{"id":1348,"date":"2014-04-24T18:58:45","date_gmt":"2014-04-24T18:58:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jtechphotonics.com\/?page_id=1348"},"modified":"2020-04-06T15:19:57","modified_gmt":"2020-04-06T21:19:57","slug":"makergear-m2-upgrade","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jtechphotonics.com\/?page_id=1348","title":{"rendered":"MakerGear M2 3D Printer Upgrade"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"M2_with_MG_lrg_large\"<\/a><\/h2>\n

The MakerGear M2 printer is the top selling 3D printer on Amazon.com and it is their 3D generation of their printers so it comes with great accuracy and build quality.  That being said, what if you want to put a laser on it?  Good question!  These are the instructions on how to get the M2 set up with the electronics to control the laser driver board via G Code.<\/p>\n

The M2 uses the Rambo board from the RepRap project (info here: http:\/\/reprap.org\/wiki\/Rambo<\/a>).  The board has two fan outputs as well as a header for accessory PWM outputs.  Considering it has a nice header for the PWM outputs, I think this is the way to go.<\/p>\n

Of course, you will still need to figure out a mechanical design to mount the laser to the printer Z axis, but that should be a fun project on the printer!  The dimensions and solid models are located in the documents section of the website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I know everyone is anxious to here how this will work, so let’s get started!<\/p>\n

Electrical Connections<\/h3>\n

You will have to remove the top of the electronics box to get to the Rambo board.  The header for the PWM signals are just right above the processor chip in a single row called “PWM EXT”.  There are 6 pins, starting with pin 1 on the left.  A picture is shown below where the header is.  It is labeled “Laser Upgrade Header”.<\/p>\n

\"Laser<\/a><\/p>\n

The M2 has the feature to add an LED to the printer, so we are going to use this output.  There are two of the pins that are needed to connect to the laser driver board:<\/p>\n