RAMPS 1.

6 SET
RAMPS 1.6 MIT DISPLAY & 5X A4988 MOTOR DRIVER

Joy-IT powered by SIMAC Electronics GmbH - Pascalstr. 8 - 47506 Neukirchen-Vluyn - www.joy-it.net

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

Dear Customer,
Thank you for choosing our product. In the following, we will show you what
to consider during commissioning and use.

Should you encounter any unexpected problems during use, please feel free
to contact us.

With this complete set you lay the foundation for installing your own Arduino-
based 3D printer.

In addition to the required stepper motor drivers, the board also provides
connections for up to three heating units (print bed heater, extruder 1,
extruder 2). Each heating unit offers three inputs for connecting temperature
sensors.

It is also possible to connect fans for cooling the components and extruders.

With the appropriate software installed on the Arduino compatible

ARD-MEGA2560R3, current status messages or information such as
temperature can be displayed on the large LCD display included in the scope
of delivery.

2. SCHEMATIC DRAWING

The following schematic diagram shows a detailed pin assignment.

I2C

Extruder 0 Extruder 1
HotEnd
Endstops
HotEnd
/ Fan Thermistors
Display

Heatbed
X-Axis Y-Axis Z-Axis

Power
Servos

SD-Card
AUX-1

AUX-2
3. CONNECTION TO THE ARDUINO MEGA

First, start by connecting the Ramps 1.6 expansion board to your

ARD-MEGA2560R3. Simply plug the board onto your ARD-MEGA2560R3 so
that the pins on the bottom of the board are routed into the corresponding

4. JUMPER CONFIGURATION

Before the necessary stepper motors can be plugged on the expansion

board, it is necessary to set the respective jumpers. The jumpers define the
number of possible microsteps for the stepper motors. Up to 1/128 steps
are supported. The exact configuration depends on the used stepper motor
drivers.

To determine the step sizes with which the motors should move, you can
set jumpers on the main board. The pins used for this are marked in the
picture above.

JUMPER 1 JUMPER 2 JUMPER 3 STEPS

No No No Whole step
Yes No No Half step
No Yes No 1/4 step
Yes Yes No 1/8 step
No No Yes 1/16 step
Yes No Yes 1/32 step
Yes Ja Yes 1/128 step
5. STEPPER MOTOR DRIVER

After the jumpers have been set, the

stepper motor drivers can be inserted into
the black slots, which are located directly
at the jumper slots. Please take care to
insert the stepper motor drivers correctly.

In the following picture you can see how

to insert a motor driver on the board.
After the successful insertion of the motor
drivers, the corresponding stepper motors
can now be connected.

6. END STOPS AND TEMPERATURE SENSORS

Now the end stops and the temperature sensors can be connected. Up to 6
end stops and 3 temperature sensors can be connected. The exact connection
of the end stops can also be seen here.

For the temperature sensors, the T0 connection is used for the HotEnd and
the T1 connection for the heating bed. The polarity of the temperature
sensors is not relevant.
7. SETTING UP THE MOTOR DRIVER

7.1 Different resistors

Please note that the motor drivers of the CNC kit must first be adapted to
the motors to be operated before they can be used. The adaptation must
be carried out in order not to cause any damage to the motors or the motor
drivers themselves in the long run.

During this step, as shown in the following figure, note the resistors on the
motor driver boards. These are necessary to set the correct value for the
rotary potentiometer.

There are different variants of the A4988 motor drivers, so there are also
different resistors with different values. The most common variants use the
resistors R050 (0.05 Ohm), R100 (0.1 Ohm) and R200 (0.2 Ohm).

7.2 Calculation of the value to be set

In order to be able to calculate to which mV value the rotary potentiometer

must be set, we calculate:

VREF = 8 * IMAX * RCS

VREF (reference voltage) is the value that must be set on the rotary
potentiometer.
rotary potentiometer.
IMAX (rated current) can be found in the data sheets of the motors you want
to use.
RCS (Current Sense Resistor) is the value of the resistors marked in the
picture above.

7.3 Measuring the value to be set

To now be able to set the rotary potentiometer correctly, you will need a
multimeter, a cable with crocodile clips and a conductive screwdriver.

Measure the voltage between the metal screw of the potentiometer and a
nearby GND pin. Turn the screwdriver clockwise to increase the voltage and
counterclockwise to decrease the voltage.
To increase the voltage you must turn the screwdriver clockwise and to
decrease the voltage you need to turn it counterclockwise.

8. POWER SUPPLY AND DISPLAY

In addition, the heating bed is now connected to port D8 and the HotEnd to
port D10. D9 can be used either for a fan or for an additional HotEnd. The
display can now also be connected to the slot provided for it.

Finally, the expansion board must now be supplied with power. Please
note that your expansion board has two connectors. One for 11 amps and
one for 5 amps. Both connections can be supplied with a maximum of
12 V.

9. SETTING UP THE DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT

For use you need Visual Studio Code as well as the Marlin 3D Printer firmware.

First download and install the latest Visual Studio Code software here.

Then, download the latest Marlin firmware here.

Open Visual Studio Code and click on Extensions on the left. Now enter
“Platformio” in the search bar and install the PlatformIO IDE.
 Now you can open your previously downloaded Marlin firmware folder under
File -> Open Folder and adjust the configuration.h file. To do this, click on
the Explorer icon in the upper left corner and select the “configuration.h” file.

10. CONFIGURATION OF THE SOFTWARE

Board selection

Before the software can be transferred to the Arduino, it must first be adapted
to the configuration used.

