jonnybischof

At least the current draw is similar - so you probably won't need to make any changes to the stepper driver. I don't know about the step size, maybe there's something at the RepRap wiki... 2-Phase, bipolar is correct. That makes 4 wires. Unipolar should be 6 wires and is less effective, less popular (I believe I have never seen an unipolar stepper motor before...). Don't know about the driver's voltage, but as they're current controlled, that shouldn't be an issue. They just need to be able to supply 3.6V at 1.1 A. The larger motors should have the same or higher specs (given they're bigger and stronger) so that should be fine. It's not necessarily a problem if your motor has a different step size than the original one - that just adds another factor to your motor speed equation. And of course yes, the more steps, the more accuracy. And less maximum possible speed (not an issue on the extruder...). About the software stuff: What I wrote before was assuming that the calculations for the motor driver are made in Cura (or whatever other PC software you use) and not inside the Marlin Firmware. That's probably wrong because these programs aren't machine specific so they can't know what the actual equation for the motor speed is. So probably the PC software just gives a command like "go at 50mm/s" and the Marlin FW does all the calculations. Then you will have to change the firmware OR do the calculations yourself and enter the result in your PC software. - But those are still only assumptions, I don't know the UM firmware...

Can you say anything about the export functions of the free version (Creo Elements Direct Modeling Express 4.0) ? I mean can you export to STL and print stuff without any problems? I just downloaded it but have never really used a 3D CAD program (they're like hokus-pokus to me o.O). I sure know that I don't want to go through the trouble of learning the annoying haptics of that program just to find that I can't export to a usable format /edit: OMG i HATE it already... It's friggin impossible to create a symmetrical lego block?!?!? It's so stupid! Is there a free version of the parametric Creo, too? I can't stand this BS...

Your motor needs too be up to the task: It needs enough torque to operate your extruder. I don't know how much that will be, but my guess is it can be much smaller than the big guys used in the UM axes... Then, it must be compatible to your stepper drivers which means, it must have the same principle of operation (sorry this may be a strange formulation - I'm no native english speaker...). There are several different types of stepper motors, like 2-phase or 5-phase. And motors may differ in step sizes. Basically, if you want to drive your smaller stepper motor with the UM electronics, you need one that is the same as the stock UM motors but just smaller. In that case you can just use it without making any changes to the firmware. You'll probably have to lower the driver current but afaik that's no problem. (My UM is still shipping...) Then of course, with your new setup, you'll have a different extrusion speed because your setup will probably have a different gear transmission ratio. You'll need to recalculate that when setting up the new extruder. This shouldn't be much of a problem though, maybe contact Daid if there's a simple way to tweak that in Cura? I'd have a look at these: http://de.nanotec.com/produkte/250-st4118-schrittmotor-nema-17/ (These are industrial grade so they're not the cheapest, but they should do a good job) I read somewhere the UM uses NEMA17 (or similar) motors. So they probably have a smaller size version of the same type which should work fine.

Cooling a stepper motor usually doesn't require more than a simple fan blowing at it... I've done that with a lot larger motors and it was still sufficient. Just make sure the fan blows at the metal back plate of the motor... If the motor gets really hot even with a fan, then there's probably too much friction on the axle -> lube the thang! I like the LM317 mount :-P Are there no spare fan outputs on the UM mainboard? (My UM is shipping... but still in NL atm...) /edit: Also, if you supply the motor with too much current (which is easily possible) you will hear that. The motor makes strange noises when there's too little or too much current. If possible, I'll try making a video when I get my UM

Habe ebenfalls bei orbi-tech bestellt, mich hat vor allem das glasklare bendlay gereizt.. werde dann berichten, wenn ich es bekommen habe.

Mhm.. I might try that if I find a suitable smaller Bowden tube somewhere. But probably not before I got everything else working, I don't even have my UM yet... Thanks for the help! regards Jonny

Hi community Hope this isn't a stupid question, but I didn't find anything on that matter: Can the UM handle 1.75mm filament? I keep reading that there are filaments that are too thick because of bad tolerances, but how about too small diameters? Maybe the stuff gets curled up inside the bowden tube, or maybe it just fits perfectly? I'm asking because I'm interested in buying some "Aurora" filament from faberdashery, but they only have that in 1.75mm diameter... regards Jonny

If PayPal deposit means you pay with money that you have put on your PayPal account, then yes this works! Just did it a few hours ago /edit: I think PayPal is faster than wire transfer? For me that's a good reason

I just wanted to order my ultimaker, but I can't get past the first checkout step. There's an error message saying "Street Address" length must be equal to or greater than 1 characters. The field isn't empty, I have my address saved in my account... HELP ME I WANT TO BUY MY UM!!! :shock: :mrgreen: /edit Found a workaround: Seems like the shop doesn't like german special characters ü,ö,ä... Replacing these with ue,oe,ae helped. Still I think this should be fixed, reads kinda strange...

Any update on the BendLay filament? I need something transparent for an RGB-LED project, this seems very good on (e-)paper...

Any progress on the progress bar? ^^ Should you need someone to do the PCB design, I'd happily help out. I'm still a newb to 3D printing but electronics is my business...

I've had some experience with overloaded stepper motors (A little larger, but comparable 5-phase motors) during my apprenticeship @ Besi Switzerland. The sound is familiar, but waaaaaaay too noisy. The driver needs to be quite powerful to make a motor scream like that... I'd say this sounds like a mechanical problem. Maybe the axes are somehow misaligned or bearings aren't mounted properly? I don't know the UM mechanics well enough yet (mine has yet to be ordered) but from what I've seen on the instructions, I'd check the bearings among all the other suggested things, too. Maybe the UM frame is warped, if that's even possible?

Well luckily, I'm an electronics engineer. No problem Edit: Great input, thanks! I'll do that when I get my UM..

Our study is right between bedrooms, great apartment planning Well I guess I'll just give it a try... About remotely shutting down a print: Is there a function with Ulticontroller to do this, or does that just work if the UM is connected to a PC? I'm a little worried about not using Ulticontroller because PCs are prone to crash or become unresponsive if left unattended for several hours...

Hi community I'm about to buy an Ultimaker but need to figure out some important things first. One important thing is: Where do I put the thing?!? - It will be too loud to put it in my apartment (very bad noise insulation, and I'm still living with my parents...) - From what I've read, it might have to run continuously for several days without the possibility to just pause it and resume later (I'll certainly do larger and more complex prints at some point) - I could put it at my workplace, there's a workshop where the Ultimaker would look really good in So now my question is: Can I leave the UM running unattended? Like when everybody leaves the building in the evening and the print goes on overnight? Does the UM need ventilation when it works? Does it generate any fumes or gases? Risk of smoke or fire? Could it help (or be necessary) to install a smoke detector, maybe even a webcam to be safe? I could couple the smoke detector to the mains supply so that the UM will be cut off from power when there's a smoke alarm. What do you think, and where did you put your Ultimakers? Greetings from Switzerland Jonny

Just to make sure: You know that many aquarium pumps like the popular Eheim or most if not all models used in pc water cooling systems can't be used 'dry'? They need the liquid to lubricate the bearings, minimze friction and cool the pump... Edit: how about using an impeller from an rc jet plane? Probably total overkill but maybe there's a small enough model that can be driven at moderate speed. Having a 3D printer, making an interface to the tubes shouldn't be much of a problem...

Hi Markus I'd like to order a full set for standard ultimaker, too! Don't have my UM yet but I want to already incorporate as many improvements as possible from the beginning... Greetings from Switzerland Jonny