Electronics

The basic layout of the electronics is summarized above. The host computer sends GCode commands to the Arduino where a program interprets the GCode and sends commands to the stepper drivers and laser shutter control circuit.

An early implementation of the control electronics. The five Pololu A4983 stepper motor drivers (now discontinued) are configured simply to provide speed and direction control here and there are no optical endstops hooked up yet.

One of the greatest drawbacks of this system is the cost of the lab-grade laser power supply that I used to power my IR laser. I was able to borrow an ILX Lightwave diode controller and power supply for the duration of the project. These devices cost between $1,300 and $2,500 used, which is definitely prohibitively expensive for the homebrew 3D printing community. During my research, I saw several inexpensive PCB power supplies that claimed to be capable of delivering up to 1.5 Watts to blue laser diodes, which could be a cost-effective alternative to my IR laser and lab-quality power supply.