Building the Beast: A Four-Motor Upgrade for Hypercube Evolution AWD(QuadXY)

Building the Beast: A Four-Motor Upgrade for Hypercube Evolution

 

It’s no secret that the current wave of DIY 3D printers is embracing four-stepper motor designs. And honestly? I’m jealous. The idea of having that extra precision and power is tempting, but my wallet seems to have a personal vendetta against high-end components. So, in the eternal struggle between ambition and budget, I’ve settled on the Hypercube Evolution—a solid, cost-effective machine that does the job well without draining my bank account.

But let’s get one thing straight—I want a monster. A printer that looks at convention and laughs in its face. (And yes, before you ask, I realize my budget restrictions are weirdly flexible when it comes to buying two extra stepper motors. Don’t question it—just accept it, and we’ll stay friends.)

So, with no existing modification kits out there to bring AWD to the Hypercube Evolution, it’s time to take matters into my own hands. This beast needs four motors, and I’m going to make it happen.

How Does It Work?

The beauty of this upgrade is in its simplicity. Instead of a complete overhaul, the transformation requires swapping out just two components while retaining everything else from the original Hypercube Evolution design. That means minimal modification effort while unlocking a whole new level of performance.

With these adjustments, the printer will gain better stability, smoother movement, and—let’s be honest—the undeniable bragging rights that come with saying, “Yeah, my printer runs AWD.” It’s not just about practical improvements; it’s about making something uniquely mine.

Why Do This?

Why not? Some people mod their cars, others tweak their gaming PCs—I’m here to reinvent my printer. If no ready-made solutions exist, then I’ll just make one. That’s the spirit of DIY: innovation fueled by curiosity and a slight disregard for conventional boundaries.

So, let’s dive in. It’s time for the Hypercube Evolution to evolve into something legendary.

 
Main board

Note1: If you're using a Mega2560, it can only handle speeds below v230.
Note 2: If you're using a more powerful 3D printer motherboard, you can skip this setup entirely.

I'm using a CNC shield together with an RP2040 as the main board to achieve higher operating speed.
 

If you plan to use a CNC shield, you’ll need to connect the UART pins to unused pins—like in my setup. I've repurposed the coolant, abort, hold, and resume pins as UART connections.

Since Arduino boards like the Mega2560 only run at 16 MHz, upgrading to an RP2040 is necessary for better performance. In my setup, I used an Uno prototype shield as the baseboard and manually wired each RP2040 pin to its corresponding connector. For digital signal connections, you can use AWG 30 wire. However, for GND and VCC, it's best to use wire thicker than AWG 24; otherwise, the CNC board may not function properly.


Tests:

V300 A20000
 

V500 A30000

V500 A35000
 

V600 A30000

AUTO SPEED validating over 50 iterations
Acceleration: 30000
Velocity: 650
SCV: 15

AUTO SPEED validated results after 163.75s
Valid: True
Missed X 0.56, Y 0.94