For the Ramps 1.6 board the following configurations are provided in the
Marlin software:
#define BOARD_RAMPS_14_EFB 43 //RAMPS 1.4(Power outputs: Hotend,Fan,Bed)
#define BOARD_RAMPS_14_EEB 44 //RAMPS 1.4(Power outputs: Hotend0,Hotend1,Bed)
#define BOARD_RAMPS_14_EFF 45 //RAMPS 1.4(Power outputs: Hotend,Fan0,Fan1)
#define BOARD_RAMPS_14_EEF 46 //RAMPS 1.4(Power outputs: Hotend0,Hotend1,Fan)
#define BOARD_RAMPS_14_SF 48 //RAMPS 1.4(Power outputs: Spindle,Controller Fan)

The most common configuration consists of a HotEnd, a fan and a bed.

However, this configuration may differ depending on your application
and setup. The corresponding configuration must now be entered as a
motherboard in the Configuration.h file.

To do this, open the Configuration.h file and search here for the corresponding
motherboard definition. You can quickly search for the corresponding line
by pressing CTRL + F. For the above mentioned configuration (HotEnd, Fan,
Bed) the motherboard configuration should look like this:

// Choose the name from boards.h that matches your setup

#ifndef MOTHERBOARD
#define MOTHERBOARD BOARD_RAMPS_14_EFB
#endif
Display
For the use of the display an additional configuration must be made. For
this, also look for the following section in the Configuration.h file:

// RepRapDiscount FULL GRAPHIC Smart Controller

// https://reprap.org/wiki/RepRapDiscount_Full_Graphic_Smart_Controller
//
//#define REPRAP_DISCOUNT_FULL_GRAPHIC_SMART_CONTROLLER

To activate the display, remove the comment strokes from the last line so
that the line looks like this:
#define REPRAP_DISCOUNT_FULL_GRAPHIC_SMART_CONTROLLER

If you have problems with the display on your screen, you can change this
by changing the timings. To do this, insert the following lines:

#define ST7920_DELAY_1 DELAY_NS(0)

#define ST7920_DELAY_2 DELAY_NS(400)
#define ST7920_DELAY_3 DELAY_NS(0)

Number of extruders
If you use more than one extruder, the following line in the Configuration.h
file must also be adapted accordingly:

// This defines the number of extruders

#define EXTRUDERS 3

Temperature sensors
A configuration of the temperature sensors may also be necessary, depending
on the sensors used.

Please note the configuration notes in the following section of the

Configuration.h file:
#define TEMP_SENSOR_0 1
#define TEMP_SENSOR_1 0
#define TEMP_SENSOR_2 0
#define TEMP_SENSOR_3 0
#define TEMP_SENSOR_4 0
#define TEMP_SENSOR_BED 0

The maximum permissible temperatures may also differ depending on the

components used. Therefore, match the maximum temperatures in the
following range to your components:

// Above this temperature the heater will be switched off.

// This can protect components from overheating, but NOT from shorts
// and failures.
// (Use MINTEMP for thermistor short/failure protection.)
#define HEATER_0_MAXTEMP 275
#define HEATER_1_MAXTEMP 275
#define HEATER_2_MAXTEMP 275
#define HEATER_3_MAXTEMP 275
#define HEATER_4_MAXTEMP 275
#define BED_MAXTEMP 150

Direction of rotation of the stepper motors

Depending on the wiring or polarity of the stepper motors used, it may be
necessary to invert the direction of rotation of individual motors.

// Invert the stepper direction. Change (or reverse the motor connector)if
an axis goes the wrong way.
#define INVERT_X_DIR false
#define INVERT_Y_DIR true
#define INVERT_Z_DIR false

// Enable this option for Toshiba stepper drivers

//#define CONFIG_STEPPERS_TOSHIBA

// @section extruder

//For direct drive extruder v9 set to true, for geares extruder set to false.
#define INVERT_E0_DIR false
#define INVERT_E1_DIR false
#define INVERT_E2_DIR false
#define INVERT_E3_DIR false
#define INVERT_E4_DIR false

When you have made all settings, you can transfer the program to your
Arduino by clicking on PlatformIO: Upload in the bottom left corner.
11. INFORMATION & TAKE-BACK OBLIGATIONS

Our information and take-back obligations under the Electrical

and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG).

Symbol on electrical and electronic equipment: 2

This crossed-out trash can means that electrical and electronic equipment
does not belong in household trash. You must hand in the waste equipment
at a collection point. Before dropping off, you must separate used batteries
and accumulators that are not enclosed by the waste equipment from it.

Return options:
As an end user, when you purchase a new device, you may return your old
device (which performs essentially the same function as the new device
you purchased from us) for disposal at no charge. Small appliances with
no external dimensions larger than 25 cm can be returned in household
quantities regardless of the purchase of a new appliance.

Possibility of return at our company location during opening hours:

SIMAC Electronics GmbH, Pascalstr. 8, D-47506 Neukirchen-Vluyn, Germany.

Possibility of return in your area:

We will send you a parcel stamp with which you can return the device to us
free of charge. To do so, please contact us by e-mail at [email protected] or
by phone.

Packaging information:
Please pack your old device securely for transport, if you do not have suitable
packaging material or do not wish to use your own contact us and we will
send you suitable packaging.

12. SUPPORT

We are also there for you after the purchase. If any questions remain or
problems arise, we are also available to assist you via email, phone and
ticket support system.

E-Mail: [email protected]
Ticket-System: http://support.joy-it.net
Phone: +49 (0)2845 9360 - 50 (Mon. - Thur.: 08:30 - 14:30 o‘clock, Fri.: 08:30 -
14:30 o‘clock)

For more information, please visit our website:

www.joy-it.net

Published: 2023.12.22

www.joy-it.net
SIMAC Electronics GmbH
Pascalstr. 8 47506 Neukirchen-Vluyn