Confused by the electronics

Hi there,

My Melzi board recently had a short circuit and I'm looking for a replacement part.
After having a look around I'm very confused by the differences of the controllers and I'd be very grateful if someone could clear this up.

What's the differnce between Sanguinololu and Arduino?
What is RAMPS?
Am I right in guessing that Merlin in the software installed on the controller?

Many Thanks

Charles

Sanguinololu is an all in one controller similar in many ways to a Melzi board
Arduino is a programmable developement board, but is no good for controlling a printer by its self.
RAMPS is a board that connections to an Arduino to make it usable for controlling a printer. Its very popular, easy to use and well documented.

Both Sanguinololu and RAMPS + Arduino use plug in stepper drivers. So if you damage one you dont have to replace them all.

an answer in its simplest form, but i hope it helps.

Marlin = firmware that runs on a Mega 2560 board

Mega 2560 board = the thing under the Ramps 1.4 board ($20 or so)

Ramps 1.4 board = The gizmo the everything connects to. ($15 or so)

Stepper drivers = little plug in dudes that cost about $8 to $10

Arduino = the name of the guys who did the Mega 2560 board and the software empire that supports it

This seems like a decent price
[dx.com]

With the non-Ramps boards you need to be very careful about exactly what you want to (and don't want to) do. Things like auto bed leveling servos drop right into a Ramps. They don't drop into all of the other boards. You also can't do 4 extruders, two heated beds, and six independent axis with a Ramps, so there are always limits.

That cleared it up, thanks for the help!