ProfessorBean, your wish is my command. Here are my current, in process files, on Github: I would not advise trying to build a printer from these parts yet, but they're up there. I have both SolidWorks 2011 files as well as exported STL files. The STL files are the as-built so far files, while the SolidWorks files are in flux. This weekend I started to redesign the bottom parts to be a lot stiby JohnSL - Delta Machines
Yesterday I managed to get the Delta version of Marlin downloaded onto the Printrboard in my 3DR "Simple". I'd added the endstops, carriages, and the effector (no extruder yet), and I wanted to see it working. My first attempts were pretty frustrating, but I finally got it homing and moving correctly. At this point, however, I noticed that the Z was changing when I was moving it only in the X anby JohnSL - Delta Machines
Thanks everyone! @Duesentrieb, The top assembly can be adjusted to level it. I now have the top assembly in place, and I discovered that you can move each side up and down a few mm without any problems. So that should provide the adjustment required to get everything parallel and printing well. @uphiearl, I don't have plans at the moment to support anything other than 20mm extrusions. Perhaps oby JohnSL - Delta Machines
Thanks all for the support. I've been busy working on the top parts. Here's what I have so far: @Duesentrieb, I think I follow you (but perhaps not) about mounting the microswitches. The design I have now includes a place for the switches. They're not shown in this picture because I need to buy some M2.5 nuts (I have the bolts from my Printrbot Simple, but no nuts). I had thought about makingby JohnSL - Delta Machines
@ProfessorBean, I'm almost ready to publish the first set of files. Just this morning I redid a couple parts on the base. I think the base pieces are ready to publish, but I'd like to assemble a little more of the printer before I'll be sure. Speaking of publishing them, where would be the best place? Should I for RichRap's project on Github? Yesterday I worked on mounting stepper motors with Sby JohnSL - Delta Machines
I came up with another idea: The underside of the spiral pushes the glass toward the center, while the top clamps down on it. I'm still playing around with the size of the spiral--I think I need to make it one or two mm larger in diameter (or at least the underside. But this works very nicely.by JohnSL - Delta Machines
I'm making progress. I finished printing out and assembling all the parts for the base. I also received a 170mm diameter glass plate. The clips that hold on the bed are a little far away from the bed. So I either need to design longer clips, or I need to move the clip holes slightly closer to the center. The good news is that I only need to reprint three out of the nine parts that make up the basby JohnSL - Delta Machines
Thanks ProfessorBean! There are some good posts on calibration on the Printrbottalk.com forums. Here are a couple that might help you: The holes are for M4 screws and nuts. Whereas most of the screws and nuts on the simple are M3. I hadn't even though about using M3 hardware to connect the triangular pieces together since RichRap used M4 hardware. Darn you! Now I'm going to have to think abby JohnSL - Delta Machines
It's starting to come together. Yesterday I printed the three parts that make up a third of the base. I went through several iterations before the parts you see here, which are themselves not even final. I added alignment dimples and indentations between the three parts, which makes it really easy to assemble these parts perfectly. I also added nut indentations in so you don't need a wrench to asby JohnSL - Delta Machines
I've redesigned the base so the parts can be printed on a Printrbot Simple, which means all parts have to be less than 100mm x 100mm. This means there are now nine parts that make up the base instead of the previous three. Here is what the computer rendering looks like: I'm currently printing out a set of three parts so I can build one third of the base. If that goes well, I'll print out the pby JohnSL - Delta Machines
Yup, looks like it was a temporary problem. I'd tried forcing a refresh earlier (Ctrl+F5 in IE), and that didn't help. Now everything's working again in IE and Firefox. Very odd.by JohnSL - General
The monitor size isn't the issue, unless you consider 1900 x 1080 to be a small monitor. I just downloaded Google Chrome to see if that would make a difference. Thingiverse works perfectly in Chrome, but not in IE or Firefox. Grump. I feel I shouldn't have to change browsers just to use Thingiverse.by JohnSL - General
I'm having problems with Thingiverse and wondering if anyone else is running into these issues. Here is what I've run into, using both Internet Explorer and Firefox (on Windows 7): * I can't download files * I can't see the other images that are part of a thing * I can't see the instructions You get the idea. This was working recently. Everything seems to work fine on my iPad, but not on my comby JohnSL - General
ProfessorBean, that's an interesting point. I'm starting to think about how I could break the base pieces up into smaller pieces that bolt together. The 100mm x 100mm print area of the Printrbot Simple is really small for the base and top parts of the 3DR. I thought about making two halves that bolt to the 20x20 extrusions. However even that is too large for the 100mm bed on the Simple. It looksby JohnSL - Delta Machines
