Ebay SINTRON Kossel Mini full kit

BTW, my Sintron Aduino/Ramps died today for no reasons. Lets test Sintrons customer service once again
And again I am without a printer for a week or so. Did not even managed to finish the printer itself with printparts and the thing broke twice already.

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realthor

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dc42
My recommendation is this [www.think3dprint3d.com], but it costs even more. [I have a slight interest, because it uses my IR height sensor.] Or you could build your own using the Kossel variant described in my blog (see link in my signature) as a basis.

Personally I am looking into a sub-400 kit just to wet my feet and I am planning to use that to build another one so I would really like to even canibalize the kit's parts to use on the one I am going to primarily use for prototyping stuff and mechanical parts for broken stuff (I don't need pretty sub-micron resolution but I need precision and repetability in the "good-enough" range). I will not print yoda heads and mini-mes with it. I need fast printing (prototypes need that so a Delta seeemed logical) and even dual-extruder for fast 0.8+mm infills but that is not mandatory.

I was looking at Sintron with interest but got dissapointed after the first 3-4 pages on this thread. I don't mean to hijack this thread so please go on with Sintron stuff here, I got my answer about recommending Sintron for first 3D printer.

Actually, I would like to add to that. DC42 is right. I was looking at the think3d website and if I had to do it all over again. I would pay 2x more for a complete set. I have easily already paid as much as the one on their website. So I would pay up and get the correct parts at one go. It has a duet already onboard. The IR sensor on board. Carbon rods included.

But to stay in the sub 400 range you have to build it anyway. So you cant buy a Makerbot thats a kit or premade for that price.

Sometimes I ponder if I should have just shelled out even more and bought one preassembled like this one: [www.robotdigg.com]

Or something cheap cartesian: [OYAAOSw9r1WAHkf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.ebay.com]

But the cube printer has proprietary filament with a chip on it. So you are looking at spending a lot in filament. Just like ink for an inkjet made by HP with a chip on it.

Kossel pros; LCD screen. SD card. NO PC needed to print. Heated build plate. Large build volume. Works with abs.
Kossel cons: steep learning curve. long time to build. I am still in calibration land. to make it more accurate you have to upgrade parts

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dc42

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realthor
Personally I am looking into a sub-400 kit just to wet my feet and I am planning to use that to build another one so I would really like to even canibalize the kit's parts to use on the one I am going to primarily use for prototyping stuff and mechanical parts for broken stuff.

The T3P3 kit I linked to would be a good basis for cannibalizing to make a larger printer, because it has good electronics and a genuine E3D hot end. You won't find those on any low-cost kits.

As much as I droll for such a printer I simply can't shell out that much money fro one. For me it is just a toy so far and my personal view is that it is not yet as useful as the hype goes online. So, even if I can afford it it doesn't make sense. So either building one from scratch or buying a 300-400 kit is an option for me. It's just a tool that can do intricate plastic stuff. No milling, no soldering, just plastic stuff.

I have checked the no-printed-parts option and is about 650EUR ...still way over my budget.

---

RepRap Lander concept on Concept Forge
RepRap Lander concept on RepRap Forums
My Things, mostly experimental stuff

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blurd
It doesn't short out anymore, but it is TRIGGERED when the probe IS deployed. I connected the switch as shown in the manual. Then I tested it hooking up the NC(on the left) terminal on the switch to the middle pin on the RAMPS and it works like you mention, so I must have a mis-wired one.
z probe wiring

You can invert the behavior of this particular switch in firmware config, to avoid re-soldering work.

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realthor

As much as I droll for such a printer I simply can't shell out that much money fro one. For me it is just a toy so far and my personal view is that it is not yet as useful as the hype goes online. So, even if I can afford it it doesn't make sense. So either building one from scratch or buying a 300-400 kit is an option for me. It's just a tool that can do intricate plastic stuff. No milling, no soldering, just plastic stuff.

