Folger Tech Kossel Delta 2020 Full 3D Printer Kit w/Auto-Level

To those of you who got the beta version of our mounting kit, please email me at dan@folgertech.com and I will send you a new set of acrylic cut mounting pieces that replaced those. The first kits we sent out we were still working on the process and things were a little rushed and with it being Christmas we were very backed up. I take our customer service very seriously and If I missed an email or a call I apologize. Again please contact me via email directly with any missing part issues and I will get you guys replacements right away.

The build guide is now up the link can be found on our website. We have worked out most of the kinks at this point and I think you guys will be happy with the improvements we have made!

Dan

Two issues while completing the build:
Where do I plug the fan, servo, and auto bedleveling switch into?
Where can I download the firmware package called: FolgerTech 2020 like stated in the Configuration Manual?

Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2015 07:49AM by parco.

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parco
Two issues while completing the build:
Where do I plug the fan, servo, and auto bedleveling switch into?
Where can I download the firmware package called: FolgerTech 2020 like stated in the Configuration Manual?

The fan can be wired to pin D9 or directly to the power supply if you want it on all the time. I downloaded this firmware: [www.blomker.com] and modified it to the proper settings.

If you use D9 for the fan, see my earlier note on this same thread. Using the files at Blomker, you actually have to know what you are doing, it's not plug and play. You have to make sure the arm's length, end switches (TRUE or FALSE), stepper motor speed, etc are properly entered. Otherwise, this could take you hours to configure and tweak. Also the files for Repetier and Marlin are different. I'm currently using Marlin's, but FolgerTech have the files for Repetier. There using to be a google drive like under their blog, but I just try it and it's not there any more. PM me if you need the Marlin's version (which I did modified from blomker).

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parco
Two issues while completing the build:
Where do I plug the fan, servo, and auto bedleveling switch into?
Where can I download the firmware package called: FolgerTech 2020 like stated in the Configuration Manual?

Fan can be directly wired to the power supply, though, I didn't like the fan noise being on all the time. The RAMP board didn't have the jumper as depicted in enclosed picture.
Servo, don't know.
leveling switch? Were you able to mount the servo and switch? Maybe I'm missing hardware, can you include pictures? This is connected to the Z-minimum stop endswitch, see "Auto Level Switch" in the picture.

dnguyenai598,

I have no idea if this is correct but seems like it would work.

You should have received an acrylic piece for mounting the switch to the servo.

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parco
dnguyenai598,

I have no idea if this is correct but seems like it would work.

You should have received an acrylic piece for mounting the switch to the servo.

Thanks, a picture is worth a 1000 words.

Newer stuff (h/t to Parco that they added new files):
Newer Google Drive files

Found this link on their blog from the Folgertech website:
Slightly older stuff with pics and STLs:
Google Drive files

Gives a bit of help.

Got a shipping notice yesterday for them for my missing parts.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2015 04:36PM by rtideas.

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dnguyenai598

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parco
dnguyenai598,

I have no idea if this is correct but seems like it would work.

You should have received an acrylic piece for mounting the switch to the servo.

Thanks, a picture is worth a 1000 words.

Mounting Servo
Just as I posted, they actually uploaded a new version of the manual with their technique, which is much better. I've implemented it and the new pic is attached. Basically your mounting the acrylic piece directly to the servo by piloting a 5/64" and counterboring a 3/16" on one end (for the servo shaft).

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2015 04:20PM by parco.

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parco

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dnguyenai598

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parco
dnguyenai598,

I have no idea if this is correct but seems like it would work.

You should have received an acrylic piece for mounting the switch to the servo.

Thanks, a picture is worth a 1000 words.

Mounting Servo
Just as I posted, they actually uploaded a new version of the manual with their technique, which is much better. I've implemented it and the new pic is attached. Basically your mounting the acrylic piece directly to the servo by piloting a 5/64" and counterboring a 3/16" on one end (for the servo shaft).

