ok guys im sure this may have been answered before, and this maybe a stupid question but this is my first time building a cnc…so be gentle …lol
so far ive 3d printed all of my parts …waiting on the 611 and y plates
i was looking on amazon and there seems to be a deal on a BIGTREETECH SKR 2 Motherboard for 3D Printer New Upgrade, TFT35 E3 V3.0 Screen + 5pcs TMC2209, Silent Board Based on SKR V1.4 Turbo Control Board Compatible 2209/2208, 8825 Support TFT Display, LCD
my question is … the rambo ,boards and the ramps boards basically the same thing just 2 different boards that do the same thing? and do i even need one to run the cnc? do they just power the steppers?
also can i use thick wall emt for my rails or are they just too flex
also my other idea was to run 40c 40 extruded alum along the sides of my table then use v wheels and plates ro attach to the y side plates to make it more ridged…viable?
Control boards have firmware that receives g-code and moves the router. Almost all MPCNC machines run Marlin firmware. A version of this firmware runs on many (most?) 3D printers, and g-code is the language output by slicers for use by 3D printers. So a control board is required.
There is a hierarchy of difficulty in terms of difficulty in getting an MPCNC running. Here a category list starting from easiest.
Boards and drivers sold by V1.
Boards and drivers not sold by V1, but have firmware maintained by V1
Boards that V1 maintains firmware for, but have different stepper drivers and/or a different display.
Boards that V1 does not maintain firmware for, but where the manufacturer has rolled their board into the standard Marlin build.
All other boards.
You will find a list of firmware maintained by V1 on this page. Your SKR 2 Motherboard you reference above falls in either category 4 or category 5, so if you select this board, expect some work and research getting it running.
All control boards basically do the same thing…interpret g-code to take actions. As for Ramps vs Rambo boards, they both use the same microprocessor, but Ramps boards are significantly more fragile in use and have a higher rate of being DOA.
can i use thick wall emt for my rails or are they just too flex
Conduit will not work for the LowRider. The diameter of 3/4" conduit is too small, and 1" is too large for the parts that Ryan designed, and I’m sure there are stiffness considerations as well.
also my other idea was to run 40c 40 extruded alum along the sides of my table then use v wheels and plates ro attach to the y side plates to make it more ridged…viable?
You will find a number of LowRider mods in the topics on this forum that attempt to “solve” the issue of having the wheels free. For most people the standard build works well and needs no changes. Based on the many posts on this forum, my suggestion is to build the machine as spec’d, use the machine for some time, then consider modding it if you feel you have issues.
Somebody JUST posted a picture of his build like this on the Facebook group. Looks like 20x40.
I don’t know that THAT is where you lose rigidity, though. I’m sure it would help with tracking straight if that becomes a problem, but plenty of LRs run just fine.
RAMPS stands for “RepRap Arduino Mega Pololu Shield” which explains that it is an intermediary board to connect the (originally Pololu) stepper motor drivers to an 8-bit Arduino Mega control board, resulting in a 3-layer stack that can run up to 5 steppers, 2 extruder heaters and/or fans, 6 end stops, a heated bed, a display panel and 3 servos (or other PWM devices). These have been around a long time, and lots of low-cost (often implying low quality) versions are manufactured and sold. Because of the complexity, it can be easy to cross wires and fry components either in the drivers, on the shield itself, or on the Arduino. They are limited to 12V input as the integrated fuses and other components can’t handle higher voltages.
RAMBo stands for “RepRap Arduino-compatible Mother Board” which integrate the 8-bit Arduino chip, the “shield” components, and the stepper driver chips into a single circuit board with better power protection. Rambo boards support more heaters and temp sensors than RAMPS, have better protection from user mistakes and can handle up to 24V power, which results in more torque for the motors and faster heating for extruders and beds. There’s a mini-Rambo that has fewer stepper drivers.
I’ve run RAMPS on a few different 3D printers but I’ve also fried the voltage regulator on the Arduino due to a wiring error. If/when I build another I’ll move “up” to a more modern controller RAMBo at least, but I may also look at jumping up to 32 bits since those controllers aren’t as spendy as they used to be.