01Why Linux isn't deterministic
A general-purpose OS schedules many tasks and can't guarantee a worst-case response. PLCs run a single, fixed scan cycle, so their timing is bounded by design. For closed-loop control measured in microseconds, that guarantee matters.
02The hybrid answer
Put the hard loop on a microcontroller (or a PREEMPT_RT-tuned core) and let the Pi do everything that tolerates jitter — vision, prediction, dashboards, OTA. You get determinism where it's required and Linux flexibility everywhere else.
Common questions
The ones we're asked on every first call.
For monitoring and supervisory control, almost always. For sub-millisecond motion or interlocks, no — use an MCU co-processor or keep that loop on a PLC.
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