I am planning to build a laser cutter using a 100W CO2 laser and an xPro board. So far, it seems like it can control the laser's power with PWM no problem, but before I settle with that board I want to be able to see if it can support a proximity sensor. I want to integrate it so that I can have a z-axis so I can automatically and precisely focus the lens, and possibly change the focal distance if I have to do multiple cuts. Does the board have any inputs for a sensor like that? I saw some threads by mentioning laser diodes and a z-axis, but none of them mention a proximity sensor. On the spark concepts store page for the board it mentions auto-focus, but in the documentation it's never mentioned. Also, if you believe a better board is suited for the job let me know.
You could use the Z-Endstop input. It expects a digital signal (high or low) so if your sensor outputs appropriately (ie cannot support reading distance over I2c, SPI, Analog etc, only a HIGH/LOW) you can use that. Alternatively you can home the Z axis to a given min/max using the endstop, and then read the Proximity sensor as a Probe (See gnea/grbl for details)
