motion in general. This is because of the clever design that morphs from variable microstepping at low speeds to full step at higher speeds. This largely eliminates low speed resonance problems which are inherent in stepper motors. You can use a less sophisticated controller but performance will suffer and the firmware will also have to be modified. The recommended Gecko drive is a little more expensive than some of their less expensive models but this one is virtually indestructible which is good for building your first machine. If you are experienced and careful you can save a little money buying the less protected version of the controller. The control board should be mounted on a solid surface so it does not flex when the RJ11 connectors are plugged and unplugged. Wires need to be run from the Gecko to the stepper motor and from the Shagmatic board to the Gecko. Wires need to be run from the limit switches to the Shagmatic board. Power needs to be provided to the Gecko. One caution is that if the limit switch wires are run in the same cable harness as the wires to the stepper motor, they should either be in a separate shielded cable and a ferrite installed on the wire at the controller end. It is really best to avoid problems by keeping the limit switches close to the control board as in the current design example. Electrical noise introduced in these lines can be very difficult to eliminate. Figure Control board wiring The "joystick" controller is simple a rotary encoder wired to an RJ11 socket and both mounted in a piece of PVC pipe with a pipe cap on one end. See the photograph for details. The latest design also has a miniature toggle switch that allows selection of "speed" from the controller. It really is the ratio of joystick motion to machine motion that is varied but the effect is similar to a change in speed. The two knob controller consists of two mechanical encoders mounted in a suitable box. It also uses an RJ11 socket. wiring should be done according to the wiring diagram and photograph. One or both encoders (depending on your choice) contain switches which determine whether one of the two encoders will control stroke length or offset. My preferred choice is to have a switch only on the encoder that
motion in general. This is because of the clever design that morphs from variable microstepping at low speeds to full step at higher speeds. This largely eliminates low speed resonance problems which are inherent in stepper motors. You can use a less sophisticated controller but performance will suffer and the firmware will also have to be modified. The recommended Gecko drive is a little more expensive than some of their less expensive models but this one is virtually indestructible which is good for building your first machine. If you are experienced and careful you can save a little money buying the less protected version of the controller. The control board should be mounted on a solid surface so it does not flex when the RJ11 connectors are plugged and unplugged. Wires need to be run from the Gecko to the stepper motor and from the Shagmatic board to the Gecko. Wires need to be run from the limit switches to the Shagmatic board. Power needs to be provided to the Gecko. One caution is that if the limit switch wires are run in the same cable harness as the wires to the stepper motor, they should either be in a separate shielded cable and a ferrite installed on the wire at the controller end. It is really best to avoid problems by keeping the limit switches close to the control board as in the current design example. Electrical noise introduced in these lines can be very difficult to eliminate. Figure Control board wiring The "joystick" controller is simple a rotary encoder wired to an RJ11 socket and both mounted in a piece of PVC pipe with a pipe cap on one end. See the photograph for details. The latest design also has a miniature toggle switch that allows selection of "speed" from the controller. It really is the ratio of joystick motion to machine motion that is varied but the effect is similar to a change in speed. The two knob controller consists of two mechanical encoders mounted in a suitable box. It also uses an RJ11 socket. wiring should be done according to the wiring diagram and photograph. One or both encoders (depending on your choice) contain switches which determine whether one of the two encoders will control stroke length or offset. My preferred choice is to have a switch only on the encoder that
building-your-own-shagmatic-board.docx