I'm leaving Thingiverse after seeing updated Terms of use thingiverse.com/legal , over next few days I will remove all my stuff. It will be downloadable on my website josefprusa.cz or reprap.org I prefer to by owner of my own designs :-)

We are not trolls, as Raldrich said

"The fact that the legal ramifications of MakerBot's TOS weren't discovered until today doesn't magically give them a free pass.

The fact that they don't intend (today) to exercise the rights they've granted themselves also doesn't magically give them a free pass. Companies change - take a look at their stance on Open Source Hardware."

Also Replicator 2 is Closed Source, at least everything looks like it and guy on Makerbot support phone told me so.
Check out my open letter to Bre Pettis here josefprusa.cz/open-hardware-meaning/
Help out by spreading the word! reddit.com/r/Reprap/comments/10642q/open_hardware_meaning_josef_prusa/
slashdot.org/submission/2267155

Link it, tweet it, comment it! Help the cause and show them we want it Open Source!

First alternative garyhodgson.com/reprap/2012/09/githubiverse-a-github-pages-template-for-3d-printing-projects/

Print the Test Cube as ugly as you can and post picture of it as "I made one" :-)

Jo Prusa, RepRap core dev

Needed a spool holder that didn't take a lot of parts. This one needs either 4 M8 bolts or 2 M8 threaded rods (with 4 nuts), 4 bearings, 8 washers and 4 fender washers.

Designed to fit the Ultimachine PLA spools, so I have no idea if it will work for anything else.

Note: pictures to follow (need to find the camera), also, you'll need 2.

This is, I am proud to say, the single greatest upgrade you can possibly print for your MK5 print head. Seriously... download it and start slicing it now while you read this, you're not going to want to lose any time!

This tensioner provides MUCH stronger grip than is possible with the default delrin plunger setup. In addition, it doesn't require the same constant adjustment the delrin plunger does. Just put it on once, and go. It'll eat anything. And it can hold with MUCH more force against the motor shaft than the delrin plunger could ever DREAM of.

This thing is a MONSTER FILAMENT EATER and will take your arm clean off if you get in the way. Well, maybe that's not true. Or maybe it is. Just don't go sticking your arms in any loops of filament while printing; I don't want to be responsible.

This is advertised as "MK5" and it is - I'm not going to make any assumptions about whether YOU are using a stepper extruder or the DC motor ... anything MK5 goes. In fact, I'll give 100 bonus internets to the first person who tries it out with the DC motor and posts some photos. Most of my photos are of a stepper configuration, but it's just because that's what I'm using.

I've intentionally tried to design this using only parts you'll have on hand and can find at the local hardware store.

The design of the tensioner is of course inspired by every variation of Wade's extruder I have seen. The design of the mount is mostly inspired by natetrue's printable MK5 ( thingiverse.com/thing:5169 ). I'd have liked to have made it a proper derivative by starting with his design, but sadly I couldn't get it to render in CGAL via OpenSCAD, even after his recent fix (it did fix the error I had gotten, and replaced it with a nastier one!).

So this is a fresh design 100% by me in OpenSCAD.



Motivation: Now that I have a stepper extruder ( thingiverse.com/thing:5797 ) and I've found a way to make it pull strongly with my weak motors ( thingiverse.com/thing:6362 ) now I need a better tensioner. The bolt-driven delrin plunger on the MK5 doesn't supply constant pressure; just constant position.

The tensioner from the Wade's style extruder seems like a brilliant design to me; a spring-pressure 608 bearing can press against the filament with a good, strong pressure, and the springs ensure it can supply pressure even if your filament isn't 100% consistent, or you have worse problems like a bent bolt or whatever.


Here's a youtube video of my first actual test extrusion with it. I've since gone on to print, and have the most AMAZING consistent filament flow I've /ever/ had. It's beautiful enough to make me weep. The mechanical noise I point out in this video vanished during my first print.

youtube.com/watch?v=54xrG96qoJM

UPDATE: (2011-03-09)
I've been printing great with two of these ever since I put it together in the first place. But I usually print with a fan on - and I think my dual extruder setup bleeds a lot more heat than a single one would, and is more confined.

