GrblHAL (Beta)

Easel can now set up and carve on machines running grblHAL, the firmware on boards like the Sienci SuperLongBoard (LongMill MK2.5, AltMill), Teensy 4.1 breakouts (PrintNC and similar), BTT SKR and Octopus boards, PicoCNC and other RP2040 boards, and grblHAL builds for ESP32.

This is an opt-in beta. We don't have every grblHAL board on our bench, so we need your help confirming it works on yours. Start with scrap material, and keep a hand near your e-stop or power switch the first time you home and carve.

What works

Connecting over USB, with the Easel Driver or with Web Serial (Quick Connect) in Chrome. Boards with native USB connect without being unplugged first.
Machine setup: the wiring test, homing, spindle control, and Z-probe steps.
Homing settings stay yours. grblHAL's $22 holds several homing options in one number. Easel reads it correctly and keeps your options when setup turns homing on.
Carving, with pause, resume, stop, and feed rate and spindle speed overrides.
Alarms explain themselves. When the machine locks, Easel says why (for example, a pressed limit switch or "home before moving") and offers the button that clears it: Reset, Home, or Unlock.
A rejected line stops the carve. If grblHAL refuses a line of G-code, Easel stops the job and shows the error number, instead of running on to "Carve complete".

What doesn't work yet

Ethernet and WiFi connections. Easel only talks to grblHAL over USB.
Boards built with COMPATIBILITY_LEVEL 1 or higher identify themselves as plain Grbl. Set those up with "X-Controller or other GRBL based controller" instead.

To try this feature

Click "Enable Feature" on this page.
In Easel, open the Machine tab and click Set up new machine. Pick your manufacturer and model, or "I have a different CNC manufacturer that is not listed".
Under Motion Control, choose grblHAL (Beta) and continue through setup.

If your machine is already set up in Easel as a GRBL machine, run setup again and choose grblHAL (Beta).

Easel uses the Easel Driver whenever it is running. To test Web Serial, quit the Easel Driver and use Chrome.

What we'd like you to test

Run as many of these as you can, over both the Easel Driver and Web Serial if possible.

Fresh setup. Set the machine up as grblHAL: connect, wiring test, homing test, spindle test, and probe.
Reconnect. Leave the board powered for five minutes, then reload Easel and connect again without unplugging it.
Homing options. If you use extra homing options (for example $22=7), check that Easel shows homing as enabled and that $22 still holds your value after setup's homing step.
Carve. Carve a small project. Check progress, pause, resume, feed rate override, and stop.
Rejected line. Export G-code from Easel, add a line containing only G4 about halfway through, then import the file and carve it with automatic spindle control on. The machine should hold, stop the spindle, lift, and park, and Easel should show "Troubleshoot Carve" naming error 28.
Limit switch alarm. If you use hard limits, power the machine on with a limit switch held. Easel should explain the alarm and tell you how to clear it.

Feedback

Use the form on this page to tell us how it went. The most useful reports include:

Your board and machine (for example, "SuperLongBoard on a LongMill MK2.5").
Your firmware build: the [VER:...] line that $I prints.
How you connected: Easel Driver or Web Serial.
Which of the tests above passed, which failed, and what you saw when one failed.