Supported machines
Which controllers Beam Bench drives today, and how it finds your machine.
Beam Bench supports machines by their controller board and firmware, not by whether the laser source is diode or CO2. GRBL remains the Supported baseline. Additional G-code, Ruida, and stock K40/Lihuiyu controller choices are available as Experimental.
Current compatibility
| Controller | Connection | Status |
|---|---|---|
| GRBL | Serial | Supported |
| FluidNC | Serial or Network (TCP, normally port 23) | Experimental |
| grblHAL | Serial or Network (TCP, normally port 23) | Experimental |
| Generic GRBL-compatible | Serial | Experimental |
| Standard Marlin | Serial | Experimental |
| Snapmaker 2.0 | Serial | Experimental |
| Smoothieware | Serial | Experimental |
| Ruida RDC6442S | Network (UDP port 50200) | Experimental |
| Lihuiyu M2/M3 Nano | USB (1a86:5512) | Experimental |
Experimental choices are ready for normal beta use. Report any controller-specific connection or job problem through Help > Report a Bug so the available machine and connection details are included.
Trocen, TopWisdom, galvo controllers such as EZCAD, JCZ, or BSL, other Ruida models, Ruida USB, and unverified Lihuiyu variants are not included in this release.
How Beam Bench finds a controller
Open Device Settings > Connection, choose Serial, Network, or USB, then use Auto-detect or select the installed controller directly. Auto-detect activates a named Serial or Network adapter only when the controller provides matching identity evidence. If it cannot identify the controller, Beam Bench lets you choose instead of silently treating it as GRBL.
The exact controller matters. For example, a CO2 laser may use GRBL, Ruida, Lihuiyu, or another controller. Do not choose from the machine brand or laser source alone.
CNC machines
Beam Bench has a CNC Machine toggle in Device Settings → Machine for using a non-laser CNC with the same GRBL plumbing. Output and behavior are GRBL-CNC-style. This works because it sits on the GRBL path; it is "if you have one" rather than a primary use case.
How to know if your specific machine works
The fastest answer: download Beam Bench, plug in your machine, open Device Settings > Connection, and try to connect with Auto-detect or the matching controller choice.
If it does not appear, or it appears but the session never reaches Ready, use Help > Report a Bug and include the machine make and model, controller board, firmware version if known, and connection type. You can also post in the Facebook group.
Camera support
Workspace cameras work via the OS-level camera APIs. Anything macOS / Windows / Linux can see as a webcam is a candidate. See the Camera panel reference.