Gen3 & derivatives compatible Polulu driver

I have assembled ten stepper drivers for reprap/makerbot electronics based around the Polulu stepper drivers. I have enough inventory for 50 units in all, but they are not all assembled.

Gen3 users may plug in the standard 10 pin header plug. End stops are plugged in via 0.1 inch header pins. Many users seem to prefer the smaller plugs, but if you are still using the cat5e cables, the kit includes some crimps so so that you can put the correct end on your end stop cable. Modifications to the end stops themselves are not required.

Gen 3 derivatives and some custom electronic sets may be connected via the terminal block, which provides connections for power, a bi-polar stepper motor, and step, direction, and enable signal wires.

See the reprap stores and the wiki page for more details.

I have been testing five of these stepper drivers on my own Mendel variant, which uses two motors for the Z-axis instead of one. My test rig is primarily a RAMPS kit, but I have replaced the on board stepper drivers with my own and re-wired the endstops to pass through the stepper driver. After two months of use, I see no issues. I have also briefly tested them on a makerbot with gen3 electronics to confirm correct pinout and function.

If you have questions, please contact me via PM or email at cbarrick@zoominternet.net.

I did a bit of work to the wiki page page. It now has pictures to help describe practically every step. I broke it down a little differently too. Hopefully the new information and layout are more concise and informative. I also corrected a mistake in the schematic. While the circuit boards themselves were correct, when I drew the schematic I had a couple of leads switched around.

I didn't think people would want the circuit board without the polulu stepper driver, so I have not created a listing for this. I have had a few requests for them this way though. I will sell just the circuit board for 13$ plus shipping and tax (where applicable) to anyone who requests it this way. If you want to buy through services such as eBay or the Reprap stores, I can create special listings but I will have to charge more to cover the seller fees.

I don't have Gen4 gear to test this with, but I think it should work with a gen4 motherboard using the 10 pin to 6 pin cable described here under the "compatibility" section. If not, you could still wire to the terminal block instead.