I’ve noticed that the documentation recommends getting the SKR Pro V1.2, however there seem to be a newer versions, namely V1.3 and even V1.4 (Turbo).
Should I still get V1.2? And if not, would the preconfigured firmware even be compatible with the revisions?
Also does it have to be from the exact same manufacturer than here in the V1 shop, BigTreeTech I believe? Their TMC2209 drivers seem to be hard and expensive to source online here in Central Europe, but there are many alternatives from other manufacturers. I found a seller that sold them for €15 a pop, which seems strongly priced.
Furthermore, there seem to be UART and STEP/DIR driver variants? Should I get the UART one?
The 1.3 and the 1.4 are different boards, with different processors, number of drivers, and require different configurations.
The V1 supported firmware is for the SKR Pro 1.2.
The Pro 1.2 has a faster processor, with better math (floating point = better G02/G03 curve support) It also has the 6th driver (Though you probably don’t need it unless you’re putting an extruder on a dual endstop machine, or putting an “A” rotating axis on your machine.)
The 1.3 and 1.4 have community support, so you’re probably OK with them, but it’s the Pro 1.2 that has V1 support, which makes sure that you have options.
Any ideas about which TMC2209 drivers to get, meaning UART or STEP/DIR? I remember the documentation mentioning something about UART, but I want to make sure.
(Edit: I was looking at the wrong driver. The TMC2209 only seems to come in one variant.)
I hate their names. There is an skr (not pro or turbo) that is one it’s version 1.4 (but the 1.3 is much more common). There id a turbo which is on version 1.4. The pro has a 1.2 (which we have tested). There is also an skr pro 2.0a and 2.0b. Therr were some initial reports of hardware issues with the 2.0. I honestly haven’t kept up with it. The pro 1.2 is newer than the (not pro) 1.3 or the turbo 1.4. .
The firmware has been tested on the skr pro 1.2. That’s still the main choice.
The only issue I see with using other drivers is that you will need to make the changes in the firmware. This involves setting up a development environment and figuring out what needs to change to support an alternate driver. Some of the V1 supported Marlin versions use other drivers, so you can borrow settings. Other on this list use other versions or have experience, so getting them working should not be a problem. It depends on what your time and potential frustration is worth. If you use the V1 firmware including the TMC2209 drivers, you can just drop the Marlin binary on an SD card, insert the card, and boot the the SKR Pro to install the firmware.
See the V1 PlatformIO page for how to compile the Marlin firmware.
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