I'm interested in making a compact hot wire foam cutter and I have some existing components sitting around. I've been watching various YouTube tutorials to get ideas. Can anyone help me figure out if I can achieve this? I'm thinking of using a 4-pin USB-C socket from AliExpress, a 12V motor controller, and some nichrome wire (I have both 0.2mm and 0.64mm varieties). My plan is to power it with a phone charger brick. If it doesn't provide enough power, I'm ready to upgrade to a more powerful charger. Is this idea totally flawed?
3 Answers
As others suggested, a PD Trigger or PD Decoy is a must. Just a heads-up: not all types of foam are created equal! I’ve had tough experiences with hard styrofoam that slowed down my cutter a lot. Make sure whatever you use has enough power, especially if you're dealing with tougher materials.
Using an older charger should work, but if you're going for one with USB PD technology, it probably won’t cut it without a PD dummy board. This board negotiates with your charger to keep supplying power instead of shutting off, which is crucial for running your cutter effectively.
You might need a PD trigger board instead of just that 4-pin connector. To make sure you get enough watts flowing, a PD3 charger is essential for this setup.