The Stepper can be mounted on a Cupcake CNC machine with the motor either on the left or the right. Also the the BrutHead can be mounted with drive pulley in the front or rear. You'll probably want to mount with the motor on the right so that you can mount your electronics with the other Cupcake electronics. And it is very handy to have the drive gear accessible from the front. The MakerGear Stepper Plastruder is a variable speed plastruder. If you've been using a constant speed plastruder the additional flexibility of variable speed can take a bit to get used and to get useful setting dialed in. During this process you'll likely strip the filament a least a few and having drive pulley accessible from the front makes cleaning it very easy.
When assembling your Cupcake Mount it is important to keep in mind there are multiple configurations and if any of the pieces are reversed then the hot-end won't lineup properly with the filament guide. An ~3" metal rod has been included to help you check your alignment.
The Base should fit the existing mounting holes on your Z platform. In the event something doesn't quite line-up (maybe due to a specific batch) it is just plywood and can be easily modded. The base orientation depends on how you place your motor and the direction of your filament drive. The Motor Support fits into the slots on the far right in this photo - it is just press fit.
The Cupcake Mount includes two hot-end holders - the one with one orange-ish side is 1/4" birch/luan plywood. The other on is 1/4" birch/birch. The birch/luan is thicker and provides a tighter fit. You may need to do a little sanding to get the birch/luan holder to fit into the support pieces. You want a nice tight fit so the hot-end does not move around when printing. Important - this piece is not symmetrical - be sure you have it so the filament guide lines up with the hot end.
The longer (45mm) M3 screws attach the BrutHead and Brut Supports to the face of the geared stepper motor. You'll need to use a larger and small washer as shown here. If you don't use two washers, the BrutHead will be loose. Also, make sure the idler block can move freely and does not rub against the side of the supports. If it does rub, sand the idler block until it can move freely.
Figure out which way you want your motor wires pointing then remove the two side screws that attach the gearhead to the stepper motor. Use the shorter (20mm) M3 screws to attach the motor mount to both sides of the stepper motor.
Motor | nylon spacer | motor mount | small M3 washer | M3 screw
If you are using one of our stepper carrier boards and your motor is mounted on the left and the drive pulley is accessible from the front of your bot then wire your connector like the one on the right. If your motor is mounted on the right and the drive pulley is accessible from the front of your bot then use the wiring layout on the left. Your kit includes the Molex connector and crimps. The triangular connector clasps are on the top of the connector in this photo. If you get the wiring backwards you can (with the power off) just unplug the Molex connector, reverse it, and then plug it in. The clasps won't match but it will still work.
These are photos with the motor positioned on the left side of the platform.
In this photo, the narrower edge of the piece that holds the hot is on the side of the motor.
