Hello,
I am building a super small 3D printer out of old CD/DVD drives. I am new to 3D printer fabrication, and I have a few questions about the electronics aspect of it. I have searched forums, and I just don't know where to look. I know that there is probably some thread out there that has similar questions, or some wiki, but I couldn't find it.
To give some background, this is where I'm at:
- X, Y, and Z axes complete and moving.
- Arduino Uno as the control board.
- Easy Driver stepper drivers to control the axes.
- Teacup Firmware
- I have slicer and Pronterface.
- I can control the X,Y, and Z axes manually on Pronterface.
1. Controlling the hotend to turn on/off with the Arduino uno-- Is there a simple circuit that I need to make with a MOSFET to do this? I know the RAMPS shield has a nice screw terminal for the hotend leads and integrated switching circuit to do this; but alas, I didn't plan that far ahead and I bought an Arduino Uno with easy driver stepper drivers instead of the easier Arduino MEGA and RAMPS board.
I bought
this J-type Hotend on Amazon, so it comes with the nozzle, heating element, thermistor and fan. Along with my questions on how make the Arduino switch the hotend on and off to keep a constant temperature, comes the question about the thermistor. How do I connect the thermistor? Do I just hook up the leads to certain pins on the Arduino or do I need a circuit for this too?
Also, where would I hook up the fan? How would this be controlled? Is it supposed to run whenever the hotend heating element is on, or is it supposed to turn on/off to maintain the hotend temperature or is it part of the thermal barrier?
2. Heatbed. So first thing with this one is where can I find a heat bed with max dimensions of 90x90mm? I am using CD/DVD drives, so my print area is about 33.5x33.5mm and right now I just have a metal plate that is 90x90mm with rounded edges. I just don't think anyone makes heat beds that small. I am also up to suggestions on how to make one.
Also how would I control the heatbed? I'm sure it's similar to the hotend, but what circuit do I need?
Whoever takes the time to read and respond to these basic questions, thank you. I am excited to get into 3D printing, I've enjoyed building my printer so far, and I really appreciate your help with this!
Thanks Again!
