List of electronics

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Revision as of 21:02, 20 December 2011 by Bubbapizza (talk | contribs) (Generation 6)
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This page has a list of all active reprap electronics. It is still a work in progress. For a more complete list of electronics that compares features, see Comparison of Electronics.

For a list of out-of-date electronics, see List of Abandoned and Deprecated Electronics.

Generation 7

ELECTRONICS INFO
Details Description

Name : Generation 7
Creator : Traumflug
Status : active as of Nov 30, 2011

These electronics are the latest generation of the original electronics. They are designed as an all-in-one stand-alone board. The CPU and stepper driver chips are on the same board.

The boards are designed to be replicable so that they can be cut/milled or printed on a reprap.

Features
  • designed for replication
Compatible Firmware
Where to Get Parts and/or Full Assemblies

I think you can buy circuit boards on ebay and everything else you have to find yourself. See Gen7 for more details.

Documentation/Schematics & Misc. Notes

Details for building are on the Gen7 page. You can download the schematics which are developed using gEDA over at github. You can download them by typing:

git clone https://github.com/Traumflug/Generation_7_Electronics.git


Generation 6

ELECTRONICS INFO
Details Description

Name : Generation 6
Creator : Camiel
Status : stale as of Oct 2010(?) but still for sale

Gen6 electronics do not appear to be related to the original GenX designs other than by name. They use different driver chips and seem to be only sold by http://www.mendel-parts.com. This is a single-board surface-mount design with the CPU and driver chips on the same board.
Features
  • It has a standard USB connection (USB A>B cable needed)
  • It uses micro-stepping (1/8) for quieter operation.
  • It is cheaper than for example Makerbot's version of the RepRap Generation 3 electronics.
  • It uses small standard Molex connectors for motors, heater, and optos.
  • The pcb of the optos are integrated, so you only need the optos on cables with 5way Molex connectors
Compatible Firmware
Where to Get Parts and/or Full Assemblies

Buy from http://www.reprap-usa.com/, http://www.makemendel.com and http://www.mendel-parts.com although mendel-parts.com looks like they've been out of stock since June 2011.

Documentation/Schematics & Misc. Notes

This seems to be almost a proprietary board. If there is active development going on with these electronics I can't find it. All development seems to have stopped back in October 2010.

Documentation is on the Generation 6 Electronics page. The only schematics available appear to be in zip files here.

Here are some links to zip files containing modified firmwares:

There does not appear to be a source code repository for schematics or firmware anywhere.

Because the board uses Texas Instruments DRV8811 driver chips instead of the more common Allegro A4983-based drivers, you have to use modified versions of the more popular firmwares. That fact, in combination with the poor availability of source, does not bode well for DIY users.