R2C2 RepRap Electronics
Release status: unknown
Description | New cutting edge electronic board for RepRap 3D printers
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Author | [[User:[1]]]
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Contents
R2C2 RepRap Electronics
R2C2 electronic board was developed for RepRap 3D printers: Mendel; Prusa; Huxley. However, we expect this electronic board to be used with other 3D printers.
Laser Open Source project - www.laoslaser.org mention this electronics/firmware as a candidate for their project.
Important advantages
- Just one board, a complete solution, to control your RepRap 3D printer (can also control any other 3D printer/laser/milling);
- Plug and print - you will receive it completed assembled, tested, with proper versions of software and manuals on uSD card. No need to search on the web for the correct versions!
- Hight speed printing and quality due to the cutting edge technology 32 bits ARM microcontroller running at 100MHz with fast integrated USB controller;
- Heated Bed support;
- uSDCard to store board configurations in human readable text files. In future it will also store files for standalone printing (no need to be connect to a computer computer);
- Buzzer to alert user of the different states of the 3D printing process, like end of machine heating, start and end of printing, etc;
- USB bootloader working as a USB Mass Storage device (works on Linux, Windows and MAC OS) - you will just need to copy/paste new firmwares to board as if is a USB pen flash;
- Expansion header to support other functionalities like a second extruder for support material, support a laser to engrave/cut paper, wood, ABS, PLA, etc;
- 24/12 volts power input. At 24 volts power losses on cables are lower providing faster heating making it quicker to start printing;
- All the firmware were developed with OpenSource development tools: ARM GCC, ARM GDB, OpenOCD JTAG Programmer/Debugger and Eclipse. We intend to continue developing firmware and expansion modules, for adding new features. We envision the R2C2 to became the "Arduino" of the RepRap world.
Specifications
Please see here.
Modules
This board will have an expansion header so modules can be added to add new functionalities (the same idea as Arduino shields). On next topic we talk about an application we have in mind.
Applications
Laser cutter and engraver
It will be possible to develop a module that control a laser diode of 1W (or less). We will be able to cut and engrave paper, plastic, wood, etc. See here the tests that Leonard have done:
<videoflash type="blip">AYKfxj4C</videoflash>
<videoflash type="blip">AYKfxkMC</videoflash>
That cut was done with blue laser at 1W and with feed rate of F400 (6.6mm/s). The paper sheet had about 0.1mm.
We believe that we will be able to etch PCBs (like here) and make tracks/clearance of 0.25mm, for LQFP ICs of 0.5mm pitch :-)
Big thanks for Leonardo from Portugal to make this tests!
Circuit
WARNING: This circuit is in development and test phase.
Source files for KiCad: File:Hbox-r2c2-laser controller.tar.bz2
Forum discussion
Electronic music for HBox RepRap electronics
Because this electronics need some good electronic, robotic and chip music - please listen, download and share (Creative Commons license), this album from Norwegian artist Binary pilot (I am being listening while developing this electronics). Music for you dance while your RepRap prints: <flickr>5194767568|left</flickr>