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zumfab

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Posts posted by zumfab

  1. They're not bad. I also used them before I switched to direct drive... ;)

     

    Direct drive is certainly on the list, but I consider it prudent to go one (or two) steps at the time. That way I don't have to go on a wild goose chase after that one variable of the many I changed that is causing trouble. I hope.

    I have been thinking about some sort of way to eliminate the couplers, as I don't like them very much. It must be possible to link the shaft to the drivers directly without loading them too much at the first slight misalignment.

     

  2. I'm not a professional, so this might be wrong:

    I tighten my belts "as little as possible", but "as much as is needed" to reduce backlash to a minimum - if the belt is not tight enough, you can feel backlash movement when you turn the pulleys back and forth.

     

    I think I will go with as much as needed and a little more. That way the strain should not be unreasonable and I have peace of mind that things are tight enough. Maybe it will result in a little extra wear, but it should not be much.

     

    I agree with you Jonny about the force on the motor shaft. However, it doesn't seem to be a problem as I can't recall having read anything about bent motor axes or damaged bearings so far. And the UM2 you are most probably referring to is now out for over a year.

     

    It's actually an UMO. One of the short belts kept working itself slightly loose, so I finally tried to fix that permanently rather than retightning every so many prints.

    I am using a reworked version of this tensioner with a long screw and spring.

    http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:40041

     

  3. I have finally slapped a belt tensioner on the printer. Yes, singular, as I grossly overestimated how far the screws actually go into the stepper motor. The design had been slightly adjusted to allow for a greater range, but that begs the question: how tight do the short belts actually need to be? I can pretty much go crazy, but I am a bit scared to stretch the belt and load the stepper motor unnecessarily.

     

    I agree with Jonny, It's the force from the set screw that distorts the pulley.

     

    Good to know, that will be useful.

     

  4. I did notice that with the single set screws original pulleys, the out-of-roundness problem was always in the direction opposite the force the set screw applies.

     

    Do I understand correctly that the out-of-roundness is not strictly a manufacturing problem, but something that happens when you tighten the pulley and force it out of whack?

     

  5. Actually, I just took apart one of the UMO pulleys - they are made in the very same way as the Robotdigg pulleys (no folded piece for teeth, it's actually solid). Machining quality is worlds apart though. Very ugly under the microscope, and they only have one setscrew.

    Maybe that second setscrew adds more to the overall "roundness" than I thought.

     

    Just so I understand correctly - I imagine that with two set screws, you still push the axle to one side. Am I wrong and how so? I would imagine you need four screws to eliminate that, but I might be missing something.

     

  6. I am on the fence about what pulleys to get. I like foehnsturm's, but the one thing that bothers me is that the supply is extremely limited. Ordering extras or replacements a little later is not really an option. Quality seems really high though.

    So, if I were to go for GT2 pulleys and belts, what do I need to look out for? Material? Attachment screws/method? I do not really have a clue what makes a good pulley and how to differentiate bad from good :)

     

  7. I have neither of these problems with this software. Turning the knob clockwise increases feedrate or advances menus. The refresh rate is not that of a desktop computer, but is quick enough to work well in all but the most unrealistic scenarios. If you trash the knob left and right like no tomorrow you see the selection jump all over the place, but when you pace yourself you see the selection tracks pretty neatly.

     

  8. It depends on your Ultimaker board version...

     

    • 1.5.3: Out of luck

    • 1.5.4: you can solder a bridge on the board to re-route the power to the arduino

    • 1.5.7 / 1.5.7: it should be stand-alone

    I have an old 1.5.3, and I just connect the USB to a cell phone 'charger' to provide the 5V. (Will work as well with 1.5.4)

    BTW, I'll release a new firmware version tomorrow with a couple of small changes...

     

    Ah, the page I found suggested it meant a problem in any case, but this sounds a bit better. I think the electronics are 1.5.4. so reworking them would be an option. The phone charger solution is a good idea too, though.

    It seems I have found the appropriate page here.

     

  9. Today I recieved my Full Graphic Smart Controller, a little ahead of schedule. I could not resist fiddling with it, and sure enough, I had exactly the same problems as in the first post. Successive beeps or a buzz, depending on exact cable placement, and nothing else. I used a small file to remove the nubs and reversed the plugs on the controller. It seemed to power up, but showed no information, but everything as expected as the firmware had not been loaded yet.

    The very helpful post from Amadee and his custom firmware made loading the firmware a breeze. It was almost too easy :) I tend to get suspicious when that happens, and I am certainly going to struggle more when I update the Ultimaker belts or heatbed. A quick firmware flash via Cura and hey presto, a neat working controller with a lovely Ultimaker bot for a splash screen. Thanks everyone, for making life so easy!

    Oh, and a little tip for people doing the same thing: if you dislike scratches or dings, tape up the corners and edges of the controller before you go to work. It gets easily scratched.

    Now, onto making a neat enclosure!

     

  10. It might mean you can magnetize it afterwards, though :)

    I am curious how all this metal filled material is affecting the hot-end. Especially steel and similar metals are a bit harder than the hot-end itself, typically causing a lot of abrasion and wear. I asked Colorfabb about this and they said they did not really test this/had a chance to test this due to time constraints.

    We will see, but I would expect a significantly increasing wear with ever harder fill materials.

     

  11. :???::

    This is what you will get: a 3D printer with minimum backlash; an even number for the steps per mm (80); pulleys without excentricity unlike those of UM; no need for a tensioner on the long belts.

     

    I understand the confusion, but I was referring to the quality of whatever pulleys you buy, not the benefits of good pulleys in general :) I find it hard to judge quality.

     

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