Arduino CNC Controller 1.0 Beta

This application serves as a controller for creating and managing a CNC milling machine through a digital interface.

It allows users to construct a custom CNC mill utilizing an Android device—be it a tablet, smartphone, or a PC running Android-x86—and connect it to an Arduino Mega 2560 R3 via USB. The Arduino controls three stepper motors responsible for moving the manual mill components, culminating in the assembly of a functioning CNC mill.

While theoretically compatible with Android TV Boxes, practical use requires the device to include the USB HOST library package. Tested devices with Android versions 4.0 and 4.2.2 demonstrated varying levels of functionality, although manufacturer support may differ.

An Android device must be equipped with an OTG USB Host port to facilitate connection to the Arduino Mega 2560 R3, necessitating a compatible USB OTG cable.

The application is primarily designed for budget-friendly tablets running Android 4.0 or higher, with a minimum resolution of 800x480 pixels. Although it is compatible with single-core tablets, performance benefits are observable with multi-core devices—preferably four cores—to ensure smoother operation of the milling movements.

An integrated "Help and Documentation" window within the app provides detailed instructions on usage, connection setups, and control processes. Additionally, this guide can be downloaded as a PDF from the project's website at http://sourceforge.net/projects/arduinocnccontroller/files. The documentation covers connecting the Arduino using three standard "Arduino Motor Shield R3" units for bipolar stepper motors, as well as an example for unipolar stepper motors using similar shields. A third example details a custom shield design for unipolar motors along with corresponding firmware. The app also links to CAD/CAM software and related resources.

The application includes a virtual mode feature, allowing users to simulate operations without connected hardware. This supports learning and experimentation with the control interface prior to physical implementation.

As this is a beta release, users should anticipate potential bugs or incomplete functionalities.