3020 CNC 3D Printer Conversion Part 3: First Prints

 This weekend I finally got my 3020 CNC Router converted to a 3D printer setup. It was actually much easier than I expected! As I previously stated in my post on the MIB heater controller, I am using a conversion kit purchased from MIB instruments.

The kit did not include a mount for the spool of filament, so I grabbed some spare 8020 aluminum extrusion and fabbed one up. Also, the mount they provided to attach the extruder to the Z-axis carriage was not a direct fit because it was designed for a MIB 3020 machine, not the generic one I have. I don't like the way it mounts, especially that holds the extruder with only one bolt. This will have to be improved later. I also need to run the wires for the heater and thermocouple through the cable track. One important addition was a connector on the cable that was previously used to run the spindle. With this connector I can easily swap out the extruder head for the spindle again without running a separate cable. Then I just switch with port I'm attached to on the controller box (A-axis or Spindle).

The heated glass bed they sell is a standard 200mm x 200mm size. Again, the holes did not match up to my generic 3020 bed, so I had to re-drill them.

First and second print results of a 35 tooth gear wheel for a Harbor Freight 7x10 lathe. The original gear from HF is on the left in the first picture. The second picture shows the tops and the third picture shows the bottoms. The difference between the two prints was adjustments in the feed rate of filament and the temperature of the extruder nozzle.

I guess I need a post on my software setup as there is a lot missing as far as explanation for that aspect of this project. I am using LinuxCNC and Slic3r currently.

3020 CNC 3D Printer Conversion Part 2: A-axis Stepper Driver

The next two images you can see the HY stepper controller that I use for the new A-axis that my feeds the filament. This was shoe-horned into my existing controller once I did a little reverse engineering in one of my previous posts. See YooCNC reverse engineering and HY-DIV268N-5A driver. Long story short, there are some extra pins that drive the added motor controller. I will have to design a new enclosure now!

 

I will add some pictures of which pins I am connected to on the YooCNC driver board the next time I have it apart.

YooCNC T62-3AX Reverse Engineering

I have been planning to add limit switches and spindle control ever since I got my 3020 CNC a while ago. Many people have done it, and there are a few pages that show the "idea" of how to do it. It all boils down to a few unused pins on the T62-3AX board. This board I believe is exclusive to the 3020 CNCs (and maybe 3040) as the larger ones use separate motor driver boards and a breakout board.

I previously did a limited post on the T62-3AX board on my blog, but I only showed a limited schematic here:
YOOCNC T62-3AX CNC Controller for 3020T

I feel the first step should be a solid and complete reverse engineering of the existing board to make sure we fully utilize its capabilities. This will also serve as a great reference to those needing to make repairs or wanted to further understand its operation. I will be creating a Fritzing file that will have a PCB layout and schematic of the board. I will upload it as I work on it, so there will be versions that are incomplete or missing components. If you find any faults with it or want to help add, please do and send me the changes so I can upload them here.

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General schematic screenshot from Fritzing (download link is below):

 

Please note, some components may be missing or mislabeled.

Current Fritzing file (created in 0.92):
YooCNC_T62_3AX_v04.fzz (Last Updated May 11th, 2015)

What I have learned from drawing up this complete schematic of the CNC driver board:
1) Unused pins, list to come.

2) Unused opto-couplers & header pins, idea for limit switches.

3) Unpopulated positions for DIP switches permit changing of stepper driver presets. Details to come...

4) Generally well designed except for missing A-axis control. My current focus is on adding an A-axis to control the feed stepper for my 3D printer attachment I've purchased.