Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. And he has a new best-of writing collection and “lazy man’s memoir,” called Borg Like Me.
10 thoughts on “Easy to build desktop CNC machine”
kylecroftsays:
This is awesome.
samurai1200says:
Gah, none of these desktop CNCs are really “easy to build,” they are only “simpler than some others.” For instance, this instructable is missing all the requirements to interfacing with a computer…
The next MAKE volume needs step-by-steps on how to do a desktop CNC!!!!!!!!!!
tsaylorsays:
“The next MAKE volume needs step-by-steps on how to do a desktop CNC!!!!!!!!!!”
Absolutely. That’d be excellent, and it could use the Make controller!
RussNelsonsays:
Unfortunately, the Make controller only has eight binary outputs. It can only control two stepping motors.
Crosiussays:
Not exactly – it can only control two stepper motors without additional hardware.
If you add driver boards with direction & step inputs, you can drive 4 such boards (and therefore 4 motors) with the 8 outputs. You just need to use them as paired digital outputs.
Of course, you’d also lose the easy OSC-based stepper commands without compiling your own firmware and reworking those sections of the code.
Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. And he has a new best-of writing collection and “lazy man’s memoir,” called Borg Like Me.
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This is awesome.
Gah, none of these desktop CNCs are really “easy to build,” they are only “simpler than some others.” For instance, this instructable is missing all the requirements to interfacing with a computer…
The next MAKE volume needs step-by-steps on how to do a desktop CNC!!!!!!!!!!
“The next MAKE volume needs step-by-steps on how to do a desktop CNC!!!!!!!!!!”
Absolutely. That’d be excellent, and it could use the Make controller!
Unfortunately, the Make controller only has eight binary outputs. It can only control two stepping motors.
Not exactly – it can only control two stepper motors without additional hardware.
If you add driver boards with direction & step inputs, you can drive 4 such boards (and therefore 4 motors) with the 8 outputs. You just need to use them as paired digital outputs.
Of course, you’d also lose the easy OSC-based stepper commands without compiling your own firmware and reworking those sections of the code.