The printer kit came with both the Chimaera clone, and a clone of the E3D V6, so I could go single or dual nozzle. But I REALLY like the idea of the Chimaera, since (at least in theory) I can run two different materials at two different temperatures. In any case, the kit arrived yesterday. Initial appearances are decent - it looks like a nice kit, at least. Can't wait until I can put it togetherby Rich K. - General
I built a Mendel90 'sturdy' (1/2" MDF frame) back in 2013. It served me well, and I still have it, but I have found that it has limitations. First, it only has a single extruder, and I want to be able to print multiple colors/materials. Second, the 200 x 200 bed is not big enough for some of the things I want to print. I got some money for Christmas, and ran across a good deal on the Flsun C Plusby Rich K. - General
Anybody? Nobody? My Melzi is programmed using NopHead's original Marlin sketch, with only minor tweaks. I have no idea where to begin as far as programming my Rumba from scratch, but I want to upgrade my Mendel90 to run multiple extruders.by Rich K. - Mendel90
I want to upgrade my Mendel90 Sturdy to a Rumba board (currently using a Melzi), so that I can run multiple extruders and hotends like the Kraken or Chimera. Does anyone have a Marlin sketch for a Mendel90/Rumba they would be willing to share with me? Or other programming, if not Marlin? I also have the SainSmart controller that goes with the Rumba, by the way.by Rich K. - Mendel90
Two years ago, I built a Mendel90 "Sturdy" using 1/2" MDF for the frame. Been through several upgrades since then. I have been considering building a second reprap, and I have seen some nice looking kits for the Prusa I3 "Rework", including a Melamine frame kit. I was wondering just how worthwhile it would be - I mean, how does the I3 "Rework" compare to the Mendel90? If I built an I3 "Rework", Iby Rich K. - General Mendel Topics
Sorry for the belated reply... I built mine using 1/2 inch MDF. I just had to use a craft knife to cut the notches out wider in plastic components that actually hook over the edges of the MDF (like spool holders). If you print the parts in ABS, it's easier than if you use PLA (the ABS cuts easier). I used black polyurethane brushed onto the MDF bafore assembly to act as a moisture seal (4-5 coatsby Rich K. - Mendel90
I'd like to see one, too, for the "sturdy" (LM10UU bearing) model. I bought a RUMBA, also with the idea of upgrading to a dual extruder system...by Rich K. - Mendel90
I just printed out the PDF files, taped them together, then taped them to the MDF. I also traced around them carefully with a fine point marker just in case one of the sheets came loose while I was cutting/drilling. BTW, I also sealed the MDF with black polyurethane before assembly. THe edges soak up the stuff like a sponge for the first few coats, but it is worth doing - moisture/humid conditioby Rich K. - Mendel90
A couple years ago I bought a RUMBA board, LCD 12864 smart controller, and Geeetech DRV8825 stepper drivers to eventually upgrade my Mendel90 to a dual extruder system. What with this and that I lost track of it. Found it again recently, and now I have some questions: 1) Is there a ready-made Marlin sketch available for the RUMBA/Mendel90 combination? Can I copy some settings (z-height, etc) diby Rich K. - Mendel90
Found out they did, but it was not meant for LM10UU bearings. STL files only, so I don't know if they can be modified (and I wouldn't know how, even if they can be modified): Chimera/Cyclops carriage for Mendel90 - Thingiverseby Rich K. - Mendel90
Dug through the cloned files and found all of my original Mendel90 files, including Arduino 1.0. Now I am just waiting for my new filament to arrive so I can switch back to a smaller nozzle ( I have a 0.6mm one on there now). Will re level and set the height then. Thanks!by Rich K. - Mendel90
WHEW! - I had almost forgotten, I had cloned my hard drive a while back to an external drive, and my old Marlin sketch is on there . Now, for my next question - on the newest version of Arduino, which board do I select for Melzi? IIRC, on the OLD verion of Arduino, I had to select "AT Mega", or something like that, but the choices seem to be a bit different on the latest version.by Rich K. - Mendel90
I had to move my Mendel90 "Sturdy" from the upstairs part of the house to the basement about 6 months ago - my parents complained that hot ABS didn't smell all that great (I had some really cheap crap that I will never buy again - it clogs anything smaller than a 0.4mm nozzle on my E3D V6). In the process, somehow the Z0 height ended up about 2-1/2mm higher than it was when I last leveled the priby Rich K. - Mendel90
