Install Beam Bench

Beam Bench is currently distributed from beambench.com. The public beta links the macOS .dmg, the Windows NSIS setup .exe, and the Linux .AppImage.

macOS

1. Download the .dmg from beambench.com.
2. Open the disk image. Drag Beam Bench to your Applications folder.
3. Launch Beam Bench from Applications. Current public builds are Developer ID signed and notarized. If macOS still blocks launch, see macOS Gatekeeper blocks the app.

Windows

1. Download the NSIS setup .exe from beambench.com.
2. Run the installer. Accept the prompts. If Windows shows Windows protected your PC, that is Microsoft's reputation check reacting to a new app, not a malware detection. Click More info → Run anyway. Details: Windows SmartScreen warns about the installer.
3. If your machine uses a CH340 or CP210x USB-serial chip, install the appropriate driver before connecting the laser. See Windows driver issues.

Linux

1. Download the .AppImage from beambench.com.

2. Make it executable, then run it:

   chmod +x Beam.Bench_0.2.34_amd64.AppImage
   ./Beam.Bench_0.2.34_amd64.AppImage

3. To talk to a GRBL machine over USB, add yourself to the dialout group:

   sudo usermod -aG dialout $USER

   Log out and back in for the group change to take effect.

Linux camera capture requires your distribution's GStreamer base and good plugins. On Ubuntu or Linux Mint, install them and restart Beam Bench:

sudo apt install gstreamer1.0-plugins-base gstreamer1.0-plugins-good

From 0.2.32, Linux AppImages restore the camera and font environment after an automatic update restart. A manual quit and reopen is no longer required. Physical camera capture has not been tested.

Version 0.2.33 fixes AppImages 0.2.31 and 0.2.32 failing to start on newer Linux distributions because of a bundled systemd library. Download 0.2.33 or later if the affected app cannot open to update itself.

0.2.33

After install

1. Launch the app.
2. Go to Safety before you connect a machine. This is not a suggestion.
3. Then walk Get Started.

Updating

If Check for updates on startup is enabled in Settings, General, Beam Bench checks on launch and shows a notification when a new version is available. Click View on the notification to open the Update dialog and read the release notes. Clicking Install and Restart in the dialog is what starts the download, installs the update, and relaunches the app. Not now snoozes the reminder for 24 hours.

Uninstalling

• macOS: drag Beam Bench out of Applications. Optionally delete preferences at ~/Library/Application Support/Beam Bench/.
• Windows: use Settings, Apps, Beam Bench, Uninstall.
• Linux: delete the AppImage. Preferences live in ~/.config/Beam Bench/.