I’m going to build my own laser engraver, I have no idea how, but still…
I have been looking different servo motors/drivers.
Some are “suitable” grbl, which my Creality Falcon 2 pro read.
Is that a same grbl (G-code?) or some other “grbl”-software?
Are they same, or what? What is the difference between those grbls…?
If i buy two servo motors, and grbl driver controller (and main board) for them, are they suitable to Lightburn, or do i get it wrong…
Some body with pation, could you please tell me what should I do…
Sorry my funny English… ha…
Tldr: Any GRBL compatible controller will do, but there are different ones for a variety of different needs and requirements.
With a X-Y(-Z) table diode laser it’s pretty straightforward:
The easy part…
First You choose the laser unit/head.
Then You choose steppers (and moving method) that are able to move that mass (+the gantry on one axis) with the accuracy and speed You require.
Then You choose the drivers that can drive those steppers the way You require.
Then You choose a controller to control those drivers and everything else You might desire to include to the build.
Finally You choose a power supply capable of powering all that.
Since there’s not much sense to DIY a small engraver/cutter, the sheer power requirement of the drivers means that the controller and the stepper drivers are probably going to be separate units, even though most if not all smaller engravers use combined contollers and drivers for economical reasons.
A modular construction is also easier to service and modify if (/when) required.
Then (for most) comes the hard part:
You choose the method that transforms the rotation of the steppers into linear movement.
Then You choose the design of the ways/guides themselves.
And finally the frame structure to support and house it all.
If I was in Your situation -and one of these days I will be- I’d research online to find out whether someone else has already built a similar machine and use their BOM (bill of materials) as a rough guideline of the costs involved.
And their build story as a way to prevent potentially costly mistakes.
Unless You have something really wild in mind, good chances are that someone has made a similar one already.
I’m pretty much guaranteed to be SOL in more ways than one with the build I have in mind, but that’s another story entirely.
With solid engineering knowledge (and deeeep pockets) it is of course possible to design and build a diode laser machine without any help, but since the most of us are probably on some kind of tightish budget, at least moneywise it pays to avoid as many of the pitfalls that are bound to plague a build like that as possible.
Cultural progress is sometimes explained as “not repeating the mistakes of the previous generations” and IMO they’re not wrong about that.
So scaling it down from a generation to those who have tried something similar before, makes perfect sense.
To me anyway.
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