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Describe your project

From rev A to UPAN Core v2

We put the rev A board on the shelf before ordering it. UPAN Core v2 runs on one ESP32-S3, takes StepStick drivers in sockets and grows with DIN-rail modules next to it.

A week ago the rev A board was ready to order: an STM32 for motion, an ESP32-C6 for the network, a 5.6 A driver and a CAN-FD bus for more axes. We did not order it. When we went through 32 jobs a controller like this could do, most of them turned out to belong to hobbyists and small workshops: a camera slider, a turntable, an indexing table, blinds on a schedule. For them rev A was too big and too expensive, and the part that matters most was not on the board at all.

What matters most is the site

You describe your job to the agent on upan.tools. It tells you whether UPAN can do it and with what. Then it builds a package: the controller screen, the axis settings and the programs, plus a wiring diagram and a parts list. You install the package on the controller yourself and run it without internet. To change something, you go back to the agent.

The firmware stays the same for everyone and is signed by us. A package cannot change the firmware or the hard limits.

One chip instead of two

UPAN Core v2 runs on one ESP32-S3. One processor core runs motion and checks every move against the limits; the other runs Wi-Fi, the API and the controller screen. The rule from rev A stays: the device trusts no one, not the agent, not the app, not us.

What is on the board:

  • 2 axes, each on a StepStick socket and on an RS-422 terminal for an external driver. The kit version comes with 2 × TMC2209.
  • 4 fast inputs and an e-stop input, 6 universal inputs for 5–36 V (NPN or PNP), 4 outputs at 24 V / 0.5 A.
  • 2 PWM / servo outputs, 2 analog inputs for 0–10 V, RS485 (Modbus), Qwiic for ready-made sensors, a display port and USB-C.
  • Power from 12–24 V DC, up to 36 V. 48 V is no longer supported.

Modules next to it, not on a bus

More axes come from UPAN Axis, a DIN-rail module next to the Core on a short ribbon cable. The Core makes its steps too, so all four axes move together. Relay, Encoder and Display modules follow later. CAN-FD and the module numbering are gone with rev A.

Status

The v2 board is routed on four layers and has passed five review rounds. Prototypes are next. Prices are preliminary: UPAN Core from €79 without drivers, €95–105 with 2 × TMC2209, excluding VAT.

The rev A entries stay in the devlog, marked as archive.

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