I have checked the no-printed-parts option and is about 650EUR ...still way over my budget.

If it's a toy for you, I think the cheap kit is what you want. You spend quite some time toying with it and learning things. And then by the time it works you actually understand how to improve things. With something working out of the box you simply have no idea what's going on. I don't think 3dprinting is ready for that luxury.

I agree. If you see it as a toy then its a giant tinker toy. Build it and learn how it works.

But you guys should also consider.... a cheap 400 bucks kit might burn the 3d printing experience all together because its more frustrating than fun to work with. Its basically the same like every hobby...
But I totally agree that a kit is the way to go for really getting into the matter.

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MrPCatt
But you guys should also consider.... a cheap 400 bucks kit might burn the 3d printing experience all together because its more frustrating than fun to work with. Its basically the same like every hobby...
But I totally agree that a kit is the way to go for really getting into the matter.

Absolutely, I think whoever is willing to buy it should be aware of the mess he's getting into ;-)

Agreed that this kit might not be everyone, but I have to say I haven't had to spend any extra on getting it working.
The only real mod I had to do was grind the metal rod ballends so they don't bind.

I've been having a lot of fun experimenting with printing and think it's great if you like building stuff yourself.

Just some examples of the stuff I've played around printing so far:

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squall
Agreed that this kit might not be everyone, but I have to say I haven't had to spend any extra on getting it working.
The only real mod I had to do was grind the metal rod ballends so they don't bind.

I've been having a lot of fun experimenting with printing and think it's great if you like building stuff yourself.

Just some examples of the stuff I've played around printing so far:

postimg.org

Out of the objects you printed. How did you print out that straight linear bat thing. My machine has issues with making round stick like objects. Can you tell me your slic3r settings for that?

Also, I love PETG filament. Ive been using it for 2 days. Similar qualities to ABS but more flexible. Also no smell like ABS. My kids keep breaking the ABS figurines they want. But no issues so far with bendable PETG

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/24/2015 01:39PM by DRTak.

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DRTak
Also, I love PETG filament. Ive been using it for 2 days. Similar qualities to ABS but more flexible. Also no smell like ABS. My kids keep breaking the ABS figurines they want. But no issues so far with bendable PETG

What print temp/speed/retraction settings do you print it at? It's a nice filament, but it's a bit slow for me and often stringy…

I use the same exact settings as ABS. Temp of 218. Bed temp of 100deg. It sticks really well to the heatplate. Sticks better than ABS. The rest of the settings are the same as ABS as well. Retraction etc.

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DRTak
Out of the objects you printed. How did you print out that straight linear bat thing. My machine has issues with making round stick like objects. Can you tell me your slic3r settings for that?

That is actually a recorder It rolled on its side when I was trying to get focus on the camera in the previous pic.
It's from thingiverse and made up of multiple segments that you just slot together.



I've found objects like this easier to print as it doesn't have multiple separate islands so don't have to worry about retraction or stringing and no post clean up required either.

What sort of issues are you getting with these sorts of objects?

I used simplify3d for that one but slic3r would work just as well (I usually switch between cura and simplify3d these days)
The settings would have been 0.1 layer height, 3 perimeters, 100% infill (since I didn't want air leaking from it), and speed of 30.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/25/2015 03:38AM by squall.

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DRTak
I use the same exact settings as ABS. Temp of 218. Bed temp of 100deg. It sticks really well to the heatplate. Sticks better than ABS. The rest of the settings are the same as ABS as well. Retraction etc.

I've only printed a couple of ABS parts in all my life (and quite a while ago), so I'm not sure what your ABS settings are ;-) Actually PETG sticks to the plate at about 80 for me, though hotend is about 240. It's stringing and inability print fast that bothers me. Actually, the speed is not a problem if I know it's normal for PETG. Bad thing is I don't remember what speed I was printing at that worked for me

squall, is the recorder really playable?

