Folger Prusa i3 Kit from ebay

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rich1812
Hi coldfront,

Are you saying that the thermostat is already built in the bed? Because of the lack of instruction for this kit, I read it somewhere on the net, I think it was Instructable.com, it says that I need to connected a 103 NTC in the center of the bed, so I did. Like Jamus, I also thought the thermostat was missing from the kit. Perhaps that's why I have the shut down issue.

Here is how i have mine setup rich, P1- Pin 1 Heatbed + Pin 2/3 Heatbed -. For P2 I have two wires for the thermostat it doesn't matter what way they go for the thermostat when plugged into the ramps 1.4 board. If you received the kit from Folger I do believe they are all the same board PCB Heatbed R1 Dual Power. I did not have to solder any because the thermostat shouldn't be missing from the kit.

Wow, coldfront, you are an early bird like me !

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rich1812
Wow, coldfront, you are an early bird like me !

Haha I wish more like really bad insomnia daily I don't get that much sleep often, but is this how you have your board setup??? Also what made you pick an ATX PSU rather than use the one supplied by Folgers?

Well I picked the ATX PSU because I could not get an output from he Folger OEM and I am too eager to put together the printer and I have a few ATX PSUs handy around the house, so I postpone dealing with the Folger's. Speaking of which, does the Folger's have a PSU_ON? If so I did not see it.

Yes, this is exactly how I set it up "P1- Pin 1 Heatbed + Pin 2/3 Heatbed" And I do have PCB Heatbed R1 Dual Power, should be the same as yours. Did you have to edit the temperature section of the Configuration.h file?

I desoldered the 10K thermistor, reset the the temperature section of the Configuration.h to Folger's It still doesn't heat up. With the 10k thermistor version, at least it heats up.
Confused!!!!

This may cures your insomia, close your eyes and repeat 100 times hot bed, comfy bed, hot bed, comfy bed........

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/2014 07:11AM by rich1812.

you can use the green wire on the atx power supply to turn the printer on and off with a switch... handier than unplugging it.
it's green wire to ground to power up the ATX there is no PSU-On with the folger power supply...

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/2014 10:15AM by Waltermixx.

Thanks Waltermixx, I thought there must be something like that, definitily beats the plug and unplug routine.

DUH! I just realized that the switch was pre-set to 220V not 110V, How silly of me!

Oddly enough that is what I posted originally. Then thought no, I better not write that so as not to offend you, as it was covered a few times. He he.
So I changed my post to reflect info on the atx power supply. I should have left it as is. I wonder if anyone saw it before I edited it.

Either way glad you figured it out. :0)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/2014 11:29AM by Waltermixx.

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rich1812
DUH! I just realized that the switch was pre-set to 220V not 110V, How silly of me!

Yeah glad you figured out the PSU problem, but did it fix the heating problem??

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Waltermixx
Oddly enough that is what I posted originally. Then thought no, I better not write that so as not to offend you, as it was covered a few times. He he.
So I changed my post to reflect info on the atx power supply. I should have left it as is. I wonder if anyone saw it before I edited it.

Either way glad you figured it out. :0)

HAHAHA You should have posted it for idiots like me :p

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rich1812

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Waltermixx
Oddly enough that is what I posted originally. Then thought no, I better not write that so as not to offend you, as it was covered a few times. He he.
So I changed my post to reflect info on the atx power supply. I should have left it as is. I wonder if anyone saw it before I edited it.

Either way glad you figured it out. :0)

HAHAHA You should have posted it for idiots like me :p

As Walter said, it's been covered a few times.

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coldfront

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rich1812
DUH! I just realized that the switch was pre-set to 220V not 110V, How silly of me!

Yeah glad you figured out the PSU problem, but did it fix the heating problem??

Seems like it does, right now I am running a stress test, I have the hot bed and the extruder running for almost 3 hours now and monitoring it, So far it never drops below the target temperature and it keeps turns back on when the temperature drops below target. So it was the ATX PSU caused the problem.

Unlike yours tho, I do still need the 103 NTC, and did a bit of editing on the Configuration.h otherwise the be heater just won't turn on. Wonder why.

