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General discussions. For specific printers / electronics / fabrication methods / softwares, please see other sections.
Endstops being ignored - 10 years ago
I have a ramps 1.4 board on arduino mega, latest repetier firmware, and mechanical end stops. I am having no issues with anything but endstops so far. Manual control of steppers and heaters is great. Thermisters seem to work too. I have three endstops, for "minimum" position. The endstops are wired C-NC which is signal and ground. I cannot get repetier to recognize them, or change when they are pby jmaeding - Repetier
Re: not clear on trimpot low setting - 10 years ago
Perfect. Crazy how I could not find that on my own.by jmaeding - RAMPS Electronics
not clear on trimpot low setting - 10 years ago
I have a4988 stepsticks I need to set low to start. Problem is the pot has no stop - from sainsmart. The pogt has a flat edge. Should that be close to the main chip, or away for low setting? I know cw raises the power.by jmaeding - RAMPS Electronics
Re: Makerbot Endstops / Wiring Kit / RAMPS 1.4 mismatch - 10 years ago
BTW, a few pics of the Prusa I3 I put together. I did a wood frame instead of threaded rod, as I have lots of wood and tools to cut it. The "wings" that connect vert frame to y axis also give a place for power supply. Hope it does not burn down when I start it up. Time will tell.by jmaeding - RAMPS Electronics
Is there some TOC for reprap wiki? - 10 years ago
I've spent a lot of time reading the reprap wiki now, and its an awesome collection of stuff. I am having a hard time navigating it though, and am finding stuff by google search, rather than some table of contents. I am finding most of the pages I want start with http:/reprap.org/wiki/, but then there is no listing of the pages after that. (I purposefully misspelled the http:/ with only one slasby jmaeding - General
Re: Makerbot Endstops / Wiring Kit / RAMPS 1.4 mismatch - 10 years ago
Aquapro, Hang in there, but realize I did not misunderstand your thought, which I compliment you on being able to express through another language. I stand by the idea that people should post whatever they want, and state their experience the best they can. It sounds like both of us are at the same stage, starting up the electronics. I wish you luck and do the same for meby jmaeding - RAMPS Electronics
Re: Makerbot Endstops / Wiring Kit / RAMPS 1.4 mismatch - 10 years ago
AquaPro, Surely you do not come to discussion forums expecting every post to be an answer. The nature of forums is trial and error, and drawings (even wrong ones) help that process, not hurt it. Ken's communication has been clear, not ultimate answers every time, which is all we could ask. Actually, I did ask for more sketches, or a book of them if Ken is willing I encourage you to do the same,by jmaeding - RAMPS Electronics
Re: Mechanical Endstop - 10 years ago
does that "whatever reason" make any sense? Is that what is burning boards? Maybe opto stops would not do this, as they are variable resistors right? A switch is a strong short...by jmaeding - Controllers
Re: Makerbot Endstops / Wiring Kit / RAMPS 1.4 mismatch - 10 years ago
right on. I still am guessing you have other sketches that are worthy of posting Maybe an" Adventures in Reprap" book in the future?by jmaeding - RAMPS Electronics
Re: Mechanical Endstop - 10 years ago
yah, that is different than the sketches by Ken. You have VCC on bottom pin, he had on top. Hope that guy who said the sketch would help realizes this. I would like to understand the function of the VCC for this board. Is it to power the led's? Maybe someone who gets the schematic at: can comment.by jmaeding - Controllers
Re: Mechanical Endstop - 10 years ago
NoobMan, What do you do if you don't understand the implications of electronic schematics fully? I'm not too bad either, I've studied lots of circuit tutorials but I am still a beginner. Its tricky because here I am a specialist in CAD and CAD programming, but I don't know how to not fry my arduino without asking Reality is, I did not think a switch would be so complex. Normally we just play toby jmaeding - Controllers
Re: Mechanical Endstop - 10 years ago
Here are some pics of the sainsmart 4 pin board, showing tracks on front and back. I wish I knew how to put the images inline in this msg, hate attachments.by jmaeding - Controllers
Re: Makerbot Endstops / Wiring Kit / RAMPS 1.4 mismatch - 10 years ago
excellent info Bob! So long as we know how to not screw things up while playing around, we can survive. I guess one remaining question, why the 2 ground pins? Seems like one of the two has to be better if they did two to begin with.by jmaeding - RAMPS Electronics
Re: Makerbot Endstops / Wiring Kit / RAMPS 1.4 mismatch - 10 years ago
Hi Ken, It seems like if people understood what the switches with boards are doing, we could protect ourselves properly. So: 1) why the boards at all? Seems like the little leds on them could be handy to see if the switches are working. 2) We can see the etched traces on the boards, so isn't there a simple way to determine what is sig or vcc by that? On the back of my boards is an obvious trace tby jmaeding - RAMPS Electronics
