My (older 2014?) Mac Mini that I used in the shop has died. I think it is only the disk drive, but before I try to resurrect it, I would like to investigate alternatives for Carbide Motion (mostly) and Carbide Create (briefly).
I could fix the Mac. This would be likely cheap. This allows me to continue using the 24" monitor and use both programs from the shop. But all the equipment takes up space and some day the dust will probably kill the Mac.
I could buy a refurbished or used Mac. This would be the same as now, but more money.
I could buy a NUC PC or similar. Setup would be similar, but it would be Windoze.
I have seen people mention using a tablet. I assume this would also need to run Windows. How well does Create work on a tablet? I donât do much editing from the shop, but often I will only want to run parts of the project so I need to be able to enable and disable tool paths. Also, I often will find out exact dimensions as I am mounting the stock. Running back to the office to do these simple tasks is a pain (and then I need to wait for Dropbox to sync). Are these changes easy enough on a tablet? This would solve the space and dust issues.
Does anyone have any recommendations? Does dust eventually kill anything with vents? Is a tablet up to the task? Any larger tablets? (I have aging eyes). Any way to use a Raspberry Pi? They are small and can be made dust safe. Any other small and dust safe solutions?
I am using a MS Surface in the shop (and a ârealâ computer at the house). Itâs a tablet with a mini keyboard, and I find it works just fine for minor editing in CC.
So long as it meets the system requirements, Carbide Create runs well on a tablet computer running Windows, and if you can find a fanless one, they are well-suited to the rigors of a shop environment.
Yes one can use a Raspberry Pi:
A Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 is my main computer, and I spend a lot of time in Carbide Create and Carbide Motion on it â if you like using a stylus, itâs just about the best option available now (it replaced a Book 12, which Iâm sad was not updated).
I think I have a solution, at least temporarily. I like the setup shown by Joel with the Raspberry Pi but at the moment I need to keep the computer on a separate small table. There is no room near the 5 Pro. When I get around to rearranging the shop (gotta move the saw, and the planer, and âŚ) I think I can use a monitor on an arm.
In another subject, somebody mentioned using a Mac and iPad using Sidecar. This kind of thing seems to be ideal, but pricey. Perhaps some other solution can be done. It sure would make jogging easier.
So, I am going with a two phase solution:
Replace the Mac Mini with a tiny fanless PC (~$200) that can be mounted via a VESA mount to the monitor.
Attach all this, later, via a monitor arm.
I may change what I use some time between these steps, but the PC came yesterday so I can get back up today with that.
I use a NUC style mini PC that stays air gapped aka no internet access after initial setup and update. I run my laser and cnc from it and have had zero issues. I only transfer files through a thumb drive. It was cheap, easy to clean, and takes up hardly any space.
I am in need to get a new computer for CM. I have been going back and forth with getting a used Surface Pro 4 or 5 or go with the Raspberry Pi solutoin with a touch screen.
The questions I have are:
For anyone running a Raspberrty Pi, Is the Raspberry Pi as fast as performant as an older Surface would be?
Will Carbide3D continue to support a Raspberry pi implementation of CM?
I canât compare the PI to an old tablet, but I have been using mine in a 10â touch screen case for over a year and have had no issues. It is a dedicated machine for CM though.
I personally like to design in the comfort of my house on a good desktop. For simply running the machine, I like the Fusion 5 Windows tablet off of Amazon. I run those on 3 Shapeokos currently. Combine it with a Rii mini keypad and USB hub and you got a solid combo for running the machine.
One advantage of a cheap tablet is that you would have the capability to open up CC to check and or make minor tweaks although I have seen issues if the same fonts and configs are not installed as on your design machine.
In my case I either have to go upstairs to check things on my design laptop or undock it and pull it into the garage when needed. I do both and I donât really like either
I run my SPROXXL from a dedicated RPi4 with a 10" touchscreen. Carbide Motion uses only a fraction of the CPU capability during operation. UI responsiveness is fine & I doubt comparing to a tablet would see much difference.
The only thing I could see improving on a tablet is the file parsing & simulation views generation, but I have never had a chance to test that.
As for Carbide3D continuing to make a Pi version, thatâs up to them.
But if they have future plans of ever selling their machines with a dedicated human interface control panel attached, I would think the Pi would make a good solution for that.
