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better hardware for a 6 axis controller #5

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LucaCortelli opened this issue Dec 2, 2023 · 3 comments
Open

better hardware for a 6 axis controller #5

LucaCortelli opened this issue Dec 2, 2023 · 3 comments

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@LucaCortelli
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Hi, I'm building a 6-axis controller and I was wondering which driver is best suited for this purpose.

I see that stm32 has up to 6 axes while the teensy or esp32 reach 5 or 3 respectively
How much computing power is needed to manage 6 axes?
Is an stm32 able to handle them professionally or is there a need for more power?

Thanks to those who answer me.

@terjeio
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terjeio commented Dec 2, 2023

I would recommend a driver for a MCU that has a FPU. The Teensy is decidedly the fastest - and can handle 6 axes (or up to 8 if the driver is updated) - depending on the board map. The ESP32 is limited when it comes to GPIO pins so IMO not a good choice. The ESP32-S3 is somewhat better but sadly the RMT peripheral can only be used for up to 4 axes compared to the ESP32 that has 8 channels.

How much computing power is needed to manage 6 axes?

That would depend of what the max. step rate you are aiming for. Even an 8-bit Arduino can handle five axes, the 32-bit grblHAL drivers will have no problem handling six. Other determining factors for chosing a MCU would be which perhipherals are required. Serial ports for Modbus and/or a pendant, ethernet, WiFi, I2C bus, ...

Is an stm32 able to handle them professionally or is there a need for more power?

STM32F4xx, STM32F7xx and STM32H7xx should be able to handle 6 axes without breaking a sweat.

@LucaCortelli
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Thanks for the very precise explanation.I was seeing that a 3d board use the STM32H723ZET6 or STM32F446ZET6 for menage 7 or 9 exes.
Grbl is compatible with this controller?

@terjeio
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terjeio commented Dec 4, 2023

Grbl is compatible with this controller?

Which one/which ones?
The BTT Octopus Pro is a possible choice - but I am waiting for a pull request for the board map so not yet available.

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