Direct ink to PCB CNC Plotter
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- Direct ink to PCB CNC plotter
Part 2 available here: • Direct ink to PCB CNC-...
Part 3: • Direct ink to PCB CNC-...
This is my attempt of putting some leftover hardware together
to build a plotter to help me create PCB designs from scratch.
It plots directly onto the copper board so all I then need to do is
etch it, and go !
My requirements are rather humble I must admit, 2.54mm raster
is ok for me, so is simplest SMD.
I have been using this a lot lately, and I must admit it works just
fine. For final PCBs I still use ordering services, but not as often
as I used to ...
Enjoy !
Edit:
It seems the the link to the python g-code GUI is dead,
I moved the ardGcodeWriter.py to the github repo down below, since
I seem to be maintaining it now. It can be found in the Extras directory.
(last update: 2015/01/08)
Update 2016/04/18: Pushed updates to the firmware, please update to the latest release.
The aduino firmware used for this is available for
download via github. See here:
github.com/dhe...
It is published under GPLv2 and should be considered
beta quality.
If you like what you see, and want to help out making this sort of development and production possible in the future, please consider a small donation at:
www.paypal.me/...
This helps a lot in keeping the channel and its content free and un-influenced.
I really love it when people are able to repurpose/recycle parts and make them do awesome things like this!
The controller is an Arduino Mega. The software on the controller is based on rsteppercontroller. The software to make the PCB layout is Eagle. It generates HPGL which is then converted to g-code by hp2xx. The software to sent the g-code to the Arduino is ardGcodeWriter, a python utility.
No bushings, the rails are 4mm brass tubes, the sled is 6/4mm CFK tube, some silicone based lubricant keeps it gliding softly.
Dirk Herrendoerfe
No, just brass tube over brass/carbon rods.
Dirk Herrendoerfer hast du eine teile liste? bzw. Ableitung zum Bau?
Nein, nicht von dem hier - der war nur aus 'Elektroschrott' und dem was noch so rumlag.
I have made PCBs with SOT23 and 0805 SMD parts on them, but a 8mil track is beyond the capability of this unit. The pens I use have a 0.4mm (15mil) line width and require at least 4mil clearance.
The limitation is imposed by the 3.6deg/step motors and the pen holder. With better parts at hand, and a better pen I guess it could be possible.
Began learning about arduino last June but only recently started looking into stepper motors. I came across some videos of XY plotters but thought I'd try using a marker pen instead to draw small circuits. This way I'll reuse old dvd/cd drives, learn cnc and build something useful. Your work will be my main guide and I just wanted to leave a comment because I found your pen holding mechanism really, really clever. Glueing the top ring to act against the servo horn is so simple but effective. Thank you for sharing
Well done Dirk! You are a (rare) example of a REAL engineer. Merging every aspect of engineering to achieve a goal: electrical, mechanical, software, chemistry! I love it.
No sure what you are doing for etching but I found very small quantities of HCL + H2O2 is very effective, inexpensive and clean.
amazing design, its simple but functional and the best part its the lack of Dremel tool noise, congrats
Thank you !
Over simplicity,owesome,you have just opened a new train of thought,appreciated
Dirk that was simply amazing man. You my friend will survive the fall of man, zombie apocalypse. Very inspirational work, wished people post more work like this. Thanks for sharing.
Its a Mega board with the 2560. It could well be anything else - it just needs 8 IOs for the steppers and one PWM for the servo. The cool thing is that it thinks that it is a full-on CNC machine, so I expect to re-use it a couple of times.
The use of a servo is brilliant for the Z axis, you're full of great ideas!
For the holder of a pen... Roll the pen in paper, and hot glue the paper into a solid tube. A chick layer of hot glue all around, to make a "cocoon". To reduce pen wobble even further - The paper can be bent closer to the tip of the pen. It keeps the pen from falling out, downward, as well.
The wiggle is minimal, as the paper tube is fitted on to the pen, and the hot glue holds it in place. The contraption can be hot-glued to any carrier plate... generous amounts of hot glue will form a solid block of stiff plastic. It's almost like like 3D printing..
This looks childish, but it works. And you can make a new tube for any size and diameter of a pen, literally, within minutes. No drilling, no nothing - hot glue and a peace of paper (preferably slippery paper of lower friction).