That looks much better, I assume that it doesn't matter which way the switch is oriented since the head would be homed before the servo turns it 180.

The big question now is, where does the servo wires to and how do you setup the software to run and adjust the level settings?

I'm on hold right now waiting for some parts to come in... and thinking of rewiring everything and mounting all the electronics on top. It's probably not a good idea to mount the RAMP board right underneath the heatbed. Here's a cool idea for the LCD mount that I borrow from somewhere:

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dnguyenai598
That looks much better, I assume that it doesn't matter which way the switch is oriented since the head would be homed before the servo turns it 180.

The big question now is, where does the servo wires to and how do you setup the software to run and adjust the level settings?

I'm on hold right now waiting for some parts to come in... and thinking of rewiring everything and mounting all the electronics on top. It's probably not a good idea to mount the RAMP board right underneath the heatbed. Here's a cool idea for the LCD mount that I borrow from somewhere:

The servo can rotate 180deg, so you must be sure to turn the servo shaft to the probing position before tightening down.

The new manual has the location to plug the servo into, but is still missing where to put the bed leveling switch.

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dnguyenai598
I'm on hold right now waiting for some parts to come in... and thinking of rewiring everything and mounting all the electronics on top. It's probably not a good idea to mount the RAMP board right underneath the heatbed. Here's a cool idea for the LCD mount that I borrow from somewhere:

Possibly, I have about a half inch clearance between the bottom of my heatbed and the arduino, I'll just have to wait and see if it causes issues.

EDIT: Here's an album of the finished build, or my take on it at least.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2015 08:01PM by parco.

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parco

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dnguyenai598
That looks much better, I assume that it doesn't matter which way the switch is oriented since the head would be homed before the servo turns it 180.

The big question now is, where does the servo wires to and how do you setup the software to run and adjust the level settings?

I'm on hold right now waiting for some parts to come in... and thinking of rewiring everything and mounting all the electronics on top. It's probably not a good idea to mount the RAMP board right underneath the heatbed. Here's a cool idea for the LCD mount that I borrow from somewhere:

The servo can rotate 180deg, so you must be sure to turn the servo shaft to the probing position before tightening down.

The new manual has the location to plug the servo into, but is still missing where to put the bed leveling switch.

Quote
dnguyenai598
I'm on hold right now waiting for some parts to come in... and thinking of rewiring everything and mounting all the electronics on top. It's probably not a good idea to mount the RAMP board right underneath the heatbed. Here's a cool idea for the LCD mount that I borrow from somewhere:

Possibly, I have about a half inch clearance between the bottom of my heatbed and the arduino, I'll just have to wait and see if it causes issues.

EDIT: Here's an album of the finished build, or my take on it at least.

I'm happy to see the improvements made on the manual and the firmware uploaded on google drive.
The Z-probe switch goes to the Z-min pins.

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parco

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dnguyenai598
That looks much better, I assume that it doesn't matter which way the switch is oriented since the head would be homed before the servo turns it 180.

The big question now is, where does the servo wires to and how do you setup the software to run and adjust the level settings?

I'm on hold right now waiting for some parts to come in... and thinking of rewiring everything and mounting all the electronics on top. It's probably not a good idea to mount the RAMP board right underneath the heatbed. Here's a cool idea for the LCD mount that I borrow from somewhere:

The servo can rotate 180deg, so you must be sure to turn the servo shaft to the probing position before tightening down.

The new manual has the location to plug the servo into, but is still missing where to put the bed leveling switch.

Quote
dnguyenai598
I'm on hold right now waiting for some parts to come in... and thinking of rewiring everything and mounting all the electronics on top. It's probably not a good idea to mount the RAMP board right underneath the heatbed. Here's a cool idea for the LCD mount that I borrow from somewhere:

Possibly, I have about a half inch clearance between the bottom of my heatbed and the arduino, I'll just have to wait and see if it causes issues.

EDIT: Here's an album of the finished build, or my take on it at least.

