DIY 3D Printer with duet wifi
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Hello everybody
I would like to build my own 3D printer. The construction is finished, now the electronics are still missing. After a long search I have found the duet wifi board. My components idea:
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1x Y-Axis –> motor with external stepper driver (Leadshine LS 57HS21+DM542)
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2x independent X-Axis –> motors with external stepper driver (Leadshine LS 57HS21+DM542)
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1x Z-Axis –> motor with external stepper driver (Leadshine LS 57HS21+DM542)
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2x bulldog lite extruder –> standard stepper (internal duet driver)
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2x independent heatbed –> (internal duet)
My Questions:
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Is the duet wifi board suitable for my needs?
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Has anyone already experience with an external motor driver?
Looking forward to your feedback and suggestions
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To use external drives its a big printer? Like HUGE?
As a rule, avoid using more than one stepper to drive an axis if you can. One stepper with belt drive seems to be the way to go from what I can read/ discuss with experienced printer builders.
"Stepper Motor 57HS21A" these look like chinese sourced drivers? Coming from researching CNCs as I am building an Ox Openbuilds CNC (its principally why I got a 3d printer, to build it) the reputation of them is very poor. So this 4amp setup would be something I'll use to run a fairly large (1200mmx900mm wood CNC) let alone a 3d printer. If no one in here knows, find people who have used these drivers with success I suggest, join some cnc groups and ask Qs, hard Qs drivers seem to be one of the critcal parts not to skimp on. There are some CNC drivers kits you can assemble yourself to save $s that supposedly use very high quality parts, I think they are about $35US each and can do up to 6amps, its what I will probably use.
here,
http://users.skynet.be/ldt/CNC%20electronics/THB6064_pricing.html
But please do your own research to make sure you are happy. I am only a beginner in electronics and #d printing but I am an mechanical engineer.
"DM542" if you want to save money chinese Nema stepper motors seem fine.
As an example of drivers I just re-mainboarded my Wanhao D6 with a duetwifi after the wanhao board one failed. So far the lack of noise, both ear and print output points to the Duet's drivers being way better than Wanhao's as I'm using the same G-code and mechanical chassis. So while its a bit un-fortunate Ive had to spend an un-expected $200US and its delayed my CNC build as a result I think if the first 4 prints are any indication the improvement in quality will be a celebratory point going forward.
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Hello everybody
My components idea:-
1x Y-Axis –> motor with external stepper driver (Leadshine LS 57HS21+DM542)
-
2x independent X-Axis –> motors with external stepper driver (Leadshine LS 57HS21+DM542)
-
1x Z-Axis –> motor with external stepper driver (Leadshine LS 57HS21+DM542)
-
2x bulldog lite extruder –> standard stepper (internal duet driver)
-
2x independent heatbed –> (internal duet)
The leadshine drivers you link look like they should work ok. I checked the pulse with (2.5 uS for step, 5 uS for direction) because someone else has had an issue with different leadshine drivers what required much longer step pulses, limiting the overall maximum speeds. The 57HS21 (is it 57HS22??) look like pretty big steppers - better matched to external drivers than the on board drivers. If you give more information about the size of the axis, the drive system (belt/leadscrew) the weight of the tool etc then we can give more detailed information about the suitability of the steppers you have chosen.
Internal drivers are fine for the extruders
I need more information about the heatbed - what current does it draw (you mention 2)?
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Is the duet wifi board suitable for my needs?
-
Has anyone already experience with an external motor driver?
We have a few users using Duets with external drivers and it works well - you gain all the advantages of the RepRapFirmware and web interface with the ability to control larger steppers.
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I agree with the first reply: unless it's a very large printer then those motors look like overkill to me. However, if you want to use them, then there are people already using external drivers with the Duet WiFi. In theory you should level-shift the step/dir/enable signals on the expansion bus from 3.3V to 5V to feed the drivers, but in practice external drivers usually work with 3.3V signal inputs.
Leadshine drivers are not the best for 3D printer use because some of them at least require rather long step pulse times and even longer setup and hold times for the direction signal. Not a problem when using them in a CNC machine, but in a 3D printer this limits the rate at which you can step the driver, which in turn limits the speed you can achieve or forces you to use lower microstepping. [EDIT: I see that Tony has addressed this in his post.]
The drivers on the Duet WiFi are powerful enough to drive some types of Nema 23 motor directly.
The Duet has only one heated bed output, and the gcodes used in 3D printers make no provision for multiple heated beds. However, RepRapFirmware on Duet WiFi supports a chamber heater and the corresponding gcodes to control it; so you could configure your second bed heater as if it is a chamber heater. You would need to use a solid state relay (SSR) to drive it from one of the heater outputs on the expansion connector.
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Hello everybody
I would like to build my own 3D printer. The construction is finished, now the electronics are still missing. After a long search I have found the duet wifi board. My components idea:
-
1x Y-Axis –> motor with external stepper driver (Leadshine LS 57HS21+DM542)
-
2x independent X-Axis –> motors with external stepper driver (Leadshine LS 57HS21+DM542)
-
1x Z-Axis –> motor with external stepper driver (Leadshine LS 57HS21+DM542)
-
2x bulldog lite extruder –> standard stepper (internal duet driver)
-
2x independent heatbed –> (internal duet)
My Questions:
-
Is the duet wifi board suitable for my needs?
-
Has anyone already experience with an external motor driver?
Looking forward to your feedback and suggestions
Cool!!!
Great!!!! I follow you I have driver Leadshine DS566 and NEMA 34 engines, is what I have I would like to see how you connect the drivers to the DUET, fantastic project
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