Yes, definitely a good way to do it - I found that adding a mask for the tip of the pen will greatly enhance accuracy - but I agree that your build is very simple and efficient.
I dont think it is childish, the first 3D printers were basically hot glue guns on wheels -
Nice working prototype. Thanks for sharing. Just an idea, how about using the drying time to drill the holes in the pads. Should minimize any damage to the pads due to mechanical adhesion of the copper prior to the etching process while making for an even faster turn around time. Do it manually or automatically by replacing the ink pen with a Dremel tool or equivalent using the same CNC, eliminating any registration problems. Any problems with debris or anything else should be an easy engineering fix. Just a thought.
I thought of that, but I ran into two problems, first: the nylon based drive can't handle the load, and I was not able to produce g-code with any tool that would allow to nest those commands into one nc program.
Dirk Herrendoerfer Dirk, thanks for responding. Yes, weight would be a factor unless a different drill motor is used if one exists or a different drive system is used. Maybe, a gear reduction setup for example? When I like something, I try to see the full potential of a project. That is just the engineer within me. Now, software is another issue, entirely. I see usefulness in your project. Parts being recycled instead of being thrown away into a land fill. I wrote this post for the world to see so someone would have better workarounds for you. You do not have to respond to this post.
Nice work. In my experience, the ferric chloride gets a bit under the marker lines. You could try painting the whole board and than removing marker with the CNC, using a pointy tool. Of course, you'd be "printing" in negative. Best of luck!
I don't need to etch pc boards, but I'm going to try to follow your design anyway, because it is so good! Thanks.
+John Colvin
how do you make pcb design without etching chemical substances. I am trying to find the better way too.
+Serdar Örs One way would be using a CNC mill or scratching outlines into the board by hand.
Finally a use for red map markers. I have a bunch because I can't use them on my maps! I can't read them at night under red lens then.
I have been toying with the idea that an old citizen printiva printer that is made to take very thinck print media and is ribbon based might be good for printing PCB's. It's also very accurate since it prints each color separately.
+rimmersbryggeri That's probably worth trying out .
How someone was able to bend the axel of the stepper motor to the left at the beginning is beyond my understanding.
Amazed at your intelligence. I am trying to get same results by this summer. Laser has not arrived. USAF could really use you.
Friend Dirk Herrendorf, could post the measurements of this first cnc of wood that you did, I'm sure it would satisfy the taste of many who are following your videos, because we do not have a 3D printer to print the pieces. Congratulations on the beautiful design of the CNC. Grateful
I assume you are using a fishing line, instead of a toothed belt? I looks like you made a few loops around the stepper motor shaft, can you show more details how you rigged it up? Nice video by the way, hope to see more.
It's nylon string rated at >50N. It is wound 4 times around the steppers motor shaft. There is no slippage, except when the pen holder runs into an end position, so it's ok to keep things from breaking. I saw this design back in the late 80s on a HP plotter. I am planning to make a video once I make my next PCBs, I'll try to get in some detail shots.
Excellent work! Instead of the pen why don´t use a original head inkjet printer? I mean to achieve more accuracy!! (sorry if my idea sounds impossible!! i know just a little bit about hardware and electronics) But excellent work!!! you´re a genius!!!
+arquitectronico Thanks ! Your idea sounds pretty cool - but I also have no clue as to how that could be done.
Such a nice interesting design, well done.
Thank you very much !
Wow, you made something very useful out of computer junk. Haven't you think about substituting the marker with a Dremel like tool and converting your plotter into a CNC milling machine?
Simple and efficient! Congratulations!
Hello guys. Modifications to Python 3.4:
from tkinter import *
import serial
import time
import os
# import tkMessageBox
from tkinter import messagebox
import tkinter
from tkinter.filedialog import askopenfilename
Good video. Question. Did you export the PCB file straight from eagle etc?
HI friend,
Which software do you use to generate your g-code?
I perfectly know how to generate contours, but it seems you know of to fill certain contours!
Thanks ^^
Love it - it's a great candidate for a good winter project, thanks!
I'm simply amazed :) Not only this works great, but is so mesmerizing to watch :) Please tell me, have you tried printing some finer SMD footprints? Like TQFP32 for example.
