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Discuss any sort of mechanical stuff here: positioning systems, gears, extruding methods, etc.
Re: Extremely Low Torque to Extruder Stepper Motor - 14 years ago
fynflood Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Just a heads up, Adrian just changed the firmware > in svn to use the pot. This works out of the box > for me. All I need now is a gear that'll fit > inside the extruder, and get enough grip > That is fantastic - I will have to try it out ASAP!by swighton - Mechanics
Re: Custom Machined Metal Mendel - 14 years ago
There is an error in the extruder pulley drawing - it says to deeply knurl the larger diameter of the part - that is backwards - tap and drill the hole through the larger part and knurl the smaller part. I recommend not building that extruder - I couldn't get a direct drive pinch wheel extruder to work and had to build a reduction gear drive out of erector set. I will be machining a proper one tby swighton - General Mendel Topics
Re: Extremely Low Torque to Extruder Stepper Motor - 14 years ago
Where is the new Mcode located? Is it a setting in the firmware or is it something I can change from within the host? I've had a look but no luck finding it. Thanks!by swighton - Mechanics
Re: Custom Machined Metal Mendel - 14 years ago
Larry_Pfeffer Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Thanks so much for making this set of dimensioned > drawings. > I haven't studied them in detail yet, but the few > I opened showed exactly the sort of dimensional > detail I was seeking! > > Thanks again! You're very welcome! I'm glad you're finding them useful! Gogo Wrote: ----------------by swighton - General Mendel Topics
Re: Custom Machined Metal Mendel - 14 years ago
I have mashed together a zip file of PDF's of all the part drawings for the machined bits of my aluminum mendel. I have to disclaimer that I made these drawings for myself so I may have left things out, or made things not as clear as I normally would since I made the parts and knew the exact design intent. I also apologize for the lack of tolerances - once again since I designed them the tolerancby swighton - General Mendel Topics
Re: Extremely Low Torque to Extruder Stepper Motor - 14 years ago
I cannot get the nema 17 motor to work as a pinch wheel extruder - I don't know if it isn't getting enough current due to a hardware fault or a software fault, or if it just doesn't have enough torque by nature. Either way this a serious problem needs to be addressed so that other people who build the Mendel can get it to work without a lot of wasted time and hacking. I've gotten the extruder toby swighton - Mechanics
How to use the 3d to 5d script in windows - 14 years ago
I am having trouble converting my 3d gcode to 5d using the php script on the link below. I have installed php for windows but I can't figure out how to load a gcode file into it. [3d to 5d Gcode.php Does anyone know how to load a file into this script?by swighton - RepRap Host
Re: Extremely Low Torque to Extruder Stepper Motor - 14 years ago
I have the one from the makerbot store that allegedly has .26 Nm holding torque. I have tried adjusting every possible thing that I can think of, here is what I have deduced -Adjusting the pot on the extruder controller board has zero effect on the output torque of the extruder stepper motor (is the firmware reading the right pin? in the firmware it says pin 0, I thought the pot was pin 23 - thoby swighton - Mechanics
Re: Extremely Low Torque to Extruder Stepper Motor - 14 years ago
Do you mean that the torque to the stepper on the extruder is adjusted by the trim pot on the extruder controller board? I tried turning the pot to both maximum and minumin without seeing any effect. Has anyone used a nema 17 stepper for a pinch wheel extruder? I can't get to to push the filament through no matter what I do.by swighton - Mechanics
Re: Extremely Low Torque to Extruder Stepper Motor - 14 years ago
Solution There is a line tucked away in the configuration header file for the extruder controller that allows you to increase the motor power. // Default pwm for the stepper motor //*****perhaps change this to increase motor power***** #define STEP_PWM 700 Now I have to figure out how to use the temperatuer tables because my thermistor must not match the one that the firmware comes pre-configby swighton - Mechanics
Re: Extremely Low Torque to Extruder Stepper Motor - 14 years ago
I am not all that good at coding, but from this snippet from the extruder_class.pde sketch it appears that the pwm value for the extruder is set by the pot on the extruder controller board? Can anyone verify if this is the case? I don't want to just go turning pots on my extruder controller blindly. int extruder::potVoltage() { return (int)analogRead(POT); } void extruder::setPWM(int p) //iby swighton - Mechanics
Re: Extremely Low Torque to Extruder Stepper Motor - 14 years ago
Where would I adjust that - in the firmware or on the reprap host properties file. I see three entries that might possibly change the torque to the motor: Extruder0_hb (C)=20 Extruder0_hm(C/pwr)=0.86 (if pwr stand for power, and if you can define the power of the motor as I^2*R then this would make the C/pwr term larger. Though I have no idea waht C stands for.) and Extruder0_t0(0..255)=0 I inby swighton - Mechanics
Re: RepRap Host Will not start - 14 years ago
Solved problem - for anyone else with this problem, the host software made a new directory in my documents called .reprap with a reprap.properties file. When I deleted the file everything worked again.by swighton - RepRap Host
Extremely Low Torque to Extruder Stepper Motor - 14 years ago
