RAMPS

Luke

What is a [|RAMPS?] RAMPS is an acronym of __R__eprap __A__rduino __M__ega __P__ololu __S__hield. A shield is a term for a board that can be attached to a Arduino to extend its capabilities. There are shields that allow an Arduino to connect to networks, shields that provide a clock capabilities, and shields that offer GPS positioning. The RAMPS shield is one specifically designed to run a three dimensional printer. It includes circuitry to move the stepper motors in very small increments and circuits to heat the extruder and feed the raw plastic material. Our RAMPS board attaches to our ArduinoMega 2560 microcontroller. All of our motors, sensors and heaters plug directly into the RAMPS.

The RAMPS board holds four small motor controllers, each smaller than a postage stamp. The Pololu A4988 Stepper Driver boards typically come preinstalled on most completed RAMPS boards. They may also be purchased seperately for about $12 to $14 each.

Our kit included a partially completed RAMPS board. It had all of the very small surface mounted components already installed. It still required two or three hours with a small soldering iron to complete. Unless you have someone who has built circuits or kits in the past, you may want to upgrade your kit to include a fully completed and tested RAMPS board. That option would have cost us an extra $50.

You can also build you own RAMPS board from scratch. You can download and print you own circuit board, drill the board, source all of the numerous components and then soldering them in place. Leave this option for the hardcore among you.

The Arduino Mega and its RAMPS card is not the only way to control the printer. Other solutions have been developed, as is often the case with Open Source projects. The most popular alternative at present appears to be the Gen6 or Generation 6 board. Gen6 can be described as a dedicated, single board solution for **fused filament fabrication** 3D Printers. Rather than attaching to an existing microprocessor product, this board was designed so that the microprocessor and all other components are on a single board. Expect to pay a little over $100 for a tested Gen6 board.
 * Alternatives **


 * RAMPS Support **

[] This is the first place that you should go to troubleshoo a RAMPS problem. You post a question and multiple people from the community are likely answer your question in a very short period of time.

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[|RAMPS: Troubleshooting 101 from TheFutureIs3D.com]