Yes I have tried, but success was not mine. 0.4mm is the minimal line width I come up with, 0.22 to 0.3 would be required for TQFP32. If only there was a 0.2mm refillable ball point pen that would accept the Staedtler ink - all would be great.
0805 Type SMD works ok though ....
Dirk Herrendoerfer Hmm, bad news :) I've looked on the Staedtler website and unfortunately they don't have anything in sub-0.4 width. Maybe some other suppliers. Schwan-Stabilo comes to mind, I'll have a look.
Also, one other question: why are your traces 90 degree straight? ;)
Dirk Herrendoerfer
check this out: www.stabilo.com/com/p/stabilo-sensor. Maybe worth trying? ;) I wonder how good coverage the ink provides...
You need to replace your stepper motor since the shaft is BENT, I can see it moving almost 1mm on the end and perhaps .5 - .75MM where the wire is wound. Even .5mm is a HUGE ERROR in PC Board making unless they are very loose specs which means no DIP ICs, Definitely no surface mount ICs. It may work to some degree but should be fixed especially since its an easy fix. I used to work making circuit boards and even 20 years ago the specs were .004 max and many like surface mount were even smaller ! Now you need a microscope to place the surface mount IC parts ! Thin steel cable with a spring on one side would also improve accuracy.
Nice job for a quick build though.
You are quite right, but I targeted this for 2.54mm grid accuracy, and it works fine for that, This is just a rapid prototyping tool - I still use board services for more advanced stuff, and this machine won't replace that - ever.
Awesome. What about the rails? Are they just steel bar with Oilite-style phosphor-bronze bushings fired fitted to your sled and pen carriage?
The best one among all the plotters,,,
Impressionante!!! simples e totalmente funcional !!! Parabéns!!!
Hiya Dirk. Great project! Do you have a website/forum anywhere to assist builders with troubleshooting? I've breadboarded all the electronics, but software seem seems slow and unresponsive AT TIMES. And I feel wrong using YT as a forum... Thanks
Excellent work .. Keep Going Sir. So just let me ask you what you need to know to do this project, i mean, i guess you are a mechatronic engineering but if somebody who doesnt know about mechanics (Im electronic eng and i dont know nothing about mechanics parts), it is possible to do this project by myself without this knowledges?
I suppose so - I know my mechanics from LEGO, and I work as a programmer. So I guess you are probably better qualified than I am.
Dirk Herrendoerfer haha thanks for the info colleague. Keep doing the good work..
I looove what you did.
Thanks for sharing.
Wow, that is the crudest cnc machine I have ever seen! well done!
Have you made a drilling attachment for it yet?
+DE S No, this machine is not strong enough to support drilling, I did do some enhancements to support the use of a laser for simple cutting and a scratching pin to do isolation with fully coated PCB boards.
Amazing stuff, I wish was as clever as this.
Mind=blown. Incredible :O Wish i could build this later on.
Please share the DIY steps. So that we can also try such a great CNC machine.
Congratulations, Great job Bro !!!
I Encourage You to keep going !!!
This is great resource and very educational !!!
Genius! Thanks for taking the time to make an informative video.
Looks good. However, does the plotter measure the pen's pressure on the board? I'm thinking if the nib keeps getting compressed, then automatic adjustments of the pressure can help. But also, the nib's shape could change a bit over time too. Also, once the etching is done, the drilling of holes must be done manually, right?
Yes, you need to drill yourself. I use a 15 gram weight on the pen to have the correct pressure on the pen tip, that works well, and the pen tip does not seem to mind. In fact I had a pen run dry before the tip showed wear. Only doing over the PCM edge and back will do damage to the tip.
Thanks Dirk. What you did was really impressive. Really nicely done.
very Impressive. Nice work!
Thanks !
In my experience, resist ink works very poorly. Perhaps with CNC control it is a bit easier to get consistent coverage. But the process to wait for the plotter (not to mention development time!) seems to be at least a few minutes. Laser printing on toner transfer paper, cutting out the piece, running it through a laminator and the dropping into ferric chloride is about 3 minutes. Obviously that overlooks the fun and learning of building the plotter, but if the point of the exercise is simply to get a few PCBs every day or week, toner transfer (proper paper like the Pulsar stuff) wins. Then again other people seem to buy cars while I prefer to build them, so doing stuff for the sake of doing it is often its own reward.
