Help choosing a control board for a DIY machine

Community Laser Talk
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Hello
I am currently building a DIY laser engraving unit with a 30W(input obviously) diode laser.
I have everything planned and most of the parts sourced, as I want to build it myself to learn about CNC machines instead of buying a kit. I have also designed it in a way, so it can be upgraded to a co2 laser in the future after I get some experience with the process.

The only thing that has me totally lost is choosing a controll board. So I would like to ask for suggestions.

It should work good with lightburn,

Should not break the bank (I am thinking about 40€ or less, 50 is also manageable if it is a substantially better option)

I heard that 32 bit is superior to the “old” 8 bit systems, but I am a bit confused why and how that is.

It should already include the possibility to control and power the NEMA 17 motors (1x and 2y axis) I plan on using.

I hope this fits in the “hardware” section of the forum.
Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.

Cheers

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There are a number of boards on Amazon you could use and I am sure other users here will chip in with what they have actually used. For my CO2 home build I actually used a replacement Eleksmaker 3 axis board. It is incredibly cheap and easy to use. I have since upgraded the motor driver, but out of the box it worked great. I did need to flash the later version of GRBL to get the best functionality. It is only 8 bit and that does restrict the maximum speed on complex engraving, but home build mechanics tend to be a limiting factor when it comes to acceleration and top speed.

Banggood have actually been a great supplier despite being in China!

Cheers

David

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