Long story short, I tried a print without a fan on, and my filament pusher melted down! Well, melted UP, actually. Photo posted.

I may redesign this with a thicker base, but really I think the fundamental issue arose out of my cramped dual-heads, and can be cured with a fan, so it's not such a big deal. If it should happen to anyone else though, I'd like to hear about it - and keep a spare printed just in case!

Hey! Welcome to my first thing! I've always had a bit of an obsession for building modular architecture in 3D. I've created it virtually for Activeworlds, Secondlife, and IMVU. I used to make them in clay to sell at Renaissance Faires even!

Well now that I have a 3d printer, I just had to share these with you.

The larger scaled houses in the pictures accurately show what is respresented by the stil files. This larger scale (which is actually not so large at 6.6 cm wide), is N scale - perfect for model railroaders. It's also perfect for dollhouse-for-a-dolhouse scale. So you can paint em up, and play with them however you like. They're meant to be arranged together and match up nicely.

Watch out for more of these thingies coming, so you can collect, print, paint and play!

-Whystler

Specialty Molds for One-Off Urethane Parts. Made with PLA so parts can be demolded by dissolving the PLA. PLA wall thickness prevents sagging from the heat generated by the Urethane (180degF). Also making PLA molds to make Silicone Molds for more than one Urethane part. Silicone cures at room temperature and molds for molds can be thin walled. PLA dissolving makes life very easy and complex designs can be made.

I designed this to be able to use my Dremel tool & extension shaft as a small cutoff saw. It can cut about 1/4" (6mm) diameter stock in a single cut, or 1/2" (13mm) by turning the stock.
Requires an extension shaft with a 1/2" diameter handpiece; unfortunately, a lot of the extension shafts currently available have contoured handpieces and won't work.
ZIP file contains source files from Solidworks 2011.

I have now uploaded a new version the PL2Q Hugin
thingiverse.com/thing:19161

Its a 3d printable quadcopter frame that i have designed, all parts is printable. See youtube.com/watch?v=DLrN-lrLtUs

A derivative of the PCB Gator Vise and Hobby Clamps thingiverse.com/thing:12616

This one has been modified so that it will print on a TOM and will hold circuit boards in such a way that you have better access to the edges of the board.

This DIY filament spool can easily be adjusted by different rod lengths or arm sizes. The current design is made for 8mm threaded rods between the center and the arms. You also need two 608 bearings for the center part. I tried around 3kg of filament on the big version with 13cm long threaded rods. Works just fine and helps to avoid tangled up filament.

We also offer the small version in our webshop: cubic-print.com/DIY-Filament-Spool

This is a functional differential gear system. For those unfamiliar, a differential allows two output shafts to be spun at different speeds from a single input shaft. You will find these in most cars on the road.
For more info see auto.howstuffworks.com/differential1.htm

It works! It finally works!
youtube.com/watch?v=F9VdXtTlhCU

This revision includes minor tweaks which necessitated breaking it into 4 parts. Thank you nycdesigner, tbuser, and landru for your helpful suggestion, guidance, and sticking with me til the end.

The recorder is one of the oldest woodwind instruments. In the hands of an experienced player it creates a sound synonymous with Renaissance music. Often used in elementary music classes because of it's ease of operation. With 3D printing everyone can have one of their own to make beautiful music on... or wailing screeches if they never got past "hot crossed buns".

Flow rate and feed rate are no longer difficult to calibrate, thanks to stepper extruders. However, to really get your print quality to the next level, you will need to calibrate temperature and reversal settings for a given material. (and/or travel feed rate, depending on your machine) This is a fully parametric calibration test for both bridging and gap distances within the same part.

Bridging is a great test for temperature. If the bridge is too saggy, the temperature is too high. There are also some advantages to higher temperatures though, one of which is it makes the thermoplastic less viscous, creating less work for the motor. If your preference is printing really hot, a fan concentrating cool air on the extrudate can also be used to calibrate bridging.

Traversing large gaps is obviously a great test for reversal/travel speed settings. Set extra shells to 0 to avoid hiding any ooze behind inner perimeters. Make the infill very low to save printing time since you only care about spanning gaps for this test. Use a camera for feedback if you are extra picky about strings.

Good Luck.

