MKS Gen-L control board for prusa ei3 single or dual

Ⅰ Overview

Aiming at the problems exist on the open sourced controller board such as Ramps 1.4, the developers in Makerbase specially optimize and develop a new product, MKS Gen_L, which provides more flexible choices for users.

Ⅱ Features

   1. 2560 and Ramps 1.4 are integrated in the board, which avoids the complicated connectors.

   2. Support a variety of stepper drivers such as A4988, DRV8825, TMC2100 and LV8729, available to change the stepper drivers and motors as users like.

   3. Reserve external driver signal, available to connect external high-current driver to drive the 57 and 86 stepper motors.

   4. Use high-quality MOSFET, better cooling and more stable.

   5. Use specific power chip, support 12V-24V power input, and resolve the problems of chip heating and power shortage.

   6. Stable and reliable filter circuit greatly reduces interference and avoids crashes as possible in the process of printing.

   7. Use CH340 serial port chip, more easily install the drive than 16U2.

   8. Run Marlin firmware, the configuration is completely same as Ramps 1.4, and available to directly replace the Ramps 1.4.

   9. Support Ramps 1.4, 2004LCD,12864LCD, TFT28 and TFT32.

   10. Available to input 24V, the heated bed current can be reduced to 1/4 at the same system power which effectively resolves the problem that the MOSFET of heated bed heats.

   11. X axis, Y axis and Z axis with different color terminal controls the stepper motors and endstops, which is convenient to wire.

   12. Plug the stepper drivers according to the different color terminals which decreases the  probability of reverse and prevents the controller board damage.

Ⅲ  Connection and Dimensions

1. Physical Map

2. System connection diagram

3. Installation Dimensional Drawing

4.PIN port map

5. The connection with different stepper drivers

6. Driver microstepping table

It is M1, M2, M3 in turn from left to right;

Plug the jumper means “High”, plug the jumper means “Low”.

Ⅳ Instructions

1. Acquire the firmware and drive

Land the website to download: https://github.com/makerbase-mks?tab=repositories

2. Install the drive

2.1 Find the drive file in the computer, double-click DRVSETUP64            

to install the drive.

2.2 After connecting USB, you can see the COM port in the Device Management.

3. Upload the marlin firmware

Firstly, Open Arduino, choose marlin firmware, and select the suffix “***.pde” or “***.ino ”file to open.

Secondly,

Then

Finally, finish downloading when the LED on the controller board stop blinking.

Ⅴ Modify the firmware

1. Select the baud rate, the baud rate must be same as the upper monitor’s, generally select 115200 or 250000;

2. Select the controller board type, select 33 or BOARD_MKS_BASE.

3. Select the sensor type according to your thermal type. NTC100K thermistor, PT100 thermocouple and AD579 thermocouple is common. If you make use of thermocouple type, you should modify it in the “Pins.h”. Take the A11 pin port on the MKS BASE controller board as an example,

4. There is two types endstop, always-on and always-off.

  Always-on  mechanical endstop, select “true”.

  Always-off  optical endstop, select “false”. 

5. Control the stepper motors movement direction.

6. Maximum destination of each axis, that is, the printer's largest printing size.

7.Set the pulse number for each axis. The formula for calculating pulse for  per motor:

synchronizing wheel: (360/step distance)*microstep/(diameter*3.14)

leadscrew: (360/step)*microstep/lead