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Re: threaded insert extruder filament drive - 13 years ago
Well there you go, pretty much what I had in mind... Have you had any of the issues mentioned previously? Could you make a post somewhere in detail, what parts were used, etc. Looks like great work, you makerbot guys are totally schooling us.by goinreverse - General
Re: RepRap 3.0 - 13 years ago
I wasn't proposing laser sintering as the only option, I think the main point of mendel is that it opened the door to multi-head use. If there is a faster/cheaper/better way to ultra accuracy and speed than SLS I am all for it. I still see plenty of use in FDM. I don't think FDM gets much better than the stratasys machines and if you are making compound curves surfaces there is a lot of finish woby goinreverse - General
Re: Mold and pour mendel parts - 13 years ago
Triffid, I think that is great but if I understand correctly it needed a bandsaw, drill press, router and presumably some jigs? I think that still has the barrier too high, it would be easier to just spend the $60 at protovantage. I would also have some concerns about temperature (though I guess it only needs to work long enough to print a plastic extruder carriage). The barrel mounting area onby goinreverse - Casting and Moldmaking Working Group
Re: Help viewing .dxf files - 13 years ago
Inkscape has some support for DXF viewing though I have had some problems on certain files. Also QCAD which offers some kind of hobbled version can do it.by goinreverse - General
Re: RepRap 3.0 - 13 years ago
I personally don't agree with most of the goals of the prize so that isn't really here nor there for me. For 3.0 my personal goals are: 1) Much lower barrier to entry, the design should have a goal of 10,000 implementers worldwide within 24 months. I think necessitates the use of a single design which can be built with either standardized or printed parts. 2) Host software that is a single instby goinreverse - General
Re: The future - 13 years ago
I really can't help but feel like this project is a failure if the best solution that can be proposed is to buy someone elses commercial project to start bootstrapping this one... that just seems wrong-headed. If I am going to buy a makerbot I will just wait until their larger format device (with heated bed, magnetic encoder, etc) comes out which is probably only a couple months from now and forgby goinreverse - General
Re: Mold and pour mendel parts - 13 years ago
The problem with getting this show on the road is the same problem this solution looks to solve, I can't find anyone in 500 miles with a working mendel or willing to send me a few parts to test the process out with. There are a few folks with cupcakes but I haven't really had a chance to coordinate with them. If someone sends me the parts I promise to return twice as many or redistribute them toby goinreverse - Casting and Moldmaking Working Group
Re: The future - 13 years ago
A lot of the parts don't lend themselves well towards only CNC machining because of curvature/taper, overhang, orientation of holes, etc. I am not a CNC expert but I had a friend look at it and his assessment is that it would take several iterations to rework the plans. You could definitely get some portion though. Material is another issue, some tolerances are pretty tight so you would need pretby goinreverse - General
Re: gen 4/5 electronics - 13 years ago
Economically it really only makes sense to have boards made in 50 unit plus orders. I didn't mean to imply that what makerbot is doing is a negative in any, I think it is great and generally a good sign. However for an open source project to so fundamentally depend on a commercial enterprise I think is a bad idea even though makerbot seems at date a very open company. Most of its investors are peby goinreverse - Next Wave Electronics Working Group
Re: threaded insert extruder filament drive - 13 years ago
From your pictures it is hard to tell, what was the 'length' of the nut from entry to exit? I think the crucial difference is that I am using a threaded insert which has much longer traversal than a nut, the threaded area in my current experiment is 1/2 inch long but could be made as long as needed (1 or even 2 inches). There is dramatically more thread surface in contact with the filament so thby goinreverse - General
Re: gen 4/5 electronics - 13 years ago
For me the electronics cost $200 from makerbot so the gen 5 would be much cheaper and a lot easier to write much better software for, also something very handy like either wifi or ethernet. If you look closely they are including the real time patches to the linux kernel. To me the current electronics are a barrier to entry, there is essentially one manufacturer, makerbot, Sure you can build themby goinreverse - Next Wave Electronics Working Group
Re: We're either idiots or we're missing something - 13 years ago
I am trying but I really want to be able to do it as images+video+good content and the wiki setup is just killing me (it will take me longer to get it all in there then it will to actually build the device), it is 1000 times easier to just put it in a blog and I think that is why everyone does so...by goinreverse - Administration, Announcements, Policy
Re: how to get the RepRap.org website to draw in community and content. (was Re: Open Source Reprap contract) - 13 years ago
Completely in agreement with the wiki editing being a pain and with the general look and feel being a disaster. Any reason not to switch to something like fudform, runs the same environment, has excellent performance and can tie in well to mailing lists? On the website side I am not sure the best solution, mediawiki is probably the best option available, maybe better plugins for editing...by goinreverse - Administration, Announcements, Policy
Re: threaded insert extruder filament drive - 13 years ago
Currently I feed the filament through a little hole I have cut in a rubber block held down by a book to adjust resistance (like I said experimenting) but I haven't had any issues with the filament itself turning. I guess there will be a torque versus resistance consideration there. I have unwound the filament for a good length at this point to so I haven't dealt with unspooling issues. I would thby goinreverse - General
gen 4/5 electronics - 13 years ago
