1.6.0-Edge-3

gSender 1.6.0-Edge-3 is rolling out with a solid set of improvements and long requested fixes.

We are approaching the feature freeze for 1.6.0, so most remaining work before the March release will focus on stability, polish, and small behaviour adjustments. It's likely we have one more Edge release that'll prioritize various bugs and remaining improvements. If you have been waiting to try Edge, this is a good moment to jump in. As always, reports from early testers are extremely valuable.

This update includes several notable enhancements, including major gains in load time and improvements to remote mode.

Faster load and install times

Significant changes to the packing system and build process have produced much faster startup across all tested devices.

A load time of roughly 25 seconds has been reduced to about 4. Similar improvements appear on every device, including gControl.

This has been one of the most common complaints about gSender, so we are pleased with the progress and expect further gains.

Installation is also noticeably faster.

Silicon Mac builds, Mac Signing, and new Electron version

We've updated the Electron version for packaging to the latest release, which means dropping support for earlier macOS versions. The minimum OS requirements are now as follows:

• macOS: Monterey (v12, released 2021) and up
• Windows: Windows 10
• Linux:
  • Ubuntu 18.04 and newer
  • Fedora 32 and newer
  • Debian 10 and newer

• We are building and providing both an Intel (universal) build and now a Silicon (ARM64) version of gSender for macOS. Silicon users should notice a performance improvement.
• We are now also signing our macOS builds, so hooray! Coming soon to an app store near you!

Better portrait mode

We continue refining layout behaviour to make better use of space across different display configurations.

• Larger, clearer buttons in portrait mode and elsewhere
• Improved spacing and alignment
• More adjustments planned throughout the Edge cycle

ATC installation tool / Accessory Installation Tool

A new guided installation tool walks users through setting up supported CNC accessories.

• First supported workflow is ATC setup
• Future plans include spindle, laser, and first time CNC setup guides

ATC configuration

The ATC configuration tool has been streamlined.

• Combined and reorganized options
• Improved flow and clarity
• Updated interface for a smoother configuration experience

ATC Visualization and Tool Table

• Updated colours to a designated set of 12 for better toolpath distinction. It's now funky fresh.
• Tool table tool nicknames are now selectable from a database of common bits, which includes search and still the ability to type in a custom note for a specific T command.

SD and FTP support

• FTP support added, allowing uploads over Ethernet instead of USB only
• Simplified workflow with a single refresh/list button
• Automatic SD mount attempts when the tool opens
• Dark mode and portrait mode updates
• Progress bar improvements
• Safety checks to disable the tool when connected to grbl or grblHAL devices without Ymodem or FTP support

EEPROM and configuration improvements

• Added support for new settings in the upcoming grblCore release
• EEPROM tool now handles all reported EEPROM settings, not only those surfaced in Config

Rotary time estimation

Time estimation for rotary jobs is now more accurate. Travel distance calculations now correctly account for A axis rotation, bringing estimates closer to real world results. Accuracy is approaching within 10 percent, with more refinement planned.

Visualization for rotary files has also improved. DeskProto typically sets Z to the surface and stores workpiece diameter in comments. gSender now uses that information to produce correct visualizations. Most gcode viewers cannot do this without explicit diameter data, so this is a meaningful improvement.

Remote mode

• Updated look and feel
• Settings now sync between desktop and remote clients, ensuring consistent preferences such as jog speeds, probe type, and units

Gamepad Updates

• Fixes to certain shortcuts on gamepad firing twice, specifically the park button and probe popup
• Added a new feature to disable dynamic speed and use a fixed value for thumbstick jogging
• All these changes were done by a community member. Thank you for your contribution Kesmit13!

Various fixes and improvements

• ATC functionality updates
• Fixed issues where tool offset was being incorrectly zeroed out on board reset
• $SpindleESH now sent correctly on spindle select for core firmware
• Gamepad jogging improvements, including fixed speed jogging
• TLO probe offsets captured mid toolpath to keep UI elements current
• Error and Alarm descriptions populated by grblHAL firmware
• Helper accessible across all gSender tools, not only the carve page
• Optional prompt on program close to prevent accidental exits
• AltMill 4X8 machine profile added
• AltMill ZxY plus Spindle configurations removed
• Added probe profile for BitZero 2 probe block (thanks Krudoy)

