CNC xPRO V4 Controller SPARK CONCEPTS

Description

The CNC xPRO V4 is the culmination of over 5 years of CNC xPRO development.  This controller brings a perfect union of easy setup and use with performance and reliability.  The V4 board features isolated digital and analog power buses to greatly reduced noise and false triggers.
Introduced with the V4 is our new
DriverMinder
logic
-  the V4 constantly monitors the status of each motor driver looking for any fault.  Should a fault occur,  your selected action will be taken, options are:
Pause
- will initiate a system pause allowing you to safely troubleshoot and potentially save your workpiece
Stop
- emergency abort, system stop immediately and reboots
Play
- continue on as if nothing happened (AKA ignore fault).
What's new for V4:
TL/DR - all of it!
Less than 5-minute install with the use of plug and play motors headers, limit switches and power supplies
4-layer design featuring completely isolated motor and logic power buses
All smd parts moved to back of board to protect again debris and short
Integrated #4-40 standoff for easy mounting and short protection
Three ways to power -  Laptop PSU (2.5x5.5mm plug), a 2 wire power supply, or ATX computer power supply
Selectable spindle output voltage range: 0-5V or 0-10V for full compatibility with spindles, VFDs, Lasers and more
Coolant output is now an open drain (directly sink up to 3A or use to control external relays)
Screw terminal hookup for external Step/Dir drivers makes beefing up easy
Extremely robust power management for overvoltage/reverse voltage protection including replaceable mini blade fuses
Motor driver step and fault LEDs for easier troubleshooting
Enhanced silkscreen with more pictures and less labels
Compatible with Openbuilds XTension wiring system for even easier setup!
DIP SWITCHES = NO MORE SOLDER JUMPERS - want to change decay mode -> slide the switch, want to clone Z motion instead of Y -> slide the switch
Specs:
Pre-loaded with latest stable version of GRBL
Compatible with ESTLcam
Capable of powering from ATX PSU, edicated 12V/24V two wire power supply, or a laptop power supply
Drive 4 motors with DRV8825 Stepper Drivers - 2.5A (peak) with 1.75A (RMS) with up to 1/32 microstepping
1 Driver capable of cloning X,Y, or Z
Hardware support for both USB and Wireless Operation (XBee, WiFly, or
Bluelink
)*
Emergency Stop to cut all motor power (with optional override)
12V and 5V** outputs for powering peripherals (fans, pumps, vacuums)
Quickly connect to Stepper Motors and limit switches with 3.5mm screw terminals and/or 4-pin 0.1" (2.54mm) headers
Expansion port for coming upgrades (Illuminated button pendant, jog control, and headless sender)
*For CNC applications we recommend
Bluelink
Use the CNC xPro to drive:
3 Axis CNC Mill With Dual Drive Motors
Laser Cutter With XY, and Z motion
Plasma Cutter
Pick and Place for SMD components
Or wireless robotics (would love to see this used on a wireless quadruped)
Software:
The CNC xPRO is designed to run the opensource gcode interpreter
GRBL
, ESTLcam control software, or can be programmed with
Arduino
or
AVR studio
.  The xPRO comes pre-flashed with GRBL so all you need to do is wire up your motors!
From the computer side we have found that
CNCjs Desktop
is amazing and packed with great features! (open source / free download).
For designing parts here at Spark Concepts we use the following stacks:
For mechanical parts (think gantry plates, mounts, boxes, etc):
Fusion 360
(both CAD design and CAM, includes GRBL postprocesser by default) (free for hobbyists)
CNCjs
(send and monitor the cut file to the xPRO) (free/opensource)
For artwork (think signs, drawings, plaques, awards, etc):
Vetric
Vcarve
or
Aspire
depending on design (drawing and CAM, includes GRBL postprocessor) (paid)
CNCjs
(send and monitor the cut files to the xPRO) (free/opensource)