This is a 100% printable filament spool based heavily upon randyy's design.

Changes:

Added webbing to arms for strength.
Modified dovetails for better fit (the original required a lot of sanding to get to fit well - for me).
Increased arm thickness for strength.
Increased mount size for strength and more solid connection to MakerBot.
Changed geometry of birdmouth slightly.
Increased size of filament holder so that more filament could be wound on spool.
Added hole in the filament holder.
Beefed up the filament clip on the filament holder.
Enlarged the conical pieces that press fit into the arm for more secure fit.
Added a filament guide for use with Cupcakes.

This is a 6-Pin Shrouded Male Connector which accepts an IDC Connector. I bought some Polulu Carrier kits and only a 10-Pin Connector was included. Unfortunately, I don't have any electronics suppliers in my town and I didn't want to wait for a delivery, so I built my own.

Update: Openscad Parametric Version coming soon.

I keep meaning to learn some OpenScad so I can easily make these types of things parametric, but every time I start, I end up thinking, "Man I could get this done in like 20 seconds in Sketchup".

This is a retrofit stepper design for anyone wanting to get rid of the DC motor filament pusher. It uses the MK5 hot end.

Edit: I ended up having to make an aluminum idler pulley. The printed ABS idler pulleys work for a while but eventually get a flat spot and stop working.

The big benefit of this design is that you can cam it open and have full inspection or cleaning ability in seconds.

Oh, and it uses a stepper which allows you to use the Skeinforge 35 reversal module, which will allow your prints to not suck.

The spring tensioner is largely insensitive to variations in filament thickness. One less thing to fiddle with.

It uses a lever design "NEW! IMPROVED! Now with MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE!" that will push really hard on the filament, but is super easy to open and close.

This design uses the super cool 13.6:1 geared stepper motor from over at MakerGear:
makergear.com/products/motors

In case MakerGear is out of stock, whosawhatsis reports this motor should work:
phidgets.com/products.php?category=23&product_id=3311

With the stainelss MK5 drive pulley
store.makerbot.com/mk5-drive-gear.html
drilled out to 8mm (get these with a 20% off coupon: bit.ly/fUdpE9 ).

The motor shaft has a support bearing, and all four motor mounting bolts are used.

It bolts right down to the MK5 plexi bridge, using the original hardware.

It needs two 6-32 x 4" screws. I found these as part of a toggle bolt at my local TrueValue hardware store.

It also needs two springs that will fit over the 6-32 bolts. I used Century Spring Company SC-419, also from my local TrueValue hardware store.

It re-uses the 8x7x22 and 6x6x17 bearings from the old MK4.

The design is in OpenSCAD, and included in the file. There are some conditionals to create the files to be exported to STL for the builds. There is either an error in the OpenSCAD file or I am pushing OpenSCAD's limits, because it will only preview in "thrown together" mode now. Well, if you put a % on main body it previews OK. Oh, and the Z axis goes through the motor, which was dumb.

There is a little video of it building here:
youtube.com/watch?v=nRKHwylv1Ms

History: This is kind of like a lot of different pushers. I like a grooved rolling idler with a bearing. I do not like the a flat bearing pressing right onto the round filament. I like the MK5 drive wheel. I like the 13.6:1 MakerGear stepper. The MK5 Extruder is working (this particular minute). I like the idea of having all four motor mount bolts used. I like having the end of the motor shaft supported in a bearing. Putting all that together with an over-center lever and spring tensioner gets us here.

MK5 Wade's-Style Tensioner by ScribbleJ
thingiverse.com/thing:6402

MK5-6 STEPSTRUDER NEMA 23 DIRECT DRIVE PIVOTING FILAMENT PUSHER by jstkatz
thingiverse.com/thing:7037

Yet another extruder filament pusher by jag
thingiverse.com/thing:7113

Accessible Wade's Extruder by GregFrost
thingiverse.com/thing:6713

I created this model to speed up how I go about calibrating my Thing-O-Matic and associated skeinforge settings.

It consists of the following parts:

- One comb-shaped structure aligned on the X axis with teeth spaced 0.1mm to 10mm apart in 0.1mm increments.

- One comb-shaped structure aligned on the Y axis with teeth spaced 0.1mm to 10mm apart in 0.1mm increments.

