Where the limit of stepper driver per boards come from ?

jrockland

I tried Duet3HC and they are a total disaster.
I still try to get reprap to work with my machines..

If I get a board made following the Duet3 design, could I just make it with 24 stepper drivers on the main board ? If there is a limitation, where would it be ?

Thank

fcwilt

@jrockland said in Where the limit of stepper driver per boards come from ?:

I tried Duet3HC and they are a total disaster.

Could you expand upon that a bit please.

Saying they are a "total disaster" with no other information is of little use with regards to improving the product.

Thanks.

Frederick

Phaedrux

@jrockland said in Where the limit of stepper driver per boards come from ?:

If there is a limitation, where would it be ?

Step pulse generation maybe? Electrical connections to the CPU perhaps?

jrockland

@fcwilt I had been talking with the guy's here for over 2 months. Multiple communication and memory issues.

jrockland

@Phaedrux well yea it is what I would love to know. If the Dev can tell me if it is possible Ill hire someone to make it.

fcwilt

@jrockland said in Where the limit of stepper driver per boards come from ?:

@fcwilt I had been talking with the guy's here for over 2 months. Multiple communication and memory issues.

Well it is a whole new architecture and the problems are being addressed.

I certainly wouldn't call it a "disaster".

I'm rather surprised it's going as well as it is.

And I have complete faith it will all get sorted before too long.

How many steppers do you need for your machines?

Frederick

jrockland

@fcwilt o im sure they will find a way to make it work someday, but on 3 boards attached to different projects I couldnt get a single print out of it. So I called this a disaster.

biggest one is a double inverted h-bot on a xyzuv gantry (5 axis) equipt with a quad remote/direct extruder..:
2X, 2Y, 4Z, 4E and 1 for the treadmill bed. So 13 steppers.

Dont get me wrong, I think the guys did an awesome job with the firmware and the 6HC, but maybe can bus wasnt the best choice for communication... im not in electronic so Idk.

fcwilt

@jrockland said in Where the limit of stepper driver per boards come from ?:

2X, 2Y, 4Z, 4E and 1 for the treadmill bed. So 13 steppers.

A Duet 2 WiFi with Duex 5 can control 12 steppers if you use 2 external drivers.

Could you get by with 3Z?

1 for the treadmill bed

So this is a combination printer and exercise machine?

Frederick

jrockland

@fcwilt I might give a try to the duet2, havent see much complaint about the duex 5.. but Im not sure I want to spend more money on duets. On our actual printers we use marlin's boards and we don't have issues.
The printer bed is a treadmill type (unlimited Z / non-stop parts production.)

jrockland

@fcwilt cant do 3Z, my gantry is 5 axis (does 45° angle on X and Y)

fcwilt

@jrockland said in Where the limit of stepper driver per boards come from ?:

@fcwilt I might give a try to the duet2, havent see much complaint about the duex 5.

I have five sets of Duet 2 WiFI / Duex 5 combos - it was my setup of choice - but the new Duet 3 parts look promising.

The only one I'm prepared to use in a printer at this point is the Duet 3 Mini 5 which is very nice for simple printers.

As to your 4Z setup - are you tilting the bed with it?

IF, I say IF that is the case why is 3Z not possible - 3 points define a plane.

Thanks.

Frederick