Show all posts by user
General discussions. For specific printers / electronics / fabrication methods / softwares, please see other sections.
Re: Forum going down frequently? - 13 years ago
Thanks for the update Viktor. We really do appreciate all you do for the community. Please do let us know if there are things we can do or particular things which trigger issues so we can avoid them.by cobrageek - General
Forum going down frequently? - 13 years ago
Is it just me or is the forum (and reprap.org) going down frequently? Like more than 80% of the time I want to reference material or ask questions it seems to be down. Maybe it's a plot by my wife to get me off the computer and to stop working on the "project" :-) I'm sure it's volunteer administered and probably underfunded so let us know if there are things we can do (or stop doing) to help.by cobrageek - General
Marlin Sanguinololu compile error - 13 years ago
Looking around in this forum it doesn't sound uncommon to have compile errors. I was jumping for joy when I finally got arduino to talk to my sanguinololu, but then trying to upgrade to the latest marlin firmware ran into these issues. Here is the vital information: sanguinololu 1.3a Arduino-1.0.4 Sanguino-0101r1 files copied correctly into the hardware directory I use the "Sanguino W/ ATmega6by cobrageek - Firmware - mainstream and related support
Re: Sanguinololu communication issues - 13 years ago
Yeah! I got it working. Somehow I'd messed up some file and nothing would even compile. So I reloaded the sanguino files and then made these two changes and changed the device manager settings so the baud rate matched and everything worked fine. Might be good to update the arduino instructions that at least in this case the windows 7 driver works and that it gets messed up if you install soby cobrageek - Sanguino(lolu)
Re: prevent usb 5V backfeeding - 13 years ago
This is very intriguing. Thanks for sharing the idea. I haven't quite figured out what I was going to do about this and I couldn't quite decide if it was even still a problem (sometimes the boards get fixed and the documentation doesn't get updated). I may try this if I can find the old components lying around. Thanks.by cobrageek - Sanguino(lolu)
ATmega644P vs. ATmega1284P - 13 years ago
I bought a used kit that came with a sanguinololu with an ATmega644P. I've seen a lot of discussion about boards with ATmega1284P and I'm assuming it's newer/better/faster. But in a reprap (prusa2) what difference would I really see? Is it worth an upgrade? I assume I could just head to ebay and buy an ATmega1284P and swap it in the socket where the 644p is? Thanks for the input. -Bretby cobrageek - Sanguino(lolu)
Re: Sanguinololu communication issues - 13 years ago
I did a bunch of searches last night but I tried a different one this morning and found something else good to try (and a link to another doc): QuotePandPP As per , I needed to change the baud rate down to 38400, but also the protocol from stk500 to arduino. Windows had defaulted the port speed to 57600 in Device Manager, so that needed dropping down to 38400 as well. Hey presto, it works.by cobrageek - Sanguino(lolu)
Re: Sanguinololu communication issues - 13 years ago
Thanks Yacob. I found a similar suggestion in the Sanguinololu page. It said to change it from 57600 to 38400 and restarted the Arduino app. It came up with a different error (I don't remember exactly and I can't test it right now) implying that it couldn't connect at all to the board. So I put it back to 57600 and returned to this errer which seemed to be a little farther along in the uploadby cobrageek - Sanguino(lolu)
Sanguinololu communication issues - 13 years ago
I bought a kit from someone who hadn't finished it and I don't know the state of the included sanguinololu board. The guy I bought it from thought it had at least a bootloader but was pretty sure it had marlin or sprinter firmware installed. The original source of the kit seems to have dissappeared and is not answering questions. I have a windows 7 machine and started by installing the Arduinoby cobrageek - Sanguino(lolu)
Re: Favorite Host software? - 13 years ago
I have the SD card thing for the sanguinololu and assumed to print from SD. But there is till whatever "Host" SW that you need for getting things started and calibrated before you unplug. That's the host SW I was talking about. Do people prefer the standard pronterface or the newer repetier? The "Octoprint" sounds really interesting. I like the webcam option. Thanks!by cobrageek - General
Re: Eradicate backlash - 13 years ago
What is the solution to the sloppy Y-axis carriage? I currently have a 3 bearing setup as in the basic Prusa 2 and I can feel just a slight wiggle in the Y-axis. Is there a good way to prevent this? Do I need a 4 bearing setup?by cobrageek - General
Re: Printable mini lathe - 13 years ago
Thanks Sublime. I looked for it on Thingiverse and didn't find it. Now I know why :-). I hadn't realized that thingiverse had rights issues, but it's not surprising I guess. I just created a github account and I'll start browsing there for things at times. Thanks for contributing such amazing things for the rest of the world to print :-).by cobrageek - General
Favorite Host software? - 13 years ago
I see a trend for Repetier and it does look good, but I don't think I'll use the repetier firmware (probably marlin) so I don't know how well it works with other firmware. I've also heard Cura has a good host and has a complex but good slicer included. The standard seems to be pronterface for a host so more people would know and be able to help with issues. I'm guessing there are more. What'sby cobrageek - General
Re: Software stack for newbies - 13 years ago
In some other searches I found a page which helps understanding at a higher level and has many good links for software/firmware pages: Thanks for all the help.by cobrageek - General
Re: Printable mini lathe - 13 years ago
Wow! I'm new to reprap and I think that is the most amazing thing I've seen printed yet. That is so amazing. I definitely need to print one when my mendel is up and running. Amazing. Artlav, can you please post a link to your thingiverse item once you post it with your improvements. I'd love any improvements. -Bretby cobrageek - General
Re: Awesome new 3D Printer - J-Rev - 13 years ago