In my experience the toner transfer method leaves a lot to be desired. Plus that paper ruined two toner cartridges on me. To the tune of what they cost. Which is quite a bit.
Paul Frederick Probably depends a lot on the toner and printer used. I've only used a Lexmark printer, mainly because I had it and knew I could go into the service menu and crank the toner density to a ridiculous setting.
aaroncake
I figured I used lousy transfer paper. But even if that worked the transfer process itself to a copper clad board leaves much to be desired. In any event I abandoned the toner transfer method long ago. For me it was thoroughly substandard.
Awesome project bro, could you let me know what size parts you made to assemble the CNC?
Beautifully simple engineering !! I have made a small CNC Pen plotter based on the mantis design, but your's simply blows everything else out of the water. I have a question though..... Will linear bearings like the LM8UU or the SC8UU (8mm) help in assisting & smoothening the motion or will they cause a drag, and slow down the gliding movement of the sled ? Thanks.
Hello, thanks !
No, linear bearing do improve the drag factor, 8mm ones are quite big an heavy though, the setup with the string is copied from several printer and plotter designs from the late 80s to mid 90s, this design was quite common.
Cheers, Dirk
Thanks for your insight. And Wishing you A Very Merry Christmas.
Hi Dirk, first of all I would like to say thank you for the source code you give, I already managed to run the 2 stepper motor . I'll just ask you some question for clarification, what does the use of the void parse_command in your source code? would you mind explain it to me? sorry for I'm still learning.
Which pens? I'm ready to do it now, but there are hundreds or thousands of different pens out there to test and discard.
You and one other guy obviously both use some sort of Staedtler pens, but which ones mark copper well and resist etching?
Staedtler Lumocolor Permanent. Black and red work best. Also Edding 3000 fineliner black.
@@dherrendoerfer Excellent! Thank you very much! 8) 8) 8)
Dirk would you like show us a detailed arduino tutorial based on the stepper motor 28byj 48 because there bunch tutorials about this but when you try the code is just buzz the stepper😢. Thanks for your tutorials
Dear Dirk,
Very good project there. I try to make a similar one, and of course I need some info. For example, what kind of driver do you use for your motors? I currently use direct l298 (meaning not coupled with a l297). Do you run a modified version of gcode interpreter (the arduino firmware)? I searched around and those that I found have very strict support for step/dir interface. So servo is out of question and direct l298 too..
Hi, I am using unipolar steppers with ULN2004A as a driver, I suppose yours are bipolar steppers. I started out using rsteppercontroller as a basis for my g-code interpreter on arduino, but I strung my own together using the arduino stepper library (that I updated for half-step use).
Dirk Herrendoerfer I did strip down and rewrite the stepper_control.c of the reprap gcode interpreter yesterday to make it compatible with my setup. It did work nicely, although I really believe that the step/dir interface is more efficient, and my intention is to move to that setup eventually. My steppers are bipolar, 19kg.cm torque. It must be overkill for such small cnc but I used them because they are the only available I currently have :D (I already ordered some 2.9kg.cm).
Actually I did the same thing, I converted the gcode interpreter to use the stepper library that comes with arduino (updated to use half step!). Although the setup with 19kg.cm doesn't really need half step, I did not use nylon string, I used ballscrew, and of course nothing is perfect so I had a lot of friction. So, half step! :D
I also change a lot of code to account for the servo. It's working now :D
I found a small python program for converting Gerber files to gcode, pyGerber2Gcode. It did work nicely. Which one are you using? (btw, I used KiCAD to produce my first gerber :D )
phantomegr I use Eagle to make the board files, then export to HPGL. After that I use hp2xx to convert to g-code.
I made a vid of the whole workflow, the link is in the video description of this video.
I have the crazy idea of building a second version of this plotter around a hole in the base, so it can be used as a stereolithographic 3D printer.
Dirk Herrendoerfer
I would like to see that!
I have a working prototype by now, of a modified version of the plotter on the video. It's working but needs a lot of tweaking in order to actually print something useful on pcb. That's because I thought it was a good idea to buy a thick marker pen so that I wouldn't get blanks inside tracks. Well, that failed because even though the lines where really filled with color, it is so thick that tracks nearly touch each other.
