This documentation is no longer maintained. For documentation of the current version of emc2, please see http://www.linuxcnc.org/docview/html

Table of Contents

1 Getting Help

1.1 IRC

IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. It is a live connection to other EMC users. The EMC IRC channel is #emc on freenode.

The simplest way to get on the IRC is to use the embedded java client on this page http://www.linuxcnc.org/content/view/4/8/lang,en/.

Some IRC etiquette:

1.1.1 Sharing Files

The most common way to share files on the IRC is to upload the file to one of the following or a similar service and paste the link:

http://pastebin.ca = for text
http://imagebin.ca = for pictures
http://filebin.ca = for files and pdfs

1.2 Mailing List

An Internet Mailing List is a way to put questions out for everyone on that list to see and answer at their convenience. You get better exposure to your questions on a mailing list than on the IRC but answers take longer. In a nutshell you e-mail a message to the list and either get daily digests or individual replies back depending on how you set up your account.

Information about the EMC Users Mailing List at:

https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users

1.3 EMC Wiki

A Wiki site is a user maintained web site that anyone can add to or edit.

The user maintained EMC Wiki site contains a wealth of information and tips at:

http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/emcinfo.pl

2 Get EMC2

2.1 Normal Download

Download the Live CD from:

http://www.linuxcnc.org/

and follow the Download link.

2.2 Multi-session Download

If the file is too large to download in one session because of a bad or slow Internet connection use wget to allow resuming downloads.

2.2.1 Wget Linux

Open a terminal window. In Ubuntu it is Applications/Accessories/Terminal. Note that actual file names may change so you might have to go to http://www.linuxcnc.org/ and follow the Download link to get the actual file name. In most browsers you can right click on the link and select Copy Link Location or similar then paste the link into the terminal window with a right mouse click and select Paste.

To get the Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron version copy this in the terminal window and press enter:

wget -r http://www.linuxcnc.org/hardy/ubuntu-8.04-desktop-emc2-aj07-i386.iso

To get the Ubuntu 6.06 Dapper Drake version:

wget -r http://www.linuxcnc.org/iso/emc2.2.2-1-ubuntu6.06-desktop-i386.iso

To continue a download that has been stopped add the -c option to wget:

wget -r -c http://www.linuxcnc.org/hardy/ubuntu-8.04-desktop-emc2-aj07-i386.iso

To stop a download use Ctrl-C or close the terminal window.

After the download is complete you will find a new directory called www.linuxcnc.org or something similar. In the subdirectory under the above directory you will find the ISO CD image file. Next is burning the CD.

2.2.2 Wget Windows

The wget program is also available for Windows from

http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/wget.htm

Follow the instructions on the web page for downloading and installing the windows version of the wget program.

To run wget open a command prompt window.

In most Windows it is Programs/Accessories/Command Prompt

First you have to change to the directory where wget is installed in.

Typically it is in C:\Program Files\GnuWin32\bin so in the Command Prompt window type:

cd C:\Program Files\GnuWin32\bin

and the prompt should change to C:\Program Files\GnuWin32>

Type the wget command into the window and press enter as above.

2.3 Burning the CD

EMC2 is distributed as CD image files, called ISOs. To install EMC2, you first need to burn the ISO file onto a CD. You need a working CD/DVD burner and an 80 minute (700 Mb) CD for this. If the CD writing fails, try writing at a slower burn speed.

2.3.1 Burn with Linux

Before burning a CD, it is highly recommended that you verify the md5 sum (hash) of the .iso file.

Open a terminal window. In Ubuntu it is Applications/Accessories/Terminal.

Change to the directory where the ISO was downloaded to.

cd download_directory

The run the md5sum command with the file name you saved.

md5sum ubuntu-8.04-desktop-emc2-aj07-i386.iso

The md5sum should print out a single line after calculating the hash. On slower computers this might take a minute or two.

91c5abb84386091e0ff056e9ebc40fdb ubuntu-8.04-desktop-emc2-aj07-i386.iso

Now compare it to the md5sum on the EMC2 download page.

Burning the ISO to a CD

  1. Insert a blank CD into your burner. A "CD/DVD Creator" or "Choose Disc Type" window will pop up. Close this, as we will not be using it.
  2. Browse to the downloaded ISO image in the file browser.
  3. Right click on the ISO image file and choose Write to Disc.
  4. Select the write speed. If you are burning a Ubuntu Live CD, it is recommended that you write at the lowest possible speed.
  5. Start the burning process.
  6. If a choose a file name for the disc image window pops up just pick OK.

2.3.2 Burn with Windows

Before burning a CD, it is highly recommended that you verify the md5 sum (hash) of the .iso file.

Windows does not come with a md5sum program. You will have to download and install one to check the md5sum. More information can be found at:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HowToMD5SUM

Burning the ISO to a CD

  1. Download and install Infra Recorder, a free and open source image burning program.
  2. Insert a blank CD in the drive and select Do nothing or Cancel if an auto-run dialog pops up.
  3. Open Infra Recorder, and select the 'Actions' menu, then 'Burn image'.

2.4 Testing EMC2

With the Live CD in the CD/DVD drive shut down the computer then turn the computer back on. This will boot the computer from the Live CD. Once the computer has booted up you can try out EMC2 without installing it. You can not create custom configurations or modify most system settings like screen resolution unless you install EMC2.

To try out EMC2 from the Applications/CNC menu pick EMC2. Then select a sim configuration to try out.

To see if your computer is suitable for software step pulse generation run the Latency Test as outlined in Section ([->])

2.5 Installing EMC2

If you like what you see, just click the Install icon on the desktop, answer a few questions (your name, timezone, password) and the install completes in a few minutes. Make sure you write down the name you used and the password. Once the install process is complete and you go on line the update manager will pop up and allow you to upgrade to the latest stable version of EMC2.

2.6 Axis Interface

The AXIS interface is one of the interfaces to choose from. It can be configured to add a Virtual Control Panel to customize the interface to suit your needs. AXIS is the default user interface and is actively being developed.

2.7 Updates to EMC2

With the normal install the Update Manager will notify you of updates to EMC2 when you go on line and allow you to easily upgrade with no Linux knowledge needed. If you want to upgrade to 8.04 from 6.06 a clean install from the Live-CD is needed. It is OK to upgrade EMC when asked to.

Warning: Do not upgrade Ubuntu to a new version (like 8.04 to 8.10) as it will prevent EMC from running.

2.7.1 Without Internet

To update a computer that does not have an internet connection you can download the ".deb" file and transfer it using a USB drive or any other method. Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy packages are located here.

.deb files can be installed or upgraded from the commandline:

$ sudo dpkg -i filename.deb

Depending on your system, double-clicking (or single click if your system is set up that way) the file in your browser may also install or upgrade the package.

2.8 Install Problems

In rare cases you might have to reset the BIOS to default settings if during the Live CD install it can not recognize the hard drive during the boot up.

Index