extruder

today i got back part of my extruder, i think it will work great though i know it is not perfect, it is made from a bold so i am a little worried about how much heat it will suck up but i think for now it will do its job. and i will not have to worry about it too much if i have to drill it out.

i am still waiting on my order of stepper drivers from pololu i know its not there doing but the mail seems to be slow here this week i have had allot of things come here late this week or at least thats what i feels like .

testing,

i started to test the shield that i am making, and it work, though not too well at first because i got my pin numbers wrong on 2 spots, i got them back wards when i flipped it over.

but they all motor driver positions seem to work and worked well has far has i can tell with 1 stepper driver controller. so i ended up moving it too the next spot each time.

i do hope the 3 more pololu stepper drivers get here soon it has been over 2 weeks now and thats all my last order took to get here, this is what i hate about unregistered mail. i just could not justify the cost to use insured post, it would have been double the cost  from what i remember.

so in the next few days i plan on trying it out on 2 steppers at once when i get my other drivers in. i hope it will work, i also need to start working on my power supply too i don't think my one wall wort will like running my whole reprap that might have a few bad side effects.

tomorrow i want to start working on my base to see if i cant get more of it together so i have some where to mount more stuff soon.

on a funny note i did manage to get my stepper to almost match a heart beat kinda funny.

oh this is where i found the code that i used to test my stepper motor and driver.
http://lusorobotica.com/index.php/topic,106.0.html

getting more done

i am getting more done on my shield i think it is now at the point where the steppers should work when i can get them power i am still trying to find a better power supply for my steppers, though i do have a lead now, some of the fountains at my work have a power supply for 24v @ 1.5 A and so far that is what all my steppers are rated for so i might see if we have any extra in stock. but for some reason i don't think it will be that easy.

it is not perfect but i am getting there, this is also a bit of a test for me has i would like to know if this will work, and if i can get it to work i will start to design another one that will not only have more room but be greatly better laid out. but for now i am happy with my work until i can track down some better wire the solid wire i found even though it is 20 gauge is way to big for it still. i need something less rigid for my motor power wires.

i hope that my stepper get here soon from pololu i thought they would be here today but there is always tomorrow. i do wish there was a cheaper insured shipping option

a new stepper shield

well today i started to build a stepper shield for my arduino it is not a perfect way to do it but for me i think it will work well, if not it is a good start at least, i am trying to make mounts for 3 stepper motor drivers on this shield, but i know that i will also have to add in some end stop  inputs into it still too.  i am not sure how i will be doing my heated bed controller just yet has well.

i know i still have some work to do on it but i will to what i can this week after work. in time i would like to get one made up and designed properly but i do think i am on the right track now,

i am thinking that i will use another arduino for my extruder now, i think that is a good way to keep things a little more cleaner and more redundant too.

i also did get a small lcd screen has well that i am thinking i might try to integrate into my project too. and also in the same order i got in some of the parts i need for my end stops too, now

putty

well today i found a putty at work that says it is good too 350F so i think it should work, that is higher than the jb weld that i found at work

this stuff is maid by permatex and it is called pit crews's choice some of out costumers say it works really well so i thought it would be worth a try.

but i think this will work for what i need, though i really should get my but in gear and start building more of the controllers that i will need, next week i will order the stepper drivers that i need, when all my funds get to where they need to be.

i am still debating on how to control my extruder, off my arduino mega or from its own arduino i can see benefits to doing it both ways.

i think i am just going to use a drilled out bolt for the rest of my extruder barrel

work on my extruder

i have started to do a little work on my extruder, i am going to use a mig welding tip has my extruder so far i think it is the best choice for me.

i am using a .035 tip so i think that will work for me, if not i can drill out the tip to a bigger size.
 i am trying to do my best to use what i can find to build it.

i am also looking into what to use to hold the nichrome wire in place too and to see what i can find here in my town

i am thinking some of the jb weld putty it says its good to 250F continuous 300f for s short time

i will need to start looking for a stepper from my extruder soon i think. i am currently short one

good new i got another stepper driver today

i got me first pololu stepper driver today, i like it allot so far it has worked good for me, it has given me allot more power to me one stepper motor than the sparkfun easy driver did, so i think i will use these ones to drive my steppers for my reprap.  has much has i hate to say though, i do kinda wish it was a little bigger though. just seems kinda small. i am going to havfe to work on attaching a heat sink to it some how
sorry about the bad video quality, one day i will get a better camera or find another sony charger

From 2010-01-15 reprap