I am a beginner in the cnc diy world. I starting to collect the materials and printing the parts for the Root 4 . I am a little confused on the controller though. Do I use the Root Controller or do I use Ramp controllers and Arduino Mega as a controller. Thanks
Hey, welcome to the forum.
That’s a good question and one which has many parameters to define before selecting one.
As a quick answer. Both work and will be applicable. So if you brought one you’ll be fine.
Digging into it more here are. Couple of question you’ll need answer before one is a stronger preference:
1, Do you need spindle control?
2, Are you happy to tether it to a PC via USB?
3, Are you planning on driving external stepper motor drivers
4, Do you need 24V or higher supply?
5, Do you prefer marlin or GRBL?
Those are questions which come to mind.
Thank you so much for responding. I was planning on using a VFD for separate spindle control. I would prefer not to tether but that is not a deal breaker. I was also planning on using the 4 axis CNC router kit listed in the BOM. From what I have seen, Marlin looks like the better option. I have a little familiarity with GRBL but not enough to sway me either way…
I understand - tbh you might want to consider RS485 for VFD control, it does save a lot of time manually setting the spindle speed for each job. just let the Gcode to set it. that’s one thing I prefer the most of GRBL but either way, both are CNC controllers. one more aimed at 3D Printers and the other at CNCs but both are excellent at motion control
Hello.
I’m just going to bump up the topic.
I am also trying to build ROOT 4.
I’m going to buy a set of motors with controllers and a power supply, which is linked in the BOM. Which controller should I use? How do I even connect it together? Where can I find information on this topic?
Hello, I have started building the Root 4, only printed a few parts so far, and purchased the Root 4 starter pack online.
My question is this; can I run the Root 4 solely on marlin? Because I’m familiar with marlin, having extensive 3D printing experience.
Plus I like the user interface, it’s easy to understand.
Thanks