Hello! Helsinki Hacklab would be happy to host such an event if desired. We have one Mendel at the lab and a member is building another. I heard the tampere hackerspace 5w also got some space recently, and they got a cnc machine too. -- Hans Haggstrom Helsinki Hacklabby zzorn - Finnish RepRap User Group
grael Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The big challenge with a box design is access. > > You might consider removable panels with wingnuts > to secure, and a basic box framework, strengthened > by the attached panels. Yep, that's my approach. I'm using a wooden frame and bolts to secure the sides. The whole front panel will be a door. The top paby zzorn - Reprappers
@Jeremy: I used Google Sketchup (version 5, because newer versions didn't work for me under Wine). It's awesome for this kind of work. Very easy to use! @atztek: I'm planning to either drill holes at the top of the inverted V the rails make, and fasten them with a bolt, or alternatively attach them with bolts on each side. It is a bit hard to get the precision accurate enough with woodby zzorn - Reprappers
New design iteration of the boxed reprap out at: It has some major differences from the last version, such as a completely mobile toolhead platform, and a fixed bed. The electronics were also moved on top instead of underneath. I'll put the saw to the wood now, and start cutting out the pieces. Comments on the design are still welcome though.by zzorn - Reprappers
Hi, I'm starting design and implementation of a 'RepRap in a box' type machine. The goal is to create a simple design that can be easily constructed with a small amount of standard parts from a well sorted hardware store, and that is steady enough to use for milling too. By putting it in a box I hope to be able to raise the ambient temperature enough to avoid warping of the plastics too. Soby zzorn - Reprappers
Jonkinlaista kiinnostusta on, riippuu siitä paljonko tila maksaisi. Lisäsin meiliosoitteeni wikiin. Terveisin, -- zzornby zzorn - Finnish RepRap User Group
Hello and welcome Antti! Agree on the significance of the RepRap / a replicating 3D printer. About the stepper motors, I'm no expert, but they could be okay for some purposes. The standard Darwin steppers are quite big and heavy though, much bigger than a typical scanner (or printter) stepper. As for the alt-party, that was me (a friend just posted a picture from there btw: and here's one oby zzorn - Finnish RepRap User Group
Well, I have just tested it manually so far. Not sure how well it will hold up to actual usage. I use the belt tensioner for the z axis, and tensed the x and y axis by tightening the chain once installed, by moving the idlers outwards.by zzorn - Mechanics
Yup, did think about that a bit, but for now the ballchain seems to work when wrapped a few times around the pulleys meant for the toothed belt.by zzorn - Mechanics
I found some 1mm threaded steel cable, and tried that. However, it did slip even when wrapped a few times around the drive gear. It was also unpractical to handle, the bends were a bit too sharp for it. I ended up using 2.6 mm ball chain, it's wrapped 1.5 turns around the x drive gear and 2.5 turns around the y drive gear, that seems to grip well at least when I tested it manually. It's alsoby zzorn - Mechanics
I'm building a lasercut BitsFromBytes reprap. The toothed belts were expensive and hard to find, so I decided to try ball-chain instead. However, it looks like I'd need drive gears specially designed for ball chain, the ball chain slips too easily on the default ones designed for toothed belts. I tried wrapping the ball chain one or more times around the drive wheel, this helped to some extentby zzorn - Mechanics
elmom: Looking good. I also started on a similar McWire inspired plywood based platform while waiting for my Bitsfrombytes laser cut parts. It's on hold now as I'll use the electronics and steppers for the bitsfrombytes machine, but it seems like a simple and cheap design. For the Z axis, I planned to use a 2" by 4" or similar piece of wood, attached with metallic beam attachments (about 1 eurby zzorn - Finnish RepRap User Group
I haven't been able to find any ABS welding rod re-sellers in Finland, at least not through internet. Should maybe still mail etola or some of the other companies and ask, but at least etola didn't seem to list any ABS welding rod (http://www.etratrading.fi/ep.php). Has anyone been able to locate an ABS welding rod supplier in Europe? It seems the only ones with nice browsable product catalogsby zzorn - Finnish RepRap User Group
Yeah, 0.56 seems to be more common. I ended up ordering 1 Ohm ones from Vaasan Elektroniikkakeskus along with some other stuff (cooling fins for the PWM board, and an atuomatic wire stripper - amazing tool for under three euros, no more careful use of a cutter, trying to cut just the isolation and not the wire). I also saw that K-Rauta has some good looking rods (aluminium) for not too expensivby zzorn - Finnish RepRap User Group
256 MB memory is really on the very low end for running an OS + Java virtual machine + reprap host. Likely it won't be able to display any 3D preview of the workpiece in real time, etc, as the current host software does. With custom written (maybe python) host software that just feeds gcode to the printer it should work fine, though.by zzorn - General