Hello, I have just built a mendel and wired it up with the 5d firmware. Everything works perfectly - except for the pinch wheel extruder motor. It turns but has almost zero torque. I can easily stop it with my fingers and there is no way it can drive a filament at all. Is there a reason why the motor would do this? Is there something I can do to fix it? Its a nema 17 driven by a motherboard verby swighton - Mechanics
RepRap Host Will not start - 14 years ago
Tonight I installed the 5D firmware on my reprap motherboard and extruder controller, and am tweaking the machine to get ready to print. The host software was launching no problem, the RepRap was taking commands, the extruder was working etc. I stopped the program and restarted it but now it won't start. The first time it tried to load the host it said something to the effect of "since you have cby swighton - RepRap Host
Re: Help with 5D firmware? - 14 years ago
Thank you very much! I will try it out tonight.by swighton - RepRap Host
Re: Help with 5D firmware? - 14 years ago
I am attempting to wire up a Mendel running a stepper driven extruder. I have the prebuilt motherboard from makerbot. I have the big download from sourceforge (reprap-mendel-200911-06) , and see the extruder controller firmware, but no firmware labled for the motherboard. Is there a partictular firmware that I am supposed to use? Is the firmware for the motherboard the "5D gcode interpreter?" conby swighton - RepRap Host
Re: Does ReplicatorG Support Stepper Driven Extruder - 14 years ago
No, I purchased the motherboard pre-made from makerbot. I inquired about removing the ATX connector like the RepRap motherboard article says to do, but was told that it would work either way. Are there mendel specific mods other than the removal of the ATX power supply connector and RS232 connectors? If so I haven't heard about them! Also, does RepRap host work on Windows 7? Every time I've trieby swighton - RepRap Host
Does ReplicatorG Support Stepper Driven Extruder - 14 years ago
I have recently built a RepRap Mendel with a stepper driven extruder. I have uploaded the latest firmware to the extruder controller (With type two stepper extruder selected), and to the motherboard (firmware 1.3). ReplicatorG will heat up the extruder but will not make the extruder stepper to turn. Does replicatorG support a stepper extruder? Is there anything that I need to do?by swighton - RepRap Host
Re: Custom Machined Metal Mendel - 14 years ago
thanks! I'd say total time machining was around 55 hours. I have no idea how much time I spent designing all the parts and making drawings probably 10-20 hours. Its amazing how long parts take to make! That's why I'm building a RepRap - when I need a simple part I don't have to spend my time in the machine shopby swighton - General Mendel Topics
Re: Custom Machined Metal Mendel - 14 years ago
Mechanically the RepRap is done! Unfortunately I have to do some homework so I can’t wire it up and take it for a spin. I still have to figure out how to run the stepper motor on the extruder from the extruder controller board (via the two H-Bridges), and put the nichrome wire and thermistor on the barrel. I’m lovin it so far though!by swighton - General Mendel Topics
Re: Custom Machined Metal Mendel - 14 years ago
Thanks! I'm very excited to see how it turns out - hopefully with the increased precision of machined parts higher print quality can be achieved. Today I machined the carriage for the extruder and most of the components of the extruder assembly (sans thermal barrier, nozzle, and the barrel). I think it's pretty self explanatory, the bottom plate (with the two angled bearings) is located to the uby swighton - General Mendel Topics
Re: Mendel Bearings question - 14 years ago
wesjanik Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I haven't ordered them yet so I don't know how > respectable they are, but I was able to find a > place selling smaller quantities of the 624 > bearings in the US for almost as cheap as the UK > supplier: > > > /624-dsh-2RS-624-dsh-ZZ-Radial-Ball/Detail > > Not as cheap as $99 for 100, but yby swighton - Mechanics
Re: Wooden Mendel - 14 years ago
Wow it's bizarre how your frame vertex is EXACTLY the same as the one that I made out of aluminum. I am building a reprap out of machined aluminum, and redesigning many/all of the parts to be easier to machine. If something is easier to machine it most likely is also easier to make out of wood, I will be uploading dimensioned drawings of all the parts as soon as I get them done. I don't know ifby swighton - General Mendel Topics
Custom Machined Metal Mendel - 14 years ago
Hello, I have been following the development of the RepRap for some time, and now with the release of the Mendel I knew it was time to jump in on the fun. I don't have access to a RP machine but I do have access to a great machine shop, so I have been modifying most of the mendel parts to be easier to machine and to utilize as much English hardware as possible (due to its cheapness compared toby swighton - General Mendel Topics
Re: Why is the RepRap Powered Differently than the Cupcake? - 14 years ago
Thanks a lot!by swighton - Controllers
Why is the RepRap Powered Differently than the Cupcake? - 14 years ago
I recently ordered the full generation 3 electronics from the makerbot store to use in building a mendel. Reading through the documentation for the motherboard I noticed that the RepRap doesn't use the RJ45 connectors to communicate with the extruder controller, nor does it use the ATX power supply header - instead it says to to desolder he RJ45s and replace them with 2 pin connectors and to remoby swighton - Controllers