Also I used screw threaded rod which is a good idea, generally, but for this kind of work present two difficulties. First, it's freaking slow! Except of course if you power your steppers with something like 48v, but around 18 volts my l298 are getting really hot in a matter of seconds, which is expected, so I stick with 9v supply.
Second, it is too hard to get straight lines! I mean the nut of the threaded rod was less than 1deg inclined the moment I closed it in two plastic casings and that produces a tension (a pretty big one) near the left limit of the Y axis which kinda limits me to half the board.
So, after I try a smaller marker (and actually print it's own driver circuit, because now it runs on a solderless board) I will definitely use fishing line.
phantomegr Sounds very good - how about some pictures on g+ ?
well found my next project....something like this will make things a million times easier.....
Very nice. I shoud make myself something like that.
Hi! How controler knows the zero x,y point if don´t have any sensor to detect the end position?
The control software moves the pen into the lowest left corner of the build platform. Since the nylon will eventually slip on the drive shaft it simply does this by force. It then resets it's position to 0.0 and waits for commands. This feature can be enabled in the source code.
Thank you!!!!
Станок практически на коленке 👍
uau, aprendi mais um tipo de controlar uma cnc, seu projeto me ajudou, obrigado
Thank you too !
Clever idea! Like this a lot!
Hi friend, in the files you shared in version 4, are different materials used from version 3? Or are other materials added? Thanks
Hi Dirk!, you told us in yor last video that we have to change certain values depending on the project we made.I personally didn`t see this situations in your videos.When you download the ARDUINO hex file interpreter into the chip...does it do automatically?Wheres is the point from we have to change of?
Hello, Really neat project. I've seen your 3d printed one but I think I'll try it with wood first. I don't have any 5.25 floppy drives and didn't even see them on craigslist. Would the motors called nema 17 be good enough? Also do they have to be 4mm tubes? I've seen 1/8" rods sold at my lowes. I'm not sure how changes in motor and rods will change how the software.
NEMA 17 is just the size, you would need unipolar NEMA 17 (6 wires). The software can be tuned to whatever rod and driver size you use.
Ah. Thanks for info.
Dirk Herrendoerfer Why are unipolar steppers necessary? I am asking this because I'd like to make a plotter myself, but I only have bipolars at the moment.. :)
jrundruud Well, necessary in the way, that the controller I use only supports unipolar steppers right now, but that is mostly software and can be changed.
Hi Dirk, your idea is great and the project is very impressive. Do you think you can produce boards that use surface mount parts of 0805 & 0603 size and a track width of 8 mil?
so waht method do you rpeferi uv.light or paint and bath?
now bulid a robotic arm to move the card to next satian ( bath ) and drill hol or make a drilling tool to it :)
Hello Dirk,
great! I was trying to use a 3D printer for this. However, failed due to the wrong pen (the ink got etched away).
What "brand" do you use?
Is the pen moving down by "gravity"? Does this not lead to a "blob" when the pen hits the PCB board?
Do you use GBRL for controlling the stepper and servo?
Thanks.
+Christian Bacher Hello, I use Staedtler Lumocolor permanent pens. They are in fact gravity driven. I made a holder for 3D Printers (see my other videos) that can be fitted to any 3D printer, and will work with them. The pens inc dries instantly, so there are almost no pen-down blobs.
Excellent - Nice and easy - Keep going
Thank you, I will.
Thanks a million Dirk! I've been wondering about doing something like this with an old ink-jet printer. Your suggestion for a good pen is worth a lot to me, because (years ago) I tried using pcb lacqueur pens (by hand) and the flow was a choice between drought or flood! Then I tried another permanent marker and the ink dissolved in the ferric chloride... A few questions, if you've got the time. What etchant do you use? Is the visible pulley belt fishing line (I wouldn't have imagined it would have enough grip). Can the software work with bit-maps "as is" or would I need to adapt it for that? Thanks again for showing that it can be done and to a good enough quality for me. And cheap!
+Ray Kent Hi, here are the answers to your questions:
1. I use sodiumpersulfate for etching.
2. Yes it is fishing line. If you wind it three to four times around the stepper it will have enough grip.
3. No the software is made to use vector instructions derived from hpgl (into g-code) I have not yet experimented with bitmaps.
