I also just read the Smoothieware code quite a bit. Seems a good starting point for implementing virtual I/O. I will nevertheless try to write a stepper implementation which is specifically written for the ESP8266 to squeeze the maximum out of the little ESP8266. On the side, I will start designing a board for an ESP8266 + Stepsticks and all the interfacing stuff in between to have a platform toby vajpeters - Developers
With power I actually mean the ammount of instructions spend... Sorry for my English, I'm a Dutchman...by vajpeters - Developers
Hmm, interesting stuff. Though it is tempting to spend the computing power on higher precision or more convenient programming, I'm a supporter of efficiency and reducing the power footprint as much as possible. One of the problems with the ESP8266 is the OS functions running in the background. The timers which are accessible to the programming interface are software timers. So the Wi-Fi can inteby vajpeters - Developers
As promised I offered to through a some brain power on the ESP8266-I2S Reprap controller idea, I need some reality checks. So here I go: The major difference between using the AVR or ARM processors (with direct access to interrupts) and the ESP8266 with I2S interface is they way timing is handled. Though the ESP8266 can do some kind of timing interrupts, the I2S interface works with buffers pushby vajpeters - Developers
@lhartmann: what a great idea. I have tested the I2S interfacing stuff with a few 595 chips and some RGB LED's, and it works great. Thanks for bringing this to the table! One of the nice things on the ESP8266 with I2S DMA is the buffering. Though buffering makes the I2S interface not real time (and hard to use with existing interrupt driven firmware code), it also enables the possibility of usinby vajpeters - Developers
To make it a little easier, these sockets work perfect and are more reliable: (wich you can also find on eBay cheaper...)by vajpeters - Controllers
Then I also have another tip for all the users with trouble out there: check the sockets you are using to mount the TB6560AHQ's. It is very likely that the sockets don't make proper contact with the leads of the IC. If this is the case, you get strange brown-out errors and resets. In the worst case, you can damage your TB6560AHQ's due to improper powering. So be warned...by vajpeters - Controllers
Found something interesting! Remember my TB6560AHQ trouble? None of the suggestions helped. It drove me quite crazy. And then I discovered somebody else with similar problems: . And it gave me a clue. But what caused it? Actually I was punished for being greedy. I bought 5 TB6560AHQ’s from eBay (from GC_Supermarket). After reading the website above, I checked all my TB6560AHQ’s. They all gave aby vajpeters - Controllers
Found it! And none of the suggestions helped. It drove me quite crazy. And then I discovered somebody else with similar problems: . And it gave me a clue. But what caused it? Actually I was punished for being greedy. I bought 5 TB6560AHQ’s from eBay (from GC_Supermarket). After reading the website above, I checked all my TB6560AHQ’s. They all gave a zero ohm reading between pin 1 and 17. Somethiby vajpeters - Controllers
Just wondering, I was busy with your design and TB6560 chips. And my chips continuously are heating up extremely fast when I apply the 5V. (I haven't tried putting the Vmot also on them, I found the heat during 5V startup alarming enough to stop experimenting.) What do you suggest? Have you ever encountered similar problems?by vajpeters - Controllers
I have made a prototype, but my TB6560 seems to be running hot without moving a stepper motor. What can it be? All other functions are working properly with Repetier, but these TB6560 are a lot more difficult to work with! Does anyone have a suggestion where to look? I have checked my PCB for soldering mistakes, but the PCB is nice and tidy. And the schematic also doesn't show any mistakes as farby vajpeters - Controllers
Got it! Thanks a lot! That last bit was the solution!by vajpeters - Repetier
Somehow now a different error shows up: SDCard.cpp: In constructor 'SDCard:DCard()': SDCard.cpp:44: error: 'DIO49_DDR' was not declared in this scope SDCard.cpp:44: error: 'DIO49_PIN' was not declared in this scope SDCard.cpp:45: error: 'DIO49_WPORT' was not declared in this scope SDCard.cpp:45: error: 'DIO49_PIN' was not declared in this scope SDCard.cpp:45: error: 'DIO49_WPORT' was not declarby vajpeters - Repetier
Here I have the same problem, but then with a Gen 7 v1.4.1. Same situation, but with a different board. I've also tried using different versions of Arduino with their compatible Gen 7 support packages. Nothing worked.by vajpeters - Repetier
