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Re: AoI versions of Darwin parts - 15 years ago
Several people have now offered to help with this conversion. The STL files to be converted are at: (Check out the latest zip file of Cartesian Bot.) And those that have been done are listed on this forum thread by those doing the work (thanks!) and, when they've been put back in the repository, are at: If you want to help, post what you do here so that others don't duplicate your effortby Adrian Bowyer - Mechanics
Re: New to Fab, resolution question - 15 years ago
Interesting idea. What sorts of materials had you in mind? And how would you make the thin strip of the required?by Adrian Bowyer - Tissue Engineering
Re: constraints in the serial communication - 15 years ago
This is really Simon's area, not mine, but I think that andreas's list is correct. If at all possible we should avoid making the system such that the PICs can't instigate a communication; that would be a serious constraint on the future. The 16F648A code in the branch autoconf-firmware very nearly works (there's a bug in the stepper code that Jonathan and I are working on; the extruder is OK, Iby Adrian Bowyer - RepRap Host
Re: Extruder _code_update? - 15 years ago
The extruder temperature measurement bug is now (almost) eliminated. I spent the weekend working on the code and have improved both the Java end and the PIC C end. (I have updated both in the trunk and also updated Simon's autoconf-firmware branch). Here's a summary of what I've done: JAVA: The Java now takes a majority vote between the last three temperature measurements; this reduces the iby Adrian Bowyer - RepRap Host
Re: New to Fab, resolution question - 15 years ago
I just bought a really neat book on DIY inkjets: and intend to run a student project soon on putting one in a RepRap head...by Adrian Bowyer - Tissue Engineering
Re: granule extruder - 15 years ago
karl - just picked up your sketch. Reckon we can do that. The fat final bit I didn't know about, but I can see the point about increasing the shear to homogenize better. However, I intend to do my trick of running the melt out down the centre of the shaft from side-holes, which I think shears it quite a lot, so that may not be needed. Experiments experiments experiments... The s/w controlsby Adrian Bowyer - Mechanics
Re: AoI versions of Darwin parts - 15 years ago
Thomee - those parts are brilliant :-) I've put them in the repository at When I get a chance I'll make them up and check them in the machine. Thanks!by Adrian Bowyer - Mechanics
System.out.println considered harmful - 15 years ago
I've added a class (org.reprap.utilities.Debug) that handles all debugging information. Including that in a file, then making a call to the static function Debug.d(String) will print the string to System.out if debugging is turned on, together with a timestamp. Thus you get things like: DEBUG: X axis - setting maximum torque to: 100 [0.317s/91ms] The timestamp [0.317s/91ms] is the elapsed timby Adrian Bowyer - RepRap Host
Re: AoI versions of Darwin parts - 15 years ago
That's outstanding stuff Thomee. I'll redirect other volunteers to this thread.by Adrian Bowyer - Mechanics
Re: Parameters - 15 years ago
I've just updated the code to add a debug value in reprap.properties file to turn on and off writes to System.out. This is distinct from the commsDebug flag, which (as before) send all communications to System.out. Also added an extruder reverse time to the properties file to reverse the extrude motor for a short time when it is turned off. This feature isn't in the code yet. When you next upby Adrian Bowyer - Developers
Getting Darwin into AoI - 15 years ago
One of the tasks that we need to do is to get the design for Darwin into Art of Illusion. I have just blogged a short experiment on doing this (http://blog.reprap.org/ for 8 September), which turned out to be pretty easy (for one part at least...). If you want to help the project purely on the software side (all you need is one (1) computer...) and think you could do some of these conversions,by Adrian Bowyer - Developers
Re: PowerComms 1.3.0 preview - 15 years ago
Zach the Knower of All Things, he say: > instead it can become this: plug ICSP cable from powercomms board to board to > program. program board. unplug icsp header. Ah! Yes, I obviously was (am) losing it. If I'd thought for a bit I might have found it again.... That is indeed exactly what we want. V. useful indeed.by Adrian Bowyer - Controllers
Re: powercomms v1.3.0 - 15 years ago
Quoting Zach 'Hoeken' Smith : > - I think 4700uF for the smoothing capacitor is probably higher than it >> needs to be and ~2200uF would be sufficient, as well as smaller and easier >> to obtain. Also with some of the larger capacitors around 4700uF, they >> sometimes come with 3 leads which will cause no end of confusion and >> puzzlement. >> > > i canby Adrian Bowyer - Developers
Re: PowerComms 1.3.0 preview - 15 years ago
Yes - I think that using alternating G + would be good. We can minimise the chance of errors by making the gap between each power pair != 2.54 mm and by using the one-way-round keyed connectors that we've used elsewhere. We must keep the spare connector for power in addition to the 5 the RepRap machine itself uses - we use it all the time for plugging extra controller boards in on the bench forby Adrian Bowyer - Controllers
threshold change in reprap.java - 15 years ago
> Also, I'm still on an old version - following my > change-one-thing-at-a-time theory - so could someone else put these > threshold values right? (see attachment) This presumably means Andreas > has progressed to extruding plastic... The lower threshold is a workround for a bug. The extruder controller returns a low temperature value if the temperature calculator gets an interrupby Adrian Bowyer - Developers
Re: Successfull initial trials!!!! - 15 years ago
This sounds really interesting. Do I understand that your system uses a hopper feed of granules? That was the next step that I wanted to take with our filament extruder (details here: ). I'm impressed that you can get the torque needed from a stepper. Do you also need the precision? (For a possible cheaper alternative, see here: ). Or would just an ordinary DC electric motor do? If yby Adrian Bowyer - Developers