Re: Mechanical Endstop - 10 years ago
can't you just look at the back of the board? There is a clear track going from one of the pins to the item labeled common on the spring switch. That one is signal I think. I can check when home tonight. Then two middle are ground, and other is + VCC.by jmaeding - Controllers
Re: Makerbot Endstops / Wiring Kit / RAMPS 1.4 mismatch - 10 years ago
Hey, nice notes buddy! do you have any others like that You would post? (Reprap related I mean).by jmaeding - RAMPS Electronics
Re: Makerbot Endstops / Wiring Kit / RAMPS 1.4 mismatch - 10 years ago
I have those 4 pin endstops from sainsmart also. I am wondering: Must I use 3 pins? If only two used, sig and gnd, which gnd should be used? Sig plugs to sig on ramps, and gnd to - as I understand it. Is it ok to reverse pins if only using two (and the sainsmart 4 pin board). Do the leds on the board make it sensitive to pin order for just two pins? If 3 are to be used, what is the bad thing goiby jmaeding - RAMPS Electronics
Re: Need some help figuring out what to buy in terms of electronics for my i3 - 10 years ago
No comments on the cat 5? One thing is if twisting of wires to steppers is needed. I thought only needed for signal devices.by jmaeding - Controllers
Re: Need some help figuring out what to buy in terms of electronics for my i3 - 10 years ago
I am at a similar stage, but have built the non-electronics already. I have spent a week reading up on how wire up the electronics, and here is what I have found: 1) The power cable from wall to power supply should be 18 AWG. Use an extra computer power cable and cut off the male end so you can tin the wires and plug into power supply (PS). 2) For the wires from PS to RAMPS board,and for PS to hby jmaeding - Controllers
Re: Easy questions, I am a novice. - 11 years ago
print coins? Why not just xerox money Ziya, there is a thing called a business plan, and then reality too. IMO, the quality of filament printed items is going to disappoint you. Its super fun, and perfect for people that like to make and invent. Almost every product I have wanted to print wold be better done by either machining or molding though. ABS is not super strong, tough, and stable so yoby jmaeding - General
Re: X-Winder: A new additive manufacturing filament winder - 11 years ago
do you vacuum bag the parts for curing? I once tried making kayak paddle "bars" by cutting a pvc pipe in half lengthwise, then laying up glass on mylar which then was rolled around an inner tube tied at the ends and put in the pipes. So I had a fiberglass burrito with pipe as the shell, then glass/resin, then mylar, then bike tube. Taped the thing up and inflated the tube for compression curing.by jmaeding - General
Re: Electronics and software combination questions - 11 years ago
I recall there being latency issues if you used USB. So if the firmware is doing the controlling, its right there so no delays.by jmaeding - General
Re: Electronics and software combination questions - 11 years ago
thx for further responses all! I had thought netduino platform might be worth pursuing simply because I program in C# already. Also, there is a .net API for AutoCad, and the two naturally go together (or should). Of all the reprap things I am focused on though, the main ones are the ability to make the printable area whatever size I want, and the development of the hotends. Seems like there is aby jmaeding - General
Re: Electronics and software combination questions - 11 years ago
great responses, thak so far. I love the Space Balls reference 3DDoodler! now that is something I could bring to a boring meeting. I totally agree the existing tools are excellent and not in need of re-inventing. I was expecting them to be non-open and expensive but I was off there. Any re-doing would be to educate me, but possibly useful for CNC projects too. Its actually generally very easyby jmaeding - General
Re: Electronics and software combination questions - 11 years ago
another reply to myself, this link is helpful: looks like most firmware (the part that interprets gcode) is free. This is unexpected, as my research for CNC a while back did not have many free firmwares. I recall one was mach3, not cheap. I think the current state of firmware is easier to deal with, many options.by jmaeding - General
Re: Electronics and software combination questions - 11 years ago
I noticed the sanguino site is open source, I will read up on that as it seems to be a very popular setup. So much stuff available I seemed to have missed the obvious.by jmaeding - General
Electronics and software combination questions - 11 years ago
I am looking at making a 3d printer, and have read a lot and watched a lot of youtube vids on it. I originally was going to make a CNC router, and the electronics and software seem to be the same. My job is working with and programming for AutoCad/Bricscad at a civil enginerring firm. As I approach the 3d printer world, I want to understand these things: 1) Is there complete separation between tby jmaeding - General