The relay is for powering up the TB6560's. The 1N4001 is for protecting the transistor driving the coil. Isn't this right? And is the diode configuration in my v4 scheme okay to protect the MOSFETS? I see in the RAMPS and Sanguinololu that it could also be solved with a 10k resistor, which could be cheaper. Is that also sufficient?by vajpeters - Controllers
So here it is, version 7. The changes I made are minor: - I changed for T73 relays because they are the cheapest available relays for the current needed. - I cleaned up and widened some traces to prevent the board from failing on high currents. - Changed to transistor instead of MOSFET activation for the relay Can all of you check this one last time? Then I will make another 10 proto's...by vajpeters - Controllers
And one question: would it be possible to use Marlin on a TB6560 design board?by vajpeters - Controllers
That's a good point, but these chips are a bit more expensive and a lot harder to source. The focus point of this controller is it's commenly available components at the lowest possible cost. I really try to push the limits of price/functionality for a dual extruder controller board... What interests me is the second point you make: the TB6560 missing steps. Is that because of the pulse width inby vajpeters - Controllers
I have made a few updates to the board: - The fuses are now in the positive line, this should improve safety. I have chosen to go for polyfuses, but I will test normal fuses in this design as well. - The power tracks are made a lot thicker, the heated printbed should be able to get 16amp without burning the traces in the new design. - The connectors are changed to 16amp types. This should prevenby vajpeters - Controllers
In my humble opinion the diodes are not working as reverse protection diodes. I'll take the diodes out, for they only cost money and don't provide any extra functionality. 12 Amp car fuses are hard to find. 8A and 16A seem to be the standard. Maybe 16A is the right choice for the HPB?by vajpeters - Controllers
But then the question comes to my mind: why would you use 12V anyways? If I change the whole board to 24Volt, what needs to be changed? The 7805 can handle 24V, and fans can run on 5V?by vajpeters - Controllers
But what if I choose to use automotive fuses? Then a current bouncing situation cannot happen due to the fact that the fuse burns through and isn't automatically fixed after the power is off...by vajpeters - Controllers
Auch! I have 35um copper on the boards (equal to 1oz.), and my trace with is around 48mil on each side. So close to 100mil in total (0.1"), which is close to a 25% of what you advise. Is that right? I can put 75mil at most on each side. Which gives me 150mil. Could that be enough? Or should I expect burned traces?by vajpeters - Controllers
How much do you advise to size them up?by vajpeters - Controllers
Hmm, nice suggestions. - One thing I should have told you about the board design: it's dual sided, so the power traces for the heated bed are also placed on both sides. According to my calculations, a 48mil trace should be able to carry 5-6Amps without heating up too much. So my dual sided construction should be able to transfer at least around 10Amps without getting into trouble. But this is soby vajpeters - Controllers
First of all, thanks to Bryan for reviewing my work. I appreciate it a lot! The points you bring to my attention I have solved more or less in the attached version. So here are the changes: - The resistors inside the Atmega frame I have replaced a little more inside the frame, so that no collision will occur when assembling. - The torque pins are still not wired up, my plan is to use the resistby vajpeters - Controllers
I thought it would be nice to drop a note: I have been inspired by this design to make my own dual extrusion controller with TB6560's. Linkby vajpeters - Controllers
After reading a lot of stuff in the Sanguish forum topic, I came up with the idea to step it up to the next level: dual extrusion. At the same time I wanted the controller to be cheap, easy and packed with as much features as possible. The design requirements set are the following: - Heated Print Bed - Dual hot-end - 4 TB6560 for X, Y, E0 and E1 - L297 + ULN2803 for Z axis (to make the use of chby vajpeters - Controllers
I just read this topic and want to share my experiences: I use an aluminum 1,5mm thick sheet. Thoroughly cleaned with an abrasive sponge and some glass cleaner. Then I place the plate on the machine and treat it with 1:5 PVA. Within a few minutes it dries at 80 degrees. When dry I start printing large PLA parts. First layer 80degrees, the rest on 55degrees. After the print finishes the reason fby vajpeters - General