4xidraw - All As PDF: Step 1: What You Need

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This project was inspired by a commercial product called AxiDraw that I saw a video of recently from Evil Mad
Scientist Laboratories.
It was a combination of reasons that made me consider to do it myself, cost, availability and customs playing a role
in the equation (that, and having a 3D printer at home).
This is just a drawing machine quite similar a to a pen plotter but that can adapt to any size of document and any
type of paper.
It can use regular felt-tip pens, ball pens or fountain pens as pen orientation is variable. It is a new version of an XY
plotter using a single belt and two stepper motors in a configuration called h-bot.
Step 1: What you need
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I started the project using laser cut parts but eventually evolved the model to 3D printed parts. So you can grab the
STL files of the printed parts from here or here.
Bill of materials
2 nema 17 steppers (*)
4 8mm smooth rods (two 400mm-long and two 320mm-long)
8 LM8UU
2 GT2 pulleys
10 F623ZZ bearings
1 micro servo SG90 (plus a 250mm cable extender)
1 Arduino UNO
1 CNCshield
2 Pololu stepsticks
1 GT2 belt ( 1.4 meters long )
2 M10 threaded rods (400mm-long each)
8 M10 nuts
8 30mm M3 screws with nuts
8 6mm M3 screws
4 16mm M3 screws with nuts
4 M3 washers
2 4mm OD, 100mm-long carbon fiber tubes
2 15mm M3 screws
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1 12V 2A power supply

1 USB cable
1 felt tip pen (or many for more fun)
(*) Stepper motors should be 40mm or shorter, unless you chose the taller parts that I later created for some users
willing to use 48mm tall steppers (like many use for 3D printers).
Step 2: Assembly
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There is a live 3D model you can see for yourself in here. The explode feature may give you an idea of what is inside
of another part.
I recommend the following building sequence:
1. Slide two LM8UU in each of the two longest smooth rods.
2. Slide the rods into the motor pieces, one on each side (leave an extra 20mm of the rods in one of the two
sides protruding from the part towards the motor, this will later be used for supporting the Arduino holder).
3. Insert the M10 treaded rods so each one supports one side of the motor-supporting pieces using a nut on
each side (total 8 M10 nuts).
4. Mount the nema 17 stepper motors on the two big plastic parts using 8 M3 screws (8mm long).
5. Insert 8 M3 nuts into the nut-holders in the bottom squared carriage and place it supporting the LM8UU linear
bearings you inserted in the long smooth rods already installed.
6. Take the remaining (shorter) two smooth rods and insert two LM8UU linear bearings on each one of them.
7. Insert the two endY parts on each end of the pair of smooth rods. Now you have the second axis done.
8. Insert the top square carriage over the 4 linear bearings of the shorter smooth rods.
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9. Insert 4 M30 30mm-long screws in the 4 central holes of the top square carriage, put the carriage upsidedown carefully so the head of the screws will lay on the table and the screws will point upward.
10. Insert one F623ZZ bearing with the flange down, next an M3 washer and finally another bearing but now with
the flange up) into each one of the four screws of the top square carriage.
11. Use a post-it or a similar-size piece of paper to press it against each one of the screws protruding so paper is
perforated and is pressing against the top of the bearings. The goal is for this paper to hold them in place
while we put the whole thing upside-down preventing the bearings to fall off.
12. Place the top carriage over the bottom carriage so the smooth rods on the top form a right angle with the
bottom smooth rods.
13. Screw lightly each one of the four M3 screws and once you notice each one is attached to the nut in the
bottom tear the post-it paper apart. Next finish tightening the screws and add the other 4 M3 30mm screws
that do not have a bearing but add strength to the union of top and bottom parts of the carriage.
14. Place one GT2 pulley on each stepper motor but do not tighten the grub bolt yet.
15. Place a pair of F623ZZ bearings with an M3 washer in between fixed with an M3 screw in the end Y part that
will support the servo part.
16. Insert the belt all along its path (the crossings of the central carriage are a bit tricky). And once pulleys are
aligned with the belt tighten the grub screws on each one.
17. Use two M3 screws and two nuts to attach the servo support part and later add the microsevo using the two
screws that come with it.
18. Make sure the vertical two holes in the servo support part are 4mm diameter and that the carbon fiber tubes
can be inserted into them (if not, drill the holes with a 4mm drill bit). Insert both tubes from the top but only
mid way. And next insert from the top the vertical carriage (the one that looks like a smiling face). Gently push
it down till you can insert the remaining half of the carbon fiber tubes so they are inserted into the bottom
holes of this carriage.
19. Using a couple of M3 screws and nuts fix the pen-holder part to the vertical carriage.
20. Push the Arduino holder into the protruding smooth rods on one of the stepper motor holders. Use a couple of
M3 screws to attach the Arduino board to the plastic holder.
Congratulations, the mechanical assembly has been completed.
Step 3: Load Arduino Firmware
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This project uses a special flavour of GRBL software created by robotini user. It enables GRBL to handle a servo on
digital pin 11 using commands M3 and M5. This way it can raise and lower the pen on the paper.
Installing the software is better explained here, please read it carefully as some people may find it difficult as is not
the typical Arduino program (in essence the code is created as a library).
How do you know it is all working?
You can connect using the Arduino Serial Monitor to your board at 115200 bps and a welcome message: grbl 0.9i ['$'
for help]
Step 4: Wiring everything together
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Before inserting the CNCShield over the Arduino you want to do this trick, that will allow to power everything from the
Arduino power jack.
On top of Arduino you insert the CNCShield board and on top of it, two of the Pololu StepStick stepper driver boards.
But before inserting these two boards for axis X and Y, make sure you put three jumpers in the headers (that will
later be obstructed by the Pololu carrier boards).
A three-wire cable will be coming from the servo and two four-wire cables come from the stepper motors.
Servo cable has to go to (red) +5V, (black) GND and (white or brown) Digital pin 11. Servo cable is too short, so an
250mm extension cable will be needed.
Each stepper motor goes to X and Y axis four pin headers on the CNCShield.
There is an optional improvement: make the plotter wireless by adding a Bluetooth module, but I would only do this
once everything else is up and running.
Step 5: Computer software you need
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There are two types of programs to use in your computer (until someone creates one that does both): one for
creating the code for a given graphical design. And a second program to send the code just created so the plotter
will draw it on paper.
For the first part I use Inscape free vector drawing program with a plugin I hacked. Install may be a bit tricky for the
non tech savvy user.
For the second part I use UniversalSerialGCodeSender Java program that allows you to load the file created with
Inkscape and send it to the plotter.
Step 6: Final touches

I think this a fun project can easily take a weekend to get it done (depending on your skills).
This is my first instructable and I can see there is yet much more that could be said about the details of the project,
but once the basic stuff has been laid out I would try to improve it by addressing user comments.
Videos Embedded
https://www.youtube.com/embed/LZ0dBhwTC3w
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Download 4xiDraw - All as pdf

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Step 1: What you need

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1 12V 2A power supply

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Step 3: Load Arduino Firmware

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Step 4: Wiring everything together

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Step 5: Computer software you need

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Step 6: Final touches

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