This is a really cool setup. I love the telescoping tubes for the corners. I'm hopnig the reselase the files as open source because it looks like all those pieces could be printed. An excellent design.by cobrageek - General
Re: Software stack for newbies - 13 years ago
Thanks Waitaki, Andrew. Great tips and info on your setups. That really helped me understand the main layers of SW and some of the tools. Let me ask a couple follow ups which will help me understand my setup. I have a Sanguinololu board with Pololu boards for the stepper drivers. I assume this still uses the Arduino driver and the same firmware seteup as your Arduino + Ramps? I believe theby cobrageek - General
Re: Software stack for newbies - 13 years ago
Thanks waitaki. That is nice that it has all the files in one bundle, but I don't see much of an explaination of the different programs. What does plater do? What about pronsole? And how is that different from pronterface? Seems like someone would've put together some kind of "howto" or "faq" on the subject, but I haven't been able to locate one that covers the SW stack well (maybe certaiby cobrageek - General
Re: Tilted Y axis motor gear - 13 years ago
Thanks Knimrod. I'd love to take you up on your offer for 10 tooth pulleys (BTW, I discovered that the X pulley is off center in a similar way). I'll send you a PM. With those I should be able to get up and running and print my own 8 tooth ones if I want. Eventually I may move up to T2 setup, but this should get me printing :-). Thanks a bunch for helping me out.by cobrageek - General
Re: Tilted Y axis motor gear - 13 years ago
I'm home now and was able to count and take measurements. It's definitely T5 (5mm pitch tooth to tooth) belt and gear, but the gear only has 8 teeth not 10. It looks exactly like this one: I can see now that it's officially named a pulley as you say. I normally think of a pulley as a turning point for a belt/rope allowing free movement but not adding drive as in this case. But that's whatby cobrageek - General
Software stack for newbies - 13 years ago
I'm building my first printer and have been trying to research the needed software elements and I'm getting a bit lost. Let me list off the different levels I know about and hopefully you can help me fill in the levels I'm missing. CAD- this is the sw where you make the designs. Autocad or openscad. This should produce an stl file. Stl fixer? This is one I just heard about but it's stilby cobrageek - General
Re: Tilted Y axis motor gear - 13 years ago
Well, I don't know that I'd call it a pulley. The Y axis belt goes from an anchor point on the bed plate around a bearing on one end then all the way up to a gear that is directly on the motor shaft. Then up from there around the near bearing and back to the other anchor point on the print bed. I'm talking about the gear the is on the Y motor shaft. The hole in that gear is not perpendicular toby cobrageek - General
Tilted Y axis motor gear - 13 years ago
I'm building a Prusa 2 and just finished putting together the Y axis. The gear that mounts to the motor shaft is tilted unfortunately. The gear seems fine, but the hole for the shaft seems to be tilted. This causes the belt to get tighter and looser for every rotation of the gear. I would contact the maker of the kit but I bought it second hand and the maker doesn't seem to be in business any moby cobrageek - General
Re: heater cartridge - 13 years ago
My kit (I bought used/partially completed) came with one of these heaters for the poor hot end. It has lower resistance than the heat resistors and will therefore draw more current and it makes sense it would heat up faster. It's also longer and would extend past the nozzle a bit on both ends so there will be some inefficiencies from that. I bought a new hot end and it came with a regualr resiby cobrageek - General
Re: print bed ? - 13 years ago
KDog, thanks for the idea of the mirror tiles. I'm going to head to HD this weekend and pick up a box. I checked at some glass shops and because it's not their normal business and they must buy in minimum of 3x3 foot squares it would cost around $15. $5 for 6 of them is a much better deal.by cobrageek - General
Re: Aquarium tubing for Z-coupler - fit over M8 rod? - 13 years ago
I just played around with the nophead coupler using the aquarium tubing over the motor shaft. That combination seems to work perfectly. The rod looks very centered to the eye and the coupler over the tubing allows just a bit of movement in X and Y if needed, but is totally locked rotationally. I think I'll go with that for the initial build and I can improvise something else later if it provesby cobrageek - General
Re: Aquarium tubing for Z-coupler - fit over M8 rod? - 13 years ago
Hmm.. Well the stuff I have is clear and is the normal tubing I've seen used for air hoses into aquariums. It looks just like but maybe not quite as thick (it's hard to tell. Seems to have a 4 or 4.5mm ID and 6mm OD. It's pretty stretchy and it had to be in order to fit over the 8mm rod. Maybe it's even worse after being stretched out so far. I could use the tubing just on the motor shaft aby cobrageek - General
Re: Aquarium tubing for Z-coupler - fit over M8 rod? - 13 years ago
Thanks crispy1. I used pliers to get it to fit over the end of the M8 and then "screwed" it in farther. It's definitely in there tight and not going to slip off. But after playing with the aquarium tubing, it really seems to me like it will be too "spongy". I know it's good to let the Z-rods "wobble" a bit, but this is so "spongy" that it seems like the motor will turn and "twist" the tubinby cobrageek - General
Aquarium tubing for Z-coupler - fit over M8 rod? - 13 years ago
There's something fishy about the shafts on the Z-motors that came with my kit or with the standard plastic couplers because the couplers can't get tight enough to fit. The shafts are 0.2" or just over 5mm and the couplers look OK. I was considering using tubing anyway as that seems to be a strong recommendation so I bought some aquarium tubing. The tubing fits perfectly on the motor shaft (nby cobrageek - General
Re: Fan on hot end - 13 years ago
In my research I've found 2 different fans around the hot end seem to be common. The first is aimed at the PEEK tube above the heated nozzle. The purpose here is mainly for printing PLA which has a low melting point. You want to keep the tube cool so that the PLA doesn't expand or get mushy in the tube and does all its melting in the nozzle. I want to print PLA so I've been working on settiby cobrageek - General