(But I suppose it is doable, if someone puts his mind to it.)
Dirk Herrendoerfer thanks!
nice but improve to better materials
and junp to spindle (cnc dremel) or somethink like these, i am workink hard in my cnc ruter right now, i waiting for pieces (buyed online)
OMG.... Its awesome..... You did a superb work sir....... But i have a question..... The setup uses two steppers and your code has 3 steppers entry.... So which one is 3rd one...??? Also please let me know which stepper motor is best to use from your opinion....like NEMA-17 n all....???
I suppose you are talking about my firmware - It can do both.You can choose by picking the mode it should use. Look at the included README file, it covers most of your questions.
I suppose unipolar NEMA 17 are the best, I am working on a version for bipolar ones, but that will still take some time.
Also the cheap geared steppers used in part 3 of the video series is a good option.
Ohhh... Yes... I have read your firmware & its readme too..... You have cleared modes in it. I am having bipolar's from old printers. I will also try to modify the code for bipolars.
One more question, what is total size of X axis & Y axis....????
Ajinkya Dixit The size can be anything you want it to be - you might need to change the code to have a bigger datatype for the raw positions (the beta code has that option)
Ohkkk..... Thanx a lot sir..... God bless you always....
Dirk Herrendoerfer how to produce HPGL file of artwork...??? By using ULP or by CAM processor too..... m not getting what to do in CAM processor tool, after choosing HPGL & setting the pen tool size.
I would rather hear the plotter(s) than a piano concerto ;-)
hello, in the manufacture of the PCB the pen goes from the side of the track, how do I make the pen paint on top of the track. thank you
Hello again,i am trying to create the v4 of the plotter,i have 3d printed the parts,but i am having trouble understanding how to move the pen holder with the t2 belt and where to connect the belt.In the stl file folder there exists only Plotter_v4_Tool_Sled.stl and you write in the document to get the rest from v3.can you tell me if something is missing ?
Hi, the sled has two holes for a cable-tie to go through to strap the belt to the carriage. You need the pen-holder parts from the v3, but nothing apart from that.
Congratulations!
How much did you spend to build this cnc?
What is the name of this laser piece that burns the plate?
This was al l just stuff that I had laying around, so very little was actually spent. The laser is a module from a purple laser pointer, it does not burn anything, it just exposes UV sensitized board with UV light.
The biggest drawback of this method is that, you can not draw thin lines with the pen. Its ok for big PCBs, but when you are designing something small, you can not use this method. toner trnasfer works better with small and detailed designs.
Hello Dirk. Thank you for your video. Can you please explain how do you use laser for PCB milling? Can please explain what are those steps for making PCBs with this kind of laser? I suppose this is laser from DVD burner. Thank you for your answer. Chose
Hello, I am not using the laser to mill a track into the copper, I am using it to expose it onto a photopositive layer on the PCB that then gets developed and etched later. The laser is a UV/blue one from china with 10mW.
hi dirk i just wanted to know that mecahnism that you have used to slide the thread ? which part is attached at the end of the x axis so that the thread keeps od moving the pen?
The carriage is made of 2 pieces of carbon tube around the brass rod, it is connected to the stepper and a bearing on the other side with a piece of nylon (fishing line) that is attaced only to the carriage. To get enough force on the nylon is wound around stepper a couple of times.
Dirk all the .INO files on github must be transfered to the arduino or I must create a workspace for the files and the will burned all into the arduino????
All the .ino files and the .h files from the root _OR_ the beta directories need to go into a uCNC_controller directory. This you can open
in the Arduino IDE. The Arduino IDE handles it from there. ()
That's beautiful!
hello! excelent job! which software you use to design the PCB circuit? What then transformed to G code? What software you use for that?
Thanks
It's Eagle for the layout, and hp2xx for the g-code.
Dirk Herrendoerfer hi dirk,
what do u mean by hp2xx? I have a reprap 3D printer and it runs using Arduino mega and Pololu stepper drivers, im looking for a way to print pcb layout using it, but I cant find any good software to convert my PCB layout to G-code :(
worst of all most of the apps have this python thingi, what is it and how can I get it to work? sorry for asking u soo many things, just reply if u feel like it ignore and forgive me if its a stupid comment that's been posted already :C
regards
Jim Jose hp2xx is the Name of a tool, that will transform hpgl to g-code (among other formats), so you can now Export your layout to hpgl, and hp2xx will make the gcode.
