The stock firmware on the CHMT36VA turned out to be a dead end. There does not appear to be any command that can be used to rotate the nozzle. The best way forward seems to be to use Matt Baker's Smoothie port with some enhancements by c-riegel and Jan which can be flashed on the stock main board.

Using the Smoothie firmware is an irreversible operation. Once you flash it, there does not appear to be a way to go back to the stock firmware, so consider carefully if you want to do that. If you'd prefer to buy a second controller board to use for OpenPnP instead of using your stock one, contact Kimi. I was quoted $280 including shipping to the US.

Using Smoothie, OpenPnP can use all functions of the CHMT36VA. It does not reach the same level of performance as the original software, but there are many new features and functions in OpenPnP that are not available in the OEM software.

A common question is whether or not this port is ready for daily production use. The answer is yes, but it will take much longer to initially configure the system and there is a steep learning curve. Be prepared to have the machine down for a week or more while you get everything configured and become familiar with OpenPnP.

The following can be used as a rough guide to getting OpenPnP working on your CHMT36VA. Reminder: Installing Smoothie on the main board is a irreversible operation. Once you install Smoothie you will not be able to flash the stock firmware, and you will not be able to use the OEM software.

If you want to proceed, follow these steps:

1. Install Matt Baker's Smoothie port with some enhancements by c-riegel and Jan on your CHMT36VA main board. This requires some familiarity with the STM32 tools, and requires a flash tool. See Charmhigh Modifications for OpenPnP and the Smoothie on STM32/CHMT Thread for more information on this.
2. Either Install Jan's example OpenPnP configuration to get started or configure from scratch using the Setup and Calibration Guide. It is recommended to step through the guide even if you use the example config and check that each setting applies to your machine and works correctly.
3. If you are using the stock cameras and camera board, see the SwitcherCamera Documentation for how to set up the multiplexer.
4. Please consider joining the OpenPnP Discussion Group and the SparkFun Desktop Pick and Place Discussion Group to post questions and information about your setup.

• The drag pin will burn if operated for more then a few seconds at 100%. Using a PWM signal it can be switched to ~10% holding current after an initial push and then keeps cool over longer periods. This has been integrated into the example machine.xml and the linked firmware.
• The blower will burn if operated over a longer time at 100% (can on a hours/days scale). The original firmware operates it at 2% using a 16kHz PWM. In the example machine.xml the blower is configured as Double actuator and the default ON value set accordingly. The blower is not yet operated as part of normal machine operation and hence has to be switch on manually.
• The vacuum pump is operated at 50% by the original software using a 16kHz PWM. This is reflected by the example machine.xml.
• The homing direction and the parking position are in the opposite corners, hence it is recommended to make sure soft limits on the axis are configured conservatively and/or automatic park after home is disabled before first start.
• The Z axis can move faster then the spring retracting the nozzle. Keep acceleration limits low to avoid nozzle tip damages.
• The serial input is isolated and requires an external 5V supply. On the original design this is generated using the camera switcher board in the back left. In order to remove it, a serial adapter with power is required like FTDI's USB-RS232-WE-1800-BT_5.0.
• The ticks/mm setting can be adjusted at runtime using M92. This is not really needed, as small errors are don't care, and PCBs are usually corrected using calibration fiducials. In the example machine.xml the values are adjusted as part of the ENABLE command.
• The Z-axis homing uses just one edge of a metal blade going thru a light barrier. This results in an asymmetric home position. To center the axis and retract both nozzles an offset can be applied using M92. This has been done in the sample machine.xml as part of the HOME command.

This documentation is incomplete and can use your help! Anyone with a GitHub account can edit this page and improve it. Please consider adding your experiences and findings here.

• The GoFundMe Page
• CharmHigh Conversion: how to convert the CharmHigh machine to use Smoothieware and OpenPnP.
• SwitcherCamera Documentation: The SwitcherCamera lets OpenPnP switch the camera board on the CHMT between the top and bottom camera.
• SparkFun's CHMT36VA Repo contains translations, documentation, software, and utilities for working with the machine.
• OpenPnP + CHMT Thread contains tons of good information on making the CHMT work with OpenPnP.
• Smoothie on STM32/CHMT Thread
• Pneumatics Overview Basic workings of the OEM pneumatics