jhinkle

Why not .005mm or .0025mm per step. If THAT resolution is not swamped by the minimum imposed by the hardware - why not. The question is - if you can acquire a resolution of .005mm or .0025mm per step - will you see it in the print? You can definitely see print difference between a UM1 and it's competition --- so can the UM1 do any better if the micro-stepping on the motor can be increased? Thanks. Joe

I placed my order for a UM1 kit one week ago and it arrived yesterday. I chose the UM1 over all of the other machines because of the stated resolution that could be obtained. I'm a retired EE and love to analyze designs, understand them, and possibly make them better -- hence the UM1 so I can modify it at will. It will take me some time to assemble the machine, tune it, and get comfortable with what MY machine can print from a resolution point of view. I ask the following question to those existing technical users so I can obtain your insight and ponder on them awhile. Given the existing mechanical design, wood, belts, etc -- those parts of the system will result in the minimum obtainable print resolution. THAT bottom floor can not be changed without a change to the hardware. From that level of resolution (what ever it is) -- we have what the electronics can do. How the steppers are driven, the capability of the CPU (Arduino in this case). Looking at the controller board, I see the X-Y steppers are being driven in 1/16 micro-steps. (I suspect that has to do with the performance capability of the Arduino). Taking the CPU/Micro out of the equation, if the controller board could step at 1/32 or 1/64 or 1/128 --- would the increase resolution realized from the steppers be realized in the print? It will be awhile before I can run my own test - so I would appreciate any insight/comments you might have. Thanks in advance. Joe Hinkle

I just purchased my UM1 in kit form - just shipped today to the States. I noticed that the controller is 8/16bit Arduino based. Is there a need/want for a 32bit controller? I don't mean a RasPI or BeagleBone - but real embedded controller. Would added speed and resolution improve this machine or is there still a lot of performance headway in the Arduino? I already have a base design that I use in other projects - it has built in Ethernet and a TCP/IP stack. If there is a real need, I can look into a daughter board to provide the motor and display interface. Any and all comments are welcome. Thanks. Joe

I just placed an order for a UM1 kit. I charged it to my cc. The cc went the extra mile to make sure it was really me and then stated the charge was approved. You order process --- instead of confirming that my order was received and charged jumped back to step 1 of the ordering process. I'm puzzled if you actually have my order. I attempted to backup -- but was denied stating that it was already charged. So ... do you send me an email telling my you have my order? How long does it take after the order is placed to be notified? How can I tell if you even have my order? Thanks in advance for your reply. I think you have a bug in your order process between steps 3 and 4. I await your reply. Thanks. Joe Hinkle