I built my Mendel90 "Sturdy" (1/2" MDF frame) a few years ago. Had a couple of upgrades since then, including a more easily adjustable belt tensioner for the "Y" carriage, and an E3D-V6 hotend. I am now considering switching to a dual extruder system, and I rather like the E3D "Chimera". Anyone here installed a Chimera on their Mendel90? If so, did you do your own re-designing of the "X" carriageby Rich K. - Mendel90
Earlier this year I bought three spools of black ABS filament from a seller on EBay, who stated the reason he was selling it was he was switching to 1.75mm filament (I am set up for 3mm filament in my Mendel90). It was Makerfarm brand filament, and I got it for $8.00 per spool. I THOUGHT it was a great deal. Unfortunately, the stuff started clogging and jamming the .4mm nozzle on my E3D-V6 hotendby Rich K. - Printing
Yup, HUGE difference between a 5676 pencil tube running 1.5 volts on the filament and 45 on the plate, and a UV211 transmitter tube running 10 volts on the filament and 1kv on the plate!!!by Rich K. - Look what I made!
Quotethe_digital_dentist Nice! I used to do a lot of old radio restorations, too. 3D printers are great for replacing things like buttons and knobs that are lost/broken and hard to find. I usually started with refinishing the cabinet, because if that wasn't possible, there wasn't much point in rewiring the chassis. It also provided inspiration/motivation to do the rewiring. I used to replaceby Rich K. - Look what I made!
Hmmm... Those don't look like the stepper driver boards I have. The ones I have look like this:by Rich K. - Controllers
I recently bought a Geeetech RUMBA and six Geeetech DRV8825 stepper drivers. What is the correct orientation of these driver boards on the RUMBA? I don't want to plug them in backwards...by Rich K. - Controllers
Got my RUMBA yesterday. Just ordered 6 of the 8825 stepper drivers by the same manufacturer for $12 - I decided I liked the 1/32 microstepping feature. What version of Marlin should I use? For that matter, is there better firmware I can use? I may well install this on my Mendel90 now and just use it on just a single extruder until I have a chance to upgrade to an E3D Chimaera or Geeetech Mk 8 duby Rich K. - Controllers
Okay, the answer is "no"m then - it said "dibond" when I hit F6. So, EXACTLY what do I need to put in the command line, start to finish, to get it to come up properly?by Rich K. - Mendel90
Did that. Will that automatically render it correctly for the "sturdy"? No, I didn't change the conf/machine.scad to the sturdy variant, nor do I know exactly how to do that. I am not familiar with Python or how it works, not to mention OpenSCAD, so I am a fish out of water here - hence, all the questions and misunderstandings. My programming knowledge only extends to G-code, and mainly for millby Rich K. - Mendel90
Quotenophead OpenScad does not have a command line. I was referring to the command line of your operating system. Another way is to change these two lines to be if(1) so that it draws just the fan duct. Then you can compile it with F6 and export the STL from the file menu, avoiding python and the command line.Tried the Python route. Not sure what I am doing wrong, but no altered drawing showed uby Rich K. - Mendel90
It looks like his wires are oriented 90 degrees from the way mine are oriented. I have mine the way they are - coming out at the front of the machine - because it seemed a better way to route them (around the front side of the extruder block, then under the D-connector and from there up and over to the screw terminals). And again, I'm not even really sure what EXACTLY I am supposed to change, anby Rich K. - Mendel90
Okay, when I try to get it to compile the "hot ends" file so I can see what I am looking at, I get this: "ERROR: CSG generation failed! (no top level object found)" Not even really sure what exactly I am supposed to change, and to what, and how to get it to render for a "sturdy" model. It's all gobbledygook to me, I'm afraid - nothing makes sense...by Rich K. - Mendel90
Thanks! Looks like I will have to buy separate stepper drivers to plug into the board I bought. Stepsticks will work, but are there others that are as good, or better, with the same pinout (8 pins per side)?by Rich K. - Controllers