- One short square for checking fill algorithms.

- One 608 bearing scale ring (OD: 22mm, ID:8mm, Height: 7mm) for checking inner hole diameter.

Source is maintained at github.com/clothbot/makerbot/blob/master/tests/thingomatic/spaces/test_spaces.scad

I've taken all the calibration prints out there and condensed them into one place. I have here:

.5mm thin wall
20mm box
20mm hollow box
50mm tower
perimeter width/t tester
precision block
overhang test
oozebane test
bridge test

and more to come.

All designs are my original work and not taken from other users. But they are inspired by other users.

The 20mm box, thin wall, and 50mm tower are ideas from Spacexula's great calibration set thingiverse.com/thing:2064, and the other ones are my ideas and not influenced by others. After Spacexula's calibration set, there is quite a derivative tree.

Here are some combos I have found with my MK5 extruder:
(In order of: Layer Height, Width/Thickness, Feedrate, Flowrate PWM)
.36, 1.528, 34.1, 255
.3, 1.789, 42, 255
.2, 2.521, 35, 197 *This is still experimental, most prints I try with it fail :(

Well nearly automatic; it doesn't get much easier than this. This is for a Thing-O-Matic, but there's no reason you can't apply the same principle to any bot. This is simply a Z-Min endstop that works and is simple to build.

Many thanks owed to DammitCoetzee, who thought up some even more clever directions to take this that I've not yet implemented. And many many thanks to Worksofman for the awesome aluminum plate.

YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS VIDEO TO BELIEVE!
youtube.com/watch?v=UdDoe01l6WU

UPDATE! OMG! FORGET THAT VIDEO! WATCH THIS VIDEO INSTEAD! IT WILL EXPLODE YOUR HEAD! youtube.com/watch?v=XRt436ihaxw

How many times have you had to recalibrate your Z? Not only do I never have to calibrate it again, I never have to go back and regenerate gcode if it changes. My gcode automatically takes into account the current Zmin/max. IS THIS AWESOME?

SEE INSTRUCTIONS PART TWO BELOW.



Here's a bonus, earlier video of me using the control pad to test it - trying to put it through the platform multiple times:
youtube.com/watch?v=ZF10jI0xSao

Some notes:
* Doesn't require any firmware mods or changes, unlike the ESTOP.
* If you are using the ABP belt, you can probably still use this outside its margins.
* I haven't printed on my fancy new alu plate, and I will cover it in kapton before I do. Of course I will cut small holes to use for this leveling technique -- and I also intend to test whether the system will punch through the kapton and trigger the stop, or not. -- UPDATE, it does not, unless the head is also moving in X+Y at the same time So don't count on this to SAVE YOU but DO use it to calibrate in test points you have removed the kapton! Video of punch fail here (not very interesting): youtube.com/watch?v=7x6tTmTuSH0
* The SEXY and GORGEOUS alu plate was sent to me courtesy of Worksofman, whose website has some of the most fantastic metal sculpture I've ever seen: worksofman.com/sculpture ... but you may have to find your own source for the plate; I think it was a one-time deal. :)

This is an OpenSCAD script to generate DXF files for QF breakout boards. The script conains parameter sets for Xilinx VQ44 and Xilinx VQ100 packages.

This is a derivative of Makerbot's Unicorn Pen Plotter ( thingiverse.com/thing:4185 )

Basically, this is a direct adaptation of the unicorn assembly - all I did was break it down into a small number of printable parts. Pretty straightforward, and should go together pretty easily. One thing I changed was the extruder controller mount, figuring that it's better to use a separate mount like thingiverse.com/thing:4174

Now if only you could have the pen plotter and the extruder integrated so that you only need one controller and wouldn't need to swap toolheads. Hmmmmmmmm...

Inspired by all the modded Makerbots and Mendels at the Makerfaire last weekend, I designed these mendel styled bearing outriggers for my rattly X-axis carriage. This slides super smooth and quiet and has definitely improved output quality, especially on tall prints. Mounting holes could be a bit better situated, but it works and doesn't bump into anything.

note: Small revision to the 180 piece on 9/29 - I added pockets in the reinforcement bump to accommodate the bolt heads.