The python thing is nothing but the most commonly used programming language for multi-platform scripting today. But I suspect you dont Need it, because your 3D printer, along with a pen holder will do fine for you, even using the default software tools.
Dirk Herrendoerfer ohh :) thnx
abt python i think ill start studying it :D ,I heard that raspberry pi has something to do with python, and im gona get one soon :D
NICE WORK DIRK, WELL DONE ,REALLY AMAZING ..WELL CAN U PLEASE MAKE AN INSTRUCTABLE FOR THIS PLOTTER ? SPECIALLY THE SOFTWARE PART, SINCE THE HARDWARE PART ISNT MUCH COMPLICATED N CAN BE MADE WITH SIMPLE TOOLS, SOFTWARE NEEDS REALLY A GENIOUS.. SO PLS PUT UP AN INSTUCTABLE FOR NEWBEE LIKE ME..THANKS DIRK
Thank you very much. But I am sorry: I do not post to the instructables site. The reason is very simple: I cannot agree to their terms of service, because they are in conflict to everything I believe in.
yep i can understand your stand and appreciate it. any ways will try to understand the things from your video tutorials , thanks again for such a marvelous work and sharing it to others
awesome technique ... loved it
How does the software know how many steps per unit of distance? If I use a different motor, how to do I tell it there are 0.8 steps per degree, or that 360 degrees of rotation translates to 1.3cm of travel? Is it the G-code generator or the Arduino sketch which translates distance units into motor steps?
No, you need to make a small change in the firmware for that. The firmware uses steps per millimeter as a settting for each axis, so you can use three different steppers, or have a different drive setup per axis. The same is also true for the maximum speeds per stepper.
Dirk Herrendoerfer with microstepping you could get a 1.8deg resolution.
Hey, awesome stuff, got inspired and built something similar. working on accuracy so far, but I had one question, what software you use to get g-code for your PCB design (and from what format you convert to g-code) What I do right now is, Fritzing to make PCB, then export to SVG, then with inkscape and gcodetools extension I output the Path Trace to g-code, but this get's no fill and circles look weird (non filled) so I assume you do it differently. Any advice? Thanks a lot!
I use Eagle to make my PCBs, then use the HPGL output option. Then I use hp2xx to make g-code from HPGL. This works well.
Also exporting gerber from any tool, and then using FlatCAM works ok too.
Thanks! I'll try this flow during the weekend :)
I mean your cnc this extraordinary and taught that if we make a grasia.
a grasia ?
Hey, how are the rails driven? I'm trying something similar, and am trying to figure out the best way to drive them. Thanks!
Here, I use Nylon string, high tension fishing line also works very well.
Ok, but how are those strings being driven, exactly? I see the stepper motors and how the line is wrapped around them, but there should be something on the other side to drive it in the opposite direction, right?
On the other side is a bearing, around which the nylon is wound and goes back to the stepper. The ends of the nylon are fastened to the right and left side of the carriage.
Dirk Herrendoerfer Hey, I figure if you just wound the nylon around the bearing and motor, the motor wouldn't actually make the ski-lift type thing move. How do you get the friction there? Thanks.
Go Ka The nylon is wound around the steppers 3 times - that is ok for the needed friction to move, but if you run into the ends, it won't damage anything. If the stepper rod is too smooth you can apply a thin layer of plasticote or thin glue and let that dry completely. A touch up with a file or metal brush would also do the trick.
DO you plan on posting the instruction for this anywhere? I would like to try my hand at building one.
The most quickly method is to make a direct pcb printer out of an old inkjet printer. :)
wow,very well done
Wooow...congratulations it's amazing
Hey Dirk! Which software you used to get G-Code? From Gerber file? Thanks
I export to hpgl, and then use hp2xx, for Gerber files I recommend FlatCam.
+Dirk Herrendoerfer thank you very much!
hello sir great job can you send information about how to build one and what is the software you are using i want to build one
Hello, thank you. There is a link in the description of the video that leads to a github repository where all the information I have is stored.
Hi I am trying to recreate this project. Thank you very much for your work and for sharing it.
I still can't understand what the laser does?