v1.5.7

• Fixed issue with start job shortcut not firing in some situations.
• Park shortcut now persists between sessions.
• Unlock button now has same logic as large Alarm unlock button for Alarm 10 and 17 where it will reset and unlock for you.
• Corner selection hidden for Z-only probe type.
• Squaring tool calculations for custom distances are now correct.
• Added support for Teensy boards in recognized devices.
• Error line reporting mismatch fixed.
• Stopping on start event codes should now correctly clear the planner and reset the board.
• Added cut depth validation to Surfacing tool.
• Auto-reconnect should work for Ethernet again.
• Added import/export functionality for gamepad profiles.
• Homing location now shows correctly on stats page.
• Fixed issue with terminal history order.
• Added new config option to run check on a file when it's loaded in.
• Fixed issue with rapid position shortcuts not memoizing positions.
• GRBL spindle max/min again correctly updates the eeprom on change.
• Config search behaviour updates to be more consistent with modified flag enabled.
• Probe shortcut no longer causes an error 2 due to stale distance modal.
• Rapid position shortcut no longer has a stale homing location value.

v1.6.0-Edge-2

Plumbing

• Numerous support updates for newer grblHAL core
• Entirely new build system resulting in quicker builds, quicker dev work, and smaller bundles
• Various default updates for newer grblHAL versions

Updates to G-code Editor

• Added syntax highlighting
• Added search and the ability to jump to/back to specific terms
• Various look/feel updates and reorganization

Visualizer Updates

• Added new config option to hide processed lines, which entirely removes lines instead of greying them out.
• This is available in the visualizer section of config
• This should be seamless with the new toolpath colour differentiation.

Check mode Option

• Added new safety option to run check mode automatically when a file is loaded
• It turns on check mode, runs the file, and reports any errors.

SD Card Progress indicator

• Running files from SD card now shows the progress bar, and should be a similar experience to running a file directly from gSender.

ATC functionality updates

• Various safety updates (warn if not homed, warn on no tool, etc.)
• Look/feel cohesion
• Base macros updated
• P100 and P200 are now run on update
• Keepout plugin support

Other fixes and changes

Some of these are fixes that are coming to main in the new year, but are merged in here ahead of time.

• Can now specify custom ethernet port if connecting to ethernet over something other than port 23
• Small unlock button now has the same behaviour as the large alarm unlock button for alarms 10 and 17, in that it resets and unlocks.
• Fix for start shortcut issues
• Removed fancy console logging, to revisit later
• Error line mismatch fixes
• Stopping a start event M0 will now stop the job from running
• Fix for intermittent error when loading file
• Comments shown in M0 dialogs again

v1.6.0-Edge-1

1.6.0 EDGE-1

Hi folks, happy to officially release our next EDGE version, containing a number of features that will be coming to gSender in the coming months.

We've put in a lot of work so far to continue to build off the functionality and capabilities of the SLB and SLB-EXT and we're happy to start to support these capabilities in gSender.

As the above shows, it's been a huge effort so far and I think we've managed to tick off some long asked-for functionalities.

We plan to continue to iterate on EDGE over the coming months with an official release into main during the new year. That said, as always we are excited to make some of these functionalities available to those brave few.

Features

Edge is up to date with (and actually slightly ahead) of gSender 1.5.6. On top of that:

grblHAL update support

We've had a firmware freeze on what firmware has shipped with the SLB and EXT since release of those boards. That said, internally we're making strides for compatibility between sienciHAL and core grblHAL with the plan to release a new firmware version for both that's up to date.

A large part of this update is plumbing related to supporting the new firmware version - where reports have changed, EEPROM values have shifted, and numerous new functionalities are added.

We're using the reported version on connection to determine which actions to take where things have diverged.

There's still work to be done, but the lions share of support work is implemented in this EDGE release and we've been using it extensively throughout development of the 4X8 and ATC addons. We hope it's a seamless experience using gSender regardless of which grblHAL version you're running.

• Config will remap to new EEPROM values where applicable
• Connection sends the correct $spindles vs $spindlesh command depending on firmware version
• Numerous new response parsers and updates

ATC and TC Support

With the official release of the ATC coming today, EDGE contains most of the software features we've built out to support it, from better toolchange visualization, tool remapping, tool change timelines, and more.

I have personally been very involved in the ATC project, so I'm super excited for people to get to see how smooth this process is.

• Every new toolchange is now visualized in a separate colour for clearer distinction

• Tool timeline - view when toolchanges are happening and any other information. Indicates which tool you are currently using

• Tool remapping - closing the gap between CAM and sending, you can easily swap what tool number is sent for each tool before running.

