BigTreeTech GTR V1.0 Controller - Without M5 Board

As suppliers of 3D Printers, spares and upgrades, we spend a lot of time testing, analysing and reviewing all kinds of components, with Controller Boards being some of the most common things we test, and we do this to try and bring what we feel are the absolute best upgrades to the South African market. However, while most of the items that we choose to stock are great quality, sometimes a product comes along that really blows away our expectations, and the BigTreeTech GTR V1.0 Controller with M5 Expander Board is one of them. Being comprised of both a primary GTR V1.0 Motherboard as well as a secondary M5 Daughter Board, the BTT GTR V1.0 and M5 combo is set to bring the 3D Printing game to the next level, with even more functionality and versatility than we’ve ever seen on 3D Printer Controllers, and a rich set of features and functionality that most other boards could only ever dream of.

What Makes the BigTreeTech GTR V1.0 Better than the Average Controller?

Just in the same way that Yogi Bear is no average Bear, the GTR V1.0 is certainly no average Controller Board, and offers some very unique features that we’ve never seen on other boards within the Hobbyist 3D Printing industry. So let’s take a closer look the top features that really differentiate this controller, and how these awesome features will make your 3D Making adventures better, more reliable and overall more capable:

• Ample Ports for All Kinds of Upgrades: When viewing the BTT GTR V1.0 for the first time, the most obvious thing that you will notice is the absolute abundance of ports and connectors for all kinds of different components. However, we must admit that the ports that we’re most interested in are the six stepper driver and stepper motor ports, as these directly translate to more control and more motors for your CNC or 3D Printing projects – with dual Z-Axis outputs that also accommodate Dual-Z setups too. In addition to these, there are also more than enough ports for almost any amount of end stops, thermistors and extra components you might need on any standard setup, and this board also includes loads of small extras such as a WiFi module port, an interface for a touchscreen, pin headers for BLTouch and other sensors, and a few other handy features scattered throughout. And of course, just to emphasise the true versatility of the BTT GTR V1.0, it also features a full 40 Pin GPIO header for Raspberry Pi, opening up even more possibilities for how you can use this board for various 3D Printing and CNC applications.
  
  
• Even More Functionality with the M5 Daughter Board: As if the BTT GTR V1.0 wasn’t enough of a powerhouse already, one aspect about this board that is truly unique is the fact that you can also enhance it even further with the specialised M5 Daughter Board, which can connect to the Motherboard via a relatively compact 50 pin Header and ribbon cable, turning both boards into a single unit to help add even more functionality and help you really take your projects to a whole new level. This M5 Daughter board, while being a completely optional extra that you can choose to use or leave out, brings the potential for up to five extra ports for drivers, motors, fans and thermistors, and even a tiny configurable jumper that can regulate the power to the fans down to 12V or leave it as VIN. These two boards, when used together, offer a total of up to 11 stepper motors with all of their necessary thermistors and fans, opening up possibilities for not just CNC and 3D Printing, but even for full-scale robotics and other cool applications too.
  
  
• One of the Most Reliable Names in Hobbyist Controllers: Finally, although this isn’t necessarily a feature, one of the best things about this board is the fact that it is designed and crafted by BigTreeTech, who have recently been gaining popularity at a tremendous rate due to their exceptional level of quality and careful considerations for 3D Makers and CNC enthusiasts. This means that, even if you run into problems or hassles along the way, you can simply reach out to the highly skilled technical team for direct support, check out their growing community of helpful Makers for advice and help, or explore their well-documented resources at their GitHub Pages and other resource hubs.

Of course, while these features may not actually offer amazing benefits to every single 3D Maker out there, especially since some Makers love the “just works” kind of simplicity that most 3D Printers offer, they are unmistakeably awesome, and allow for so much more in 3D Printing and CNC applications that were simply never possible in the past.

Please Note: This GTR V1.0 Controller is compatible with the M5 Daughter Board, but this version does not include the daughter board. If you are looking for a combo that includes both this and the M5 Daughter board together, take a look at the BigTreeTech GTR V1.0 Controller with M5 Expander Board kit, or otherwise the BigTreeTech M5 Expansion Board without the GTR V1.0 Controller as a spare.

Additional Resources:

• If you want to enjoy more technical details and documentation for the BigtreeTech GTR V1.0 Controller and M5 Daughter Board, be sure to check out the BTT GTR V1.0 GitHub Repository.
  
  
• Next up, this is the fantastic BigTreeTech Thingiverse List, which offers awesome STL files for enclosures and other designs that incorporate many of their controller boards, Displays and upgrades into popular 3D Printers, with designs that cater to all kinds of machines, styles and tastes.

If you want to enjoy a thorough review and investigation of the BTT GTR V1.0, the following video by Edward Braiman does an excellent job a detailing al of the key features and what you can expect when you get your own. Furthermore, if you want even more information, consider taking a look through his entire BTT GTR V1.0 Playlist, which covers the basics, installation guides and much, much more.

As one of the rising stars in the world of 3D Printer Component Research and Development, BigTreeTech have certainly hit the ground running, entering the market in 2015 and spending their early stages primarily learning, researching, testing and developing, before producing some truly impressive results. From simple but effective upgrades to standard parts, all the way through to completely custom parts that no other brand offered at the time, BigTreeTech now have an incredibly diverse range, with almost no area of 3D Printing being left out.

Some of BigTreeTech’s most notable additions to the world of 3D Printing include the SKR Motherboard Range for numerous different 3D Printer models, the awesome TFT Touch Display Range with fancy features like dual-mode operation, as well as their very impressive Stepper Driver Range that cater to all tastes and preferences under the sun. And of course, to top it all off, BigTreeTech also have a sister company named BIQU, and we must admit that they have been producing some pretty impressive (and low price) 3D Printers, with the BIQU B1 possibly becoming a new rival to the Ender 3.

Of course, it’s easy to see that BigTreeTech are modern masters of 3D Printing R&D, and while we do still have a lot of different parts that we want to test out from them, so far we’ve been extremely happy with what they’re capable of producing – all while fitting into same kind of hobbyist budget that they used to operate on as Makers and Tinkerers themselves.