Show all posts by user

Re: Prusa homing order - 11 years ago

I'm still trying to wrap my head around why you would want this, but I found some stuff anyway: Check Commands.cpp. Depending on your revision, you have something like this: Quote void home_axis(bool xaxis,bool yaxis,bool zaxis) { long steps; if(xaxis) { ... } if(yaxis) { ... } if(zaxis) { ... } UI_CLEAR_STATUS } Confirm by posting this to the Repetier sect

by frontier204 - Reprappers

Re: A new hardware accelerated slicer... - 11 years ago

@Joseph - If your firmware has acceleration set properly, the only ways gcode could break your printer is setting a temperature too high or crashing the hot end back into the part. Repetier Host and others may also be able to display the extrudes and travels to make sure there's nothing dumb. @KDog - Agreed - they have to prove their prototype in one place before worrying about the many combinat

by frontier204 - General

Re: Slic3r profiles (moving computers) - 11 years ago

Yes you can just copy the Slic3r directory (compress it if you like, but the files are small enough it wouldn't matter in most cases). As mentioned, for Vista/7/8 it's: C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Slic3r If you use Slic3r through Repetier Host, you may also find some stuff under AppData\Local\RepetierHost

by frontier204 - Slic3r

Re: The more I learn... A note for noobs - 11 years ago

Yep I have a Mix G1 (which is slowly turning into something that can no longer be called a Mix G1), and the single biggest improvement to my prints came from removing the top brackets that constrained my Z screws at both sides.

by frontier204 - General

Re: Connections on sanguinololu board getting fried - 11 years ago

Recall if you get bigger connectors you still have to reinforce the line between +12V and the +12V output to the heatbed. "The pads and traces on the board are not robust enough to handle the high current involved when controlling the heated bed with the sanguinololu's dedicated mosfet" I also went the route of not making my Sanguinololu switch the heat bed directly. In my case, the Sanguinolol

by frontier204 - Reprappers

Re: Finally - did my first print - 11 years ago

That issue with the leadscrew still doesn't account for having less than half of the part thickness. Assuming you're talking M8-1.25 vs M5-0.8, that's still 65% of the thickness. You should do the math with the steps / mm if you're unsure. Anyway, that's a good start: have fun with your printer!

by frontier204 - Reprappers

Re: Overheating heated bed mosfet - 11 years ago

Hmm that's true that the relay coil is an inductor too that you have to protect. I soldered diodes on the underside of the connectors for heatbed and extruder despite my heatbed actually switching a PNP transistor, just in case I ever switch to relay without remembering that bit.

by frontier204 - Sanguino(lolu)

Re: Best Place to buy Pololu or Stepstick stepper motor Driver? - 11 years ago

I've used Stepsticks, a Pololu A4988 (but broke it before I could print with it ), and the Pololu DRV8825 board. Stepsticks are an open design source (EDIT: derivative) of the Pololu A4988 stepper breakout board, although they use the same base chip to operate. There's subtle differences in the design of the PCB. vs Another thing I noticed is that my Stepsticks drew 17mA from the +5V when e

by frontier204 - General

Re: My prints are... so far so... mess - 11 years ago

Your image looks like your first layer wasn't that good, it printed fine for the next few layers (before the part with the cylinder), then your piece started lifting from the bed as it tried to print the other stuff. If the first layer goes down that messy and you don't use a raft, you can expect this stuff to happen. The first thing I'd check is if your print bed is level. Since you're using a

by frontier204 - Printing

Re: Newbie with a lot of problems on repstrap - 11 years ago

Well it looks like you have a Sanguinololu, something I've just started with myself. I've had great results with Repetier Firmware (on the Sanguinololu) + Repetier Host (on my computer), both downloadable from: Start with Repetier Host, because the label on your Sanguiniololu tels me that you have some firmware (probably Marlin or Sprinter) already installed. Repetier Host can talk to just abo

by frontier204 - Printing

Re: Best Place to buy Pololu or Stepstick stepper motor Driver? - 11 years ago

Take a look at official Pololu distributors if you can: I just found out the hard way that cheap Stepsticks cause enough problems to make up the difference in price If you can't get from an official Pololu distributor, try asking the seller about their boards.