• Tool table - view and probe, set offsets and nickname tool slots.

ATC specific:

• Load, unload, and save tools to slots using our ATCi specific macros

• Easily see what tool is currently loaded and its status (loaded, offrack, unprobed). Tool state persists between power cycles.

• Setup and configure your ATCi setup in gSender and apply it to your SD card at the click of a button

• Easily update ATCi macros with the template import tool, and see when you're out of date in-app.

SD Card support

Both SLB variants have always technically supported SD card, but it's been relatively undocumented. Edge contains a new SD card tool, letting the user interact with it over USB (FTP to come). Uploading is as easy as drag-and-drop, while running a file takes a single click. If the firmware reports SD card functionality, it's mounted and the contents loaded on connection.

• Added parsers for $F and $F+ queries
• Mount SD card on connection if reported as available
• List files on connection if available
• Upload, run and delete files with a single click.
• Supports drag-and-drop and explorer upload
• USB only for now, FTP to come.
• Progress bar when running SD files to come

EEPROM tool

A new tab in config, EEPROM lets power users quickly find and change specific EEPROM values without having to sift through gSender specific settings. With this, we're happy with the dual combo of Config and EEPROM, and have removed the legacy firmware tool from the application.

G-code Editor and Viewer

Long asked for, gSender Edge lets users view, edit and save loaded g-code files. It will also serve as a secondary indicator of job progress, showing which lines have been sent and received.
The editor is openable from the file information area. Syntax highlighting and other look/feel changes and functionality to come.

Better Rotary Visualization

We've fixed a number of visualization quirks on rotary files, making what's shown much closer to the final product.

Various

• M0/M1 will once again show comments related to the pause (also in 1.5.7)
• Keepout plugin support and related toggle.
• Config is now available in remote mode using the drop down menu.
• More accurate time estimation when overrides are used
• Console look/feel updates
• Auto reconnect over ethernet works again (also in 1.5.7)
• Various look/feel updates
• Various library updates
• Various bug fixes

Still to Come

• Updates to file loading and parsing to reduce memory usage
• SD card file running progress bars and visualization
• Other tools availability in remote mode
• Rotary file estimation tweaks
• New packaging system using ASAR to speed up load times
• More 👀

v1.5.6

• Fixed issue with surfacing tool inputs not using latest input values when generating gcode
• Job stats update function altered to prevent situations where jobs would get lost when the array becomes too large
• Reverted removing early M6 commands
• Start job shortcut fixed to work on controllers for grblHAL devices
• Probe diameter cycle shortcut working again
• Updating values does not remove custom jog values on carve page
• Added way to change default units on remote view
• Bad file/invalid gcode checker will now run if the visualizer disabled in lightweight mode
• Various portrait mode look and feel changes
• Keyboard shortcut tool will no longer crash the UI if a keybind is configured but that feature then turned off
• Toasts can now have custom durations or disabled entirely (Thanks @Technickel-Dev )
• Future updates should again be appearing in-app when they become available.

v1.5.5

Many probing improvements, including:

• New probe type '3D Probe' added, with future plans to support more than standard XYZ probing
• All probing cycles now sped up with reduced delays and reduced default retracts to 2mm
• Each probe block now has an individually customizable Z thickness
• AutoZero touch plate can now have it's thickness set
• All AutoZero probing now moves out of the way at the end to make removing the plate easier
• Longstanding excess probing movements now removed for speed, safety, and accuracy
• AutoZero bit diameter probing now offsetting correctly like in 1.4.11

Other improvements and fixes:

• Tooltips re-added across the app for more hover information
• Spindle delay Config option for grbl machines now applies to Tool Change wizards and Start from line
• New behaviour where gSender will ignore M2 or M30 workspace reversion on job completion unless new Config option is toggled on. -- - This should remove the need for using Automations to preserve workspaces.
• Machine state now handled if in Laser or Rotary mode and the tab is disabled
• Fixed safe height movements sometimes using the wrong units
• Fixed shortcuts that weren't acting as expected or weren't triggering
• Fixed toolchange wizard always going back to probe position before probing to allow movement for bit changes ahead of probing
• Fixed Config handling of Rotary forcing hard and soft limits for grbl machines
• UI styling tweaks, and adjustments to better accommodate smaller screens

v1.5.4

• Fix controller not instantiating correctly in some situations for grblHAL devices.
• Added some checks for soft limits on Z movements for application routines to limit alarming when outlining, probing, and tool changing.
• Visualizer grid sizing more accurately matches your machine size at 2X dimensions.
• Shortcut state handling adjusted for some binds to prevent them from working when they shouldn't.
• Shortcut order adjusted when configurting binds.
• Precise and Rapid toggle swapped in jog preset selector
• Start from line modal is now correct based on the file
• Copy button works on electron versions on Windows in remote mode dialog
• Rotary surfacing gcode generation adjusted to fix some cases of incorrect movements
• Various styling and copy adjustments.

