CNC Pen Plotter
A two-axis pen plotter built from salvaged DVD drive stepper motors and an Arduino Nano.
A two-axis pen plotter repurposing the stepper motors from two old DVD drives, controlled by an Arduino Nano.
Build
DVD drives contain precise stepper motors used to move the laser head along a rail — perfect for a plotter’s X and Y axes. Each motor is driven by an L293D H-bridge IC, which handles the current requirements the Arduino pins alone can’t provide.
A servo motor lifts and lowers the pen (Z axis) for pen-up / pen-down moves.
G-code commands are sent from a PC over USB serial, parsed by the Arduino, and translated into step sequences for each axis.
Status
One of the stepper motors developed a fault partway through — waiting on a replacement before finishing the enclosure and calibration.