Masnachu, thanks for letting me know. Now that I've been sourcing parts, I'm getting a better appreciation of why it's taking a while to see more of the 3DR printers in the wild. I just about have all the parts I need to build this. I'm about to print a final test part for the bottom pieces, and if it goes well, I'll print a set of bottom parts and assemble the bottom.by JohnSL - Delta Machines
Since I'm not getting much dialog here, and I created a longer blog post documenting my progress. Here is my first blog post: This pretty much covers what I've discussed above, but wordier. I've received almost all the parts I need. Yet to arrive are the carbon fiber tubes. When I ordered them, I hadn't noticed that the expected delivery date is near the end of October. Woops. Since I neededby JohnSL - Delta Machines
ProfessorBean, the stock simple's print area of 4" x 4" is too small to print the parts for this delta, unfortunately. I've been doing some thinking about this, and I might do something like the "buy it forward" program that exists for the Kossel Mini where I send out some sets of parts to people who in turn agree to make two sets of parts and send them out after they get their printer running. Iby JohnSL - Delta Machines
As far as I can tell, the $100 figure is only for the box that contains the mirror and deflection magnets. You won't get the liquid containers or the drip system, so there will be some additional cost, but probably not much. Given that the box has basically no electronics and just a few parts, I believe the $100 price for what he's selling. But it doesn't sound like it's a complete kit. Since heby JohnSL - General
I've been looking around for the answer, but couldn't find it. Does anyone happen to know the length of the rod/joint assemblies, measured from the screw hole to screw hole?by JohnSL - Delta Machines
My MendelMax 2.0 is having a child! I've printed out a set of test parts for the bottom of the printer and assembled them to see how it's going to work out: Everything fits well. The Misumi 20x20 extrusions fit perfectly, and the 8mm smooth rods fit perfectly. The next step is for me to pull the stepper motors out of the Printerbot Simple and install them. I'm also thinking about makingby JohnSL - Delta Machines
While I wait for my parts to arrive, here is how far I've gotten with the design for the top and bottom parts. I'm showing images from underneath these parts. The bottom is probably close to being done: RichRap had the walls near the center lower than the outside walls. I'm not sure why. It might have been to make it easier to get the stepper motors in and out. I'll try this out on a printedby JohnSL - Delta Machines
Thanks. I call it the "Simple" because I'm going to use a lot of the hardware from my Printrbot Simple to build this printer. But as you say, I can publish multiple versions of the parts, which I will do. As an update, I have extrusions, rods, and bearings on the way. With any luck they'll arrive Friday or Saturday so I can start doing test builds this weekend.by JohnSL - Delta Machines
I'm working on the mounting brackets for the end stops, and I have a question for people. RichRap used hall-effect sensors, but reading some of the posts on this site, it sounds like micro switches would be plenty accurate enough. And the Kossel uses micro switches. Does anyone see any reason why I should switch to micro switches? They're certainly a lot easier to source, and they're less expensiby JohnSL - Delta Machines
They're designed for Misumi 20x20 extrusions, which were $4 each. The rods came out to about $10 each, so they're a much larger part of the cost than the aluminum extrusions. I order the rods and extrusions from Misumi.by JohnSL - Delta Machines
Yes, I definitely plan to publish the parts. Once I get the kinks worked out, I'll figure out the best place to publish them.by JohnSL - Delta Machines
I'm planning on using RichRap's drive system, which uses spectra line. As it happens, the donor Printrbot Simple also uses spectra line, but I won't be reusing it's line because it's too short. I'm also thinking about using the Printrbot Simple's extruder, modified as a Bowden, to keep more of the Simple in this design. It just seems more fun that way.by JohnSL - Delta Machines
I have a Printrbot Simple I haven't used since I got my MendelMax 2.0 up and running. So I've been thinking about what to do with it. Then RichRap introduced his 3DR printer. I thought this would be a lot of fun to build, and figured I'd use the vitamins from my Simple for the new delta. RichRap's delta uses 6mm rods, and the Simple uses 8mm rods, which means I have eight LM8UU bearings. I thougby JohnSL - Delta Machines
Thanks for the info. I thought long and hard about which way I wanted to go. In the end, I decided that, since I like to design things, I'd modify the appropriate parts to use 8mm rods. That way I can make maximum use of the vitamins from my Printerbot Simple. The "easiest" way for me to modify the parts was to draw them from scratch in Solidworks. Well, I couldn't leave well enough alone, so I mby JohnSL - Delta Machines
Thanks NewPerfection. Now for my next question. I'm thinking of switching the rods from 6mm to 8mm for two reasons. First, I'm planning to use the parts from my Printrbot Simple to build the 3DR, and it has 8 LM8UU bearings in it, which means I wouldn't have to buy any bearings. Second, it seems like LM6UU bearings are hard to get here in the US at a reasonable cost. The 6mm bearings seem to beby JohnSL - Delta Machines