v1.5.3

• Outline runs if visualizer disabled in lightweight mode
• Added new config option for outline - can now run detailed (old routines, travels rough shape of toolpath) or square (the bounding box)
• Alterations to connection to make grbl detection more robust. FluidNC should now catch as grbl.
• Fixed unit miscalculation on file stats
• Remote mode configuration made more robust to reduce situations where the app fails to start.
• Unit conversion fixes in squaring and calibration tools
• Stock turning and Probe rotary properly disable when in non-rotary mode
• Jog presets in config now reflect selected Carve screen units.
• Units again appear in config when connected to grbl board.
• Fixed load state issue when previous file was paused
• Corner selection in probing now persists between gSender sessions.
• Re-added the bad file and bad line detection with some improvements. They should now appear in the Helper.
• Rename rotary install track length to appropriate value
• Stats connection summary formatted correctly for ethernet connection.
• Firmware settings imports now apply immediately on import.
• Gamepad profiles now represent the button name if known instead of just numbers.
• Visualizer grid now respects carve screen units.
• Visualizer colours now correct with Light visualizer theme.
• Spindle dropdown again reflects the current firmware spindle.
• AXS parsing should be more robust on grblHAL devices.
• Fixed edge cases in surfacing generation that could miss strip in center.
• Spindle/Laser toggle behaviour more closely matches 1.4.12 implementation.
• Z jogging popup re-added to calibration tools.
• Fix bug with A-axis jogging displaying for non-compatible devices (grbl, if not in rotaty mode)
• Various config sorting and filtering changes.
• Load File area looks a little better in dark mode.
• Fixed cases where visualizer could go blank and not re-appear until toggling camera.
• Added spindle delay option to rotary surfacing tool.
• Plus and Minus buttons behaviour tweaks on jog feeds and distances
• Force Hard and Soft Limits config options type updated and no longer crash the application.
• Various look and feel and text changes.

v1.5.2

• Fix issues with remote mode disconnecting main client and jobs stopping when connecting from remote mode.
• Significantly sped up file loading and rendering on larger files
• Job end notifications will no longer appear if toggled off
• SVG visualization no longer teeny-tiny on inches postprocessor files
• Plus and Minus buttons returned to jog speeds with the prior existing logic
• AutoZero touchplate renamed to just AutoZero
• Added new Config option for Jog Delay, which configures how long a keypress/UI press/gamepad press before swapping to continuous jogging.
• Commands sent later in connection cycle to reduce situations where Error 1 occurs when unlocking and resetting the board
• Generating a surfacing file no longer causes issues on main visualizer if not sent there
• Motors sections again will disappear from config when empty
• Restore defaults and default highlight works correctly in Config on settings considered hybrid between grbl/grblHAL
• Prevented situations where alarm list was not populating correctly
• Continuous jog without soft limits now sends more sane values when jogging in Inches across both controllers
• Stopping a file that has an early M0 already sent will no longer pop up the pause modal
• Config look and Feel tweaks
• Shortcuts rearranged so more commonly set ones are higher up
• File stat feed rates now convert correctly
• Zero All on grblHAL no longer sends Zero on A if A Axis not reported
• Various look and feel changes

v1.5.1

• Addressed issues where jog values kept reconverting.
• Fixed crash when importing settings.
• Updated some AltMill and LongMill default values.
• Removed Zoom icons from visualizer.
• Override sliders have switched to decaf and are now less jumpy.
• Fixed unit issue with Go To popover and default values no longer populate Z with Y value
• Using tuning tools (Squaring and Steps/mm) now refresh EEPROM state and respect UI units
• Abs/Inc toggle in go to moved to top.
• Fixed issue where M0 in macros could result in a paused feeder state after unlocking preventing further code sending
• Fixed issue where Machine status overlapped unlock and connect on smaller resolutions and made them unclickable
• Disabling a drawer tool now defaults you to the first drawer element
• Fixed issue with tool select in probing working inconsistently and defaulting to Auto
• Rotary Axis travel resolution and maximum rate appearing again when connected with GRBL.