mark10970

Same problem with my new S5. Interestingly, I can still control the printer over the network via Cura. It seems that the lcd and touchscreen just turn off, but everything else is still functional.

Thank you - I'll take a look at it. Mark

Hi CodeMaven, After thinking about it and doing a few experiments, I agree that ABS in a UM is not a good way to make pcbs. Thanks for the input. Mark.

Thank you Daid. I agree that pcbs can be ordered reasonably inexpensively, but 2.5 weeks is a long time. The "goal" of the Homebrew_PCBs Yahoo group is to produce (relatively) high quality boards in a few hours or less. We have explored many different methods, ranging from printing resist via modified Epson printers, to pen plotters, photoresist techniques and on and on. One thought using a 3D printer would be to use ABS as a resist, printing it directly on heated copperclad board, thus my question concerning minimum width of a line of plastic. Another way to use the UM might be to print conductive ink directly on FR4 board to make pcbs additively. These are things that might be worth exploring, but I am just doing research for now. Mark

Thanks, Owen. I spend a lot of time on a Yahoo group that explores alternative ways to make pcbs. Pen plotters have been discussed numerous times over the years, but they do not seem to work reliably in the real world, though I'm not sure why. Perhaps I will revisit the topic and take a look. Mark

Hi, I would like to experiment making printed circuit boards with my UM. Has anyone used an UM to lay down ABS as "resist" on copperclad to make pcbs? Can someone tell me the thinnest "line" that can be drawn with the smallest nozzle available, perhaps a .1 or .2mm nozzle? Does it seem feasible to do this? Thanks for any information. Mark

Hello all, Since some filaments seem a little too large in diameter to pass through the standard bowden easily, has anyone tried using high pressure nylon tubing that comes in a .250 inch od by .150 inch id (6.3 x 3.8 mm)? See <http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-plastic-and-rubber-tubing/=nu0f3r> Mark

Thank you, Illuminarti. I've used settings similar to your first suggestion, but get consistant artifacts like this The outer covering is very thin and actually peels off easily. Is this due to infill overlap problems? These artifacts are consistant from print to print. Mark

Hello all, Can someone make Cura setting suggestions for the following "object". It is a rectangular box with walls 1.5mm thick on two sides and 2.0mm thick on the other two. The center of the rectangle is empty and there is no top or bottom. Just 4 thin vertical PLA walls. I want to use .2mm layers. I am using the stock .4mm nozzle. Can someone suggest settings for Wall Thickness, Bottom/Top thickness, Fill Density, and Infill Overlap. I am using version 13.04 because I need to control some things that are only available in this version. Thank you. Mark

I'll try slowing down - what you say makes a lot of sense! The spring is about 11.7mm, so maybe I'll tighten it up a bit as well as slowing down. Thanks for your help! Mark

100 mm/sec

Hello all, I am printing a thin walled mechanical item <http://www.pbase.com/mark10970/image/151291990>. I have less problems at higher temperatures (230C) than at lower ones, but the problem still persists. I also have less problems at .1 layers than at .2. The walls are about 1.6mm thick, though they vary in some areas. I am using .4mm wall thickness, .4mm fill, 100% fill density, but I have varied all of these parameters with little improvement. Any help, suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated. I am very new to all of this, so please be patient with my ignorance. Mark

No, there is no problem with the vertical limit. If there were, you could just extend the moving piece a little further down.

After spending a lot of time with the fussy z axis homing adjustment, I designed what I think is a simple and accurate way of doing this. <htttp://www.pbase.com/mark10970/ultimaker> The main component is an inexpensive miniature brass fitting that has two 10-32 threaded holes and one male 10-32 . Here is an example: <http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-brass-miniature-pipe-fittings/=ngr7lp> As shown in the photos I used a 10-32 thumbscrew, a 10-32 nut to lock the thumbscrew and a piece of .032 inch (.8mm) copper clad board. The bracket for the switch is made from a piece of angle aluminum. The mechanism is below the build platform in an easy to access location. I also added a hotbed with 3 point leveling. Leveling and homing are now simple. The single point is never adjusted. Simply use the other two leveling points to level the bed, then use the Z adjustment to home. Takes about 2 minutes for the whole thing. The yellow zip tie seen in the last two photos holds the bowden tube in place. I doubt that it is a permanent cure, but it works for now while I investigate other options. Without it the tube slips horribly.

Solved it -loose connector. Sorry for the unnecessary post.