I recently discovered this kit after reading this Instructables, Adding More Extruders to Any 3d Printer:
I'm pretty sure I can use this kit with my board since it uses the same drivers as mine. But that's for motors, not fans. And while I know G-code pretty well, I'm not sure how I would use this to activate and deactivate a fan from G-code. There is probably a better way to do this.
The board I am using is from an FLSUN Large Scale 3D printer. Here is a picture of the board:
There appears to be only one labeled pin for the fan. BUT even if there are other pins that I don't recognize, they would have to be controlled by a micro controller (G-code commands). There appear to be a bunch of un-used pins in the bottom right of the board. But if this board just can't do it, there is a newer board here: [link removed].
It does seem like it is using Arduino and the newer board might have extra pins for a fan. But at that point, would it be easier (cheaper) to just control the fan from the extruder extender kit? Would I just set it as an extruder with a really high filament extrusion speed and send appropriate G-code commands when needed to run it at max voltage?
I know on my Lulzbot Mini there is a "parts cooling" fan which allows you to cool off the layers as your structure rises vertically. This is a fan I want. The parts cooling fan must be controlled by the micro controller. It only comes on when printing vertically.
I would like to actually add two fans like this to my 3D printer. One of them is a >= 5 V cooling fan like above. Another is a regular 12 V cooling fan for an extra extruder that I am adding.