HobbyCNC Blog
New Customer DIY CNC Build
Another Customer Build!I'm always excited to see photos from a customer build. I think it's helpful and motivating to see fellow DIY CNC'rs making progress on their projects! These photos are from Kevin M. He has put together a very nice system, including a monitor...
3d Printer Filament Storage
Inexpensive 3d Printer Filament StorageI found an inexpensive storage container for my 3D printing filament (8" diameter spool). It's a 2 gallon plastic paint bucket from Home Depot. It has a lid (extra cost) that seals nice and tight. Very little wasted space. They...
Handy Measuring Jigs
Handy Measurement JigsWhen I've got free time, I love to play around with 3D printing, my HobbyCNC DIY Router and electronics. There is that point in the design where the schematic (or drawing) needs to turn into a real, physical product, and, like most...
Anti Backlash Design Change!
Anti-Backlash ImprovementI developed a simple-yet-effective backlash preventer for my DIY CNC Router plans. The design uses a coupling nut with a flange welded on. This is fixed to the gantry. A spring is ‘pinched’ between this coupling nut and a simple square nut....
First Test of HobbyCNC PRO board with Arduino & GRBL
Arduino / GRBL First TestI've been planning for a while now to test the Arduino Uno and the GRBL CAM software with my HobbyCNC PRO board. I was certain it would interface, but I wasn't keen on having to learn all the bits necessary to get it working. Upload/Flash the...
Testing Assembled HobbyCNC PRO Boards
Production Testing Assembled BoardsI decided to offer assembled HobbyCNC PRO boards. As it turns out, not all of my customers are handy with a soldering iron, or they want their results quicker! So I build the boards, by hand, 10 at a time. Not a big deal. Testing...
No More Bent Leads: IC Tubing Cutter
Avoiding Bent PinsSometimes the answer is in the trash. The background: while assembling a batch of HobbyCNC PRO boards, I was noticing how neatly the 23-pin driver chip dropped into the PC board. Then I had one chip with one lead, just one, slightly out of alignment....
HobbyCNC PRO Rev 2 Introduced
HobbyCNC PRO Rev 2!I've made a few changes to the popular HobbyCNC PRO board. Most of the changes are cosmetic or functional, but one in particular is a big departure from the Rev1 boards. What hasn't changed: Roughly the same form factor (it is a little smaller) Same...
My brand new stepper motor won’t turn by hand!
Your Motor is Fine!Customer received some new stepper motors and found it very difficult to spin the shaft by hand. Naturally, the thought was the motors were 'bad'. Normally, you can easily turn a stepper motor shaft by hand, and you can feel each of the 200...
Blown Chip #2
This is a very unusual chip to blow like this. Just like with the blown driver chip, damage like this indicates a LOT of power. But this chip is nowhere near any high voltages. The Diagnosis Assembly error? Nope. This was an assembled PRO board, so it was fully tested...