Control board that requires no programing, no soldering

[VT91]

Now it works. Thank you.


I installed self-extractors.
Apparently, self extractors contain two different drivers, according to the labels, but the archives contain the same file even though they are labeled differently.

[cvoinescu]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MEGA-2560-R3-AT ... 6031250%26

Is this the same board with the same pinout?

http://www.atmel.com/devices/atmega2560 ... parameters
It has no USB of it's own so it uses FTDI.

That is the same board, namely, an Arduino Mega 2560 (well, a clone, but that's why it's so cheap).

The USB-to-serial converter on that board (and all proper Arduino Mega 2560 clones) is an ATmega16U2, not a FTDI chip. Drivers for it are supplied with the Arduino IDE.

[VT91]

So what arduino board clone should I get?
I want it to be cheap and to have the right configuration to wire step sticks to.
What is the best firmware to use?
I need a program for my 5+ stepper motors that I will use in my design.

FTDI is not an issue after I discovered that self-extractors contain the right stuff.

Maybe I will order this very board I found on Ebay.

[cvoinescu]

For 3-D printing, you should get an Arduino Mega 2560, original or clone. The clone you pointed to earlier seemed good.

I like Marlin a lot and that's what I use. I have not used Repetier, which is another good choice. Marlin can handle five or more steppers if they are configured as X, Y and Z axes and up to three extruders. The Z axis can be duplicated on two drivers out of the box (for Mendels, ORD Bots and similar machines), X and/or Y can be duplicated with an easy modification. It can handle up to four temperature controls (heated bed and up to three hot ends), and a number of fans. It also gives G-code control over pins unused for any other functions, so if you need extra peripherals with on/off control, you can add them with no changes to the code. It also supports a number of "controllers" with buttons, LCD displays and SD card readers, which allow for printing without a PC (I haven't used any of those so I can't give advice on that).

Just so you are aware: you mentioned a turntable at some point -- that would be a rotary axis, and rotary axes are not supported by Marlin. The only firmware I know of that has rotary axis support is TinyG, but it doesn't run on any Arduino and it doesn't have 3-D printer capabilities (it runs on the TinyG board, which has four stepper drivers and can not be easily extended to support more; TinyG is probably the best small CNC 4-axis controller board out there, but it's only for CNC, so not what you're looking for).

[VT91]

Thank you.

So this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/StepStick-A4983 ... 3f1e7c999f
stepper stick cannot provide enough current for the Nema 17?

It says that it is only for up to 1Amp. If I provide it with a heatsink it can drive a bigger load?

A4983 is a discontinued alegro device?

I have a fan and a capacity to give them a heatsink. Can I press all ICs against a single aluminum part? Would this cause interference? (with thermal paste in place)

If I give it more voltage would it drive the motor better? I want to build a 24 volt machine.
If I parallel two drivers to be driven by the same pins of the microcontroller board, would tis work?
I want to add a second Y motor onto my shapeoko for symmetry.

[cvoinescu]

I would buy one of the Pololu drivers -- they're not much more expensive, and you know that the thermal pad and vias under the chip are soldered properly. That is often a problem with other cheap drivers -- especially suspicious if they quote 1 A max current when the chip can do 2 A. The black Pololu driver will drive 2 A with a small heatsink and a fan, which is enough for most NEMA17s. The cheaper green one will work too, but it may be harder to get 2 A out of it, because the PCB has less copper and is not as well designed as the black version.

[VT91]

I googled keywords "computer submerged in mineral oil".

Can I submerge my drivers in a container with mineral oil to dissipate heat naturally without fans?
This way I don't have to worry about many elements.

Would this dissolve any carbohydrate materials on the board?

[cvoinescu]

Why? How is that any simpler than sticking a heatsink to the chips and having a fan blow at them? How is that not going to create additional headaches, not least because of the mess when, inevitably, you'll need to pull the board out to make adjustments or change connections?

That said, I really have no idea what mineral oil does to the components on the Arduino and the drivers. At a cursory glance, which you should take with a large boulder of salt, I see no problem; even the trimpots and the reset push-button should be safe. I'm more worried about the oil destroying the insulation of the wires, in time.

On the third hand, you said you weren't into spending more money than necessary. With that view, if I were you, I'd keep all liquids away from my electronics.

[bjbsquared]

Can I submerge my drivers in a container with mineral oil to dissipate heat naturally without fans?
This way I don't have to worry about many elements.

I have seen this done but what people don't realize is that you need a pump or a bubbler to move the oil around. Mineral Oil doesn’t conduct heat that well so you need to keep it moving.

Also wood dust and mineral oil would make a mess and the long term effects on electronic is a risk.

[VT91]

Maybe I will simply try to fit my drivers with aluminum heatsinks and/or use an extremely powerful fan from a microwave oven that runs off 120VAC.

I ordered four drivers and they arrived.

I short Sleep and Reset together?
VMOT - should I use 12 or 24 volts for NEMA 17? What will cause more voltage drop on the chopper circuit?
Do I tune the current potentiometer "by ear"?


Where may I see a circuit of how to hook drivers up to the Arduino (clone) board with a 2560 microcontroller, to be used with Marlin or Repetier?

I understand that different Arduino clones have different pinouts and that pins may have to be reconfigured inside a firmware program or through hardware.
How would I reconfigure I/O pins on the firmware level if I use Marlin firmware?
How do I load settings into Marlin?

Thank you.