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Firmware Compatibility

This page documents firmware compatibility for laser controllers used with Rayforge.

Overview

Rayforge is designed primarily for GRBL-based controllers but has experimental support for other firmware types.

Compatibility Matrix

Firmware Version Status Driver Notes
GRBL 1.1+  Fully supported GRBL Serial Recommended
grblHAL 2023+  Compatible GRBL Serial Modern GRBL fork
GRBL 0.9  Limited GRBL Serial Older, may have issues
Smoothieware All  Experimental None (use GRBL driver) Untested
Marlin 2.0+  Experimental None (use GRBL driver) Laser mode required
Other -  Not supported - Request support

GRBL Firmware

Status:  Fully Supported Versions: 1.1+ Driver: GRBL Serial

What is GRBL 1.1?

GRBL 1.1 is the most common firmware for hobby CNC and laser machines. Released in 2017, it's stable, well-documented, and widely supported.

Features supported by Rayforge:

  •  Serial communication (USB)
  •  Real-time status reporting
  •  Laser mode (M4 constant power)
  •  Settings read/write ($$, $X=value)
  •  Homing cycles ($H)
  •  Work coordinate systems (G54)
  •  Jogging commands ($J=)
  •  Feed rate override
  •  Soft limits
  •  Hard limits (endstops)

Known limitations:

  • Power range: 0-1000 (S parameter)
  • No network connectivity (USB only)
  • Limited onboard memory (small G-code buffer)

Checking GRBL Version

Query version:

Connect to your controller and send: 

$I

Response examples: 

[VER:1.1h.20190825:]
[OPT:V,15,128]

  • 1.1h = GRBL version 1.1h
  • Date indicates build

GRBL 0.9 (Older)

Status:  Limited Support

GRBL 0.9 is an older version with some compatibility issues:

Differences:

  • Different status report format
  • No laser mode (M4) - uses M3 only
  • Fewer settings
  • Different jogging syntax

If you have GRBL 0.9:

  1. Upgrade to GRBL 1.1 if possible (recommended)
  2. Use M3 instead of M4 (less predictable power)
  3. Test thoroughly - some features may not work

Upgrade instructions: See GRBL Wiki

grblHAL

Status:  Compatible Versions: 2023+ Driver: GRBL Serial

What is grblHAL?

grblHAL is a modern fork of GRBL with enhanced features:

  • Multiple controller hardware support (STM32, ESP32, etc.)
  • Ethernet/WiFi networking
  • SD card support
  • More I/O pins
  • Enhanced laser support

Compatibility with Rayforge:

  •  Fully compatible - grblHAL maintains GRBL 1.1 protocol
  •  All GRBL features work
  •  Additional features (networking, SD) not yet supported by Rayforge
  •  Status reporting identical to GRBL

Using grblHAL:

  1. Select "GRBL Serial" driver in Rayforge
  2. Connect via USB serial (just like GRBL)
  3. All features work as documented for GRBL

Future: Rayforge may add support for grblHAL-specific features (networking, etc.)

Smoothieware

Status:  Experimental Versions: All Driver: GRBL Serial (compatibility mode)

Compatibility Notes

Smoothieware uses different G-code syntax:

Key differences:

Feature GRBL Smoothieware
Laser On M4 S{power} M3 S{power}
Power Range 0-1000 0.0-1.0 (float)
Status <...> format Different format

Using Smoothieware with Rayforge:

  1. Select Smoothieware dialect in machine settings
  2. Test with low power first
  3. Verify power range matches your config
  4. No real-time status - limited feedback

Limitations:

  • Status reporting not fully compatible
  • Power scaling may differ
  • Settings ($$ commands) not supported
  • Untested on real hardware

Recommendation: If possible, use GRBL-compatible firmware instead.

Marlin

Status:  Experimental Versions: 2.0+ with laser support Driver: GRBL Serial (limited compatibility)

Marlin for Laser

Marlin 2.0+ can control lasers when properly configured.

Requirements:

  1. Marlin 2.0 or later firmware
  2. Laser features enabled: 
    #define LASER_FEATURE
#define LASER_POWER_INLINE
  3. Correct power range configured: 
    #define SPEED_POWER_MAX 1000

Compatibility:

  •  M4 laser mode supported
  •  Basic G-code (G0, G1, G2, G3)
  •  Status reporting differs
  •  Settings commands different
  •  Air assist (M8/M9) may not work

Using Marlin with Rayforge:

  1. Select Marlin dialect in machine settings
  2. Configure Marlin for laser use
  3. Test power range matches (0-1000 or 0-255)
  4. Limited testing - use with caution

Better alternative: Use GRBL firmware on laser machines.

Firmware Upgrade Guide

Upgrading to GRBL 1.1

Why upgrade?