The laser can be used on PCBs with photopositive coating - you can use it to carve out a circuit like engraving machines do. The spots the laser hits are later removed by the etchant.
Dirk Herrendoerfer Excellent job.. Well done buddy :)
I am looking at building a similar system with some minor modifications, mainly controlling the motors directly from a PC through USB.
I am curious about the laser part of your system, is my below reasoning correct?
The laser beam traverses the entire copper sheet, while doing so, the exposed copper (i.e. with no markings) gets weakened. When the board is dipped in acid/etchant the weakened copper parts get dissolved.
vecchiocuore1986 Well, no. There is a coating of clear paint on the copper, When this paint is exposed to UV light it breaks down chemically. It must then first be dipped into a developing agent that will make the exposed, weakened paint come off. After that the board is put into the etching agent, that removes the copper from the parts that were exposed, developed, and removed previously.
Great.. Thanks for your quick reply :)
Hallo Herr Herrendörfer, ich hab fast alles zusammen, um Ihren genialen Plotter zusammenzubauen. Nur mit dem Fahren der Motoren nach einem Reset komme ich nicht klar:
"Upon reset or power up the controller attempts to move all axis into their minimal position by traversing the configured distance into a solid zero position block - builds should be designed to cope with this."
Wie kann mein/ihr Aufbau damit "copen", es gibt doch keine Endschalter und die Startposition ist m.E. immer anders.
Ich freu mich auf eine Antwort, vielen Dank für Ihre Mühen.
Hallole, die einfachste Moeglichkeit den Plotter auf eine Nullstelle zu fahren, ohne Nullschalter zu verwenden, ist einfach mit Gewalt in den entsprechenden Endanschlag zu fahren, und dann wieder ein kleines Stueck zurueck.
Der Antrieb mit dem Nylonfaden um die Stepperachse sorgt dafuer, dass es ab einem bestimmten Drehmoment zu Schlupf kommt, das sorgt dafuer das die Maschine keinen Schaden nimmt.
Das ist auch mit dem 'cope with' gemeint, wenn jetzt jemand die Software auf einem Plotter mit Zahnriemen oder Gewindestangenantrieb benutzt, kann das Teil sich schon selbst beschaedigen wenn es das versucht. Dementsprechend sollte eine Achse dann so konstruiert sein, dass die das 'ueberlebt'.
Oder man benutzt Endschalter, und die v4 Version der Software.
Gruessle, Dirk
Hallole, ok verstanden, das habe ich noch nicht ausgetestet, erst mal "Trockenlauf" gemacht. Ich werd's probieren und berichten. Vielen Dank und sorry für das "ö", demnächst nehm ich "oe" : ) Gruß Michael
Das mit dem 'ö' passt schon, aber das oe ist einfach international besser einsetzbar. Viel Spaß beim basteln !
Ja, hab ich - sieh dir mal die letzte Minute des Films an. Das Funktioniert recht gut.
hi, Dirk, congratulations for your work , I wanted to know what software you use to turn the pcb in gcode. thanks
I use a command-line tool called hp2xx to turn hpgl into g-code.
O cara é bom !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Compliments!
but could you show what software you used and how you came to plot?
It's all documented - there are links in the description of the video, note that this video is really old - nowadays I'd recommend using the design with a GRBL based controller. Everything else ist still the way it was back then.
@@dherrendoerfer I said that badly.
I would like to know the programs you used to create and finally plot the circuit. I have a CNC with the Z axis with nema 17.
Thanks again.
I use a tool called hp2xx that can turn hpgl documents into g-code. The circuit designs were done in Eagle EDA, that can produce the HPGL plotter files. A copy of hp2xx with nc support is in my repo - that is linked in the description of the video.
You are a maker :D Inspiring!
Schönes Musik... Was ist das?
Ich habe auch eine CNC, aber zum PCB, benutze ich eine V bit.
Deine Anlage its sehr gut gemacht !, es gefält mir.
Die Musik ist Clouds von HumaHuma aus der UA-cam music library.
Danke - Ich hab leider keine CNC - Wie lange braucht es etwa ein PCB mit einem V-Bit zu fräsen ? Das Freistellen mit dem Laser braucht ja nach Größe und Komplexität ewig.
Very nice job!
Thank you !