The fan for the hotend should be angled up slightly toward the cool part of the hotend (insulator) and should not effect the print below.by Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
I am using nema 23 size motors for my Z axis as my build bed is quite large. In order to power them, I'll be using the driver available here: This driver will run 4 amps all day with a peak of 4.5 amps according to the data. You will have to solder it your self, 25 watt irons are fine, and they are a bit more costly than step sticks for sure. But they will A. handle heavy duty motors, and B, havby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
The upper and lower frame portions are now basically welded up. Over the course of the last week, I have re-engineered the design a bit. I had at first thought of using tubular corners but have decided instead upon heavy angle, as this gives me a better attachment point for my integral enclosure panels. The overall size remains the same. I also got an Arduino Nano to start playing around with somby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
I got the Z shelves tacked and began running seams today for the top sub-assembly of my frame. It is pictured on top of the machine surface that I have been using as a flatness reference and I am pleased to report that it is flat and square. I'd have done more but my argon are gone , so that's mid week. I appreciate everybody's support. I want to share my approach to building my printer in asby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
Well, I will be testing on scraps first. To tell you the truth, it has been so long since I welded gas that A. I don't know if I have any gas, and B, I don't exactly remember the mix I like, but we'll just see what happens. I have been pretty successful in controlling distortion by careful quenching. But I don't want to push my luck at this point. I'm not totally ruling out tig for those areas ifby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
It sounds like you may have to reverse the steppers in the firmware? If they are going in the opposite direction it probably thinks the end stops are at the starting positions. (or you can reverse the plugs coming from the steppers, make sure to remove all power and USB first)by Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
Let me just state for the record that I was wildly optimistic as to how long it takes me to weld stuff! I have been working on the part shown above all day, and have all but the outside open seams done. Part of the issue is that it is necessary to make sure this thing stays flat, and I am doing that by resting it on top of a machine I have whose top is a single piece of cast iron and is wide enouby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
Well, yesterday was fun - I spent the entire day putting a new (and totally different) switch on my mill whose switch was failing. Different contacts, different altogether. I even had my friend, an electrician help and it still took us a bit of time, but all's well that ends well, and so to finish up I fitted the mill with a junction box to contain all the power cords. So today after finishinby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
It sounds like you are either getting an external power surge (need a surge protector) or you are encountering a spike in internal resistance for some reason(jammed extruder, faulty or overheating electronic component, mechanical jam.) It is also possible that you have an over voltage on your input which would eventually overheat your vreg over time causing it to fail.by Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
There are a whole lot of things you have to do a bit differently to go big and accurate, which is my objective. Stiffness is #1,but you need to deal with temperatures and air movement / control, physical geometry, for this build there will be a lot of solutions to be engineered to cope with the will of plastic. Also on my mind of late is the issue of reliability, or more importantly, the issue ofby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
I would probably not connect/disconnect any shields under power. And sheck is right, you really need a minimum of 6 to 7 volts input. If you are getting less than 5 volts you may or may not get output, however since your USB seems otherwise to be working, I don't think that is the problem. Also realize that when you have a power supply (which I am assuming you have tested with a volt meter) hookeby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
That sounds like the problem. If you check the wiki on the arduino, it has the diagram. You want to power the board thru usb or the psu input, and not the power pins on the board for testing, as the power pins bypass the voltage regulator and doing so could further cause damage if out of range. Also, you really want at least around 7 volts coming in for things to work properly. (12 max)by Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
I just got done buying a bunch of electronic parts on ebay from Tayda2009 who does bulk individual parts dirt cheap. Many are 99 cents free ship. I mention this because you could probably get a new voltage regulator for a buck and fix your arduino. If you do this, cut the leads close to the component on your old regulator before attempting to desolder it. It is a whole lot easier that way and youby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
It sounds like the ramps board may be the culprit then, or a driver. If the arduino is recognized by itself, then your software configuration sounds basically correct, the ramps is the common issue. There are only a few parts on the board, a diode, some transistors and fets, and the 2 large capacitors. the rest is pins. I'd start by comparing like components to each other with an ohm meter. BTW,by Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
There is a product available in the US called Lab Metal from www.eastwood.com which is used primarily for a finish filler for parts that are to be powder coated. It comes an a number of sizes. Your material, if it is more than say a year old, as long as it is thoroughly mixed, and as long as it dries properly, it should be ok, unless it is solvent based, in which case adding water will affect it.by Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