11/11 I added files for the individual pieces by request

Mount your spool over your Makerbot, so the Makerbot feeds itself.

A drop-in replacement for the MakerBot stepper drivers that contains all three axes on one board.

You can order these from my web site: tinkerin.gs/p/psmd-pololu-stepper-motor-driver-triple.html
Now you can also order these from Seeed Studio!: seeedstudio.com/depot/psmd-triple-axis-driver-p-1029.html

Updated: Now smaller (same height as a Gen4 stepper driver and 1/4" wider for 3X the axes), and with dip switches to configure microstepping. Also now has a motor-power-in (or 12V out) screw terminal that can be used to drive the motors on up to 35V. I need to update the files an description.

See it in action here (with an early prototype): youtube.com/watch?v=8TEvwzTABEI&hd=1
And it's not mentioned or shown, but you can see it in action in this video: youtube.com/watch?v=2iGnlqBLn5s&hd=1

This board makes your steppers run at eight times higher resolution (1/16th steps instead of 1/2 steps), making it run smoother and way quieter.

I based the design on the MakerBot Stepper Driver v3.0 ( thingiverse.com/thing:760 ) but with a few notable exceptions:

•) I used the Pololu A4983/A4988 ( j.mp/pololu-smd2 ) stepper motor driver carrier board for each axis, so three of them are required for all three axes to work. (This was originally designed fo the A4983, but the replacement A4988 works great.)
•) Circuitry that is already on the Pololu board has been removed.
•) The CD-ROM-style connectors from the Gen4 electronics are used. I used a horizontal-mount connector instead of a vertical mount for mostly cosmetic reasons on the Cupcake, and that may have to be changed for the Thing-o-magic or a RepRap. I'll have to modify the layout to support vertical connectors if they are needed.
•) This board is etchable and hand-solderable. This means that, with the exception of the thru-hole capacitor leads, none of the lead holes are used as vias. Also, traces are reasonably far apart, all of the wiring of the thru-hole parts (except the caps) is on the back, and vias (and drilling) are avoided as much as possible. I have provided the PDF I used for toner transfer.

I placed the Pololu boards vertically and with nothing under them to provide a natural flow of hot air past them. This is why the capacitors are mounted on the back. If they still show signs of overheating, there are holes at the bottom to mount a 12v CPU fan to blow air up past them and provide cooling. So far, in my testing, the steppers overheat before the drivers.

More info about the RepRap testing with Pololu drivers (and my inspiration) here: reprap.org/wiki/Pololu_Electronics

Update 1: Oops, I forgot to post my machines.xml. Now it's up.
Update 2: I added a photo of this latest revision with the endstop connectors corrected and soldered in place. I'm working on the mechanical endstops as another thing. All of the other photos are of the previos revision of this board.
Update 3: I updated the eagle files with some minor cosmetic changes, mostly to clean up the silk screen. I didn't change the version because it's all cosmetic.
Update 4: I have partial build instructions up on Flickr. flickr.com/photos/giseburt/sets/72157625473951054/
Update 5: I have updated the design a little, and bumped the version number to 0.5. (I've left the 0.2 files here.) It now has 6-pin connectors that should be compatible with the Gen4 electronics. It also has a 12V in/out screw terminal, and I've added more silk-screen to help identify parts and pins. The down side is that the -pin connectors made the traces really tight, and it will be more difficult to solder a home-etched version, since some traces to the 6-pin headers are on the top side.

I'm sorry, I'm currently out of kits. I am in the process of having some professionally made, but I don't currently have an ETA. The good news is that they will be completely assembled, and the only soldering needed will be of the Pololu drivers.

This is a derivative of thingiverse.com/thing:4458. When I built the shorty version I had trouble getting the parts to print correctly and I wanted the ring to turn further to fully open the box.

When I designed this iris box I started from scratch and used a different mechanism to open the box.

I have also uploaded the NX6 .prt files for anybody who wishes to use them.

