Need Help Picking New Controller

I have a Hictop printer I have been playing around with for about a month now and there are several things I would like to upgrade on the printer. One of my biggest complaints has been the limitations of the controller board. I know next to nothing l about controllers so I would love if someone could offer some suggestions.

I want to find a board with plenty of room for upgrades. Minimum I need is room for min and max end stops, 3 fans, and I plan on adding a bed leveling system and would like to run the probe servo off the board if possible. Money is not really a problem... So I ask is there a dream controller for 3D printing enthusiasts? Or perhaps just some suggestions of quality boards.

One thing that I would love to see is a board that could support a touchscreen controller, but that may be a pipe dream.


Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/13/2015 12:43AM by Pole04.

I recommend the Duet 0.8.5 from Think3DPrint3D. It is 32 bit with a good web interface, native USB port, five A4982 drivers and SDHC socket. It is currently the only board that provides a web interface with high speed file upload to the SD card. It has outputs for 2 always-on fans and 2 PWM-fans (independently controlled). It does not support both max and min endstop switches, because they are not necessary - endstops are normally used only for homing the printer, and the firmware limits movement after homing.

The Duet works well with the PanelDue touch screen controller. You have a choice of 4.3, 5 and 7 inch touch screens. See [miscsolutions.wordpress.com] for more. PanelDue also works with other electronics running RepRapFirmware (e.g. Arduino Due/RADDS), and there is now support for it in the dev build of Repetier firmware. [Full disclosure: I manufacture the PanelDue.]



PS - RepRapFirmware (the firmware that runs on the Duet) does not currently support servo-deployed probes. Most Duet users use contactless Z probes instead, such as my differential IR height sensor - see [miscsolutions.wordpress.com].

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/13/2015 03:23AM by dc42.

---

Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

I was thinking the Duet did have min/max endstops. Will it support FSR probes through a Z-min when I am using the max endstops for the 3 delta towers?

Yes. You use the XYZ endstop connectors for the delta towers, and either the analog Z probe connector or the E0 endstop connector for the FSRs depending on the type of output they provide.

---

Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

Thats right, there was an endstop specifically for the extruder. Thanks for the clarification.

Consider getting one of the John SL boards or Wing Wong's trinket code. It will make your life with FSR's easier.

[github.com]

Actually the FSR kit I purchased from Utlibots was either based on John SL's board or one of his boards. Works great, but I am constantly thinking of upgrading to a Duet for my Rostock Mini and was caught off guard by the lack of 2 end stops for the X, Y, and Z. The extruder endstop solves the issue though.

That kit is based on the JohnSL board. Good choice.

Quote
Kurzaa
Actually the FSR kit I purchased from Utlibots was either based on John SL's board or one of his boards. Works great, but I am constantly thinking of upgrading to a Duet for my Rostock Mini and was caught off guard by the lack of 2 end stops for the X, Y, and Z. The extruder endstop solves the issue though.

Thank you dc42! This looks perfect. I have spent a week mulling it over and researching and I will be ordering my Duet this Friday and a PanelDue as soon as they are back in stock.

One question though... I have never done more than simple modifications to my Hictop Prusa i3's Marlin firmware. I understand the process pretty well though. Will it be difficult to set up the firmware to work with my printer? Do you know of any good documentation I could look over?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/2016 11:07PM by Pole04.

With RepRapFirmware, unless you are a developer you don't need to build the firmware yourself. You download a binary and use a tool called bossac to upload it to the Duet. Configuration of the firmware is done using the config.g file on the SD card. If you keep a copy of it on your PC, you can make changes to that one using a text editor, then upload it to the Duet using the web interface.

You will find config.g files ready configured for a few different printers in my repo. Details of what config.g should contain can be found at [reprap.org], [reprap.org] and [reprap.org].

---

Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].