eBay and is ideal to take the brunt of being in the 'shop. The Surface Go is great value but too nice to leave in the 'shop all the while!
As a new user I find myself doing a lot of edits and adjustments while I’m sitting in the shop, so I simply use my standard MacBook Pro (M1). It has fans, but they rarely run so I consider it fanless. The CNC has dust collection, so its not so dirty around the computer either. Only downside is I need to leave it plugged in when I’m doing a long run.
My plan is to continue this way until I have the experience to know what I really want in the shop, should it be a simple CM machine (rpi) or a full editing station? Or should I upgrade my office computer and leave this on for shop/mobile usage. So much to decide!
Doh… Don’t know why I never thought of that… I have my MacBook Air that I use. Guess I need to start taking my iPad out…
I use a 2011 MacBook Air, I figure I trust the stability of the older OS for long winded stuff like this. Plus it would just collect dust inside its case otherwise.
Keep a vacuum or a cardboard wall around it to block the bigger chips and it works pretty good. It’s chips in on the keyboard and hinge you have to watch out for, the tolerances aren’t that forgiving when you go and close it
Just a tip, if you’re going to use an ipad/tablet in a shop get some of those rubber charging port plugs or all the dust and shavings will start messing the charging port up. My ipad now only charges if there is a constant pressure against the charger.
Use a toothpick to clean out the dust from the charging port
I have a well used 2015 MacBook Pro in my shop for running Carbide Create Pro, Carbide Motion, and the Affinity software suite as well as Mail, Pages, Pixelmator Pro, Numbers, Notes. It works great Mac OS Monterey. I save all of my Carbide Create files in iCloud so I can work on them from other Mac computers. The mid 2015 MacBook Pro is a great computer that keeps on ticking.
You might take a look at OWC for used MacBooks. Their technicians go over the used computers they sell and they have a 90 day warranty, something you won’t get from an individual selling on eBay. A mid 2015 MacBook Pro with 16 GB Ram and a 256 GB solid state hard drive is listed on the OWC site today for $339. Used and Refurbished MacBook Pro Laptops from OWC
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