But what the hell, it works nicely now YAY, my first 3D printer!

Thank you very much to everyone for your helps.

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rich1812

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coldfront

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rich1812
DUH! I just realized that the switch was pre-set to 220V not 110V, How silly of me!

Yeah glad you figured out the PSU problem, but did it fix the heating problem??

Seems like it does, right now I am running a stress test, I have the hot bed and the extruder running for almost 3 hours now and monitoring it, So far it never drops below the target temperature and it keeps turns back on when the temperature drops below target. So it was the ATX PSU caused the problem.

Unlike yours tho, I do still need the 103 NTC, and did a bit of editing on the Configuration.h otherwise the be heater just won't turn on. Wonder why.

But what the hell, it works nicely now YAY, my first 3D printer!

Thank you very much to everyone for your helps.

umm that is strange i just took a look at your bed photo you posted and i can see the RT1 chip on there so i dont know why the bed thermostat isnt working

Maybe your configuration was wrong for the correct sensor.
#define TEMP_SENSOR_0 6
#define TEMP_SENSOR_1 0
#define TEMP_SENSOR_2 0
#define TEMP_SENSOR_BED 6
these are mine

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/2014 01:45PM by coldfront.

just curious. On the top of the extruder, looking from the front, there are two holes, I know the one on the right is for the 3mm filament, but what is the one on the left? Is it for 1.75 mm filament?

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rich1812
just curious. On the top of the extruder, looking from the front, there are two holes, I know the one on the right is for the 3mm filament, but what is the one on the left? Is it for 1.75 mm filament?

They are both for 1.75 as far as I know. I am using the hole on the left. I switched over when I moved to the threaded hole.

:0)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/2014 09:39PM by Waltermixx.

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Anyone use any LM8uu linear bearing alternatives? The ones included lose balls like crazy and are the crunchiest bearings I've ever seen. I'm thinking of getting some 8mm bronze bushings.

I noticed some of mine were worse/better then other. My guess is they are just cheap ones to make the kit cost effective,

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/2014 09:26PM by ron22.

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ron22

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Anyone use any LM8uu linear bearing alternatives? The ones included lose balls like crazy and are the crunchiest bearings I've ever seen. I'm thinking of getting some 8mm bronze bushings.

I noticed some of mine were worse/better then other. My guess is they are just cheap ones to make the kit cost effective,

Yes, I also lost a lot of balls. They are really small so it is real easy to drop some balls and not even see them, so you don't even know they are gone.
I found one of my Y axis rods was a little bigger in diameter than the others, so I went though all the sliders to find one that would slide easily on that rod. Then used that rod/bearing on the single bearing side of the Y axis.
The other Y axis rod was better but still required testing all the sliders to find 2 that slid very easily.
You have to be very careful when inserting the rod into the bearing to keep from ejecting balls. It really helps to put a nice tapper on the end of the rods. The tapper will help keep the balls from being pushed out.
I ended up testing all the sliders on the remaining rods to match them for best fit per rod.
I had to really carve out the 2-slider saddle on the Z axis carrier to get the sliders to line up well on the rod. Then I had to tie wrap them fairly loosely to keep them sliding smoothly on the rod. Also, the motor end of the Z axis places the two rods about .005" closer together at that end than on the other end. So the Z carrier gets a little tight while sliding toward the motor end.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/2014 09:44PM by Easy.

Have my kit mechanically assembled. Made the mistake of watching the videos at Floger site, not the most logical order.
Couple of nut slots in the Acrylic had to be opened up. Couple of holes had to be opened up on the printed parts. Had to file down the pulley halves so they would fit right.
Did not use Loctite, YET. When I get it working I plan on printing some improved parts. Right now belt tensioners for sure I am sure there will be more. At that point I will be apply loctite to all bolts and check out everything
Overall happy with the kit so far. A lot of it is because of this forum and expecting most the issue I ran into.

Hi
I just finish to calibrate my Folger tech printer and I need some help, the one thing I didn't do until now is to adjust the vref of the motor controllers because I don't really understood how do I measure them. is there an option in the host program to read these values?

