Hello I am new to building a router! The mechanical end I understand, but the electronics that's a different story. I'm sure this has been asked before, but what electronics do I use to control the router! If I buy the PiBot kit is that all I need + the power supply? What controls the spindle speed or does it run full rpm all the time? Is there a complete kit other than the PiBot? Thank you for your input! Brian
I am also new to the page. I'm interested in building my own cnc router. I can find most parts but what about controllers and programs? Which work best with which?
I use GRBL Panel (Home · gerritv/Grbl-Panel Wiki · GitHub) as my control software. I have never tried any other because I set it up and it worked the first time and every time. That being said, others have had good experience with several other open source controllers and many people like Mach 3 which can be purchased here Mach3 - Newfangled Solutions but requires a computer with a serial port. If you choose to use one of the many free open source GRBL controllers, you should read (Configuring Grbl v0.9 · grbl/grbl Wiki · GitHub) this because it will help you understand how it works. I linked the configuring page of the Wiki because it is a glossary of the GRBL settings, but the whole thing has valuable information. There is a lot of good info in both the Controller Software and Controller Boards threads on this forum. For controller I chose the Arduino board with the DQ542MA drivers. I started out with a CNC Shield and DRV8825 drivers that plug into it, but the DQ542MA drivers can handle both higher voltage and amperage which made my stepper motors happier. I wanted separate drivers instead of an all in one that way if one went bad, I could replace it easily.
Just a FYI, grbl is now on version 1.1, much better than 0.9, and it supports Laser/CNCweb open source software. V4 of LW is almost ready to deploy with some awesome CAM functions for milling.
