Filament sensor alternatives Hi, I am wondering for an alternative to this filament sensor [www.thingiverse.com], I understand that this one is a very cool little jig to have for your 3d printer at a premium price (in my place here) What I have in mind is to rig a cheap digital caliper up to 2 decimal point in metric measurement and use the pinouts like this one [www.thingiverse.com]. A shorter one should be this one [www.ebay.com], I'm sure it has the same pinouts like any other digital caliper has. I'm using mk8 extruder and my idea was to mount it somewhere in the mk8 itself or since the tire caliper has spring on its own, I was thinking to modify or rig the mount to be either printable custom mount, attached with bearing and hobbed bearing Any of you guys ever thought of this solution? the pinout accepts 1.5v though https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,600940,600940#msg-600940 Mon, 16 Mar 2026 11:52:59 -0400 Phorum 5.2.23 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,600940,631930#msg-631930 Re: Filament sensor alternatives https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,600940,631930#msg-631930 Measure the filament diam ? What about oval filament ? In fact, the section area could be the same as the round one giving the same flow.
Detect filament absence ? A simple switch can do it. Mechanical or optical, plenty of simple solution there. The simpler, the lighter, the cheaper, the better.

Potentiometers used in servos are designed for and you better check their specifications in term of wiper and track life.
Regular pots used in audio are usually logarithmic, BTW and even the linear one unsuitable.]]> Anonymous User Let's design something! (I've got an idea ...) Fri, 26 Feb 2016 03:16:36 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,600940,631192#msg-631192 Re: Filament sensor alternatives https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,600940,631192#msg-631192
Here is the pictures [share.pho.to]

Basically, the potmeter would sit next to the hinge's axis and there's a lever that is extended to connect it to the extruder clamp. In my case I'm using mk8 extruder here. I still need to improve the potmeter mount design as this one in the picture gave me a hard time putting on those screws back together again. The lever on the potmeter side has a tightener screw, that is for you to be able to 'calibrate' the vref returned from the potmeter. I have access to some filament that are well branded; zortrax, at 1.75mm too and I'm going to use that for my calibration to get 1.75v and then will read how much vref returned without any filament inside. Then that vref without filament inside will be the reference for calibrations during setting up the potmeter to this extruder

if it is a failed experiment or concept, then I'm okay with it, maybe can also have a similar idea like the low filament sensor mechanisms]]> sarf2k4 Let's design something! (I've got an idea ...) Wed, 24 Feb 2016 12:39:13 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,600940,630964#msg-630964 Re: Filament sensor alternatives https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,600940,630964#msg-630964 Frans@France Let's design something! (I've got an idea ...) Wed, 24 Feb 2016 04:05:31 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,600940,630915#msg-630915 Re: Filament sensor alternatives https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,600940,630915#msg-630915
I just thought of a very simple material that would use potentiometer instead. What I know is, arduino takes in voltage as value and turns it as a reading then if using potentiometer, it might be possible to do this too, another problem is might be the amount of force required to turn the potentiometer, might gonna need to have big dial to have fulcrum to turn it with lesser force. Or I would just use the linear potmeter instead]]> sarf2k4 Let's design something! (I've got an idea ...) Wed, 24 Feb 2016 01:23:52 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,600940,613689#msg-613689 Re: Filament sensor alternatives https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,600940,613689#msg-613689
Quote
Frans@France
maybe this one is even simpler? [www.youmagine.com]
Nice]]> ElenaJohnson Let's design something! (I've got an idea ...) Thu, 21 Jan 2016 22:09:16 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,600940,611578#msg-611578 Re: Filament sensor alternatives https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,600940,611578#msg-611578 www.youmagine.com]]]> Frans@France Let's design something! (I've got an idea ...) Mon, 18 Jan 2016 07:43:07 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,600940,600940#msg-600940 Filament sensor alternatives https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,600940,600940#msg-600940 www.thingiverse.com], I understand that this one is a very cool little jig to have for your 3d printer at a premium price (in my place here)

What I have in mind is to rig a cheap digital caliper up to 2 decimal point in metric measurement and use the pinouts like this one [www.thingiverse.com].

A shorter one should be this one [www.ebay.com], I'm sure it has the same pinouts like any other digital caliper has.

I'm using mk8 extruder and my idea was to mount it somewhere in the mk8 itself or since the tire caliper has spring on its own, I was thinking to modify or rig the mount to be either printable custom mount, attached with bearing and hobbed bearing

Any of you guys ever thought of this solution? the pinout accepts 1.5v though]]> sarf2k4 Let's design something! (I've got an idea ...) Sat, 26 Dec 2015 06:57:37 -0500