Thanks, Eric. It right now looks like about 14" front to back (X) 27" Y + or - and around 12" on the Z axis. I just now came from the shop where I drilled for mounting the Z motors and the rack carrier / cable guide. That means tomorrow after work we start burning metal! There are 41 parts of steel in the main frame ( a few of which I still need to make ) and around 60 pieces of aluminum. Thereby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
I'm getting close to welding up the frame. Hopefully sometime this week. Here's one last detail shot, showing the LCD set into the frame rail. It will get a cover plate, but I felt like keeping it as low profile as possible. I'm using the gadgets 3d complete kit for my basic electronics, and it comes with 2 different SD readers, though it involves a bit of a hack to use the micro SD shield alongby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
As someone who is designing and building my very first printer, and from scratch, I can tell you not to fear the complexity. The process of working out the details for your self with the help of the people on this forum is one that can result in you ending up with your own creation that A. no one else has made, and B. you understand more thoroughly than if you had gotten it any other way. Now toby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
Did you by any chance readjust your bed height before you started having the problem? Also Are you using PLA or ABS? What is the hotend temp? Some brands of filament are rounder than others and as such are prone to causing jams or as the flat travels thru the cold end are now under insufficient tightness or may be too tight.by Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
Not good news. All circuits run on smoke, under pressure, and run fine as long as the smoke does not escape. You want to unplug all power, pull your shields and look for any blackened or discolored areas on any of the individual boards. Look on both sides and use a magnifying glass, I use STRONG readers for electronic work. If you are really lucky you just popped a pololu and they are only arounby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
Thanks, Erich. I always say dive in with both feet - if you leave one behind it costs a lot to reattach it! Seriously though, Beginning this project, I had certain goals, which as I go along i am discovering are not necessarily easily attained. So as I read through this forum and the wiki, and discover what potential issues I am going to encounter, I am trying to evolve my design to take all theby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
I think that a rack works best ( on a rod system anyway) anchored to a non-moving frame member. In my case that is the Y axis, and the bed is the Z axis, so in this case it actually expands build area potentially, depending on your carriage arrangement. Bear in mind, that my frame is rectangular and encloses the entire print area.by Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
If you create a file, and it wont print, the first thing I'd look for is holes in the geometry. The item needs to present to the slicer as a solid, holes will be a problem. Your geometry looks clean with a quick visual inspection, but it is intricate, it is possible that a fault might be missed. Have you rendered the object on screen?by Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
I went with VXB on price and simplicity. I am cutting my own rods, and have the equipment to do so. If you don't have the capability of cutting your own rods, Misumi can set you up with whatever you want. Rod smoothness is a choice that must be made along with choosing bearings or bushings. While smoother rods are better with bearings, some bushings perform better with rods that are less smooth.by Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
I got my 6064 driver kit from Massmind and have it mostly assembled. It was reasonably easy but if you build this kit, be sure and read the instructions that come with it, because the builder is updating these kits regularly as he discovers ways to improve it. Before I assemble the IC, I need to run a couple of tests, which I will do this week as soon as I get time. This board allows you 4 amps fby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
Model making is just one of many objectives I have for this machine. I'm also thinking prototypes, custom products, musical instruments, art etc. I too had considered using a single hot end but it adds complexity, as well as asking the one hot end to endure extreme duty cycles. I did have a couple of different methods in mind but at the moment, I am leaning heavily to 7 sets of extruders.by Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
I can attempt to speak to rack & pinnion as I am incorporating one onto the Y (long) axis of my printer which is going to yeild about 27" + or-. The benefit is after a certian length, the tension needed to prevent a belt from sagging will cause other problems including wear and may possibly overcome rod stiffness depending on the layout. If you are doing rack and pinnion, it needs to be adjusby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
This is set to run one color at a time, as it is not practical to blend colors inside the extruder. Even if you could, you end up with a lot of waste, but the complexities of a blending system allow for little speed due to weight alone. Each extruder will be selected one at a time, on demand. In talking with graphic designers, it would seem that for graphic work (as opposed to photographic) theyby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
The metal panels are not there for triangulation, they are for the electronics deck. They are aluminum, the bottom pieces are 16 gauge and they need to be dynomatted. The triangulation is achieved thru the Z axis shelves, and the way in which the columns are welded to the upper and lower subframes. Though these pieces are not in and of themselves triangular, they in fact provide the same structurby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers
Thanks, RS. Yes, I am taking my time, because there are a lot of details that have to go into this frame, before all the parts get welded. After that, accuracy goes out the window, and it is several times harder to drill. So I need to determine where every stationary part, every bolt, all sand holes, on and on. It is definitly a lot to think about. While I have the drawing, it is at best incompleby Maxx Mayhem - Reprappers