I have a small (CNC) project that I am working on, I came across a post abour Raspberry pi, which seems like an ideal candidate, .
I have never touched on these till now,
Any recommended reading to get up to speed on them?
Or recommendations?

 

Where are you planning on deploying the rPi?
If you are looking for a CNC controller, it is just easier to buy an off-the-shelf controller. I can check to see which one I am using.

 

Pi 5 would be way over kill

A Raspberry Pi serves as an inexpensive, fanless, and powerful controller for CNC machines, running software like CNCjs or LinuxCNC (with a real-time kernel) to send G-code to drivers, often via an intermediary board (like Protoneer or Teensy) that interfaces with stepper motors using GRBL or similar firmware, providing a robust system for tasks like milling, 3D printing, and laser cutting. Users set it up with software like Universal G-code Sender (UGS) or CNCjs for a user-friendly interface, often with a touchscreen, and can add custom buttons for easy control.

Key Components & Setup

• • Hardware:
    Raspberry Pi (Pi 4 recommended), SD card, power supply, optional touchscreen display, USB keyboard/mouse, CNC controller board (e.g., Protoneer, Mesa), stepper drivers, stepper motors.
    
  • Operating System:
    Raspberry Pi OS (formerly Raspbian), often with a real-time (RT) kernel for precise timing.
    
  • Software:
    • • G-code Sender: CNCjs, Universal G-code Sender (UGS).
        
      • Firmware/Control: GRBL (on an Arduino/Teensy) for lower-level control, or LinuxCNC for more advanced setups.
        
  • Connectivity:
    SSH for remote access, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, USB.
    

This video provides a comprehensive overview of setting up a Raspberry Pi as a CNC controller:
the video gos into this

 

This is great site https://linuxcnc.org/ and this is what most use https://www.circuitist.com/install-grbl-onto-arduino-uno-nano-or-mega/

 

The RPi 5 is a very powerful SBC—but it is also relatively expensive. The RPi 4 can be had for considerably less, so you might consider taking advantage of the lower price assuming it is capable enough—which is probably is.

The RPi often feels like Bitcoin as they have a cult following and the supply is subject to scalping at various times. Expect the price to fluctuate, and check Adafruit for the official price, since they always sell at that.

 

I did CNC retro-fits for a living, but this is for a small demo machine I am converting and needs to be fairly portable.
I thought with Raspberry Pi it will be small together with a 10" screen and small KeyBd.

 

Ah, so! You want a compact PC to run Linux and a CNC app.
hmm. Have you looked into a small Android tablet?
How are you going to generate the gcode?

 

Use the raspberry pi 4 you’d run your app on it and a arduino to run the gcode you can buy the ardunio already set to go with motor drivers limit switches just plug and play

 

How are you going to generate the gcode?

I thought I could write my own, from examples out there?
I am familiar with G-code.

 

Use the raspberry pi 4 you’d run your app on it and a arduino to run the gcode you can buy the ardunio already set to go with motor drivers limit switches just plug and play

Is Raspberry Pi 4 a optional code that can be loaded to replace the installed Pi 5?

 

You have a controller using the pi 5

 

The pi 5 or 4 is just run a app like linuxCNC

 

You have a controller using the pi 5

I jumped the gun a bit!
I have one on the way, So it will be a bit of a learing curve to get up to speed.

 

The pi 5 will more then do the job it’s probably better then the computer your using it run the Linux CNC app which is very good for advance users probably already runs on something that you’ve used or seen

 

Anyone run a Raspberry pi5 using a IPAD for monitor?

 

I use my computer monitor it’s hdmi and I have a cheap 7 inch hdmi with touch I use too

You can use VNC to the pi5 from the Ipad there both computers the pi5 is very powerful computer if you have one with 4 g ram or more

 

Anyone run a Raspberry pi5 using a IPAD for monitor?

If you have an iPad that with a Type-C port you can get a cheap Type-C video capture dongle and with a free or paid app and turn it into an HDMI input monitor.

Works perfectly for the RPi and has general utility.