I wouldn't worry about it - unless you plan on kicking your printer into a puddle, it shouldn't be an issue.by raldrich - General
I don't know how this could possibly be used to advantage, but it sounds fun anyway.by raldrich - General
I have to agree, nophead - between all of the calls to delayMicroseconds, and all of the cli()/sei() calls peppering the OneWire.cpp file, it can't be healthy for the Servo library. I'm still unsure whether it's noise on the "OneWire" or interrupts that are causing all of the flakey sensor reads. I may try modifying OneWire::read_bit() to multi-sample, and see if it helps at all. Still, as sooby raldrich - General Mendel Topics
Well, I found out what was keeping me from seeing valid temperatures in repsnapper - the RS485 cable between the two boards was bad. Now that I've fixed that, I can see how badly the PID code is behaving. The problem seems to be that temperature values going all over the map (such as when the serial comms to the thermocouple are messy) really messes up the PID code - in many cases convincing itby raldrich - General Mendel Topics
It'll come with firmware installed, which is good as far as it goes - but once you decide to start modifying things (i.e. dumping the thermocouple for a thermistor, or some such) you'll need source code.by raldrich - General Mendel Topics
It looks like I have to eat my words (at least to some extent). I modified the firmware to echo the current temperature directly back to the host computer (connecting USB directly to the extruder board), and set the temperature to 100c. Temperatures went well above 100, and were continually jumping around. I then unplugged the 12v connection (because things were getting too hot), and the tempeby raldrich - General Mendel Topics
One of the best upgrades you can make to a Prusa is to replace the bushings with Linear Bearings - search ebay (and thingiverse) for "LM8UU".by raldrich - General Mendel Topics
ECSuyu Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > @raldrich - What i found with the TZ serial cable > is it is sometimes pretty finicky. I have my > machine setup and though it works. the temperature > feedback will not always show. When i set a M105 > sometimes i will get a T0 however for me if i send > it again a few seconds later it'll show the proper &by raldrich - General Mendel Topics
brnrd Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > Try the extruder firmware that I modified and > posted in this thread: > # > msg-77252. I used the 20100719 firmware and added > the AD calls from Techzone. I also fixed the their > bug. It also supports a heated bed with a > thermistor. They told me that their firmware was > based on an earlierby raldrich - General Mendel Topics
I ran across this today. Their clays might be a bit solid for a pneumatic extruder such as the one that makerbot sells, but you wouldn't have to deal with it slumping. The other problem is that their shrinkage is much higher than artclay - 20 to 25%by raldrich - Paste Extrusion Working Group
@morrist - make sure they send you source code to the monolithic firmware, or better yet, get them to put it up in github, and post a link to it here.by raldrich - General Mendel Topics
@brnrd brnrd Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > @raldrich - Your motherboard firmware might not be > compatible with the extruder firmware. It doesn't > sound like an RS485 issue if you're able to set > the temperature. What versions are you using for > the MB and EC? I honestly don't know - the firmware that I got it mostly working with was burned iby raldrich - General Mendel Topics
brnrd Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Can you post what the communication log shows when > it returns the temperature? I agree that it's > regulating the temperature of the tip properly. My > guess is that you're getting RS485 communication > errors between the MB and EC everytime repsnapper > tries to read the temperature with the M105 > comby raldrich - General Mendel Topics
I had luck removing all of the filament from a wades extruder by allowing the entire thing to cool down to room temperature, turning the heat back on, and then pulling the filament until it released from the tip. If your extruder tends to leak inside this probably wouldn't work well though.by raldrich - General Mendel Topics
brnrd - I really don't know how it is that it seems to be working. The temperature reported by repsnapper is 0. When set to 200, the tip gets hot enough that I can extrude ABS (by hand) with a fair amount of effort. When set to 220, I can extrude with considerably less effort. The MOSFET LED comes on solid for a time when the heater is turned on, blinks (mostly on) for awhile and eventually sby raldrich - General Mendel Topics