Got the same observation (hot steppers and stepper controller chips with Arduino electronics, stepper driver v. 1.1). It seems to depend on what position the stepper is in - two of the steppers & their controllers got scorching hot, while one was relatively cool - I swapped around the steppers, and determined that it was the stepper that caused the temperature differences. I then turned theby zzorn - Controllers
Ok, I remember reading about a dummy load elsewhere. Perhaps it will behave better with all the boards plugged in and drawing a bit of idle current, otherwise I'll try a cap. Thanks for the clarification about the noise. Yes, the steppers are indeed almost quiet when not moving. -- zzornby zzorn - Controllers
For what it's worth, I completed my first stepper driver board yesterday. I'm using the Keling stepper motors from RRRF, and the arduino version of the stepper driver. It seems to work fine, except if loaded, or driving fast (600 delay with the tester program) - in which case the power supply seems to shut down, and I have to switch it off and on to get power again. The power supply is an olby zzorn - Controllers
Interesting ideas. Some random comments in the text. Mitchell Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Has anyone looked at lower-cost fabricator > concepts? Eg, there is an ULCPC notebook (or > eventually a cell phone), USB dongle(s) > controlling multiple fabricators, a couple of DC > motors in each, and that's it. No other > electronics. Replaceby zzorn - Mechanics
I'm potentially interested. Building the electronics now (anyone know of any shop in Helsinki region that sells 0.5 Ohm 2 Watt resistors? - I'll probably end up ordering them from Elctrobit in Sweden). I'll likely order the new laser cut plastics kit from BitsFromBytes when I get a bit more information about it. After that I'll be in need for plastic. Btw, it seems threaded rods are relativeby zzorn - Finnish RepRap User Group
Yes, I remember seeing a movie of the 3D printed computer evolved robots somewhere. Here's the authors site with the papers: . This is quite cool, because now we have all the component needed to make this kind of evolved robots - all we need is to code a simulation that runs using e.g. , and has various (possibly free-form) structural components, as well as modeled small servos, battery packs aby zzorn - General
Yep, this global trend towards more and more restrictive patent and copyright legislation is a real problem. The representatives don't understand the issues, and let themselves be lobbied by industry monopolists, without any input from the general public or independent experts. Talking to them is not really helping (it's hard to outlobby industrial lobbyists with near unlimited funds with onlyby zzorn - General
I guess you have heard about the Ripple monetary system idea? The basic idea is credit transactions enabled through trust and debts (up to some max amount) between individuals, and moving credit by finding a path of trust between the buyer and seller. In any case, I think a trust based monetary system is not really directly related to RepRap. Even if custom item production is approachinby zzorn - General
Yes, it blends! (And so does glass marbles ( ), and a lot of other things. )by zzorn - Mechanics
Hi, I'm from Finland also (Espoo). My profession is software engineering, and my hobbies include game programming and ceramics. Long ago I did a bit of electronics too. I did some experimentation with air muscles / solenoid valves before xmas (it's one area that would be interesting to experiment in when we can print with elastic silicone or similar). I haven't done much RepRap related thiby zzorn - Finnish RepRap User Group
I created some simple home-made solenoid valves for controlling low pressure fluid flow. They are aimed towards controlling the air muscles discussed in the artificial muscle thread ( ), but might be possible to apply to other fluids too. Here's a picture of a two-way solenoid valve, based on a T-junction for aquarium air tubing, and a nail with a piece of isolation tape around the center actiby zzorn - Mechanics
Thanks for the comments, Good point about the strings - indeed, if they connect both endpoints, they should both give the muscle a maximum extension (length of the strings), stopping it from being extended past its breaking point, and pull the both endpoints towards each other as the muscle is inflated. One advantage that a braided tube has is that it completely surrounds the muscle, giving itby zzorn - General
I built some simple air-muscles to test out the idea. I couldn't find the same materials as in the air-muscle tutorial linked above, so I used fingers from a latex glove for the muscle, and an aquarium air pump to provide the pressure. The muscles did work, and seemed to have a nice bit for force too, considering the low pressures involved. The full writeup is on my blog:by zzorn - General
Regarding degrees of freedom - if your print head is following a fractal, area filling guidance rail laid out in two dimensions, you'd only need two axis of freedom for 3D positioning. Or if it followed a space filling guidance rail it'd only need one axis of freedom for 3D positioning. This is just theoretical though, apart from the complexity of such a guidance rail, the time to position a heby zzorn - Mechanics
Hi Victor, Cool, I'm coming from a software background myself, working on simulated agents and other things for a game project of mine in my spare time. I'm trying to create an open ended game where players and AI agents can build machines to build things in-game, so I find the concept of a self-replicating, robot making real-world machine intriguing . I think I'll shop around for some silicoby zzorn - General