Basic CNC Router Controller, Part 1 - Hardware

by Matthew Cole

Part 1

Introduction

At CNC Online South Africa we offer a basic CNC Router controller hardware kit. The purpose of this blog is to explain the setup process required to get the controller up and running. This kit is aimed at DIY enthusiasts with desktop CNC routers.

 

Link to the kit: https://www.cnconline.co.za/products/basic-cnc-controller-hardware-kit

 

Hardware

The CNC controller kit includes the following hardware:

4 x DRV8825 Stepper motor drivers with heat sinks

1 x CNC GRBL Shield V3 (4 Axis)

1 x UNO R3

1 x USB cable

 CNC controller Arduino Uno with CNC shield v3 and drv8825 controllers

 

The DRV8825 motor drivers can drive 1.5A stepper motors without cooling and 2.2A stepper motors with heatsinks and fans. These drivers are generally for smaller Nema 17 motors (not included in the kit). DRV8825 stepper motor drivers were chosen over the A4988 stepper motor drivers as the have a higher current output and lower micro-stepping divisions. DRV8825 drivers have a maximum micro-stepping division of 1/32.

For the sake of this article, we will use nema 17 motors with a step angle of 1.8֯. This means the motor takes 200 steps to complete a full revolution 360/1.8 = 200 steps. This value can be found on the stepper motors specification document.

nema 17 48mm 0.56nm stepper motor

Link to nema 17 stepper motor: https://cnconline.co.za/products/nema-17-0-56nm-stepper-motor

Therefore, the above Nema 17 motor with a DRV8825 driver can achieve an accuracy of 200 x 32 = 6400 steps/revolution.

A suitable power supply would be: 50W 4.2A 12v and can be purchased here (not included in the kit): https://www.cnconline.co.za/products/50w-power-supply-multiple-voltage-selections

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