Re-using Generation 3 electronics / techzone remix

Hello,

Is there any way to get current firmwares like Sprinter to run on Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix ?


I found that Sprinter supports Techzone Monotronics (whichs is basically the same, but on a single board without rs485 connected external extruder controller).

And I also read here that there is a Gen3+ daughter board that replaces the external extruder controller from Original Generation 3 Electronics enabling it to run current Firmwares, but it won't fit onto the generation 3 techzone remix main board.

So is there any way to reuse gen 3 techzone remix with current firmwares?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/2013 08:06AM by tekkentux.

I think initially the extruder board was primarily meant more like a servo controller (free of main uC interrupts), in order to drive a dc motor for extruder with an encoder. Putting that aside, the master uC is perfectly capable of outputting step/dir for extruder, read 2 thermistors and switch 2 fets.

So you need, say, to find 6 free pins from master uC, and change the pins.h of any firmware accordingly. Then you need to program the master uC with those pins definitions and ignore the slave mcu, or even cut its comm lines. You get to use a single uC setup.

- 2 GPIO pins for Step&Dir for extruder stepper driver means you need to find 2 free pins for this, and link them to a stand alone stepper driver corresponding inputs;
- 2 ADC pins: 2 thermistors for heated bed and extruder, each thermistor needs one ADC pin, a cap and a resistor; schematic for this is very simple and .... everywhere; you can make this mod without any kind of pcb or support;
- 2 GPIO pins for 2 fets: find some logic level hexfet (e.g. IRL3803), and put an pin to its gate; the V+ from psu goes into the driven Load device, then comes back to fet drain pin, and the source pin goes to psu GND. Thats all. No need for special pcb either.

There are more complicated schematics, with recirculating diodes, leds, perhaps snubbers, etc, but ultimatelly you can reduce it to only using a fet with nothing else. I have one driving the bed 12+amps for few years with no other components, doesnt even have a recirculating diode. If you want, you can also add a recirculating diode directly across load's terminals: an 1N4002-7 oriented in reverse direction of the current normal flow through load.

If you can identify some free 4+ GPIO outputs and 2 ADC inputs, you are set to go. Unfortunately the sources and schematics for that board are fairly hard to get. As alternative, open the board source files for classic Gen3 (coz that should be fairly similar), and see which pins that mod links to, on the physical uC. Then look at your uC pins and starting from there you check to see if those same pins are free, and where you can intervene on board to access them. Assuming that their schematics is fairly the same and only layout is whats different, theoretically you should be able to use same pins and same pins definition like that mod.

Alternatively Teacup supports slave mcu, i have vanilla gen3 running with Teacup and slave extruder board and runs so nice that i never found the need to mod it or change anything.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/2013 09:01AM by NoobMan.

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