The Cool Tool GmbH - Home of Unimat1, child friendly model making and professional prototyping

coolcnc-linux CoolCNC - LINUX Live-CD

CoolCNC Linux is a complete package of open source applications to control various machines. The following components are therefore crucial:

RTAI
The Real-Time Application Interface is a hard real-time extension to the Linux kernel. As a result Linux gets a real-time operation system which doesn't need to be afraid of being compared with others. more info

EMC2
(Enhanced Machine Control) is a software system for computer controlled machine tools like milling machines. It implies a user interface, an "G-code" interpreter (the RS-274 machine tools programming language) and it operates the electronic interfaces that controls the motor drives of the machine. It gets actively and constantly improved and extended by developers from all over the world. more info
AXIS
is a user interface for EMC with preview and backplot. It was developed by Jeff Epler and Chris Radek. more info

The essential advantages are:

no license fees for software
cost effectiveness thanks to RTAI
open source code, adapting and developing is possible
4-axis hardware system (Unimat1CNC)
8-axis controller software (EMC2)
easily adaptable to foreign CNC devices

With regards to the performance of the PC you wish to employ to control the machine, two different releases for CoolCNC Linux are available:

1. The distribution CoolCNC Linux V 0.5 is based on Puppy Linux and is extremely modest when it comes to system requirements (256MB RAM, CPU > 500MHz).
A special Boot-CD enables working on an intuitive desktop interface without having to install the Linux OS or any application. The ISO file for creation of the Boot-CD can be found in the Download box.

Just download, create Boot-CD and try out!
If you are satisfied with the Live-Version, you can easily install the OS - anyway you already have the full version along with the licence!

2. the distribution CoolCNC Linux is based on Ubuntu Linux, requires indeed slighty more resources (min. 256MB RAM, CPU 1GHz +, free HD-space min 2,5 Gig), but offers more comfort and permanent updates (free of course). This is also the official release of the EMC2 development team.

The download can be found under"CoolCNC Linux Ubuntu-based". Please, don´t forget the quoted updates after instaation if you wish to work with our machines. Of course devices of other suppliers or self-made ones can be controlled with this software. Also this package is distributed under the GPL- you get the full version along with the licence!

At http://cooltool.he.fdread.org/cncforum/index.php a forum has been set up to provide further information and assistance.

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