Duet development news

As you say, that code moves the head so is not suitable for all situations, but a firmware implementation can move the motors a single step back and forth at various rates to make a sound without any perceptible movement.

Dave

David, a further refinement of my LED thinking would be a header that brings out all the onboard LED indicators. We could then use a ribbon cable or whatever to the front of the machine or control box and make circuit board to mount the indicators. This would allow us to bury the board and its blinking lights deep inside but still have the comforting glow of LED indicators where we can see them.

Quote
WZ9V
David, a further refinement of my LED thinking would be a header that brings out all the onboard LED indicators. We could then use a ribbon cable or whatever to the front of the machine or control box and make circuit board to mount the indicators. This would allow us to bury the board and its blinking lights deep inside but still have the comforting glow of LED indicators where we can see them.

There are already more than enough connectors on the Duet (and some more on the Duet NG). If you want external LEDs then I think it would be better to drive them from some pins on the expansion connector. However, as a result of this discussion, I'm wondering whether we should include a controllable LED on the board, that can be used to flash diagnostic codes if the board fails to start up.

---

Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

I have a couple of suggestions

• Is there is going to be an expansion board for the Duet NG? it would be great if the holes for the PCB standoffs/ or screws on the expansion (or Duex4 if appropriate) board lined up with a set of four holes on the duet NG . That way it would be possible to mount them on top of each other with suitable sized standoffs, might be useful for places where there is a lot of vertical space, but not enough horizontal space for the two boards side by side.
• It would be cool if there was wifi, either built in or via and optional 2x4 row header available for something like a esp8266, to add low cost wifi networking to the duetNG, the downside would be having to write a second network driver to pipe out the web interface over UART or I2C though

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2016 02:16PM by jmg123.

Hi jmg, thanks for your suggestions.

1. Yes there will be an expansion board for the Duet NG, probably with support for 4 additional drivers and hot ends as for the current DueX4. However, I don't think stacking it on top of the Duet will be an option. The Duet 0.8.5 already has some connectors that are not at the edge of the board, because adding support for dual extrusion meant that it was no longer possible to have all the connectors at the edge of the board unless the size of the board was increased. The presence of these connectors makes stacking impractical. OTOH it is possible to mount a Duet and a DueX4 back-to-back, as I did for my dual extrusion Ormerod. I will discuss the options with T3P3.

2. We are indeed looking at WiFi support, because we recognise that for home users at least, WiFi is usually more practical than wired Ethernet. But IMO any WiFi solution we support needs to provide a good file upload speed to the SD card, and the existing ESP8266 solution described in a thread in the Developers section of these forums does not provide this. There are other WiFi modules besides the ESP8266 that may make fast file upload easier to achieve.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2016 05:22PM by dc42.

---

Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

Hi
One other minor suggestion, if the chosen micro can report back it's own internal temperature, (Some Atmel parts and quite a few NXP Kinetis parts do), it could be read and then used to drive an optional fan that blows over the duet PCB. It would be great for printers running in hot environments, but probably not worth the extra BOM cost of adding a thermistor on the PCB.
Cheers
Jeff

Quote
dc42
2. We are indeed looking at WiFi support, because we recognise that for home users at least, WiFi is usually more practical than wired Ethernet. But IMO any WiFi solution we support needs to provide a good file upload speed to the SD card, and the existing ESP8266 solution described in a thread in the Developers section of these forums does not provide this. There are other WiFi modules besides the ESP8266 that may make fast file upload easier to achieve.

If the ESP8266 is desirable for size or cost considerations, it appears that it is possible to change the firmware to achieve 1.5Mb/s upload and ~3.5Mb/s download via an SDIO interface to the module [www.reddit.com] (links to related URL)

You could of course piggy-back the innards of a USB WiFi dongle onto the Duet PCB if your CPU has a spare USB port, which will probably be more cost-effective than buying the components separately.

Dave

I dont know if this is possible but i would like the possibility of managing bigger and stronger steppers somehow.

---

Delta Printer
Duet 0.8.5 firmware 1.19

Quote
Gaou
I dont know if this is possible but i would like the possibility of managing bigger and stronger steppers somehow.

We are evaluating alternative stepper motor drivers that can run at higher currents than the A4982. I think it is already possible to run some Nema 32 motors from a Duet, by choosing motors with a rated current of 2A or less and using 24V power.

---

Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

Features that would be really nice to have :
One or more pins that I can tie to a simple G code. In the machines I work on every day I have a number of "spare m codes" that I can use to turn on a relay, send index pulses to an independent rotary table controller, or whatever needs turning off and on via program control. Bonus points if these were opto isolated so I can do whatever with whatever voltage. Tool change systems, nozzle wipe, all kinds of things we haven't thought of yet.
A second input for fan voltage, independent of the main voltage input. You can't always find the fan you want in the voltage you want, specifically 24v fans. Choices in form factor get awful narrow, and if your system is 24v you are kind of stuck. Smoothie has at least two isolated voltage inputs. Maybe even just a jumper option to take system voltage -OR- 5v from the board, as most fans come in 5v flavors.