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hacker
squall, is the recorder really playable?

It kinda works, but not great You have to blow loudly for it to sound like a recorder.
If you blow softly it just comes out breathy/wispy.

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squall

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hacker
squall, is the recorder really playable?

It kinda works, but not great You have to blow loudly for it to sound like a recorder.
If you blow softly it just comes out breathy/wispy.

Aha. Still cool ;-) I wonder if it's the limitation of technology or material properties/print quality that may be adjusted.

The difficulty with printed music instruments is to generate a smooth inner surface. Otherwise you have to blow hard to create a "standing wave" ( maybe the wrong term )
I had my share with printed saxophone mouthpieces and gave up.

Maybe an ABS printed recorder with inner surface treatment would work, but why would anyone do that, while wooden recorders are so cheap.
-Olaf

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o_lampe
... but why would anyone do that, while wooden recorders are so cheap.

Because it's possible!
Doesn't need to be cheap, doesn't need to be very good or useful... If it's possible, I'd fun to try "for the lulz".

Yup, for fun, not purpose.

on a note of calibration: i managed by using this object to accurately calibrate my printer to print in all dimension with a +-0,03mm accuracy on that test object. I use Marlin 1.1 RC2 firmware.
I Finally got my LCD to work, but it seems that the reset button on the LCD doesnt work.
I'm still waiting for my SSR, and in the meanwhile my printbed still wont heat up to more than 60 degrees. Untill i get that SSR i wont be able to print ABS
Last little problem: something is rattling on the Y tower side of the printer... i think its a bad ball bearing, but i cant find the culprit... at this point i think i''ll just replace them all on that side.
Still need to start trying to get the z-probe to work... for the moment i cant be bothered by it though. Its printing just fine with manual calibration.

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Tha_Reaper
I use Marlin 1.1 RC2 firmware.

Could you please describe where to get it and what I have to take over from my current firmware/Settings, the package which came from Sintron (1.01 or so?). And is there a changelog to see if there are new features or which bugs have been fixed?
Sorry for the dumb question, but I am a noob regarding this Aduino stuff and my research about newer versions gave me more questions than answers.

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Tha_Reaper
I Finally got my LCD to work, but it seems that the reset button on the LCD doesnt work.

IIRC, LCD doesn't have a reset button, but rather a kill switch, so it should kill everything, but isn't supposed to be followed by reboot (I hope there's a reason for it, because I found that pretty frustrating personally).

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MrPCatt

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Tha_Reaper
I use Marlin 1.1 RC2 firmware.

Could you please describe where to get it and what I have to take over from my current firmware/Settings, the package which came from Sintron (1.01 or so?). And is there a changelog to see if there are new features or which bugs have been fixed?
Sorry for the dumb question, but I am a noob regarding this Aduino stuff and my research about newer versions gave me more questions than answers.

[github.com]

You basicly compare your sintron version configuration.h and adv_configuration.h with the 1.1RC2 release, and try to copy as much of the custom values as possible. You will need to tweak some things, but it should be pretty straightforward.

I'll upload my working marlin config when i'm at home. From there it's basicly editing your own config values in, and try to get it running.

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hacker

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Tha_Reaper
I Finally got my LCD to work, but it seems that the reset button on the LCD doesnt work.

IIRC, LCD doesn't have a reset button, but rather a kill switch, so it should kill everything, but isn't supposed to be followed by reboot (I hope there's a reason for it, because I found that pretty frustrating personally).

yeah... kill switch. it said reset above it, so i got confused :p
Anyway: i can press that button all i want mid-print. print will happily continue. Only way to stop it is trough the menu, or killing the power.

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Tha_Reaper

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hacker

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Tha_Reaper
I Finally got my LCD to work, but it seems that the reset button on the LCD doesnt work.

