So, next stop.... Electronics option for new build

[Rusty105]

Ok, taking another step in my upcoming Voron build, the electronics.. I am still working out 300 vs 350 and Trident vs V2.4 in this thread https://forum.vorondesign.com/threads/trident-or-v2-4-300-or-350.1049/

So after deciding on size, I guess electronics / software decesions are next. From what I have gathered so far, I need a controller board and a Raspberry Pi. Ok, I can find a Pi, I hope. (Or maybe an equavalent) But what controller board? SKR, Octopus, Spider?? Some of the features I would like to have are TAP, CAN, sensorless endstops, ERCF MMU, Fans, LED lightig.

I guess after that it Octoprint, Mainsail or Fluidd?


Thanks for the help
Rusty

 

[Sandman50]

I went with a BTT Manta M8P with pi CM4 board.

Though the 300 or 350 has ample space in the electronics compartment for a pi and a 5VDC power supply, an integral CM4 on the main board reduces the number of connections and the number of wires to manage.

The other attractive feature would be to use a CAN toolhead board - and a mainboard with that already on it (which is on a Manta M8P). MUCH simpler wiring to the tool head. Really not that hard to get setup vs. flashing Klipper on a mainboard. Practically you end of flashing klipper twice and CAN once. The process is about the same for all, so just some repetition and reading of manuals, and watching YouTube videos.

I'm using a Spider 2.3 for a switchwire build. It has a lot of IO on it for fans and stuff, but the PI is separate as well as CAN. Nice thing is you can power the PI off the Spider so just a GPIO cable. You can use UART to have them talk, but a USB cable was simpler.

The OS is up to you. Really just six of one, half dozen of another. I think the suggestion is to use a Pi4 if you want to run Octoprint, but a Pi3 is perfect for Mainsail or Fluid. They all function well enough. (I like mainsail, but have used Octoprint).

Use Kiauh to install all of those once you get your chosen Pi running on it's lite OS.

GitHub - dw-0/kiauh: Klipper Installation And Update Helper

Klipper Installation And Update Helper. Contribute to dw-0/kiauh development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

 

[claudermilk]

I'm quite happy with my Pi4 + Octopus combo on my Trident. I'm connecting the two using GPIO, so the Octopus 5V rail is powering the Pi. Even with multiple mods, I still have plenty more connections for most anything.

For software I started with Mainsail but now prefer Fluidd. It is just a matter of preference. The nice thing is you can run both if you feel like it.