Great pictures! How is it working? Any problem with the calibration? Are you printing ABS or PLA? How did you mount the extruder motor? I found that the screws from the motor were too short and did a modification.

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dnguyenai598
Great pictures! How is it working? Any problem with the calibration? Are you printing ABS or PLA? How did you mount the extruder motor? I found that the screws from the motor were too short and did a modification.

Not so good at the moment:

• There were some issues with the provided firmware causing the autolevel sequence to drive the hot end into the bed.
• My end effector movement is not as smooth as it should be, causing the hot end to jitter around. I have yet to print to see if it poses a problem.
• The heatbed has a hard time getting hotter than 77degC (verified with infrared thermometer), which is an issue for me since I print ABS.

I mounted the extruder motor with the two 45mm cap screws, no modifications necessary, as per instruction manual. (pics attached)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2015 03:12PM by parco.

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parco

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dnguyenai598
Great pictures! How is it working? Any problem with the calibration? Are you printing ABS or PLA? How did you mount the extruder motor? I found that the screws from the motor were too short and did a modification.

Not so good at the moment:

• There were some issues with the provided firmware causing the autolevel sequence to drive the hot end into the bed.
• My end effector movement is not as smooth as it should be, causing the hot end to jitter around. I have yet to print to see if it poses a problem.
• The heatbed has a hard time getting hotter than 77degC (verified with infrared thermometer), which is an issue for me since I print ABS.

I mounted the extruder motor with the two 45mm cap screws, no modifications necessary, as per instruction manual. (pics attached)

A-ha!!! Now I realized mine did come with two 45mm screws, but I used them plus I added one more as the three tensioner bolts that fitted on top. I had to completely modified my stepper motor by putting two new holes into the casing (that's what happens when there's no instructions to start off with).

I think everyone will have problem with the heat bed. For a plate that big, 12vdc isn't going to have the power. Maybe 24vdc is necessary. Plus a complete enclosure will help to keep the heat in.

I haven't even touched the auto-leveler. Printed a few things, but it's a little stringy. Well, good luck.

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dnguyenai598

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parco

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dnguyenai598
Great pictures! How is it working? Any problem with the calibration? Are you printing ABS or PLA? How did you mount the extruder motor? I found that the screws from the motor were too short and did a modification.

Not so good at the moment:

• There were some issues with the provided firmware causing the autolevel sequence to drive the hot end into the bed.
• My end effector movement is not as smooth as it should be, causing the hot end to jitter around. I have yet to print to see if it poses a problem.
• The heatbed has a hard time getting hotter than 77degC (verified with infrared thermometer), which is an issue for me since I print ABS.

I mounted the extruder motor with the two 45mm cap screws, no modifications necessary, as per instruction manual. (pics attached)

A-ha!!! Now I realized mine did come with two 45mm screws, but I used them plus I added one more as the three tensioner bolts that fitted on top. I had to completely modified my stepper motor by putting two new holes into the casing (that's what happens when there's no instructions to start off with).

I think everyone will have problem with the heat bed. For a plate that big, 12vdc isn't going to have the power. Maybe 24vdc is necessary. Plus a complete enclosure will help to keep the heat in.

I haven't even touched the auto-leveler. Printed a few things, but it's a little stringy. Well, good luck.

I ended up putting a different heater on mine. I put a 300W silicone heater under it and it works well for the first 100 or so layers. Gets hot really quick and gets up to 110degrees, but you do need an enclosure when you start printing taller parts. My ABS parts which are taller than 1.5 inches shows separation of layers on some parts. I've tried many times to do a PID autotune on the original bed at 90 degrees. It just times out because it takes forever to heat up.

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unnokeng

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dnguyenai598

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parco

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dnguyenai598
Great pictures! How is it working? Any problem with the calibration? Are you printing ABS or PLA? How did you mount the extruder motor? I found that the screws from the motor were too short and did a modification.

