I've found that I can make the extruder extrude manually with this method. Set temperature turn on heater==>>heater turns on wait for heater to get to target temperature turn off heater turn on extruder turn on heater. With this rather complex order, you'll be able to get the whole thing to extrude. Though this has the problem that it can make your temperature sensor routine to break downby letsburn00 - RepRap Host
Reprap host software 1.0 . Which is the latest in the host directory . It's listed as date 20081218. I've tried making it run on both linux and windows. The software runs fine on both, but it just stops workng if I try to run both of them at the same time. I'm running on sanguino if that helps.by letsburn00 - RepRap Host
I've found that if I try to run both the extruder and the heater simultaniously the software stops responding. I can run each part seperately and it all works perfectly fine, but when I try to run them together, the whole thing just stops responding, is this a firmware or host problem(I'm running the newest host, and the firmware from about a month ago). I'm trying to run my extruder for a long tby letsburn00 - RepRap Host
For all those who are from Perth, there are currently some main seperate websites that have been set up. One is www.freeasinsteins.com which is a blog for Perth reprap group related news. The second is the direct mailing list, where you can add yourself easily. Third, there is a currently fermenting movement to deploy a Perth hackspace, is may soon be a reality, so go to and see if there isby letsburn00 - Australia, Perth RepRap User Group
I think that the reprap by it's nature will keep any suppliers pretty honest when it comes to prices, design and quality. Basically, given that the reprap can reproduce most of it's own parts, this prevents BfB and makerbot from putting their prices up too high, since they will always have competition from repraps. So either they must R&D faster than the normal machines (which is good), be muby letsburn00 - General
I wired up the extruder to my boards for testing a while ago, but since that time I've had trouble with mounting the boards for the extruder motor and heater wires. The motor has two small metal pieces that the wires attach to. While I was prepping my system, I managed to accidentally take off a piece of one of the tabs. Because of this I've become worried about how much the stress of moving wireby letsburn00 - Controllers
Bruce sterling has given the reprap something of a mauling in his blog on the wired site. Though he seems to make issue more with some of Adrian's more abstract stuff about Darwinian Marxism and gone to say from there that the whole project is just people being loud about a crappy lab experiment. I'm pretty sure Mr Sterling just went and found the one thing on the whole site that most people wby letsburn00 - General
Is the requirement for a home function massively important? I know that it needs to zero at the start of a print, but otherwise can it work? Or will calibration drift significantly in a short time? I did test each opto a few months ago to see if they worked using the test program, I had few problems. I think I'll have to check them again tonight.by letsburn00 - Reprappers
I've built my machine, electronics and have assembled the whole things. I'm testing each axis individually but have a problem. I often run into the issue that I can run the driver to say 50mm and the axis will push out to that point. But when I try to pull it back to say 10 mm, the lights on the board flash for a single moment, then stop. Pressing ht home button does the same thing. So I can onlyby letsburn00 - Reprappers
magnetite is the most magnetic natural mineral on earth according to wikipedia. I know that it will attach itself to almost anything with iron in it pretty much immediately. I'm being somewhat careful for now, but hopefully I'll have some photos to put up on the builders blog soon. Any advice on the epoxy tests or types of epoxy you'd recommend. As well as a way to provide an orientation for theby letsburn00 - Plastic Extruder Working Group
In my day Job, I have access to large amounts of superfine magnetite. This is basically magnetite that has been ground down to become smaller than 53Microns (1000 micron=1mm) . My boss will let me take a few kilo's home to run some experiments and I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas on things I could try that would be useful for the project. My current major idea is to get some of the finer paby letsburn00 - Plastic Extruder Working Group
I removed all my chips and noticed a change. While previously, passing a current into my B+ and B- caused my LED's to light up, doing it to the A+ and A- did not. Now the chips are removed, both the A+ and A- cause their pespective LED's to light up. I've replaced the chips with a new 74hc chip and no change from previously in the LED behaviour. I'm ordering in a few of the l29d chips and hopefulby letsburn00 - Controllers
I was testing my dc motor drive and I seem to have blown it. It ran for a while forward and backwards, then I heard a crack sound and it wouldn't work any more. I tested my resistance meter on the A+ to A- and there was no lights or anything. I tried this on the B+ and B- and the lights on the board lit up like they do when they are running. So I'm guessing I only blew the A section of the board.by letsburn00 - Controllers
Using the sanguino machine test I keep getting a compile error when I try to run to the firmware. I can get the comms test to work fine (it echo's stuff back to me) But when I try to run the machine test, the compiler gets the the section if (Serial.available() > 0) { c = Serial.read(); Serial.println(c); } The error says "c is not declared in thie scope" I tried addingby letsburn00 - RepRap Host
