Plugin capability possible?
So, I'm not sure this is necessary/needed/prudent/intelligent, so this is more brainstorming then anything else, but to continue down the path, I need to know if repetier host can be modified the way I'd like through plugins, or if you've architected it in such a way as to make the concept easy.
The short version is, I'd like to make a "dual core" printer. Basically to get more pins, and granted, it's not many, but the idea is move thermal controls off to a second arduino due. I figure the stepper sync is too important to split, which stinks, but thermal management including heater control, fan control, heated bed, hot end heaters, and all thermistors would gain a fair amount of pins, especially on the thermal side. More analog inputs is one of my big deals. I think the best way would be to have repetier host talking to 2 serial ports. And that's the issue. I suppose I could come up with a hacky way to implement it as a new protocol but never publish any thermal controls, just send them direct to the other serial port. I'm not sure I like that though.
I figure that also frees up some cpu time and interrupts since pid control would go off to the second due. I could use spi or i2c or even rs232 and just mirror the data. It just seems then like I'm robbing time from the first arduino to make a second, sort-of defeating the purpose.
Again, it's a late night idea, not well thought out, possibly downright stupid, but I'd like to know if it's possible none-the-less
. Thoughts?
The short version is, I'd like to make a "dual core" printer. Basically to get more pins, and granted, it's not many, but the idea is move thermal controls off to a second arduino due. I figure the stepper sync is too important to split, which stinks, but thermal management including heater control, fan control, heated bed, hot end heaters, and all thermistors would gain a fair amount of pins, especially on the thermal side. More analog inputs is one of my big deals. I think the best way would be to have repetier host talking to 2 serial ports. And that's the issue. I suppose I could come up with a hacky way to implement it as a new protocol but never publish any thermal controls, just send them direct to the other serial port. I'm not sure I like that though.
I figure that also frees up some cpu time and interrupts since pid control would go off to the second due. I could use spi or i2c or even rs232 and just mirror the data. It just seems then like I'm robbing time from the first arduino to make a second, sort-of defeating the purpose.
Again, it's a late night idea, not well thought out, possibly downright stupid, but I'd like to know if it's possible none-the-less
. Thoughts?
Comments
Well, it could be firmware, it could be plugin. Firmware would use SPI to forward commands onto the next board. Plugin would send direct to the correct board.
I want to keep all extruder pins available as extruder pins, servo pins as servo pins, etc. Keeping them at default, there aren't a lot of pins left. Thus I'd like to know if I could implement a direct send with a plugin. I haven't had time to look at it, and haven't even been working on the delta again until today. Had another project that took priority. (a smaller cartesion I was building with my brother so he could 3d print.....learned repetier > marlin by a long shot doing that. I felt to old fashioned using the default marlin that came with the kit. I put repetier on it after just a week or two
)