The MOSFET LED blinks pretty regularly, and spends most of its time off, so the temperature control part of it seems to be working - it's just it's method of reporting the temperature that seems to have broken down - although, since both are carried on the same wire, I'm unsure how one could break without the other going with it. Happily though, I've gotten the extruder motor to run - it chatterby raldrich - General Mendel Topics
brnrd - it's reporting 0 in the comms log - although it did seem to report the correct temperature for a short time.by raldrich - General Mendel Topics
Is there a bug tracker for the "Official" firmware? I've encountered longstanding build problems with the 20110509 release (Error compiling Firmware...) which I suspect haven't been addressed because they are only documented in this forum, and aren't being tracked.by raldrich - Firmware - mainstream and related support
@robotdad - Perhaps your changes could be merged into the official distribution? It would sure make debugging a techzone mendel easier if the correct firmware wasn't so nearly impossible to find.by raldrich - Firmware - mainstream and related support
It seems I've reached the point in my build that many others have, where everything but the extruder is working. The extruder motor whines, and locks into position, but doesn't rotate. Using repsnapper to monitor the hot-end temperature doesn't seem to work - it's always at 0°c. However, watching the MOSFET LED, it appears to be keeping the hot-end from overheating - things haven't burst intoby raldrich - General Mendel Topics
I have to agree with jcabrer - while the techzone monolithic set may be easier to get set up, and less problematic than their "Generation 3 remix", with the RAMPS setup a single component failure won't doom the entire board. If I had the option of doing it all over again, I'd buy all but the electronics from techzone, and go with RAMPS electronics.by raldrich - General Mendel Topics
It seems to me that something like this could manage it, with the right shape of nozzle.by raldrich - Reprappers
Not having the proper tool to assemble the cables that TechZone provided, I simply wire-wrapped usb-serial converter on mine. It seems to work reasonably well so far.by raldrich - General Mendel Topics
After reading this topic, (and luckily, before I installed the z-axis on my mendel), I decided to give the z-axis threaded rods a good cleaning. I was amazed by how much black grit I was able to clean off the threads by chucking the rod in a cordless drill, and running dish soap down the threads with a wet paper towel. If I ever assemble a second mendel, I think I'm going to run all the rods inby raldrich - General Mendel Topics
Having just reached the electronics portion of my build, I find myself wishing that TechZone had assembled the cables for me. The suggested method (use a small screwdriver to push the wire into the connector) has a high risk of failure, and I really don't want to spend my time debugging bad cables. So, I went searching to find the correct tool - lacking any documentation on the connector type,by raldrich - General Mendel Topics
Thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for. Btw, should anyone come across this thread with the same question, for me, the png version of the template was sized correctly when printed at 94 dpi. - Ronby raldrich - General Mendel Topics
After much searching, I've totally failed to find anything that I can use as a template for cutting the opto flags for a (laser cut) mendel. The Mendel-m4-assembly-data-sheet.ods spreadsheet refers to x-flag.par, y-flag.par and z-flag.par, but I can't find those files. Can someone give me a pointer? Ideally to a file that shows them flat, and marks where the bends are supposed to go?by raldrich - General Mendel Topics
Actually, I found that Ulrich was shipped what appears to be (mostly) the same kit that I was, and the photos that he posted were quite useful for making sense of the z-axis. Now, my problem appears to be one of missing parts - which means I'm back to trying to figure out how to contact Tech Zone. Looks like the parts might not actually be missing - just morphed into something very different -by raldrich - General Mendel Topics
How does one contact Tech Zone Communications? I've tried their contact form at , but with no email response, and no feedback from their website, I've really no idea if it's working. Does someone have a working email address for them? Also, does someone know where they've documented changes to their kit? The z-axis parts I received are quite different from what is shown in and , and I'd likeby raldrich - General Mendel Topics