by frontier204 - General

Re: Merlin Hotend - 11 years ago

Interesting - keep it up! From my limited experience the long nozzle (actually more like longer distance between the heater and the mechanism pushing the filament)) and the cooling is to stop jamming with PLA. The issue is called "heat creep". Have you tried PLA, or something else that softens at ~80°C? Of course if you don't plan to use PLA (or somehow get it to work with PLA), it looks like a g

by frontier204 - General

Re: Board hangs - 11 years ago

If you are using a +5V regulator, is it getting hot when you start the print? I noticed cheap StepSticks can draw 17mA each when asked to turn on. Can you manually control the printer without these problems? (E.g. sending G-Code manually with a terminal, or in GUI to tell it to move the motors around, extrude, heat up, etc.)

by frontier204 - Sanguino(lolu)

Re: Overheating heated bed mosfet - 11 years ago

The easiest modification would be to attach the Sanguinololu to a big relay coil, and the heatbed will be switched by said relay. That way, the Sanguinololu sees less than 1A, and you can use whatever you want (even low voltage AC) on the heatbed . I didn't go all the way to an optocoupler, but I made a separate circuit using a low-end PNP transistor and two power NMOS. The switching circuit fro

by frontier204 - Sanguino(lolu)

Re: Basic Mechanics for 3D Printed Parts - 11 years ago

Thanks for the replies! @Metalmann - Thanks for the note - it's available in PDF format in my university's library, so I'll go download a few of the chapters. @Jasper1984 - Yep for sure I won't calculate forces and all of that for every piece I make (e.g. that's way overkill for a electronics box). I'm still trying to get a firm grasp of OpenSCAD: if something has more than a union and a differe

by frontier204 - General

Basic Mechanics for 3D Printed Parts - 11 years ago

Hi all, Does anyone know of good books / web pages with basic information on how to design mechanically sound components to be 3D printed? I'd like to be able to design "stuff" so it doesn't snap or fall apart after I try to use it. In particular I plan to build new a X and Y axis for my 3D printer, and I don't want to make structures that would make a mechanically-inclined person look at me li

by frontier204 - General

Re: has anyone else tried DesignSpark Mechanical.? - 11 years ago

I'll have to give it a try - thanks for re-sharing. I'm trying to redesign my printer's X axis and extruder carriage, and I'm looking for more visual tools. Don't forget we have a list on software on the wiki: I don't want to add it yet because I'm not familiar with it, but if someone beats me to it...

by frontier204 - General

Re: 3D printing at home good for the environment - 11 years ago

Thanks for sharing - it was a fun read although I'd have a chat with the authors if I was the one reviewing it... It's nice to see articles on 3D printing, but they've put so much additional fluff into the article, it looks like that "Sustainable Futures Institute" was breathing down their necks every step of the way. The only actual experiment here seems to be attaching an energy metre (of whic

by frontier204 - Reprappers

Re: Anyone dealt with sainsmart.com bad buisness.. - 11 years ago

A lot of the Sainsmart stuff is fulfilled by Amazon (so it ships from a domestic warehouse with Amazon.ca's usual shipping times). I notice all of the filament is like that as well as some of the electronic kits. Just search Sainsmart and filter by "Free super saver shipping" to see what is available in this manner, so you can get the products without having to deal with large variations in shipp

by frontier204 - General

Re: X axis moves on the first 3mm of height - 11 years ago

Are there wires and (other flexible) things like that pulling on or pushing against your extruder at low Z axis settings, but not at higher settings? If the extruder jams against something in X enough to tilt the hotend but not enough to cause a skip in your axes you could get that result. Also you can try printing at different portions of your surface (e.g. at the centre, at a corner) and see i

