Basic CNC Router Controller, Part 4 - Assembly

Part 4

Assembly

Start by mounting the CNC shield to the Arduino Uno. Ensure the pins line up.

Next, we will add the jumpers to set the micro-stepping. Increased micro-stepping increases the resolution. But there’s a catch, the higher the resolution (accuracy) the lower the torque. Personally, I use the maximum micro-stepping (1/32) – I have not had an issue with the lower torque. Therefore, I add all the jumpers. If you would like to set your micro-stepping, see the table below.

Remember which micro-stepping setting you selected.

Then add the heat sinks to the drivers.

Warning: When mounting the drivers to the shield, ensure the EN pin on the shield lines up with the EN pin on the driver. If you flip the driver around, you will cause damage to them.

As this is a 4-axis controller you can control 4 different stepper motors. Please note the markings on the board – X, Y, Z & A. If you would like to use the board with a CNC router that has two Y-axis motors, you can place jumpers on the board as seen in the picture below. This will make the A-axis a slave of the Y-axis meaning the stepper motor plugged into the A-Axis will replicate the movement of the stepper motor plugged into the Y-axis.

Plug the stepper motor into the CNC shield. Note the wire colours in the picture below. If the motor is not turning in the desired direction, just flip the connector around.

Lastly, we are going to plug the power supply into the CNC shield (blue terminal block).  + (positive) is the red wire and – (negative) is the black wire.

Warning: Do not plug a power cable into the black connector jack on the UNO. The UNO is powered off the USB.

Now that we are done with assembly, we can configure the GRBL firmware.