Tom, I sent you the email in a private message. --Krisby KrisC - For Sale
Actually, I did get mine on discount, and I am very happy with my purchase. At the price he offered, I am not surprised that James might be having problems with order fulfillment.by KrisC - For Sale
Are the motors installed or loose? They might be binding? I am not certain as I didn't have that problem. You don't have wires reversed do you? Have you tried reversing only 1 pair of wires?by KrisC - General New Machines Topics
Try wiring up one of the other steppers and trying it. When I first tested the Z it seemed not to move, but then I realize it was just moving a small amount and also the axle failed to connect with the x-mount.by KrisC - General New Machines Topics
Catalyst is the name James Villeneuve gave to his Mendel variant. his site reprap wiki You can also search the forum for our ongoing discussions.by KrisC - General New Machines Topics
The extruder should work ok. It just takes a lot of tweaking of settings. I made a parts list on the reprap wiki. Search for catalyst.by KrisC - General New Machines Topics
The degree of tilt would depend on the weight of the model relative to the platform. Of course the platform will always have a larger footprint than the model. In today's experiment I recessed the wire path flush with the platform to try to avoid shorts. Of course friction between the platform and basin would still be a significant problem if it were to occur. It's clear the floating platform idby KrisC - Mechanics
My experiment did show that the force was a bit inadequate, but it was not completely ineffective. The platform moved about 5 cm and rotated 135 degrees in about 15 seconds. Not bad for a 9V battery and some takeout containers with wire running through them, but still not great. The resistance of the (super-saturated) salt water is much higher than I thought, and a bath of mercury is just not prby KrisC - Mechanics
I am thinking of the way needles will float in the direction of the earth's magnetic field. As well the propulsion of mag-lev trains. Whereas the trains are propelled by massive banks of electromagnets used to propel their tons of mass, here the forces are miniscule, only needing to overcome the inertia of a platform floating in water. More than one wire would be needed, at minimum two on the pby KrisC - Mechanics
I wonder... Is a floating build platform practical? (Warning: this idea is slightly heretical, as it mixes water and electricity. Furthermore, I may be completely wrong.) Here's how I think it might work: Start with a shallow basin and a buoyant platform half as large in the plane. Both should be non-porous and poor electrical conductors. Affix a set of parallel unshielded wires (PCB?), wiredby KrisC - Mechanics
My kit shipped about 3 weeks after the initial estimate. Every email I have sent James has been answered very quickly. He does like to print out shipping labels well in advance of actual shipping.by KrisC - For Sale
I have some other projects distracting me from getting the heater and temp sensor working properly; I have not been able to get the extruder to work under software control. However I do have the motors running from the RepRap software. I think this is how I am going to run the printer. James said he's going to expand his software to be a full featured host. @Michael: do you know how to make STLsby KrisC - General New Machines Topics
mhensen needs these parts for his x-axis. Should be much cleaner models than james'sby KrisC - General New Machines Topics
Where each of my mounts has a single hole for the bolt which braces across the extruder, in James version on Thingiverse one side has 2 holes and the other side has a rectangle cut out. I started from scratch and made new models for each of the printable pieces of the mount. Link. The measurements for the model I took from my machine, and I compared it to James's. They are compatible provided thby KrisC - General New Machines Topics
The table is fragile... and I misread. I've got the table mounts set up in Blender, when I realized you need the X mounts, not the Y, lol. Oh well, I was going to do the Y soon anyway. Fixing X would be easier, except the Thingiverse files are not what was shipped. I'm not finding the X mounts to be fragile. I've had to file them down a bit to even get them to slide. The bowden mount is a litby KrisC - General New Machines Topics
Are you just looking for a redesign of the table supports? That's certainly on my agenda. Shouldn't take very long. As my assembly is complete and testing begun, let me offer my opinion. James' website got the situation right where it says that the kit is for people who have assembled a 3D printer, or who want to learn the process. My kit was nearly complete (only missing limit switches), andby KrisC - General New Machines Topics
Thanks, that makes sense. I'll give it a try tonight. Clearly I didn't know how to wire the relay. I'm going to stick that diagram into the wiki. --Krisby KrisC - Controllers
I've been trying to figure out the circuit diagrams provided for the extruder of profounddevices' Catalyst. The diagrams are a bit of a mess, and I'd like to get an opinion. Here is my take on it: The originals are at: version version Thanks --Krisby KrisC - Controllers
Table Mounting Bolt Collisions While trying to trace the bounds of the print area, the screws which secure the x-motor collide with the screws which support the table. I had already replaced the table screws with shorter screws. I reversed the screws so their heads are visible. Then I placed a bolt to hold the x-motor screws above the surface. The screws are not as tight as I'd like, and they noby KrisC - General New Machines Topics
Should it be Mendel Variations/ Catalyst rather than Development: Mendel Catalyst? I didn't see your move Sebastien until just now. I will copy over to there. Do whatever cleanup.by KrisC - General New Machines Topics
Bowman Feeder Mount The mount is difficult to insert considering the movable motor. Solution Zip tie the nut in place to the feeder. Experimentation required.by KrisC - General New Machines Topics
It is reprap.orgby KrisC - General New Machines Topics
Build Surface The bolts as provided seem to extend overly close to the extruder. Quick fix is to use shorter bolts I would like longer table mounts, preferably gripping notches cut into the outer edge of the table. I found a pre-cut piece of Lexan at HomeDepot which I will use to replace the build surface. BTW, I will of course make any STLs available. None of these seem particularly challenby KrisC - General New Machines Topics
Style-wise, I think I'm going to say that Catalyst is the intended model name and Profound Devices is the distributor of the initial kits. I will credit James Villenueve as the creator. Would James would like to assert any copyright or use opinions? I will shoot him an e-mail. I'm not going to address how Catalyst fits into the RepRap hardware fork. I opine that the current designs full name ouby KrisC - General New Machines Topics
Re: Top Mount I think that the top threaded rod of the frame should be longer so that we can eliminate the couplers and replace them with bolts for spacing. This would be more consistent with the rest of construction, but would remove the radial symmetry of the design. This would allow more leeway for further modification. Perhaps the feeder could mount on one side?by KrisC - General New Machines Topics
Re: Pinch wheel gasket I noticed that the gasket was off center. If you look on the non-beveled side, you will see that there is a portion of the gasket cut away. I finished the gasket by shaping the cut away into a 4-point star and the gasket centered.by KrisC - General New Machines Topics
Y-Motor Mount Lower Plate One piece I needed to modify extensively was the base plate of the y-motor mount. Until I reduced the thickness of the plate significantly, my printer rocked on the bolts. I also cut into bottom face so that the bolts would be slightly recessed. Proposal A mounting bracket which clamps the rails. This would replace both the top and bottom plate of the y-motor mount.by KrisC - General New Machines Topics
While the Catalyst may not be the printer suited to every need, it does fill an important niche. So in order to leverage some community innovation, where do we want to discuss improvements? How about here.by KrisC - General New Machines Topics
Is there any reason not make a Catalyst Mendel entry on the RepRap wiki? I plan on starting one soon. I hope all questions of the soundness of the design are now assuaged. The only inadequacy I perceive in the wiki entry idea is that some of the information relevant for assembly only pertains to my particular kit. I suppose this stuff could go under each individual component as finishing proceduby KrisC - General New Machines Topics
Has James's software worked for you? It is the only thing I have tried here, and it works. This version is the one I am testing things with so far.by KrisC - General New Machines Topics