hi there, i know there is a lot stuff out there and i did a lot of research in google and and several forums.
i want to build a cnc mill using an arduino (uno or duemilanove) with three axes. i already connected three easydrivers and stepper motors to the arduino and have them running.
the building of the cnc mill is in progress.
what i am looking is the right firmware for the arduino that will make it possible to use either replicatorG as host oder mach3. at the moment i am confused by the amount of different firmwares (gcode interpreter, mendel,....).
would anybody be so nice an tell me exactly which firmware i will have to use and where i can find it for my project?
oh this sounds sooo good! as you tell me that gcode is beeing send from your software to the arduino - am i right, that it is possible to use other software that sends gcode like replicatorG? i mean actually i do not need replicatorG as i have the gcode already but i simply like the user interface
you will need to click File :: Options to chose your COM port (and any other settings you fancy)
As well as sending the gcode it shows a picture of what it's up to
It's aimed at PCB milling btw
second the gcode interpreter that runs on the Uno http://www.mmcpix.com/CNC/GCode_Interpreter.zip
DO look at _init.pde as you will need to configure it to suit your machine
It supports 3 axes each with limit switches
like I said I think it's idiot-proof, but...
feel free to ask questions, but I take no responsibility for you destroying your Arduino, drivers, motors, house, wife, children, sundry other loved ones or any other part of your immediate environment!
oh and if you make any changes - please let me know what you did
Do you have any info on the machanics of your build, btw?
i am just downloading your codes. thank you sooo much by now. i will try to figure it out and let you know how i am doing. thank you for your offer to ask you questions.
regarding to my construction: i will build it next week. basically its a similar design to the makebot-router which you can find on www.makebot.com. the difference will be that i will use linear ball bearings. if you like i will keep you informed about how i am doing.
(1) i am just trying the cnc driver. i setup port 8 (where my arduino is connected) but the software is telling me "unable to open port (win error code: 2)".
(2) i wired my arduino the way it says in _init.pde what is strange is that the stepper motors all go on "wake up" and get hot after a while. maybe i am an idiot but in the _init.pde it says pins 14-19 correspond to analog 0-5 so i connected pin 18 to A4 ( where it says analog in). i guess this is bullshit - can you tell me where the pins 14-19 are? i am sorry for asking stupid questions but i maybe an idiot
i can talk to arduino using port 8 and i told cncdriver to use this port (in the tools menu). thats how i connected arduino and uploaded the qgcode interpreter. i also tried it using serproxy on that port and running a flash application which drives a stepper motor.
i tried the same on an arduino duemilanove which connects to port 7. so i did upload gcode interpreter and then started cncdriver. then "tools menu", "options" set port to 7.
YOU BRILLIANT YOU! good morning by the way. i changed to com5 (windows told me that another device is already using com5) and it works. thank you a thousand times.
i will be finishing the router today or tomorrow and i must say that i was really worried the last days when i thought "oh, i am building a router and when i am finished i don´t know how to drive it". i read about thousand threads and googled for cnc arduino blah blah until my fingers blooded but did not find one solution that i understand.
would you be so nice and provide me with some more information about the gcode interpreter _init.pde regarding how to wire all up?
just to make sure:
what i understand are the stepper controls like
#define X_STEP_PIN 7 #define X_DIR_PIN 6
#define Y_STEP_PIN 2 #define Y_DIR_PIN 3
#define Z_STEP_PIN 9 #define Z_DIR_PIN 10
what i am not shure are:
(1) endswithches
for example: #define X_MIN_PIN 14 #define X_MAX_PIN 15
do i have to connect the switches also to 3.3V, 5V or something else?
(2) motor control
is this the sleep/wakeup for the easy drivers?
(3) panic stop/reset
are these buttons and do they need some 3.3V, 5V or somehting else like the endswitches?
i would be glad if you would help me again and wish you the best possible day!!