I figured out the problem(or more correctly, found on the forums the solution to the problem) and added the details to the builders wiki. hopefully noone will have the problem anymoreby letsburn00 - RepRap Host
When I tried to install I got the error c:/documents and settings/customer/desktop/arduino-0011/hardware/tools/avr/bin/../lib/gcc/avr/4.1.2/../../../../avr/lib/avr5/crtm644p.o: In function `__vectors': ../../../../../avr-libc-1.4.6/crt1/gcrt1.S:51: undefined reference to `main' Couldn't determine program size: C:\Documents and Settings\customer\Desktop\arduino-0011\hardware/tools/avr/bin/avrby letsburn00 - RepRap Host
I've sent out emails to the people who've messaged me, if you havn't gotten an email or want to be on the list, send me one and i'll get back to you asap.by letsburn00 - Australia, Perth RepRap User Group
I think that extruder design is pretty dependant on the type of feedstock. Particle size has a huge effect on hopper design and things like jamming and particle bridging. I'm more used to working with huge hoppers (ton sized ones) but the basic rules all apply. Besides, having a large amount of work on this will make it all go faster when we do have an extruder designed.by letsburn00 - Plastic Extruder Working Group
The idea of using an additive in the re-cycling process is probably going to be useful, especially during the early times and given i do remember reading about how you need to do something like adding solvent to maintain strength. One big problem with hoppers and big chunks is that they tend to do something called bridging (where the hopper is full, but it empties the lower 1/4 or something and tby letsburn00 - Plastic Extruder Working Group
I've always seen that there is a constant trade off between speed and resolution in terms of how smooth the steps look (ie roughly akin the pixelisation of the object), but I don't think it's usuaully the accuracy in placement that is holding us back. If you halve the exdruded filament size, then the amount of times the extruder has to go back and forth to create a set volume goes up. This isn'tby letsburn00 - Plastic Extruder Working Group
Sorry to bother you, but I'm almost complete myself, but have ended up with parts 95 and 96 (from the lasercut list) that I can't seem to work out what they're used for.by letsburn00 - Reprappers
Good to know that about the eee pc. I was planning on buying one and upgrading it's ram to 2Gigs. when you were using the 701, did you run it at basic clock speed, or upgraded clock (the processor was underclocked I remember reading somewhere). I'm looking into getting a really cheap laptop that I can carry around when I'm doing presentations with my reprap. As far as I can see from the progressby letsburn00 - Controllers
As part of building the lasercut reprap Y axis idler I have to put on a nyloc bolt. I'm having some real difficulty getting it on(I know it not moving is basically the point). Anyone have any tips for getting it on but keeping it's locking effect later on?by letsburn00 - Reprappers
The way I've heard is good to see if your heat calibration is off is to get a small cup of water, and touch the water surface to the bottom of the extruder (not too deep or it'll hit the electronics etc). Odds are, the extruder will cause the water to bubble and boil at some low temperature, when in reality it should bubble at somewhere in the 100-110C range (because of insulation around the heatby letsburn00 - Reprappers
Partly inspired by this story which I read a few weeks ago. I recently wrote a story on somewhat the same topic. Only Mine take place under a somewhat more depressing end of things and tries to deal with the social effects of a reprap and similar technologies. I'll probably post it when I get it typed up from the longhand I wrote it in.by letsburn00 - General
You're right on that one. The main idea I had for a mold was based more around it being pretty much being a cylinder so that the particles won't de-align when you squish them out(ie, they would basically stay in a cylinder shape. It probably is a better way to do it using a solenoid the way you say though. It would be good to fab the molds first, fill them, then attach the solenoid and power it uby letsburn00 - Plastic Extruder Working Group
I apologise for my simplicity here, but from the discussion on forrest Higgs board, i've put up this basic plan. Using a solenoid to aligned magnetic particles is the way that it's been put forward, the problem with a solenoid is that particles are exactly aligned only when they are deep inside the solenoid itself, after that the flux lines tend to diverge outwards in a sort of oval shape. So theby letsburn00 - Plastic Extruder Working Group
I've done a little youtube video in which I go through the parts kit that i just got from bits from bytes, as well as the electronic parts I got from the rrrf. It's on youtube and just shows the different bits. Thought I'd post it on here, sorry it's too hard, youtube seems to always make vids darker when it processes them.by letsburn00 - Reprappers
Just thought I'd mention that I'm currently working on designing a used syringe bottle. The bottle and top are separate pieces, with the top extruded separately to allow some jagged edges in it for safety reasons. I had the idea with the basis of more in the 3rd world or isolated areas in the future. It's more for use as a proof of concept, the main issue I'm having is designing a way to lock theby letsburn00 - Let's design something! (I've got an idea ...)