I installed an LCD on my Smoothie board and having an old laptop sitting next to the printer, I have never used the LCD. Next I am thinking of going to Octoprint and dumping both the laptop and the LCD.by cwaa - General
Smoothie supports a web interface. Also you can access it over the web via Ponterface, which is what I prefer.by cwaa - General
Here are a couple of pictures of a dice I printed yesterday.by cwaa - General
I just finished putting together a dual system with a filament splitter. It works quite well and so far the only problem I have had is adjusting the prime tower size to get good purging. I made my Bowden extruders using 5:1 geared stepper motors. They work extremely well.by cwaa - General
The slicer I am using is part of Repetier Host and it has the ability to use scripts. Essentially, there is a special script that is used just prior to the filament change and another just after. So if your software will handle it or you can download Repetier Host. My code prior to the change is: G90 ; absolute positioning G1 X12 Y29 F12000 ; move to purge zone G1 E0 F4800 ; feed filamentby cwaa - General
The slicer I am using is part of Repetier Host and it has the ability to use scripts. Essentially, there is a special script that is used just prior to the filament change and another just after. So if your software will handle it or you can download Repetier Host. My code prior to the change is: G90 ; absolute positioning G1 X12 Y29 F12000 ; move to purge zone G1 E0 F4800 ; feed filamentby cwaa - General
First print is black with blue center. Not much contrast, but both colors printed well. Here is a picture of the keychain I printed. This system seems to work quite well. It requires a purge area and a wiper pad. That is what else is in the picture. Between colors, it moves to that area and then retracts one color and then feeds and extrudes until the colors have been purged. I am going toby cwaa - General
Here is the system set up. I can now print from either extruder, but I must do a retraction on the current extruder before starting the other, as only one can be present in the "Y" at one time. Now I have to set up my software and slicer. Each color change will require an island or tower beside the printed object to use as a means of purging extra filament until the color changes. I will post agaby cwaa - General
I now have both Bowden extruders mounted and I am printing from one of them. Its time to install the "Y" and see what happens.by cwaa - General
Here is the holder and plate for the hotend.by cwaa - General
I was an original investor in a kickstarter called the Prometheus System. After several slips on delivery, I complained and was given my investment back. So I decided to "Do it Myself". The approach is to have two extruders and only one hot end. The extruders are Bowden style and both feed a "Y" device that allows both filaments into the hot end, but only one at a time. This idea has been arounby cwaa - General
My experience was as follows. I bought an external driver that required 5v input. So I set it up as Mr. Wolf described. The external driver worked fine, but the internal driver did not function. So if you are trying to run two motors from one Smoothie driver, it must be 3.3 volts if you intend to use the internal driver for the second motor. Instead I exchanged my external driver for one witby cwaa - Smoothie
When I priced the belt, two extra idler pulleys and two more belt pulleys, it was far cheaper to just buy an additional motor and slave them together. Where did your find you loop belt and how much did it cost?by cwaa - Extruded Aluminum Frames
When I decided to build my own printer, one thing I wanted was to avoid the polished rods and sliding bushings most printers are made with. They flex and can pass vibrations to the print head. This design uses two ball bearings on each rubber tired wheel. I can stand on the frame and it can be used for light CNC work. This frame is available through a company called "Open Builds". My frame is basby cwaa - Extruded Aluminum Frames