Here are a few links to know controller boards from the RepRap wiki RAMPS -- An Arduino Mega shield-type board. Very popular. Sanguinololu -- a low-cost expandable all in one solution R2C2 electronics -- complete solution, quality and fast electronics, a really new generation of electronics for RepRap 3D printers and others like RapMan. Professional made but also development/hack friendly Generation 7 Electronics -- easy single board solution, designed for do-it-yourself. Generation 6 Electronics -- easy plug n play electronics, single board solution Pololu Electronics -- very simple electronics that can be printed by RepRap itself. Can also be built on stripboard. Fully tested, and supported by the standard RepRap software. Danguinololu -- A fully-integrated board with excellent cooling and debug facilities and easy-to-solder motor drivers, inspired by the Sanguinololu schematic. Gen_L_Electronics -- Designed to be very low cost, easy to assemble, but tethered to a computer via USB StepStick A low-cost drop in replacement for Pololus motor drivers - A4983/A4988 Repic -- "as simple as possible" all-in-one electronics based on PIC18F4550 or PIC24, on single-sided, through-hole PCB. Easy_electronics -- Sanguinololu firmware compatible board for dual extruder operation with built in 128x64 dots graphic LCD, click encoder wheel, SD-Card connector and USB interface. Easy to use all in one solution. STB_Electronics -- Sanguinololu firmware compatible board with graphic LCD, click encoder wheel, SD-Card and USB Melzi -- Sanguinololu firmware compatible board. MaKrMelzi -- improved Melzi board with exchangeable driver modules and support for graphical LCD Azteeg_X1 -- SMD remix of Sanguinololu +more. Harvey -- STM32F102 Cortex-M3 allmost-all-smd compact extendable all in one board ftw Megatronics -- Improvement over RAMPS, single board solutions with a lot of options. Very cheap compared to other options Phoenix -- easy for beginners to construct and repair: all through-hole parts All In One Electronics Brainwave grblShield ([1], [2]), from the same people who brought you grbl.
Here is another one: Kickstarter info (It has been funded) http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/logxen/smoothieboard-the-future-of-cnc-motion-control Hardware (place to purchase) http://shop.uberclock.com/products/smoothieboard Software (open source) http://smoothieware.org/smoothieboard Bob
Found this baby over at Think3dPrint3d thanks Tony Duet - Arduino Due Compatible 3D Printer Electronics Specifications: Full open-source self-replicating RepRap New 32-bit Arduino-compatible Duet electronics enable control via a web-browser Wiring loom for simple plug-in connection – no soldering IR probing for self-aligned printing – no bed adjustment required Build volume: 210x190x140mm Overall size: 500x460x410mm Printing materials: ABS, PLA, 1.75mm diameter thermoplastic. Build surface: PCB-heated bed to reduce complexity of assembly and to ensure parts do not warp. Computer interface: USB X-carriage: Three Z-adjustable deposition head mounts; one head supplied. Standard nozzle size: 0.5mm Accuracy: 0.1mm Resolution: 0.0125mm Building speed: 1,800 mm/min Moving speed: 12,000 mm/min Deposition rate: 33 cm3 / hr Motion: Linear ball bearings on X and Y axes, Igus low friction bushings on Z axis. Pre-soldered electronics with built-in microSD card slot for standalone printing. Enhancements to the printed parts to improve the ease of assembly of the X and Y axes So many great features to this board you will want to check it out. Think3dPrint3d
I have just received notice that my Smoothie board has shipped. I was order #78. Now we will see that this microbeast can do. Bob
I see the guys are testing it and it looks really smooth Looking forward to what you think of this board Bob I think its going to be a nice one!
This is great @ADarkGerm I found a video of it driving two steppers in parallel an it seems to be doing well.
In all the machines I have built using this method I have never had an issue with feedback , but I agree a separate slave drive would be best. I did find this that may help
We just created a new controller board for CNC applications. The so-called T-Bone is a cape the BeagleBone Black and has a lot of unique features. Here some basic facts: 5 stepper motor driver (run syncronized, 3 x up to 4 A, 2 x up to 1.5 A) 10 inputs for end switches (two for each axis) 3 inputs for incremental encoders (3 axis supporting closed loop control) 3 inputs for thermistors 1-wire interface for digital temp and other sensors 2 high power outputs (for extruder and heatbed, up to 12 A) 1 mid power output (for fans, LEDs, ..., also expandable) Power supply for BeagleBone (5 V, 1.2A) Input voltage 12 - 24 V For more details see our project page: http://tbone.cc We are currently running a crowdfundinhg campaign on Indiegogo to produce the first batch of hardware: http://igg.me/at/t-bone/x/4731310 All hard- and software components of the project will be released as open source.
I think it's great that you can design boards. It's a big problem in CNC right now. Having a realistic, open-source design makes sense. If all the people with the skills to make these would work together, we could all have really great boards. Your funding goal may be too high. I would try for 1000 Euros and 10-20 boards on a first round of funding. I could be wrong but it doesn't seem like there are that many CNC people starting up and buying boards within the time limit indiegogo allows. Some other things to consider(speaking strictly for myself): I'm not a big fan of a steak-shaped PCB. I'm not a big fan of embedded controllers. Just the other day my machine bucked right towards the end of a 6 hour cut. So with my computer I was able to go to the line of code, reposition the machine, and continue the job to completion. There are many more reasons why a complete computer control system is needed. I like the ethernet interface but only so far as it can replace the parallel port. I'm not a big fan of surface-mount boards. Hard to DIY.
Hey Dude, thanks for your comments. It's always good to hear different opinions. With the BeagleBone you have an almost full-sized computer. I think it would be able to run and debug your control software also here. Another DIY approach would be to connect our board directly to the serial port of your PC. You only need a small adapter board with a level shifter. The Arduino is only used for buffering.
