Using FSRs with Smoothieboard

FSRs (Force Sensing Resistors) can be used as bed leveling sensors with Smoothieboard to provide automatic bed leveling for 3D printers.

Overview

To use FSRs with the Smoothieboard, an auxiliary board is needed to interface the FSRs to the Smoothieboard’s endstop input.

Smoothieware will accept this input as if it were a simple mechanical switch.

Available FSR Controller Boards

JohnSL FSR Endstop Board

JohnSL on GitHub has created an FSR controller board specifically for this purpose.

Where to buy:

Resources:

This board is powered directly from the endstop pins, making installation straightforward.

Toucher - 4-Point FSR Controller

For Cartesian machines with square heat beds, there is a 4-point FSR controller called “Toucher”.

Resources:

Community Discussion and Resources

The Deltabot group is where most discussion on using FSRs is located.

Topics to look for:

  • Alternative boards like the Arduino Mini
  • WingWong’s Trinket-derived design
  • FSR mounting techniques and best practices

For more information about bed leveling and probing, see: