I have been looking around for a replacement board for the motion and laser control. There are lots of boards to choose from, including some that can be swapped out directly but i like the look of the board by Bart from buildlog.net. http://www.buildlog.net/blog/2018/11/grbl_esp32-development-board-version-3-1/

The manufacturer of the laser cutter has made some interesting choices for the motor and limit switch connectors (12 pin FFC) so I have decided to make my own board based on the schematic at the link above with some modifications for my case.

When I was researching parts, I realised that everything was available as pre-made modules which will save me a lot of time and hassle soldering smd parts. It will also let me assemble to circuit on a breadboard and get it working very quickly.