by frontier204 - Reprappers

Re: How to set up ATX Power supply - 11 years ago

There's +12V versions of the that supply too - just that was the first one that came up. I linked a +14V supply, but it would work if you have no D1 or you disconnect / remove it. My RAMPS didn't have a D1 at all, so I thought it OK to link it assuming your RAMPS didn't have one either. I used to use this: I didn't buy from the eBay link but that picture is exactly the supply I have, down to the

by frontier204 - General

Re: Gentlemen, check your wires - 11 years ago

@nechaus - The issue is there's no point using a risky cable when the store should have supplied you with a good one to begin with. Good PC power cables cost less than a large salad, and can save you from having a fire during operation. Don't forget too that if they're cutting corners so badly that they can't use proper guage wire, how bad is their connection at the plug? That's probably what wi

by frontier204 - General

Re: How to set up ATX Power supply - 11 years ago

@OP If you're not running a heated bed, then the PSU you have will be enough. I wouldn't trust that eBay Casecom PSU you linked above: Red flags: - A modern 500W power supply would have a PCI-E graphics connector and an 8 pin CPU connector. This is either an old unit or overrated by a lot. - Intentionally low resolution image to not show the current ratings (which probably are fake to begin with

by frontier204 - General

Re: Assemble Sanguinololu with no on-board USB? - 11 years ago

Thanks for the replies! @nechaus: It's been done before - for that matter there seems to be a fork off Sprinter for Bluetooth-enabled Sangui boards. (Though I'll be using Repetier for its protocol which uses less bits and has acceleration control.) I assume Bluetooth would be slower than wired, but it's definitely viable for the slow speeds that my printer uses on its UART. I went all the way do

by frontier204 - Reprappers

Assemble Sanguinololu with no on-board USB? - 11 years ago

Hi all, (See below for backstory) Does anyone know what is needed to modify a Sanguinololu to have no USB port? I plan to buy the bare PCB and assemble it without a USB header and any USB-UART stuff between it and the ATMEGA. I plan to operate my printer with a BlueSMiRF (Bluetooth to UART), and for uploading firmware / testing I have a Pololu AVR programmer and a nice collection of USB to UART

by frontier204 - Reprappers

Re: How to set up ATX Power supply - 11 years ago

If you don't want to have a fire hazard right off the bat, I'd also check for a good review for the exact model of power supply you're using to make sure it isn't one of the ones that causes explosions. There's always overrated components... Then there's the explosive ones... (As I type my post I'm testing out the 400W version of that above PSU - the +5V is at +5.3V because of the cross-load

by frontier204 - General

Re: Inaccurate Z steps? - 11 years ago

I've been OK with a micro switch as my Z endstop. By micro switch I mean the type with 7mm spacing between 2mm mounting screws. I'm also using a pretty simple end stop holder for them: Print the end stop holder out of PLA instead of ABS if you can so you can get a tighter grip without breaking it. I only adjust my Z (usually the springs on the build plate rather than the end stop) if I did some

by frontier204 - Reprappers

Re: How to apply kapton tape to glass plate? - 11 years ago

I also use the same techniques as the videos posted above. I was applying ~19cm x 19cm sheets with the same method. The key is to really make sure the glass is wet - essentially a layer of soapy water over any point where the tape meets glass.

by frontier204 - General

Re: Buying Filament from Amazon? - 11 years ago

I'm happy with my Jet natural PLA filament (decided to skip the pigment issues thing altogether). It's actually less "temperamental" about the first layer than Makerbot translucent green PLA, but more temperamental than Makerbot True Yellow PLA. All my filament is 1.75mm while a lot of you talk about 3mm, but I don't know if that makes a difference. I also have a Jet blue ABS, but I haven't print

by frontier204 - General

Re: Gentlemen, check your wires - 11 years ago

Yikes! I saw the same thing from another shop: See the second post down... Personally I'm having trouble supporting Canadian 3D print shops (as a Canadian myself) because of the iffy-looking stuff I'm seeing from them. Either it's lack of polish on the web site (language, missing stats regarding parts, etc) or duds like this one. My power cord and supply (Mix Shop) seems fine, although I can't

by frontier204 - General