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Arduino Mega CNC. EasyDriver or Pololu Shield

eatumup

I'm sorry if this question has been answered to death but I still find myself a little confused. I have never built anything with stepper motors, especially a CNC machine.  I have been doing what reasearch I can and have so far determined that I should probably go with an Arduino Mega as the heart vs the Sanguinololu. It looks like theres plenty of code out there for the mega for this project. The thing that is confusing me is the stepper driver.

 

I have seen mostly the Pololu shield with thier 4 drivers used. But at $180 the Easy Driver looks tempting as I think the mega plus steppers come in at under 100.

 

So my question is, Can a CNC machine be done witht he mega and three EasyDrivers? Or is something missing without having the shield? Is one way reccomended over another? Would one have more limitations? Just looking for some advice on this one.

 

Thanks.

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  • 0

    Hi, Eatumup.

     

    This is Ryan from Pololu. I don't understand the comparison you are making. You can use the Pololu drivers without the shield too. The A4988 is rated for a higher current than the A3967. Also, both of these boards have current limiting, so it is likely your NEMA 17 motors will work with both. You'll probably be able to get more torque out of the A4988.

     

    - Ryan

  • 0 in reply to Former Member

    Ryan,

      Thank you for that information. What Colecago said was correct. What I did not know is that the Pololu stepper drivers could be used without a RAMPS shield. In fact between my original post and this one, it appears that I had some terms mixed up. I thought the Ramps board with the drivers was called a Pololu shield. I have only been reasearching this specific idea for a little over a weeks so far. There is much to learn before I dive into the project.

     

    You all have been a great help. With those part numbers I have some new leads to look into as well. Thank you all so much!

    I do realize I havent done the reaserch so far so forgiv me. If the A4988 drivers can be operated without the shield, Why then the shield at all? What does the RAMPS shield bring? Does it make coding more simple?

     

    Thank you all for your support

     

    James

  • 0 in reply to eatumup

    Hi,

    I am also Building a CNC machine which has to alternate as a 3d printer. I am not sure which controller solution to use.

    I also have the NEMA 17 motors, and they require something like 2,5A.

    I would be very grateful if you could try to list pro's and cons (bearing in mind it should be able to do BOTH CNC and 3D) for e.g.:

    • PrintBoard
    • Arduino with and without RAMPS shield
    • TinyG

    I think 'eatumup' will be able to use this info too.

    Thanks a lot :-)

     

    RG

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  • 0 in reply to eatumup

    Hi,

    I am also Building a CNC machine which has to alternate as a 3d printer. I am not sure which controller solution to use.

    I also have the NEMA 17 motors, and they require something like 2,5A.

    I would be very grateful if you could try to list pro's and cons (bearing in mind it should be able to do BOTH CNC and 3D) for e.g.:

    • PrintBoard
    • Arduino with and without RAMPS shield
    • TinyG

    I think 'eatumup' will be able to use this info too.

    Thanks a lot :-)

     

    RG

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