Re: Firmware on the 16f648 - 15 years ago
Success on getting the 16f648 and the latest SDCC working! I have made a minor modification to the stepper C code (a part of the interrupt service routine was commented out; I uncommented it) and that now works. I've checked it back in. So a summary of what I've tested: The extruder_0 code works in the extruder. The stepper code works in the X axis. I'm pretty sure that it'll all worby Adrian Bowyer - Developers
[email protected] and RepRap Multiple Material File Format - 15 years ago
We have been talking with the [email protected] team about defining a common format for multiple-material data exchange, so I've set up this thread to allow all to discuss it. There's a page on the RepRap wiki at: that will follow along behind this discussion. To get the ball rolling... Hod Lipson wrote: >However, ther are people who have gbeen >giving this some thought and have publishedby Adrian Bowyer - RepRap Host
Re: Extruded filament diameter - 15 years ago
The magic Google incantation for All Human Knowledge on this phenomenon is "die swell". There is a good explanation at You're all right - it is complicated. It's caused by the fact that molten polymers are non-Newtonian (that is not perfectly viscous) fluids; they exhibit elastic behaviour as well. The results of extruding out of a nozzle depend on both the profile of the channel up to the nby Adrian Bowyer - Mechanics
Re: Universal Controller v1.3.0 - 15 years ago
> the ONLY thing that is changing is the connection method BETWEEN boards But that's just one (1) wire each! Are you seriously suggesting a fancy RJ11 ID connector for a single wire? I agree with Jonathan...by Adrian Bowyer - Controllers
Re: PIC ring buffer (and SNAP traffic visibility) - 15 years ago
Quoting RepRap Forum Mailer : >> We'd also have to change that so that the host still tells X it's >> the master, >> but then _X_ tells Y it's the slave (the ring should make that >> trivial to do). > > It's doable, but it might be simpler if X tells the host "I'm done > being master" (in the same packet it tells the host that move is > completed?) , and tby Adrian Bowyer - Developers
Re: PIC ring buffer - 15 years ago
Quoting RepRap Forum Mailer : > yes. if you look in the electronics threads, we're starting on v1.3 > of the universal board. this would be a fantastic time to add those > sync lines. also, if you could weigh-in on the changes i'm > suggesting, that would be fantastic. Lines are already there in the circuit and the connectors, so it's just bits of wire... Let me know when thby Adrian Bowyer - Developers
Re: Universal Controller v1.3.0 - 15 years ago
> * switch to RJ-45 plugs for Rx/Tx Why? Much more complicated, and no advantage that I can see. Remember that _none_ of the signals go to and from the same place; they go in a ring (i.e. just one wire between each board and the next). And, of course, it only takes ten seconds to solder the end of a single wire to make a fully insulated pin socket for an 2.54mm pin using a shell socket andby Adrian Bowyer - Controllers
PIC ring buffer - 15 years ago
As you know (though I'm !*$!ed if I can find the old thread...) we want to put a short ring buffer in the PICs where they store where to move next so there is no delay between the end of one move and the start of the next. One problem is that Simon's code is wonderfully and elegantly symmetrical: if dx > dy for a move, the X controller is master and the Y is slave; contra contra. But this giby Adrian Bowyer - Developers
Re: Extruder swapping - 15 years ago
There's a distinction between what I'm proposing for Darwin: easy exchange extruders by hand; and what I'm proposing for Mendel: auto extruder changing. For Darwin there's no problem. There are two controllers on the carriage and two extruders. You change the parameters when you need to by hand in the preferences file (or just symbolic-link to one version of the file or another). Most ofby Adrian Bowyer - Developers
Re: object file releases - 15 years ago
RepRap Forum Mailer wrote: > I thought we as a team reached some agreement on this issue (keeping > version numbers at 0.x or 0.x.y until we make a formal supported > release) back in early June? Yes - that was my impression too. -- Best wishes Adrian Dr Adrian Bowyer _______________________________________________ Developers mailing list Developby Adrian Bowyer - Developers
Re: Extruder swapping - 15 years ago
No - this would be a purely mechanical change (if "mechanical" includes a plug and a socket). The extruder would have a projection which would click into a holder, and the plug on it would mate with the socket on the existing carriage connected to the existing PCB.by Adrian Bowyer - Developers
Extruder swapping - 15 years ago
The neat click-in click-out extruder mounting made by my MSc student Arman Ghandizadehdezfuli that is on the blog has highlighted something: swapping extruders in and out of the Darwin design is a bit of a pain. I was wondering about making a design addition to Darwin to allow extruders just to be plugged in and unplugged. This would be a manual operation, but it would allow you to have four orby Adrian Bowyer - Developers
Re: OS X Bug in Host software - 15 years ago
Zach 'Hoeken' Smith wrote: > I'm getting a new bug in OSX when i load files. It used to work, and > I've traced it to the new materials selector. Here's the sourceforge entry: > > > I've just done an update that may (or may not...) have fixed this. Can you try it on OSX (certainly works under Linux) and let me know, then I'll do the appropriate thing with the bug reportby Adrian Bowyer - Developers
Re: SVN firmware not found - 15 years ago
Quoting RepRap Forum Mailer : I was asking Eclipse to do a repository explore and it couldn't find it (indeed, it still can't), but I've tried it from another machine and that works fine. So I think it's something funny about that one machine. I'll simply delete it and check it out again from scratch. Sorry for the panic... Best wishes Adrian Dr Adrian Bowyer > Checking out firmwby Adrian Bowyer - Developers