This design is derived from the parameterized Battery compartment: thingiverse.com/thing:5051 (By Guru). I have added a simple method for the electrical connections. The proof of concept was tested on this thing: thingiverse.com/thing:5070

NOW you can print your own fully-functional battery pack :-)

For every battery there are two embedded nuts in contact with the positive and negative poles. Two metal M3 bolts are inserted from the outside. They will contact with the poles. Now, you have a wonderful electrical access to the battery!!

I have tested with 2-AAA and 4-AAA battery packs. It worked like a charm :-)

In addition, I have added more parameters for generating the battery pack: the thickness of the bottom, front and rear, and side walls as well as the distance between two batteries.

Update: Jan/30/2011. Added the contribution of eaglepex ( thingiverse.com/eagleapex ). Now the batteries can also be in serial connection changing the ser parameter

Depreciated: This item has been replaced by version 2, a 100% printable spool holder, located at thingiverse.com/thing:8317 Please refer to that file, which is a much better design.

I liked BrokenToaster's idea of a bearing-driven filament spool holder, but that version was too big to fit on a Makerbot print bed. I separated the arms from the hub, making a tight-fitting dovetail joint to connect the pieces without any hardware. It now fits on a Makerbot print bed!!!


EDIT: At Wajazn's suggestion, I added a version that integrates a printable bearing from thingiverse.com/thing:4312 . Disclaimer, I have NOT tried to print it, but it should work.

UPDATE: (1/22/2011) I added a solid version of the integrated bearing hub that has no spokes to avoid the problem people were having with one of the hollows printing solid. I just skeined it in 0035 and it looks good.

I was inspired by zignig's Printable Desk Clamp thingiverse.com/thing:683 . I used hex nuts instead of square nuts because hex nuts are more common. All the parts are easily available at hardware stores and hobby shops. The total cost is about $4.50 for this clamp compared to $50 ones. It is used for holding circuit boards at comfortable angles, hobby modeling, and holding stuff. Enjoy.


The picture of all parts does not show two nuts that I had already hammered in but I did not want to take them out. Also it does not show 20mm brass tubing as I already hammered some of them in.

This is a tool to bend the leads on a component, such as a resistor, to a specific width to allow easy placment onto a PCB (Printed Circuit Board).

This came about when I recently saw Erik's lead bending tool ( thingiverse.com/thing:6699 ), saw that he didn't have a version with different widths, and remembered a post on Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories ( evilmadscientist.com/article.php/obscuretools ) about a resistor lead bender. When I first saw the post, I thought it was a neat tool, but I couldn't do much with it the idea. Now that 3D printing has come along, here it is, the DIY Lead Bender. (Dramatic Music playing in the background... Ok, maybe it's not that dramatic)

A few things to note are: The OpenSCAD file is available and is somewhat commented (If you have questions feel free to ask). Also this has not been printed yet (2/25/11), so it may work, but it might not.

I'll post some pictures of the printed tool once my Thing-O-Matic comes. (Only a few days left! :-D)

In the mean time, here are the statistics for the default STL.
Print Stats: (All stats are approximate)
- Time: 14 min.
- Plastic used: 3cc
- Cost (@ $0.024 USD per CC): $0.07 USD
(Note: These values will change depending on your 3D printer and settings.)

This thing is meant to protect you from the agony of destroying your Thing O Matic or Cupcake heated build platform PCB by putting your print head through it. It can happen to the best of us.

It is a simple circuit that plugs into the EMERGENCY STOP port on a Thing-O-Matic, although I can easily set it up to work the same way for Cupcake users. Two wires go to your print head and aluminum heat spreader, and detect when they have collided.

While I have a youtube video of the trial run and it worked quite well, this is a Work-In-Progress for the following reasons:

* I don't want to be responsible for the $30 for a new platform if you destroy yours, or the new mobo if this fries it, for that matter. Either know enough to know this works or wait 'till someone who does has a good look at it.
* Needs me to get up the guts to really test it through kapton. UPDATE: I got the guts - and springs for safety. It will not punch kapton when moving only in Z, but it will when moving in X+Y as well which is common during a print, obviously. Video of punch test fail here (not very interesting): youtube.com/watch?v=7x6tTmTuSH0
* Needs someone who actually knows electronics to audit my work.
* Needs a cupcake version?
* Needs to be tested during an actual print. Does molten PLA/ABS conduct?

