By reading "nothing" do you mean it reads zero Ohms, or does it read infinite, like an open circuit? If it reads zero Ohms, the wires connection to the thermistor is shorted somewhere, most likely at the heater block. How is the thermistor held in the block? If there's a screw, the clamping pressure it is applying may be biting through the insulating sleeve and shorting out the leads. Inspectby the_digital_dentist - Controllers
Using linear guides or almost anything made of metal instead of printed plastic would definitely eliminate the slop caused by splaying of the guide wheels.by the_digital_dentist - Reprappers
Thermocouple. You need to push it against the hot end with a stick or get one that is mounted at the end of a steel tube like this:by the_digital_dentist - Reprappers
At that small size, maybe an acrylic frame is rigid enough to work. Being able to lay down some plastic is one thing. Doing it without an hour of messing around every time you try to print is another. We'll see when someone gets one...by the_digital_dentist - General
Please check the link in my signature, below, then examine this printer with a more critical eye.by the_digital_dentist - General
I wish you continued luck in your computer controlled printing operations.by the_digital_dentist - General
Forgetting all else in the computer vs SD card debate, how hard is it to pull a USB cable out of a computer? That's how easy it is for your computer driven printer to fail. Once you have your printer working, and then discover all the ways a print can fail (not sticking to the bed, filament tangling on the spool, etc.) by experiencing a few of them, you begin to think about how to make the prby the_digital_dentist - General
It's this simple: if there's no computer, a computer failure can't cause a print to fail. Of course the printer has its own reliability, and of course it can fail all by itself. Adding a computer to the mix doesn't increase reliability, it reduces it because a computer can fail in many ways and all it takes is one to ruin a print. If the printer reliability is 90% and the computer reliabilityby the_digital_dentist - General
Where did you see two Z motors? Never in my printer!by the_digital_dentist - Reprappers
QuoteDust @DC42 I've been printing direct from a pc for 5+ years, people who say its bad don't have a clue WTF they are talking about. Granted its a dedicated pc, running linux, to get over the many issues of other operating systems. DC42 and I don't always agree on things, but I'm 100% with him (her?) on this: SD cards FTW! My very first attempt at a multihour print failed 1 hour in when theby the_digital_dentist - General
Quotetadawson You botched something . . . you can reinstall either without affecting the other. Put Windows on part 1, Linux on 2, swap on 3, and whatever on 4 if you like. If/when Windows toofs, reinstall Win*, but do *NOT* allow it to repartition. Then boot into Linux with your CD and put the Linux bootloader back on, so you have access to both. If your Win* partition is smallish (as mine are),by the_digital_dentist - General
I've used dual boot in the past. I had Windows corrupt the file system on its HDD and the only way to fix it was to reinstall Windows, but since Windows insists on being the first thing on the HDD, I also had to reinstall Linux. The idea of having to reinstall everything because the OS I use for one or two apps fails annoys the hell out of me. I prefer to be Windows free. I'll look into Qemby the_digital_dentist - General
I've hated being forced to use Windows for so long that I never consider getting a newer version an upgrade. I've been looking for a way out of Windows for almost 20 years. I run linux as much as possible, but just a few critical programs I use run on windows only and won't work under linux, so I am stuck, just as MS wants me to be. One of the big hold-ups is CAD. There just aren't any CADby the_digital_dentist - General
Here's an example of something that looks good but is a poor "design": He got the countersunk holes right, but that's about it. Problems: 1) 4 "leveler" screws 2) thin, flexible undercarriage and bed plates- both will flex every time you turn one of the leveling screws 3) nuts not fixed to the undercarriage- the bed plate will try to wobble every time it reverses direction. 4) nylon lockingby the_digital_dentist - Reprappers
See step 7 in the instructable linked below. Here's the pitch adjustment screw: The thumb wheel turns the whole screw. Leveling adjustments could be made from the top side of the bed, but getting a tool into a screw might be difficult with the extruder positioned near the screw.by the_digital_dentist - Reprappers