Not so good at the moment:

• There were some issues with the provided firmware causing the autolevel sequence to drive the hot end into the bed.
• My end effector movement is not as smooth as it should be, causing the hot end to jitter around. I have yet to print to see if it poses a problem.
• The heatbed has a hard time getting hotter than 77degC (verified with infrared thermometer), which is an issue for me since I print ABS.

I mounted the extruder motor with the two 45mm cap screws, no modifications necessary, as per instruction manual. (pics attached)

A-ha!!! Now I realized mine did come with two 45mm screws, but I used them plus I added one more as the three tensioner bolts that fitted on top. I had to completely modified my stepper motor by putting two new holes into the casing (that's what happens when there's no instructions to start off with).

I think everyone will have problem with the heat bed. For a plate that big, 12vdc isn't going to have the power. Maybe 24vdc is necessary. Plus a complete enclosure will help to keep the heat in.

I haven't even touched the auto-leveler. Printed a few things, but it's a little stringy. Well, good luck.

I ended up putting a different heater on mine. I put a 300W silicone heater under it and it works well for the first 100 or so layers. Gets hot really quick and gets up to 110degrees, but you do need an enclosure when you start printing taller parts. My ABS parts which are taller than 1.5 inches shows separation of layers on some parts. I've tried many times to do a PID autotune on the original bed at 90 degrees. It just times out because it takes forever to heat up.

I've gave up on ABS and started using PLA. Maybe I can put my 2.2lb of white ABS on eBay for half price!

Heatbed not getting passed 80degC:

There's a few reason why a heatbed might not be getting hot enough:
1. The wire leads to the heatbed are too thin and are dropping voltage before the heatbed.
2. The power supply is hitting it's maximum current draw, you will notice the voltage drop below 12V
3. The copper traces on the heatbed are too long, have too much resistance, and will not draw enough current to get hot enough at 12V

In my case, I believe number 3 is the issue. The heatbed is measuring 2.5 Ohms for me, which is a bit high if trying to heat with 12V. Note my solder connections are good.
Can anyone else verify the resistance of the heatbed?

Even with corkboard insulating the underside, I'm not able to reach passed 80degC after an hour.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2015 10:04AM by parco.

Hmmm... 2.5 ohm is very close to the 24v coil (2.4Ω). Maybe your bed is not manufactured properly or 24/12v are inverted. Maybe you can check this out. Through, if you find a 24v 10A power supply, you can run your bed with a simple relay (car's, oven's...).

---

Collective intelligence emerges when a group of people work together effectively. Prusa i3 Folger (A lot of the parts are wrong, boring !)

Anyone figure out what the lock washers are used for?

What is the consensus on the rod length to cover the full heated bed?

What's the set up for the top belt pulleys? The photo shows two flanged bearing and two washers. The text states two flanged bearings and one normal bearing between them. Seems to have a bit of slop.

Are you using the supplied gear for the belt motors? I saw someone tried using one with fewer teeth.

Dod you need spacers on the upper end stop switches?

Is everyone using thread locker as suggested in the build manual?

Does your printhead snap into the build platform, or do you have to Dremel it a bit?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2015 02:08PM by rtideas.

Hello,
I haven't gotten my running yet but mechanically its about finished..
- No I didnt need to use the lock washers.. but I was missing quite a few of the hex head cap bolts of the various sizes.. I got a lot of 20mm and had to dremel them down to size!

- I used the 224mm and it seems to be able to reach the entire build heated mk3a area just manually pushing it around.

- I did install the 36 teeth.. I read how you lose resolution with them.. what only 44.4 steps ??? one gets speed from it.. does anyone know why they choose that?

-yes I used the spacer for the upper limit switched and it does space them to hit the stopper at a good spot.. two bitch I have is that the acrylic pieces are all one thickness.. its so thick that using the 8mm screws BARELY have enough thread to crab the wing nuts once in the channel! and Two once screwed in they don't sit flat but at an angle because the l brackets is too skinny! good news they all seem to atleast bend in at the same angle!