  • Laser mode (M4) for constant power
  • Better status reporting
  • More reliable
  • Better Rayforge support

How to upgrade:

  1. Identify your controller board:
  2. Arduino Nano/Uno (ATmega328P)
  3. Arduino Mega (ATmega2560)

  4. Custom board

  5. Download GRBL 1.1:

  6. GRBL Releases

  7. Get latest 1.1 version (1.1h recommended)

  8. Flash firmware:

Using Arduino IDE: 

1. Install Arduino IDE
2. Open GRBL sketch (grbl.ino)
3. Select correct board and port
4. Upload

Using avrdude: 

avrdude -c arduino -p m328p -P /dev/ttyUSB0 \
        -U flash:w:grbl.hex:i

  1. Configure GRBL:
  2. Connect via serial
  3. Send $$ to view settings
  4. Configure for your machine

Backup Before Upgrade

Save your settings:

  1. Connect to controller
  2. Send $$ command
  3. Copy all settings output
  4. Save to file

After upgrade:

  • Restore settings one-by-one: $0=10, $1=25, etc.
  • Or use defaults and reconfigure

Controller Hardware

Common Controllers

Board Typical Firmware Rayforge Support
Arduino CNC Shield GRBL 1.1  Excellent
MKS DLC32 grblHAL  Excellent
Cohesion3D Smoothieware  Limited
SKR boards Marlin/grblHAL  Varies
Ruida Proprietary  Not supported
Trocen Proprietary  Not supported
TopWisdom Proprietary  Not supported

For best Rayforge compatibility:

  1. Arduino Nano + CNC Shield (GRBL 1.1)
  2. Cheap (~$10-20)
  3. Easy to flash

  4. Well documented

  5. MKS DLC32 (grblHAL)

  6. Modern (ESP32-based)
  7. WiFi capable

  8. Active development

  9. Custom GRBL boards

  10. Many available on marketplaces
  11. Check for GRBL 1.1+ support

Firmware Configuration

GRBL Settings for Laser

Essential settings:

$30=1000    ; Max spindle/laser power (1000 = 100%)
$31=0       ; Min spindle/laser power
$32=1       ; Laser mode enabled (1 = on)

Machine settings:

$100=80     ; X steps/mm (calibrate for your machine)
$101=80     ; Y steps/mm
$110=3000   ; X max rate (mm/min)
$111=3000   ; Y max rate
$120=100    ; X acceleration (mm/sec)
$121=100    ; Y acceleration
$130=300    ; X max travel (mm)
$131=200    ; Y max travel (mm)

Safety settings:

$20=1       ; Soft limits enabled
$21=1       ; Hard limits enabled (if you have endstops)
$22=1       ; Homing enabled

Testing Firmware

Basic test sequence:

  1. Connection test: 

    Send: ?
Expect: <Idle|...>

  2. Version check: 

    Send: $I
Expect: [VER:1.1...]

  3. Settings check: 

    Send: $$
Expect: $0=..., $1=..., etc.

  4. Movement test: 

    Send: G91 G0 X10
Expect: Machine moves 10mm in X

  5. Laser test (very low power): 

    Send: M4 S10
Expect: Laser turns on (dim)
Send: M5
Expect: Laser turns off

Troubleshooting Firmware Issues

Firmware Not Responding

Symptoms: - No response to commands - Connection fails - Status not reported

Diagnosis:

  1. Check baud rate:
  2. GRBL 1.1 default: 115200
  3. GRBL 0.9: 9600

  4. Try both

  5. Check USB cable:

  6. Data cable, not charge-only

  7. Replace with known-good cable

  8. Check port:

  9. Linux: /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/ttyACM0
  10. Windows: COM3, COM4, etc.

  11. Correct port selected in Rayforge

  12. Test with terminal:

  13. Use screen, minicom, or PuTTY
  14. Send ? and see if you get response

Firmware Crashes

Symptoms: - Controller locks up during job - Random disconnections - Inconsistent behavior

Possible causes:

  1. Buffer overflow - G-code file too complex
  2. Electrical noise - Poor grounding or EMI
  3. Firmware bug - Upgrade to latest version
  4. Hardware issue - Faulty controller

Solutions:

  • Upgrade firmware to latest stable version
  • Simplify G-code (reduce precision, fewer segments)
  • Add ferrite beads to USB cable
  • Improve grounding and cable routing

Wrong Firmware

Symptoms: - Commands rejected - Unexpected behavior - Error messages

Solution:

  1. Query firmware version: $I
  2. Compare with Rayforge expectations
  3. Upgrade or select correct dialect

Future Firmware Support

Requested Features

Users have requested support for:

  • Ruida controllers - Chinese laser controllers
  • Trocen/AWC - Commercial laser controllers
  • ESP32 WiFi - Network connectivity for grblHAL
  • Laser API - Direct machine API (no G-code)

Status: Not currently supported. Feature requests welcome on GitHub.

Contributing

To add firmware support:

  1. Implement driver in rayforge/machine/driver/
  2. Define G-code dialect in rayforge/machine/models/dialect.py
  3. Test thoroughly on real hardware
  4. Submit pull request with documentation