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For me, it helped me to look at open source hardware like adafruit's. The Mini Sparkle is a 4 layer and available on their github https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit-Mini-Sparkle-Motion-PCB There are many more available at OSHWA : https://certification.oshwa.org/list.html
I also did forget to mention, but this project is OSHWA certified too :D https://certification.oshwa.org/ca000068.html
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https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2024/positron-upside-down-... and here you got an interesting form-factor
I was thinking the same, thanks for linking to it. Their github has gone quiet in 2025. Is Positron still viable concern?
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I don't know what the state of the art is, but 3D printing circuit boards is a thing people are doing: https://all3dp.com/1/3d-printed-circuit-boards-pcb/
I got excited but "people" here does not really refer to hobbyists I suppose (please contradict me)
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I was thinking the same, thanks for linking to it. Their github has gone quiet in 2025. Is Positron still viable concern?
It's been succeeded by Lemontron: https://lemontron.com/
Why all those heat sinks? Power electronics are getting very good these days with low RDS-on. Have stepper drivers not kept up?
Sadly not really. I think we're only a few years away from BLDC servo motors taking over from steppers in 3d printers. Ideally control algorithms for them would go into the MCU so there is proper force feedback too - ie. The system will know that there is an extruder clog by the increased extrusion force, or even set print speeds to be 'the fastest you can follow this path' rather than a fixed number of mm/sec. Ie. I…
Really cool. I found myself traveling recently and missed my 3d printer. There were a few neat things I could have done if I had a printer in a carry on. It would be kinda awesome to have a self contained 3d printer with a battery to take wherever I go. If you're near a harbor freight, they have cheap rugged cases. Maybe design around that form factor, since they're easy to get?
So maybe a version which is optimized for Can-Bus toolheads?
And more driver slots, 4 is not sufficient if you want a self leveling bed.
Vorons need 4 drivers for the gantry alone.
If you need (emphasis on need - if it's not in the requirements, don't bother!) to make it smaller, you can fold the low power/compute section underneath the power section by putting it on another board and using either a mezzanine connector or FPC/FFC/ribbon cable to connect them.
You can also integrate the motor controllers directly onto your PCB and give them a combined thermal solution i.e. one heatsink with one fan if needed.
But likely your effort is better spent on making the rest of the printer rather than this :)
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I was thinking the same, thanks for linking to it. Their github has gone quiet in 2025. Is Positron still viable concern?
It's been succeeded by Lemontron: https://lemontron.com/
The year-in-review design review is worth watching just to see the decision/optimization process. Really nice
You did an amazing job. What I really like is the attention to detail that will facilitate cable management and repair. This is the weak point for most 3D printers: when you run them long enough and hard enough they'll break and you will need to replace parts. Depending on the brand of printer this can be hard, tricky or next to impossible without a complete teardown of wiring looms and such. Consider using a slightl…
I'm probably going to run Marlin just because it would be the first 3D printer I've actually made and I've heard it's more beginner friendly. I think Klipper also needs a dedicated host like a Pi which is a bit more overheard I don't want to worry about, but I'm open to exploring any type of firmware!