dpCREATOR PnP is a beta. Treat every first run as a test and tell us what happens: any issue you report gets fixed as soon as possible.

Safety

  • Wire an emergency stop. The Stop button in the browser is not one: a page or a Wi-Fi connection can freeze.
  • For the first run of any new setup: home the machine, put no strips on the bed, set the speed to 25 %, and keep a hand near the E-stop. Then try one strip of 0805 parts.
  • Home before every job. The nozzle's turning axis (A) is not homed, so turn the nozzle straight before homing.
  • PnP checks heights only with the numbers you enter. A wrong pick, board or part height can crash the nozzle.
  • A paste dispenser on the head sticks out below the nozzle. Take it off or raise it before placing.
  • Stop drops the part on the nozzle. Check the board after a stop.
  • Never connect a solenoid coil straight to the R3's PWM terminal; use a MOSFET module or a solid-state relay.
  • When running with the bottom camera, keep the page open until the job ends.

Not supported yet

  • Cut strips and trays only: no powered feeders, and one nozzle (no nozzle changer).
  • Without the bottom camera, 0805 and larger passives, SOT-23 and SOIC are realistic. Smaller and fine-pitch parts are still to confirm.
  • Check the first polarised part of each strip. Bottom-side boards are still to confirm.

Cameras

  • USB cameras need a Chrome setting when PnP is opened from the board.
  • IP cameras (ESP32-CAM) work, but are less accurate than USB cameras.
  • Cameras need even lighting. Calibrate again after moving a camera.

Paste

  • Tune paste amounts on a spare board. On the R3, a dispenser needs an extra output, for example a relay module on the RS485 port.
  • A motor extruder needs a fifth axis, which the R3 doesn't have free.
  • For most boards a stencil is simpler.

Firmware

PnP is made for the dpCREATOR FluidNC firmware with the PnP config. Stock FluidNC runs the SD-card jobs, with fewer checks.

Tell us

Your board and machine, what worked, which parts came out turned or offset, any message the job showed, and a photo. Write to us from the contact page.