Within my diploma thesis, I have set myself the goal to build a CNC machine and to create all the associated electronics, including software.
In this thesis, I present the world of CNC machines for home use, what they are used for; and describe the components of the chassis and the electronic components of the machine.
In the practical part of the thesis, I used the Altium Designer software to design the PCB, which served for controlling stepper motors; sent it to fabrication; soldered all the necessary elements, including the main one – the Allegro A4989 chip –, and finally tested it. I made the power supply to power the stepper motors and wrote a program for the Arduino Uno development board. The program is an important part of the entire electronic system, since it is the translator between the PC, from which the G code is being sent, and the stepper motor controller, where these commands are executed. I connected all those parts to the frame, thus getting a working machine, which already performed certain basic movements.
Finally, I described the possibility of further improvements and upgrades to the machine.
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