Scorching-wire foam cutters have lengthy been in style within the crafting scene, however they are typically ignored by at the moment’s electronics-focused makers. I feel a part of the explanation for the oversight is that typical cheap foam cutters are supposed to be wielded by hand, so there is a component of ability and artistry to their utilization. Many manufacturers — together with myself — are way more comfy with computer-controlled fabrication strategies. In case you’re like me, you could need to take a look at JP Gleyzes’s information to retrofitting traditional MM2001 hot-wire foam cutter controller boards with FluidNC performance.

The MM2001 was a controller board launched within the ‘90s to be used with automated hot-wire foam slicing machines. It gave the impression to be hottest in France and would match most definitions of a CNC (computer-numerical management) machine controller. It will possibly drive 4 unipolar stepper motors and the recent wire itself. However there are two huge caveats: it requires a parallel port connection and it doesn’t “communicate” G-code.

These aren’t trivial considerations, as a result of parallel ports are nearly extinct at the moment and nearly all CNC software program makes use of some number of G-code. Operating an MM2001-based machine at the moment would, due to this fact, however very troublesome. That’s a disgrace, as a result of machines geared up with the MM2001 are very succesful due to these 4 stepper motors. JP Gleyzes got here up with an answer within the type of an adapter. It readily connects to fashionable computer systems through USB and might learn commonplace G-code from no matter software program the consumer likes. It then spits out instructions that the MM2001 understands by way of the parallel port interface.

That “adapter” is predicated on an ESP32 improvement board. JP Gleyzes selected that as a result of they’re available, inexpensive, highly effective, and might reap the benefits of FluidNC, which is CNC firmware developed particularly for ESP32 microcontrollers. Apart from some degree shifting between 5V and three.3V, the {hardware} connections are very simple. The MM2001 reads management indicators by way of the parallel interface pins, like course and steps for every motor, which the ESP32 supplies by way of its GPIO pins. To keep away from messy wiring, JP Gleyzes designed a easy PCB “defend” that hosts the male parallel port connector and the ESP32 improvement board.

Now JP Gleyzes can simply use their MM2001 hot-wire foam cutter with a contemporary laptop computer and software program. It really works even higher than when it was new and the inventive potentialities are nearly countless.