QuotevegaslokiHave you compared the quality of using various hot ends? I have not. I never considered it to be an issue. I'm still not convinced it is. People seem to be conflating print quality with reliability. Yes, there are some bad designs out there and some poorly made knock-offs of good designs, but I doubt anyone could compare two prints made with same size nozzles and different hot-by the_digital_dentist - General
A lot of things could cause that problem. Are you sure it's the belts?by the_digital_dentist - Mechanics
Congratulations on your first design! It looks great. I have a couple suggestions: 1) fix the spelling of "carriage" in the title so that when people search for "carriage" your part will show up. 2) Print your design, assemble it, take a picture, and upload it to the Thing. If you spend much time looking at designs on Thingiverse you'll discover a lot of designs that lack photos. The tip-ofby the_digital_dentist - Reprappers
Interesting idea. Why would you use 4 pieces of 1/2" pipe instead of one 2 or 3" pipe? Are you planning on printing corners?by the_digital_dentist - General
Quoterhmorrison No, just good business sense - get the customer to come back over and over and over again! Please dude, patient is the preferred vernacular, not customer...by the_digital_dentist - Look what I made!
QuoteDownunder35m When designing try to focus first on the stability, then on the actual printer stuff. I have seen many designs out there with the primary focus on "open plan living" and good looks but not too many that can combine that with real stability in all areas. A square frame either needs solid walls or added diagonal supports unless you want to use quite big luminium profiles. Speakingby the_digital_dentist - General
All those things speak to reliability, not print quality, which is what the OP was asking about. I suppose actually finishing a print can be considered a quality issue, but for me print quality is about the surface finish, and accuracy of size and shape. None of those are affected much by the hot end. I think the drive mechanism that pushes the filament into the hot end is of much more importaby the_digital_dentist - General
Extruded aluminum sheet will warp when heated to a greater extent than cast aluminum. Extruded sheet is also not flat to start with. Add heat and things gets messy very quickly. Also, typical printer kits come with aluminum sheets that are much too thin and poorly designed leveling mechanisms that bend the aluminum instead of actually leveling it. Cast aluminum, such as MIC6 tooling plate, haby the_digital_dentist - General
Think about how 4 screws "level" the bed. What happens when you turn one screw? That corner goes up or down. What happens to the diagonally opposite corner? It goes down (if it can compress the spring) or it doesn't move because the screw head prevents it going up. That means that by turning a screw, you are flexing the bed and undercarriage plates about the cross-diagonal. Bending the bedby the_digital_dentist - Reprappers
Use 1.5" square 8020 aluminum extrusion for the frame. Use linear guides wherever possible. Use lead screws for Z axis and if there are multiple screws, drive them with a single motor. For info on mistakes to avoid, see the link in my signature, below.by the_digital_dentist - General
What is the leveling scheme used? 4 screws at the corners, or 3? If it's 4 screws, it will bend instead of leveling and you'll struggle to get prints to stick anywhere but dead center on the bed. How thick is the undercarriage plate? If it too is thin, when you try to level the bed, you'll be flexing the undercarriage plate (and messing with the alignment of the bearings).by the_digital_dentist - General
I've never seen any comparison of nozzle tip shapes. Do you have a link?by the_digital_dentist - General
That you were able to fix it by bending it by hand should tell you that the plate should not have been used in the printer in the first place. I'll bet the undercarriage plate is also thin and there are 4 screws at the corners to "level" the bed plate... You may have bent it into a flat condition but once you start turning the level adjusting screws it's going to bend again (as will the undercby the_digital_dentist - Reprappers
The hot end is either going to work or it isn't. You won't see any difference in print quality from one to another. You may see a difference in print quality depending on the nozzle size, layer height, and the object you're printing. If you have a hot-end that works and you're looking to improve print quality, look elsewhere. Print quality is affected by things like frame and guide rail flex,by the_digital_dentist - General