I am considering converting my LR2 to a Primo, from a firmware perspective are there any changes that need to be made? I purchased my board pre-flashed from the V1 Shop.
There are significant differences in the motor setup (2 X motors on Primo, 1 X motor on LowRider; 1 Z motor on Primo, 2 Z motors on Lowrider).
You’ll need to reflash firmware, but there’s pre-built versions ready to use - find links and instructions for them here.
oh gotcha, I wonder if it is possible to have two firmwares on the device and select which one i need on bootup
Not as far as I am aware. If I were in that situation, I’d spring for 2 control boards and swap them, but I’m using the $20.00 CNC Shield, not a more expensive board.
Oh okay, I may look into that , would you mind sharing what you are using? All of this is still in the thought phase, just an idea I have been toying with.
Fair warning - I like to tinker, and have a fair amount of background in electronics and have configure several different firmwares on CNC and 3D printers in the past. I’m not running what’s standard here on the support forums. My setup works well for me, but it’s definitely not a match for what most folks here are doing.
I’ve got a Burly (the MPCNC version just prior to the Primo) and I’m running grbl firmware on a CNC Shield v3.00 on top of an Arduino Uno with 3 A4988 stepper drivers. I’m using this board because I had the whole spare setup left over from another project where I was shipped the wrong controller by an eBay seller - they made good but let me keep their mistake. I’ve also added the AC PWM controller built up from parts offered in the V1 shop to get variable spindle RPM control on the DW660, but that’s a “non trivial” process to go through.
If you’ve purchased the board from V1, it’s an easy process to change to the other pre-built firmware. You can always change it back if you change your mind.
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If you are using series firmware, and you do not want/need endstops, then there is no need to change the formware betwen the LowRider and the Primo. Both (as designed) will use 100steps/mm in X and Y and 400steps/mm in Z (Unless you’re on the RAMPS/DRV8825 firmware, in which case, it’s 200/800) The point being that for series firmware there is no difference between the 2.
If your board has 3 connections to it for the motors, you chouls actually be able to convert to Primo wiring (without endstops) quite easily.
Bonus, if you have a 5 driver board (RAMBo, SKR Pro, even RAMPS) – just not a RAMBo mini – you can flash the dual endstop Primo firmware, and still use the 3 motor configuration on the LowRider. Though the driver will try to run the second X and Y motor, there is no motor connected to it so it will do nothing, and the machine will still work as expected. Just don’t use the “home” command, as it will fail on the LR… Actually, it will think that the switches are triggered (Because they’re not there) and move a few mm and stop.
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