So I was poking around the makerbot wiki and came across these: Gen4 seems interesting simply because the magnetic encoders will indicate the exact position of all the planes and the distance the extruder driver has turned with phenomenal accuracy. Gen5 seems more interesting to me because it opens the door to zero custom electronics, basically a linux SBC running real time linux. Connect tby goinreverse - Next Wave Electronics Working Group
Re: A call for help/ideas to develop the Heated Bed - 13 years ago
What specific mcmaster parts did you order?by goinreverse - General
threaded insert extruder filament drive - 13 years ago
I have been experimenting with a threaded insert filament drive for an extruder. This uses a metal cylinder which has 4-40 threads on the inside (for my 2.75mm OD ABS filament). The cylinder is mounted in a gear, as the gear is turned the cylinder threads itself onto the filament and forces it through. My preliminary tests show a lot of promise. I need to get a high torque motor to keep testing aby goinreverse - General
Re: The future - 13 years ago
Kevin, I am really glad to see you speak up on some issues that I think are very valid. It seems to me that there are some serious problems with the reprap as you outlined but a lot of the community back and forth ends up with simply rationalizing those shortcomings... I am with you in your "let's get is done" attitude. The self-replication goal to me does seem like a serious obstacle. Howeverby goinreverse - General
Re: OS - 13 years ago
Have you actually printed with a stepper extruder? I am curious how, looking at the code there were at least 1 or 2 bugs in 1.8 that seem to me to make impossible to work correctly? What pins/connections are you using for your stepper motor if you do have it working, maybe that is what I am misunderstanding?by goinreverse - General
Re: OS - 13 years ago
Not sure the exact lineage, currently maintained by some of the makerbot folks (adam) though (open source also). I should have a patch for their firmware pretty soon to support stepper driven extruders (mendel) rather than dc motors (cupcake).by goinreverse - General
Re: OS - 13 years ago
I would strongly recommend replicatorG over the reprap software. For me it "just works" on OSX, windows and linux. On the other hand getting the reprap software to run on anything is a huge headache though windows seemed the easiest, it still crashes relentlessly. There seems to be some further issues with the libraries for the reprap software and 64-bit anything also.by goinreverse - General
Re: mcwire build notes (bootstrapping for mendel) - 13 years ago
I don't mind compiling in the Arduino environment, that tool runs fine on my mac and windows systems. It is a little more picky on linux. If anyone needs an extruder pulley compatible with the kysan dc motor from makerbot this one from mcmaster works: 1375K15 . Makerbot has been out of stock for a while now and probably won't have more in for individual purchase anytime soon. The bore has to beby goinreverse - General
Re: rack and pinion versus belt? - 13 years ago
Well, I guess I appreciate nopheads defense? of me. I don't think articulate reasoned discussion, however much it seems to disagree with the status quo, is trolling. I would also like to point out here that I have been intentionally discussing the project as a project (and I believe I have been successful), I have not individualized any particular person here while it seems like some have confronby goinreverse - General
Re: rack and pinion versus belt? - 13 years ago
I don't agree with the attitude that you can't design a system wherein the parts are "practically interchangeable" between printed and standardized. Certainly I don't think it would be very easy to make parts identical and I didn't mean it that way if it was taken so. Overall the machines here are not that complex, there is a frame, 3 moving planes, and an extruder. Maybe the standardized parts rby goinreverse - General
Re: rack and pinion versus belt? - 13 years ago
Reasonable people can and probably do disagree on this issue. I think having as a fundamental design goal a requirement for non-standard specially printed parts is a gimmick and virtually assures that the project cannot reach mainstream adoption in the near term. Furthermore all designs to date are substantially non-printed parts by most useful measures (weight, cost, volume, functionality). As cby goinreverse - General
Re: Where can I get solder paste? Pref. locally? - 13 years ago
Frys electronics in sacramento most likely has it, not sure if that "local" to you though. My frys here in tempe, az carries it.by goinreverse - General
Re: mcwire build notes (bootstrapping for mendel) - 13 years ago
I take back what I said about the makerbot gearmotor, right now I am in extruder hell. To find a good combination of motor (gear or stepper), gear (splined shaft, timing belt pulley or gear), idler (bearing or acriylic) and compatible firmware is a complete disaster. I was able to spline the shaft of a 4th stepper motor I have, I did not use the crazy hinge jig nonsense I saw. Instead I mountedby goinreverse - General
Re: mcwire build notes (bootstrapping for mendel) - 13 years ago
stepper shaft is the end that is sticking fine. The threaded rod side is what is failing (reversing off). Hose clamps are a good idea on that, will give it a try.by goinreverse - General
Re: mcwire build notes (bootstrapping for mendel) - 13 years ago
Regard my notes on the bearing arms. I cut them square and rounded them using a dremel drum sand bit. In the event you have not purchased the makerbot DC extruder drive motor, DON'T. I am finalizing a setup to use my "hacktruder" to start with the NEMA 17. It should also be re-usable in the mendel extruder. If you are in an experimental mood try assembling with regular hex-head bolts (whateverby goinreverse - General
Re: mcwire build notes (bootstrapping for mendel) - 13 years ago
You could easily use a circular saw instead of a table saw. Probably a jig saw too. Not sure if you live in a place where there is a harbor freight but for cheap chinese tools it can't be beat: harborfreight.com , decent table saw for $150.00 or less on sale. I wouldn't use it in a cabinet shop but around they house it will probably last you years. Acrylic likes to chip/crack a lot (especiallyby goinreverse - General