I /will/ be addressing all of the above, but if anyone can beat me to them, ... thank you! (Please build your own, do not come to my house to fix things!) Feedback on how things /should/ be handled is welcome in the comments.

It really NEEDED a test, so as the inventor, it's only right I be the one with a broken heater board if it doesn't work...

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING YOUTUBE VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC FOOTAGE OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LET YOUR PRINT HEAD COLLIDE WITH YOUR PLATFORM BY INTENTIONALLY SETTING Z NEGATIVE IN YOUR GCODE. IT IS NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH, YOUNG, OR PEOPLE WITH HEART CONDITIONS.

You have been warned. The gcode that was executed was set to move the head to negative Z, then return to positive 30mm Z. It never completed its voyage. I'll tell you now there was no damage and it all worked fine, but it can still be harrowing to watch. And how do you think *I* felt doing it!

youtube.com/watch?v=oDzqlONX7w4



UPDATE: (2011-02-27)

Designed a case, and added a switch to trigger the emergency stop manually. The photos here don't show the (10k) resistor I should have put on the switch... It's not the end of the world; I'm sure the output of the chip is current-limited, but it's not great.

The case design is perfect except I made the dimension of my wood a little too large so it is loose; added some bluetape to make it fit.

UPDATE: (2011-03-08)

The latest version of my firmware includes fixes to this that make the estop button work anytime, on all axes. You get get it at my github!

Volumetric 5D may make this obsolete.. Also, the "work in progress" note from Thingiverse is no joke! It's very much a work in progress. In particular, it's better at lower thread widths than higher ones - you'll probably need to add a bit to the flow rate as widths get higher.

Just a simple program that I was goofing with to find the correct flow rate of a skeinforge profile given some other set of parameters. Most params have min, max and increment values. The program is simply a set of nested loops that iterate through these values - from min to max, adding the increment each time.

Since this solves for a range of flow rates, you may have problems if you give it too narrow of a range for flow rates. If you're looking for a very specific flow rate, use values like "1.9" min and "2.1" max instead of setting both to "2.0".

Mostly obvious stuff if you've messed with skeinforge before except:
- Gear diameter: this is the diameter of your filament drive gear. Preset to the default of my MK5 gear

- Gear Swell Mod: this internally modifies the gear diameter to make up for small inconsistancies in how various bits perform and are measured. Basically, this is a "plus a bit" modifier: if profiles come out blobby, tweak this up a little; if they come out too thin, tweak it down a little

- Flow Fudge Factor: I have to enter 1.0 into the flow rate to get 2.0 RPMs on the extruder.. I got tired of doing this math so I added flow fudge factor and set it to 0.5. This doesn't change the volume calculations - it just modifies the flow rate on the table. If you have a MK4/MK5 extruder with a DC motor, start this at 127.5 to get the PWM value to use

- (thread area) and (thread width) columns. Just numbers that I like to know but skeinforge doesn't care about

- (unfudged flow) column. This is the actual, calculated flow rate before the flow fudge factor gets applied

Other notes:

Good thread width values probably depend a lot on your nozzle. For my 0.35mm big head, values under ~0.20mm don't make sense and values over 0.75mm don't come out nice. For a 0.5mm MBI nozzle, values like 0.5 to 1.25 probably work well.

If you're messing with profiles a lot, thread area is a good one to keep track of. Mostly, the same feed rate/flow rate combination that works well with one thread area value will work well with any other profile that has the same thread area. (edit: see, for example, the screen shot lines for .25mm/2.8 and .35mm/1.714; both have the same feed & flow rates and the same thread areas..)

The code (included in the zip) is a bit of a mess. Work in progress. Yeah, it's C# so Windows only. Easy enough to port to some hethan language, though. (edit: also confirmed to work on Mono!)

V2: added Infill Solidity and Support Flow Rate RPM to the new profile form; assorted cleanup; column sorting on the table view
V2.1: retargeted to .NET 2.0, made infill solidity & support rpm optional (just leave them blank to not set those in the profile)
V3: slightly better calculation of thread volume; should support creating profiles that repg can add now, too

For Ultimaker machines: set "Gear diameter" to 7.85 and "Flow fudge factor" to 26.5 - that's working quite well for me.