I have a suggestion for those using TPLINK or similar Nano routers for wirelessly connecting to the Duet (assuming the NG still uses an ethernet port), how about the edition of a micro-USB port, solely for providing 5V power to the router. Just a thought.

Quote
Kurzaa
I have a suggestion for those using TPLINK or similar Nano routers for wirelessly connecting to the Duet (assuming the NG still uses an ethernet port), how about the edition of a micro-USB port, solely for providing 5V power to the router. Just a thought.

That's a good suggestion - one less mains socket needed, and a few £ off the cost of the router.

Or maybe it would be better to provide WiFi instead of Ethernet on the board? Does it depend on whether you are a home or a commercial user?

---

Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

Quote
dc42

Quote
Kurzaa
I have a suggestion for those using TPLINK or similar Nano routers for wirelessly connecting to the Duet (assuming the NG still uses an ethernet port), how about the edition of a micro-USB port, solely for providing 5V power to the router. Just a thought.

That's a good suggestion - one less mains socket needed, and a few £ off the cost of the router.

Or maybe it would be better to provide WiFi instead of Ethernet on the board? Does it depend on whether you are a home or a commercial user?

Given the choice, I would prefer the Ethernet only connection than a WiFi only connection.

I assumed the ethernet was built into the 32-bit chip itself, so I would likely just keep the built-in ethernet port instead of adding to the cost of the board for wifi.

I think I would prefer wifi over ethernet, since I can always plug in a computer via USB if I need to be tethered and also why I originally purchased the Nano immediately after ordering the 0.85. Though I doubt I will be buying the NG anytime soon. Likely recycle my RAMPS board first if I ever build a second printer.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/12/2016 11:57PM by Kurzaa.

Good to hear development is ongoing. I bought my duet 0.8.5 4 months ago and still working to get it completely integrated into my 3D printer.

Here some experience I made and feature feedback.

- it would be great to have all LEDs on one side, to have it viewable when the board is installed.
- was already mentioned above, heater connecteors could be a bit of bigger size
- I personally like the copper LAN port and prefer a copper Lan only solution over a WLAN only solution, both options would be a pricing quetion
- is there a change to use silent (less noisy) stepper driver ? The allegros are noisy.
- higher current stepperdriver (may be over the expansion board). I use a NEMA 23-HS41-1804S due to the current limitaion
- is support for a laser diode possible (constant current supply at ~ 4 - 6 amps) for laser cutter projects ?
- as already mentioned above, dual power feeds, to have 12V for fans and 24V for heaters.
- would be possible to have one driver with two pin headers to drive two steppers in serial or parallel (selectable). A couple of users have 2 steppers for e.g. the z-axis. (low priority feature)
- as already mentioned, one Thermocouple solution for termperatures over 300 °

- can the PanelDue and the Duex 4.2a used on the new Duet NG ? That could be an upgrade path for 0.8.5 owners.
- some integration of water cooling control system (may be reusing one extruder channel for this, who wants to use water cooling) into the concept of the hardware/software solution
- a exchangeable fuse on the PCB ( I have always have some bad butt feeling whithout a fuse. But no issue with the 0.8.5 design yet without a fuse :-) )

Pumlux, thanks for the feedback. In answer to some of your points:

- the hot end heater terminals will definitely be larger

- the existing PanelDue will work with the new board, which will have a connector for it just like the 0.8.5 board

- there will be provision for connecting two stepper motors in series

- we are evaluating alternative motor drivers that provide greater microstepping and/or greater current capability

- the Duet 0.8.5 already has most of the leds at the connector edge of the board. It's probably not practical to put the endstop leds there as well - but you can see the endstop status in the web interface anyway, or use M119

- easier support for thermocouples is planned

- a constant current supply for a laser is IMO better done on a separate board. Many lasers also need feedback from a phototransistor to avoid damaging the laser.

- is there a particular reason why you want to use 12V fans on a 24V system, when 24V fans are readily available and inexpensive? There are already ways to run a 12V fan from a Duet with 24V power, if you add an external 12V regulator.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/2016 07:16PM by dc42.

---

Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

Quote
dc42
- is there a particular reason why you want to use 12V fans on a 24V system, when 24V fans are readily available and inexpensive? There are already ways to run a 12V fan from a Duet with 24V power, if you add an external 12V regulator.

Depending on where the fan is, you can run two 12v fans connected in series at 24v. I was doing this on the cover of the case for the Duet until I switched back to 12v when I replaced the DC heater with an AC version.

Quote
dc42

- is there a particular reason why you want to use 12V fans on a 24V system, when 24V fans are readily available and inexpensive? There are already ways to run a 12V fan from a Duet with 24V power, if you add an external 12V regulator.

Yes, because although you can find some fans that are 24v there is a MUCH greater selection at 5v or 12v, particularly the smaller type that would benefit mounting to a print head.

LEDs on one side:
Having all LEDs on one side is definetly a very low priority.
If everything works fine, you can better live without all
blinking LEDs. During calibrating and building your own
printer from scratch, it is good to see the status LED
from endstop and bed heater on a single view.

