Suitibility of reprap firmware for CNC

Hi this is my first time here and i am working on creating a basic CNC milling machine to play with, i plan on using it just for simple tasks like milling PCB or engraving at first.

Since im currently a student and don't have alot of cash i was planning on designing and building most of the machine myself out of anything i could scavenge.



At the current point in time i have built the x and y axises and have been doing some experiments with controlling these before i go any further. For my electronics i have bought 3 of the polulu stepper driver and control it either using an arduino or teensy that i already had.

My electronics are working and i have been able to do some tests with hardcoded patterns (e.g. move in a square and was wondering what a good next step in control software would be, i was originally just going to write a script to extract all the lines from an svg and use them as tool paths but then stumbled upon reprap and thought that i might be able to use some of it's arduino compatible firmware such as Teacup

Getting to the point at last, i wanted to know if the i would be able to use the reprap firmware for CNC even though it is usually used for extrusion, to my knowledge the reprap firmware is just a simple control that reads g-code and so all i would need to do is send it g-code generated for a CNC machine, is this correct?

Thanks in advance, i am also open to any other tips and advice people here might have.

You will get the best bang for bucks using emc2

[wiki.linuxcnc.org]

Get generic cnc board that includes parallel port and then purchase or find an old pc that has at least 1 gig of ram and is at least 700 MHz.

It is possible to use reprap firmware for cnc project, but I would not.


A few of the reasons are the acceleration algorithms are far better in emc2, as well as path calculations and backlash support.

if you decide to use emc2 look for the bootable linux ubuntu emc2 cd

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/2011 11:53PM by jamesdanielv.

I do have a few old computers lying around but i don't think any of them have a parallel port, and i would prefer to use the controller electronics i already have if possible, would the benifits of using emc2 mentioned above be reduced by running the system at a slow speed?

what do you mean slow speed?

jamesdanielv Wrote:
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> Get generic cnc board that includes parallel port

Can you recommend a specific board for this purpose?
I also have my mill on the way, and was looking forward to using ramps, but if there is a better solution I would certainly consider it.

this company produces products
[www.easy-cnc.com]


i have included a picture. this is parallel port. similar to ramps, all parts are socket and replaceable. also each driver is individually fuse protected.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/2011 03:25PM by jamesdanielv.

If you want to research a number of different approaches to home built machines visit CNCzone.com

I simply mean a low feed rate, untill i get a higher voltage power supply i cant get it stepping to quickly before it drops steps (i think i also need some courser threaded rod.