Hi there ;)
I finally pulled the trigger, can't wait to build it !
Thank you Chris for all your work and sharing it, It's awesome.
Meanwhile I'm printing plastics parts and working on the controler.
I plan to build something similar to the smoothiebrainz CNC controller I made a few years ago:
But the big plan is to connect almost everything with a single top PCB. Pins will be soldered on the bottom and screwed in the driver's connectors.
I can either put an arduino footprint or mount a mega2650 directly on the pcb. Not yet decided but I have everything in stock so...
Early WIP:
How is the heat generation on the "recommended" enclosure ? I might add fan(s) if I go compact.
Still WIP
Mega is in place. I'm using 90° XT60 for voltage supply in the bottom of the board
Almost done.
I need to add 2 RJ45 with a few spare digital and analog pins.
I'm almost done:
- added spare digitale and analog pins to RJ45 connectors
- added endstop status leds
- corrected drivers wiring
- added SPI port
- switched to micro USB
- labelled everything and a bit of cleaning
Beginning "real world" things
PCB are on the mail.
Wow. I love the idea. So to confirm this will interface the motor drivers to the power supply & arduino.
I like the idea of using a micro usb. That is fantastic. At some point you should upgrade to USB C :)
Also, what are you thoughts on having space for Joint 7 (horizontal travel pack)
And out of curiosity, how much did it cost to get the boards printed?
USB C isn't easy, components cost more, the pins are really small for "hobby soldering", not worth the trouble for this one.
Yes the board is an arduino mega and replace a good portion of the wiring.
I can make a 7 axis version later if needed.
I ordered 5 boards which is the minimum. they cost me 24$ including the SMT stencil without shipping.
If it works as intended, 4 will be available with smt components soldered and bootloader flashed.
So just to confirm. Did you mount the Arudino Mega components directly onto the PCB or is there a 'footprint' to connect a Arduino Mega?
I've never made a PCB board so excuse the noob questions, this is all new to me :D
EDIT: Also, do you have a particular cable in mind for connecting the PCB to the motors?
Boards and stencil are here, footprints looks good.
Next step: smt soldering and test of the arduino
Awesome, it looks great. Keep up posted, looking forward to seeing more photos :)
Fail ! :) I made a mistake on the ISP port: switched arduino pins with atmega pin number :-[
I will try to correct this plus a few minor things and reorder a new batch before chinese new year
First time I solder atmega2650, it's a pain: 100 pins on a 14x14mm chip..
Parts are here ! ;)
The stepper aren't here but I did what was possible without them. It went pretty well, great job Chris ! Those aluminium parts are really nice.
2 remarks:
- J5 HOUSING: holes for the 3mm rods were drilled at 2.7-2.8mm, I re drilled them to 3mm.
- J6 HOUSING SINGLE PIECE: None of the M3 were threaded but it wasn't a big issue ;)
Meanwhile some progress on the controller: put the cnc to work:
New PCBs should be here monday ;)
Now I'm just hoping OMC can get the missing stepper in stock and post my order before chinese new year holidays :|
oooof, thats hot.
What are you using for the box?
can I know how much will it be cost for this complete set?
Early design of the interface board for the robot's side
135x80mm, easy to solder THT components
YAY ! It talks
I had to mess with the USB to UART driver (U2 thing on the board ;) ) but it works. AR2 2.0 sketch is loaded.
Now I can solder the remaining leds and connectors. Still no news for the steppers :|
Sorry for the spam ;)
This one is almost finished. I tested the digital ouputs trough the AR2 software, everything works fine.
Wow. Looking great!! Looking forward to more updates :D
I've placed 3 orders with steppers online and their shipping time & service was on point. However I'm in Australia so that could influence it.
Max is that a Mooshimeter?
Steppers and drivers are here !
Everything fits nicely on the controller. I will wire the smaller driver (planned to use 6x 542 at the beginning).
The drivers are smaller than expected, some models have a bigger heatsink. The board could have been a bit smaller but at least they won't heat.
Mechanical assembly is almost done, wiring is on the way ;)
Here are the source files for the PCBs projects:
Controller shield:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BVWQ9XtNRVI-LLkeI67GsTA8-qUJy9d6?usp=sharing
! Require reflow oven SMD soldering and some arduino knowledge to flash the bootloader
BOM and 7th axis version coming soon
Robot interface:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DC262n13lVaJyhVmGSyD9pbmnmeG-PZu?usp=sharing
SMD soldering are optional status leds, doable by hand.
