Hello everyone, I've spent a few days playing around with my old lego mindstorms sets, I have 2 X RIS 1.0 and 2.0 sets, and all the expansion sets, I don't have the NXT, as i've kinda grown out of lego now. In any case, i've found that lego is a bad choice for anyone doing a RepSrap, for three reasons, 1) Cannot span an axis overhead, as the plastic flexes too much 2) Difficulty with interfacing metric parts with it 3) Lego has too many small parts, while its fine to make small things it ain't so good at making anything medium scale. The last expansion set I bought was "Robotics Discovery Set", which allows you to build a pneumatic X-Y plotter, which I found wasn't too good, and won't be any better with stepper motors. So now i'm looking at buying cheap printers and tear out the mechanics to build a RepStrap. I did find some nice printers real cheap, but before I buy them i'd like to get an idea of the stepper motors inside them, they are Canon PIXMA 190, would anyone know anything about them? Thanks Edit: Oops, I put this in the wrong section https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,23868#msg-23868 Sun, 09 Aug 2026 22:34:36 -0400 Phorum 5.2.23 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,24585#msg-24585 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,24585#msg-24585
However my tests over this weekend have showed that there is ample torque to carry the extruder and stepper for it. Been driving it all day at full step, which is showing plenty of accuracy (its geared down).

This is a RepStrap after all, a prototype of sorts, just trying to reduce costs as well, so far its just been $5 for the scanners, the other materials will be next weekend, while this week i'll be concentrating on the problematic Z axis.

If it doesn't work out, i'll just buzz Vik to print out a bunch of parts for a Darwin :D he's just half way across the city from me.]]> Grogyan Mechanics Sun, 28 Jun 2009 06:24:34 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,24584#msg-24584 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,24584#msg-24584
If you look at Darwin one belt is used on X axis and two drive belts are used on Y.]]> BodgeIt Mechanics Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:53:54 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,24582#msg-24582 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,24582#msg-24582 I'm sorry, I don't quite understand where you're coming from for needing two drive trains for the Y axis.

I'm going on the premise that I can offset motor speeds by the host software as getting two identical old scanners is nigh on impossible.]]> Grogyan Mechanics Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:30:05 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,24579#msg-24579 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,24579#msg-24579
ie 2 drive belts moveing the x axis at both ends of the x axis like the reprap system.

X uses a 1 belt drive system Y uses a 2 belt drive system thus 3 scanners needed for two only 2 Axises 2 of which need to be identical.]]> BodgeIt Mechanics Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:29:05 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,24567#msg-24567 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,24567#msg-24567
Z axis is impossible with the limited bricks that I have.

Right now the scanners are what i'm working on. I have two different scanners, the first i've already hacked and driven successfully, i'll be hacking the scanner soon.

Do they really have to be matched? Isn't there like a speed offset in the host software to compensate?]]> Grogyan Mechanics Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:40:19 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,24563#msg-24563 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,24563#msg-24563
[www.bbc.co.uk]

[en.wikipedia.org]

For the Y stage you would need two identical scanners and more heath robison enginnering inventivness.

The Z stage would be the bigger chalenge by far I think you would need a much more powerfull stepper or steppers to lift the work area.]]> BodgeIt Mechanics Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:30:26 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,23880#msg-23880 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,23880#msg-23880
Estimating how the one at home works (printer/scanner), it sounds like its running off a stepper.

I finally found some decent torquey steppers, Linear Engineering's are no whre strong enough, off the shelf that is, but Keiling's look ok, and are fairly cheap enough to import. Trying to save money where I can, so if the motor in the scanner part is a stepper, and it can shift the weight easily, that'll save a whole heap of time and money.]]> Grogyan Mechanics Mon, 01 Jun 2009 06:53:04 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,23872#msg-23872 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,23872#msg-23872 grael Mechanics Sun, 31 May 2009 07:04:36 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,23868#msg-23868 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,23868,23868#msg-23868 I've spent a few days playing around with my old lego mindstorms sets, I have 2 X RIS 1.0 and 2.0 sets, and all the expansion sets, I don't have the NXT, as i've kinda grown out of lego now.
In any case, i've found that lego is a bad choice for anyone doing a RepSrap, for three reasons,
1) Cannot span an axis overhead, as the plastic flexes too much
2) Difficulty with interfacing metric parts with it
3) Lego has too many small parts, while its fine to make small things it ain't so good at making anything medium scale.

The last expansion set I bought was "Robotics Discovery Set", which allows you to build a pneumatic X-Y plotter, which I found wasn't too good, and won't be any better with stepper motors.

So now i'm looking at buying cheap printers and tear out the mechanics to build a RepStrap.
I did find some nice printers real cheap, but before I buy them i'd like to get an idea of the stepper motors inside them, they are Canon PIXMA 190, would anyone know anything about them?

Thanks

Edit: Oops, I put this in the wrong section]]> Grogyan Mechanics Sat, 30 May 2009 20:19:39 -0400