ExtraStepper

thingiverse

UPDATE 17.04.17: I found a website where to buy a similar circuit and drivers at a good price without complications: https://www.diyania.com/en/3d-printing-modules/engine-extender-module https://www.diyania.com/en/3d-printing-drivers/ This circuit is ready to add extra steppers (more motors) to our 3D printers. With this module/circuit, it's possible to add up to 3 new steppers to our RAMPS 1.4 without complicating things too much. The circuit is simple. It's based on the component distribution of StepperExpander (http://reprap.org/wiki/Stepper_Expander) and the RAMPS 1.4 diagrams. It's fully functional, but I'm not responsible for any damages resulting from its implementation. The electronic material needed is: * Capacitor electrolytic 100uF. * R1 is a 10K ohm resistor. * R2 is a 100K ohm resistor. * R3 is optional. It's the resistance necessary to add a 3mm or 5mm LED using the 5V provided by RAMPS 1.4 on its extension pins. Its value will depend entirely on the LED used. The connectors we want to implement, to supply 12V to the motor, pins for jumpers, connection with the shield plate we have, and the connector for the motor that controls it. The correspondence of the pins will be marked on the PCB and is also compatible with the one provided in the page http://reprap.org/wiki/Stepper_Expander. Basically, the mass (GND) is obtained from the 12V connector that comes from the power source (it must be the same as supplies the 12V to the shield plate). The positive 12V comes from the power source in the same way. The positive 5V, the DIR pin, the STEP pin, and the ENABLE pin of the EXT ports of the shield. I strongly recommend marking on the 12V connector which is the MASS and the positive with a permanent marker as in the photos. Something that ensures we don't end up doing the Indian smoke sign by connecting incorrectly. Material for its fabrication/infrastructure: For someone without previous infrastructure, the simplest thing is to follow these steps. Get paper-coated paper. Any company that prints labels rolls out meters every day. It's the paper that's discarded in vinyl rolls. Get a bottle of Salfuman (two parts water to one part Salfuman). Mix it with hydrogen peroxide in a plastic container. Submerge the PCB with the toner already perfectly transferred in the container with the acid and hydrogen peroxide mixture. The process is SLOW and you have to be careful that it's disappearing until only the toner remains. At this point, you have to neutralize the acid with running water. Clean the toner with steel wool until the remaining copper is discovered. Drill in the necessary sizes. Solder the components and configure your firmware (pins.h, pins_ramps.h, configuration_adv.h in case of Marlin and RAMPS 1.4). Connect it to the board, motor, and Pololu, making sure it's pinched in its correct position (the simplest thing is to guide yourself by the ENABLE pin). Enjoy adding a new stepper to your printer, one per motor on the Z axis of the Prusa i3 for example. I added the support I use for my extrasteppers although it's intended for use in my BIGMAMA printer. Despite everything, with it, you avoid the circuit from coming into contact with any metal and short-circuiting.