-I started using thread locker then decided to use 'weld' them in.. I put a small piece of PLA in my dremel head.. locked it up and then melted a small area of plastic over the cap and while still hot I pressed them in. once cooled it made a nice anti vibration cover.. still to be seen if it works or not.. but cutting off a piece of a plastic seems more desireable then thread locking and realizing it messed it up.

- I was able to snap it in.. but only barely.

-my upper printed plastic pieces were crap!!! the upper bearings.. indeed one regular with two flanged are designed to fit into the conical area and simply be tightened with a screw.. but the printed parts provided meant in order to get them in there with no slop I had to improvise and use tiny washers and or sand to make up for the gaps when the pointed area didnt print.. not happy about that one.

MiddyEasy

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2015 04:09PM by Middyeasy.

So far ill give my opinion on the kit..

I HOPE and pray that the 3D printed Kossel parts that came with the kit are not representative of the quality of my theoretical output!!! Those that printed well the lower sections.. are acceptable but way below even my homebuilt Taig Mill extruder addon.. the upper frame had very poor bridging and the pulley conical section was melted and so unusable as it is, I had to kludge together spacers to reduce the slop on the idler pulleys.

It came with a very nice screw list.. I got out my calipers as suggested and sorted into piles the screws and while they were very generous on some .. the rest I had to dremel to length as they simply weren't there!

The acrylic pieces are too thick to use the 8mm bolts so you could mount those pieces to railings.. they DO work.. but you can tell your not getting more than a thread or two of clamping force.

the Arduino is supposed to mount on the same piece of acrylic that the heater plate is supposed to sit on.. but if you even use the pan head screws the Heater plate can no longer sit flat! Luckly Im doing my own thing where I had a piece of plastic cut that will sandwich some insulation and keep the electronics from feeling the heat of the Heater plate.. and the heater plate hopefully able to heat up to a useable temperature. I don't know though.. with my converted Taig mill 3d printer heater plate.. I used glass over a 12v heater sprayed with hairspray and Ive never had to use above 90C even with ABS to get it stick well.

I already have on order a set of magnetic rods and ball screws and pre printed carriages and effector.. from this guy.. they look really cool and Im looking fwd to upgrading the setup when they do come in. [groups.google.com]


But by far my biggest complaint is lack of customer response and poor documentation.. First I don't recall see anything on the ebay add about this being a BETA!!! if I had I probably would have probably gone with another kit.. or I would have been more accepting of the poor documentation and missing advertised features like auto zero!

You can have the most amazing perfect product in the world but if you have poor customer service and don't respond to questions people will hate your product.. subsequently you can have a mediocre product and if people get help and it works out of the box then people will buy it and generally be happy.. just my two cents to you guys.. if you need to stop shipping kits so you can spend an hour answering emails.. or update with a FAQ on your site the most common questions so you aren't bothered having to answer them to begin with. Well then I think your well on your way to having a very decent product.. I cant complain at all about the quality of the non printed 3d parts.. not having to order 50 thousands things off the net to make this kit and get it at a decent price ROCKS so good job there!

Also I wish they would post the latest docs/software in ONE spot and put a date or at least a copy of the revision of the documentation!.... I'm having to download the same manual every day and use my memory to see what new stuff they added over the older one I downloaded..

MiddyEasy

What firmware and software is everyone using? I installed repetier host, does anyone have any good settings for it?

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Middyeasy
- I used the 224mm and it seems to be able to reach the entire build heated mk3a area just manually pushing it around.

Two questions for you, how easily does it push around?
What is the distance between the bottom frame and the bottom of the linear rail?
I actually have 228mm bolt to bolt and I'm still having trouble reaching around the bed.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2015 08:12PM by parco.