IIRC, LCD doesn't have a reset button, but rather a kill switch, so it should kill everything, but isn't supposed to be followed by reboot (I hope there's a reason for it, because I found that pretty frustrating personally).

yeah... kill switch. it said reset above it, so i got confused :p
Anyway: i can press that button all i want mid-print. print will happily continue. Only way to stop it is trough the menu, or killing the power.

I thought you might have expected different response. You can also hit reset on ramps, that's what I used to do before. Sintron LCD's kill switch I haven't even tried, maybe it's designed not to work…

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Tha_Reaper

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MrPCatt

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Tha_Reaper
I use Marlin 1.1 RC2 firmware.

Could you please describe where to get it and what I have to take over from my current firmware/Settings, the package which came from Sintron (1.01 or so?). And is there a changelog to see if there are new features or which bugs have been fixed?
Sorry for the dumb question, but I am a noob regarding this Aduino stuff and my research about newer versions gave me more questions than answers.

[github.com]

You basicly compare your sintron version configuration.h and adv_configuration.h with the 1.1RC2 release, and try to copy as much of the custom values as possible. You will need to tweak some things, but it should be pretty straightforward.

I'll upload my working marlin config when i'm at home. From there it's basicly editing your own config values in, and try to get it running.

Here is the link

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hacker

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Tha_Reaper

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hacker

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Tha_Reaper
I Finally got my LCD to work, but it seems that the reset button on the LCD doesnt work.

IIRC, LCD doesn't have a reset button, but rather a kill switch, so it should kill everything, but isn't supposed to be followed by reboot (I hope there's a reason for it, because I found that pretty frustrating personally).

yeah... kill switch. it said reset above it, so i got confused :p
Anyway: i can press that button all i want mid-print. print will happily continue. Only way to stop it is trough the menu, or killing the power.

I thought you might have expected different response. You can also hit reset on ramps, that's what I used to do before. Sintron LCD's kill switch I haven't even tried, maybe it's designed not to work…

My RAMPS is under the bed... cant reach that killswitch. I have a foot pedal with which i can kill the power. it does the trick.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/25/2015 03:28PM by Tha_Reaper.

Kill is much saver than a reset because after a reset the machines is listening to the serial/usb port again. If the host still sends the code could be executed immediately. The other reason, is a possible AUTOSTART file on the SD-card.

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AnHardt
Kill is much saver than a reset because after a reset the machines is listening to the serial/usb port again. If the host still sends the code could be executed immediately. The other reason, is a possible AUTOSTART file on the SD-card.

Thanks, makes sense.

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hacker
Sintron LCD's kill switch I haven't even tried, maybe it's designed not to work…

I tried and it works. It immediately stops any motor movements at least. When I made initial configuration I sent carriages to out of limits several times, and used this button to stop the printer.

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AnHardt
Kill is much saver than a reset because after a reset the machines is listening to the serial/usb port again. If the host still sends the code could be executed immediately. The other reason, is a possible AUTOSTART file on the SD-card.

After pressing kill button printer kinda listen the port as well. Because I was able to reset the printer from Pronterface after kill button was pressed.

More upgrades.

Here's the latest iteration of my extruder drive assembly.



What I did was as follows:
1) Take the bowden tube off the pressfit connector
2) Drill the pressfit connector out with a 4mm drill bit, careful not to mangle the pressfit jaws
3) Shave the outside of the bowden tube, the one that Sintron provided me is slightly larger than 4mm
4) Screw the pressfit connector back into the extruder drive
5) Place the extruder support plastic piece (stl attached) inside the drive assembly
6) Push the bowden tube through the pressfit connector, and the extruder support piece so that the bowden tube goes all the way to the drive gear
7) Put a small screw into the extruder support plastic so that it clamps down on the bowden tube


This system seems quite reliable, and allowed me to print using a flexible rubber filament that bends if you sneeze on it. It also helps you to print faster because the filament can have more force on it without bending and spewing out all over the place. There's no way you can print using flexible filaments without a lot of support of the filament path.