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mickey
Hi
I just finish to calibrate my Folger tech printer and I need some help, the one thing I didn't do until now is to adjust the vref of the motor controllers because I don't really understood how do I measure them. is there an option in the host program to read these values?

no software option with the RAMPS board, you will need a volt meter. + cable to the actual metal of the tiny adjustable pot, and - to ground.
please use the voltages posted earlier in the thread, the ones i posted from the folks at folgertech as a good starting point

Cheers.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2014 07:53AM by Waltermixx.

We are now offering a complete build guide for this printer:

[docs.google.com]

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waltermixx
no software option with the RAMPS board, you will need a volt meter. + cable to the actual metal of the tiny adjustable pot, and - to ground.
please use the voltages posted earlier in the thread, the ones i posted from the folks at folgertech as a good starting point smiling smiley

Folger guys just publish a complete PDF for the build process.
to late for me but at the end they show how to measure the vref but should it be without the motors connected? do I need to send something from host app to measure?

thanks a lot, this thread and a few YouTube films really helped me in the building process (before Folger publish they new PDF)

Hi All,

I have been reading though this thread as I have been waiting for my Folger Tech kit to arrive. It arrived yesterday and there were a few issues, some frame tabs were broken, some of the slide bearings were dry and shuddered when sliding, also the printed parts especially for the belt pulley were really bad.

I am waiting on a response from Folger Tech for repalcement parts. Did anyone else have much luck getting good responses from Folger Tech and parts replacements?

Cheers,

Rhys

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mickey

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waltermixx
no software option with the RAMPS board, you will need a volt meter. + cable to the actual metal of the tiny adjustable pot, and - to ground.
please use the voltages posted earlier in the thread, the ones i posted from the folks at folgertech as a good starting point smiling smiley

Folger guys just publish a complete PDF for the build process.
to late for me but at the end they show how to measure the vref but should it be without the motors connected? do I need to send something from host app to measure?

thanks a lot, this thread and a few YouTube films really helped me in the building process (before Folger publish they new PDF)

I measure with the Motors attached, but make sure that the motors are off. In Pronterface, hit the "motors off" button (not sure what to send as a code directly, but it's somewhere in this thread too). Also, be very careful not to short out anything when putting your probe on the ground pin of the stepper controller.

I just had a read through the new documentation from the Folger Google drive... wow, what a great job, very detailed. wish I had it when i bought mine... tons of detail... should be the first place people goto for answers...
it does not cover flashing Marlin, but once the kit is built, and you know where and how your end stops are wired, you should be good to go Good work guys

Cheers. loading the document on my ipad for subway reading

also, check out my 12 hour and 46 minute print with white ABS on my prusa i3



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2014 07:16PM by Waltermixx.

Very cool. What are the dimensions? Have you had any thoughts about adding a second extruder? Is it possible?

It's about 6"x6"x6".
Pretty cool eh? Not sure I want to add a second extruder yet.
I may buy FolgerTech delta printer next.

Still on the fence. Need to find a good reason for the wife. Or just tell her it's my Christmas present.
It doesn't have to make sense. :0)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2014 09:23PM by Waltermixx.

I just wanted to give a heads up on this find. An aluminum bed from the land down under. I decided to buy it because it appears it would be both strong and light.


Prusa i3 Aluminum Y Carriage

I think this one will fit many different hardware combinations, hopefully Folger tech's . I'm going to assume it'll take two weeks to get here. I'll review when I get it.

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Waltermixx
It's about 6"x6"x6".
Pretty cool eh? Not sure I want to add a second extruder yet.
I may buy FolgerTech delta printer next.

Still on the fence. Need to find a good reason for the wife. Or just tell her it's my Christmas present.
It doesn't have to make sense. :0)

I haven't seen the delta printer, I will take a look. Also, where did you get that LCD? I might order one while I am building.

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Waltermixx

also, check out my 12 hour and 46 minute print with white ABS on my prusa i3

16030951982_b0072dffde_o.jpg

Nice! You must have everything dialed in perfectly.

Cheers
Steve

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My updated Instructable on our Prusa i3 Build
[www.instructables.com]