Hot Wire Foam Cutter - Battery Powered

How to build a 3D printed, battery-powered Hot Wire Foam / Polystyrene cutter.

You'll need the following:

Some wire
A set of the 3D printable parts https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2718709
1 momentary switch http://amzn.to/2ADQxFM
3 AA Batteries http://amzn.to/2ohIBrS
3 Bolts http://amzn.to/2on1RED
4 Nuts http://amzn.to/2on1RED
Some 32 AWG Nichrome http://amzn.to/2ACssiE

and that's it!

The 3D printed parts can be downloaded from Thingiverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2718709

The battery holder itself was designed by 'enif': https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:456900

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Sensorless Homing with RP2040 & TMC2209

By Lewis • February 24, 2026

In this video, I’ll show you how to set up sensorless homing using a TMC2209 stepper driver — no mechanical limit switches required! Perfect for 3D printers, CNC machines, robotics, and other DIY electronics projects. I’ll guide you through the wiring, Arduino code, and how to tune StallGuard for accurate, reliable homing. Whether you’re building a CoreXY, a custom motion control system, or just want to learn more about stepper motor drivers, this is a great place to start. Let’s build smarter! Why would we want to use sensorless homing? Well first the Pros…. There’s no need for extra mounts, additional components or running long dangling cables to one or both ends of the carriage or other moving component. And there are always cons, so in this case you’ll need a stallguard-capable driver (they cost a little more and are only manufactured by Trinamic) and accuracy isn’t great at slow speeds.