Use VGA connectors and wago 804-103 & 804-104
3d printed housing coming soon.
I ordered 5 pieces of each, used 1 and will spare 1 "in case of" so 3 sets are available. I don't intend to make any money of them, they're just better being used than taking dust in a drawer. I gladly do the SMD and flashing magic, the other components are on your side.
Meanwhile you can order the boards yourself by uploading the zip on the gerber folder on JLCPCB or any other pcb maker.
The final part is here:
All soldered
With the 3d printed housing, cables enter from behind
In the meanwhile I discovered that some VGA cables simplified: ground pins are shared. I need to find 3 fully wired.
Wow. That looks incredible. Very clean and well built.
Are there any available for purchase? I'm happy to do all the soldering if need be :)
Thanks ;)
I have 4 blank boards. As said I can solder the SMT parts and do the flashing-thing.
Through-hole components (and smt) are easy to find on aliexpress,etc
If you can solder SMT I can ship you the blank board. It should be ok to send it as a letter.
Looks like T-1000. Very well. Regards from Chile.
Max, This is a very intensive piece of work. Thank you for contributing back, I would love to try this board out when I start my build/s. Are you planning to continue to develop this? ;and what ECAD / CAD platform do you work with?
Hello,
I'm using kicad which is opensource. Non-standard libraries are included in the project folder.
I'm working on another version which is a simple interface board between the drivers and an arduino mega form factor. The goal is to test if a arduino due or the adafruit grand central works with 3.3v. But the rooting is a bit tricky.
I won't go further on the VGA-thing which isn't a good idea as you can't use retail VGA cables (several pins are bridged inside). Doable but not worthy...
Very interesting direction choice on the VGA cables though, even though you are not using them now. In the past I have used Cat6e directly to drive steppers and also route limits (not in the same cable bundles though). It made for a very deployable cnc machine. I've also tried DB9 and also USB's to route power as well. I can honestly say my favorite "cheap cable" choice is USB. Although you only get 4 pins per the current ceiling is fairly high - often rated up to 3 amps - is always double shielded, barrel terminated, with pre-crimped chokes, and did I mention "cheap"? The only thing to watch for are cables that reduce the RX/TX gauge relative to the power lines.
As I have begun to build with current draws higher than 3 amps I am finding that aircraft cables are the only cheapish and safe choice. Still looking for a source for pre-terminated, shielded options and sources.
Being that you have this single board solution going already, have you thought about incorporating your own stepper drivers on the single board? Something like the Synthios grbl shield or Tiny G? Perhaps that is a little beyond the scope of this project but I am just curious about your vision for this controller upgrade (and excited!!!). Seems like a great way to crack the price per driver on the AR2 build in general while also shrinking the control system.
Have you also taken a look at
Trying to answer in order ;)
I have no experience with Eagle since the autodesk switch. That said I'm very happy with the ecad/mcad capabily of kicad. Their partnership with freecad rocks. I'm using Inventor and autocad for mecanical things mainly because I learned CAD with them (you can have them for free with a maker licence). I tried fusion but coming from inventor I was a bit "meh it's a downgraded inventor". Inventor eats almost every cad formats (only sketchup is giving me troubles)
Use what you know is the way to go.
Cable wise, the VGA idea was to use the cheapest-high-pole-wire. But they're not 15 polespin-to-pin. I should have checked that... I'll have to do them myself. That's why I don't recommend going this way.
USB are cool but you'll need one for each motors, add endstops + actuator and you'll end at about 10-12 cables.
I like using ethernet cables too but again, not enough pins on this case.
D-Sub 37 could be an option : 6 motors*4 + gnd + vcc + 6estop signal = 32 pins and 5 spares
At the condition to find pre-made wire as they are a pain to solder/crimp.
Regarding the drivers, yes integrated drivers are a valid option.
I would use trinamics: https://www.trinamic.com/support/eval-kits/details/silentstepstick/
They're the most silent but not the cheapest.
These ones are very good for the price 30V 3A, supports 3.3V and 5V logic: http://www.panucatt.com/product_p/bsd2260.htm
I use a meanwell 24V 10A and a Traco 5V 5A powersupply. I salvaged them trough work for free so... ;)
but yeah a 24V to 5V step down could be a good idea.
That said, the 5V powersupply is IMO not needed if you don't use many 5V relays: the arduino can be powered by the computer.
I'm tempted to make a board interfacing a 32bits arduino (due or better adafruit grand central) with 6 drivers mentionned early.
But first I need to make my arm move ;)