Interesting use of LinuxCNC embedded on a BeagleBone with RAMPS:

http://hackaday.com/2013/09/19/beaglebone-black-does-cnc-with-ramps/#more-103331

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nmt5zrdJukk

So the BeagleBoard provides the user interface and the RAMPS board has the PWMs and the power drivers?  Is that the way this works?

I was interested in the BeagleBoard at one time but it didn't appear to have the extra hardware like timers and PWMs.  It's seems to be simply an embedded computer designed to run various flavors of Linux.  By itself, I can't imagine getting good timing signals out of it since it would all be done with software.

Quote from Matt Watts on September 20th, 2013, 07:36 AM

So the BeagleBoard provides the user interface and the RAMPS board has the PWMs and the power drivers?  Is that the way this works?

I was interested in the BeagleBoard at one time but it didn't appear to have the extra hardware like timers and PWMs.  It's seems to be simply an embedded computer designed to run various flavors of Linux.  By itself, I can't imagine getting good timing signals out of it since it would all be done with software.

As far as I know the RAMPS doesn't have any brains in it.  It just houses 5 stepper drivers, MOSFETS for powered outputs, and inputs in an organized form.  The intermediate board between RAMPS and BeagleBone, I'm not sure, I'll have to read deeper into it when I'm punched out. :P

Nate