Well my rails run as smooth as butter BUT I spent a good 30 minutes cleaning the manufacturers gunk out of the bearing rails. Basically i put some light oil in the rail and the used a doubled over paper towel and fine flat screw driver and ran it the groove over and over til there was no more black gunk on the towel. I first made the mistake of running the slide pre cleaning and so I had to clean them out by running the slide to let it roll out of the bearing balls where it built up in the balls. In the end though it was well worth it.

OK so this is my first delta.. so in one direction i see it can reach the edge but in the other it a full inch short!! So sorry about that misinformation. I took some pictures which ill post tomorrow.

Oh and to answer..they are according to the build instructions.. 12 cms up.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2015 04:47PM by Middyeasy.

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rtideas
Anyone figure out what the lock washers are used for?

What is the consensus on the rod length to cover the full heated bed?

What's the set up for the top belt pulleys? The photo shows two flanged bearing and two washers. The text states two flanged bearings and one normal bearing between them. Seems to have a bit of slop.

Are you using the supplied gear for the belt motors? I saw someone tried using one with fewer teeth.

Dod you need spacers on the upper end stop switches?

Is everyone using thread locker as suggested in the build manual?

Does your printhead snap into the build platform, or do you have to Dremel it a bit?

1. I actually didn't use any of the lock washers.
2. I originally built my kit with 224mm rods, but like I said, it wasn't enough to reach the full diameter. I am actually running mine now with 289mm from bolt to bolt. The carbon fiber rods are actually cut to 250mm. This means that the bottom of the rail from the top of the bottom frame would be raised to about 150mm. This still gave me an effective build height of 240mm.
3. I wanted the belt to have the same distance from the carrier with the top pulleys. I measured mine to about 10mm. So I ended up putting four (4) 1mm-thick washers. 2 on each side and just the two flanged bearings. I did not use the middle bearing. At first, I built it with the three bearings and there's no way you can fit any washers in between.
4. You may be able to use the supplied stepper pulleys, which are 36-teeth. I am currently running mine with 20-teeth with no problems so far.
5. My kit came with the "beta" endstop mounts, which were poorly printed elbows, so I printed new endstops for mine. I believe you have to use the spacers if you are using the laser cut acrylic.
6. In the process of upgrading this kit, I've torn it down and built it back up at least 3 times and I never saw the need for threadlock. Then again, I'm pretty much OCD, so in the final upgrade, I would probably end up using threadlock. Wouldn't really hurt not to.
7. No, It did not fit in the hotend carriage. I had to heat it up a little bit with a lighter and just pushed it in. Dremeling it out works, too.

When I'm completely done with my upgrades, I'll post some of my modifications which some of you may want to do to your own kits.

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Lord Sidius
What firmware and software is everyone using? I installed repetier host, does anyone have any good settings for it?

I have a modified Blomker Marlin. The G29 is different for it because it uses an allen wrench to probe the bed. So if you are using the supplied servo and switch combo, I cannot help you with that. I am now running mine with FSR pads mounted to the hotend carrier.
I am also using repetier, most of my settings depends on my firmware though.

Here is a picture of mine showing the extreme travel of the head.. in one direction its to the edge .. in the other.. about an 1.5 inch short! .. still need to finish the heat bed before I can move on to the electronics..

I use 250mm and it seems to work well. The back corners near the z motor are where that distances from the center is a little curtailed. I modified the Blomker's Marlin configuration.h file (you can see that in the earlier post).

This is pretty much a DIY kit. Anyone buying it and expect it to be easy is dreaming. The hardest part is configuring and calibrating the bed. Having the right configuration.h file is very VERY helpful. I'm still not done calibrating my bed, and it helps to know that when the bed heats up, it expands and change it shape. I'm looking into a glass bed because of its relative flatness. Also, knowing how to use Slic3r is very important. Many settings in there affect a good build.

Is anyone else experience this crazy wiggle: [www.youtube.com]
(I do realize it is printing higher than it should)

I'm trying to see what might be the cause, everything is tight and well built. The linear rails are definitely not "butter" smooth, and the other culprit may be the 36 tooth pulleys.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2015 04:41PM by parco.