12V and 24V system :
I use AC heater for the print bed, but sometimes I believe my 40W
heater for the hotend, delviers heat not fast enough for higher
printspeeds and I may go to 24V for the hotend. The fan for
my E3D Chimera is 30x30 and I found this only for 12V.
I may use alternatives e.g. 2 fans 12V in series, or resistor, or
regulator. IF the Duet would provide both voltages, it would be just easier.
But I do not want to raise much cost for such a small benefit, so this is
also not a high priority.

Laser driver extension:
I haven't spend time on details yet. Just one silly thought
if the duet has all on board to driver such 3-6W laser diodes.

E3D do 24 v 30x30 fans and heaters

The question of fans comes regularly. On most printers and hotends, the quality of the fans is questionable and finding better quality is not easy.
My own experience is:
One of my printer is in 24V (on the Duet 0.8.5), the other in 19V (redesign from the Fisher delta kit, on the Duet 0.6)
Fisher fan was super noisy and I wanted to replace with high quality fan. I settled for Sunon 'maglev' type. these fans could be found on ebay for ~7 Euros each (+ shipping) in 5 or 12V. They are 27 Euros (VAT included) in 24V, on few supply channels (Farnell or the like, with high shipping cost in addition to high part cost). [uk.farnell.com] [edit] and ONLY in 40x40 (no 25x25 or 30x30)
Also, for the 19V power supply, (computer power supply block), it is not thinkable to find fans in 19V.

At the end I installed 5V fans on the hotend with a safety diode for the controlled one, but I don't like this installation.

And the last, on my two printers, I used for recycling fan (carbon filters) fans salvaged from computers in 12V. Probably better to buy good fans new, but they were in my drawers, so that was easy.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2016 04:16PM by PRZ.

I bought my 24V fans from here [www.ebay.co.uk]. They do sizes from 25mm upwards.

---

Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

Radial blowers work better for some tasks than axial style, the ones I like that have decent lifespans are only found in 5v and 12v in smaller sizes. You asked for feedback, and you have at the least 5v available on board. Not sure why a jumper to select system voltage or 5v is such a stretch.

Dave,

More PWM fan outputs vs. always on would be a big bonus. It's one feature I miss compared to my Smoothie board.

1. Layer Fan
2. Hot End Fan
3. Chassis Fan (Cooling stepper drivers, etc)

I like being able to shut the fans down as needed after a print to keep the noise down and preserve fan life.

Overall, I am impressed with the Duet and especially the firmware. I was a bit hesitant at first using 100% gcode for configuration, but after using it, it just makes sense.

Hi David,

Is there any update or news you can provide on the status of the DuetNG?

Cheers
Phil

I have an early prototype on my desk, running version 1.11 of my fork of RRF. This prototype is a test bed for some new technologies including the ARM Cortex M4 processor and different stepper motor drivers. There will be another round of prototyping when we have finalised our use of these technologies. So production is still a few months away.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2016 09:43AM by dc42.

---

Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

Thanks David, for the update, decisions decisions

Quote
dc42
I have an early prototype on my desk,....... the ARM Cortex M4 processor and different stepper motor drivers.

it seems to me you are in the middle of a playground...!

---

Delta Printer
Duet 0.8.5 firmware 1.19

Hello,

I am designing an own printer model at the moment. I guess the design would be ready about July or maybe August. I planned to use the Duet 0.85. Is it worth to wait for the DuetNG?
The design would be some sort of CoreXY with 0.9° per step stpper motors. System voltage 24V DC, Dual extrusion.

Best regards,

Sven

---

Slicer: Simplify3D 4.0; sometimes CraftWare 1.14 or Cura 2.7
Delta with Duet-WiFi, FW: 1.20.1RC2; mini-sensor board by dc42 for auto-leveling
Ormerod common modifications: Mini-sensor board by dc42, aluminum X-arm, 0.4 mm nozzle E3D like, 2nd fan, Z stepper nut M5 x 15, Herringbone gears, Z-axis bearing at top, spring loaded extruder with pneumatic fitting, Y belt axis tensioner
Ormerod 2: FW: 1.19-dc42 on Duet-WiFi. own build, modifications: GT2-belts, silicone heat-bed, different motors and so on. Printed parts: bed support, (PSU holder) and Y-feet.
Ormerod 1: FW: 1.15c-dc42 on 1k Duet-Board. Modifications: Aluminium bed-support, (nearly) all parts reprinted in PLA/ ABS, and so on.

My best guess is that the new Duet will ship sometime in July, with firmware that is stable but lacking a few features. But development schedules often slip. So I suggest you design for the 0.8.5 board and then see what is available when you are close to completing the printer.

The new board will probably be the same size as the existing one with the same mounting holes, although we may need to make it slightly longer. The comms connections and SD socket will be on the short edge as with the existing Duet, so plan to have that edge accessible from the outside. We plan on having a daughter board that sits on top for connecting thermocouples.

The Duet 0.8.5 will continue to ship after the new board is available.

---

Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].