Super3DMakerSTM

Super3DMaker Controller Board

So first I want to explain, why I started this project. I had an old Profi3DMaker 3D printer at home, which was not used for a long time, mainly because of the hardware, which was just outdated. Because the printer had electronics probably from years like 2012 and older, it was my idea to bring it again to life, because the tech of 3D printing and electronics changed a lot. The 3D printer actually works, but does not stand a chance to modern machines which would be even cheaper based on the materials. Back in 2012, this printer was high-end and one of the most expensive 3D printers, you could get, because of the high quality aluminium frame, but because the technology changed so rapidly, it is just unreliable and prints items badly now, when compared to new 3d printers, which are also cheap. And because it is mainly and electronics issue, I realized that I could build my own new 3D printer board for this 3D printer and bring it again to life, so I started new Project.

The first stage was actually reverse-engineering the old board and studying as much possible of how modern 3d printers work.

A custom mainboard designed to replace the old electronics in my 3D printer. Built to handle klipper high speed kinematics and communicate directly with a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W. Designed entirely from scratch in KiCad 10.

The Build and Integration Phase

After receiving the manufactured PCB from JLCPCB, the project transitioned into the physical build phase. This involved soldering all components and integrating the new board into the chassis.

The most intensive part was the software setup and calibration. I configured Klipper and the Raspberry Pi, and spent a significant amount of time getting the printer.cfg right. This meant dialing in the correct motor parameters, gear ratios, and microsteps through trial and error and reverse engineering.

Results and Current Limitations

The custom STM32F407VET6 board works perfectly and successfully replaces the old ATmega setup. Klipper brings many modern features compared to the old Marlin firmware. Thanks to the new TMC2209 drivers, the printer is now significantly quieter during operation.

However, the build process revealed several mechanical limitations of the original Profi3DMaker chassis that the new electronics alone cannot fix:

• Z-Axis Noise: Despite the silent drivers, the Z-axis still makes mechanical grinding noises, indicating a physical issue with the leadscrews or bearings.
• Heated Bed Inefficiency: The massive original heated bed takes around an hour to reach just 70°C.
• Toolhead Weight: The older extruder system is extremely heavy, limiting printing speeds and precision.

To fully utilize the new controller board's capabilities, I have designed a completely new mount for a modern toolhead. This can be actually directly mounted on the chassis. However, this will only add weight if I don't disassemble the moving carriage from the tubes, which requires practically disassembling the entire printer, which I plan to do as a future upgrade. This would also require creating another model which would replace the previous aluminium carriage on the tubes. For now, the goal of successfully designing, building, and running a custom controller board has been achieved.

Firmware

Since this board is built around a custom STM32F407VET6 microcontroller, it runs on the open-source Klipper firmware. Instead of writing custom kinematic calculations from scratch, the firmware setup uses a printer configuration file. You can find the complete pin-mapping and configuration file (printer.cfg), along with the original dumped .srec firmware files used to reverse-engineer the correct gear ratios and microsteps, ready in the Firmware folder. You can also access all the other original files for this 3D printer by registering on the 3D Factories website.

Project Features

• Microcontroller: STM32F407VET6 (100-pin, 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4)

• Stackup: 4-Layer PCB (Signal / GND / GND / Signal) for internal routing and better EMI shielding

• Stepper Drivers: 6x UART-controlled TMC2209 sockets

• Power: 24V main input with dual LM2596S buck converters (5V and 3.3V rails)

• Connectivity: USB-B for main communication, native Raspberry Pi UART interface

• Displays: Standard 10-pin IDC EXP1 and EXP2 headers for legacy 12864 or modern SPI BTT Mini12864 displays

• Hardware Interlock: Laser module power logically tied to the high-current heated bed circuit to prevent simultaneous power draw

• And more other...

Video Demos

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/c8a4d6e0-8937-4ded-b093-ac17ca0ef771

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/72c90019-3e0b-4c00-92d0-47ec632bfb1b

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8aad29d0-d306-4471-a87c-c93d6b09ec2d

LIS2DW accelometer calibration

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/c06aa969-909b-4192-8ba1-088b3594a9f0

CR Touch Bed Mesh

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/029f4fde-3b9d-4758-a506-7faca7a6295e

Gallery

Build Preview

Printing

3D PCB Render

PCB Routing

Schematic

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Bill of Materials (BOM)

Mechanical and Assembly

• For the case of the 3d printer - Profi3DMaker case is used

How to Build and Flash Firmware

If you want to replicate this custom controller board for your own Profi3DMaker or similar 3D printer, follow these steps:

1. PCB Fabrication & Assembly: Use the provided Gerber files (found in the repository) to manufacture the board. Most SMD components are assembled by JLCPCB, but you will need to manually solder the THT USB-B connector, terminal blocks, and JST headers.
2. STM32 Bootloader & Klipper Firmware:
   • Connect the board to your PC via USB-B while holding the BOOT/RESET buttons to enter DFU mode.
   • Compile Klipper for the STM32F407VET6 chip using make menuconfig on your Raspberry Pi Zero 2W.
   • Flash the compiled klipper.bin to the STM32 using STM32CubeProgrammer.
3. Raspberry Pi Integration: Connect the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W to the board using the dedicated UART pins for serial communication.
4. Configuration: Upload the provided printer.cfg (found in the /Firmware folder) to your Klipper interface (Mainsail/Fluidd) and verify motor directions and sensor readings. That is all, thank you for reading!