Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on December 23rd, 2012, 07:23 PM

Hummm, I bought oil hardend tool steal drill rod...
The first berring seemed a bit tight but the second one felt really  good...

I think the first one was dirty ( the berring) so I'm hopping the rest of them will be ok.

I should have gotten 7.95mm or something... I will let you know when I install the rest. Got all the rods (8 of them  3feetlong) for 40$ + shipping.

That's not bad as it would have been over 150$ easy for real Lerner shafts in SS this long...

Thses are good quality, straight as can be and should last a long time...

I hope there all the correct OD... Only checked one of them for now...  

I'll let you know when I start to put it all together...

~Russ

Yes, the rods 1 smooth and 2 althread I buy, are 12' lengths, right at $43.25 including tax. Then I just cut what I need. I buy them from a place in SA. This was back in September so the prices could have gone up since then.:D

well... its a new year. lets see how fast i can get this done...

here is almost everything except the wood base and sides. but that's easy... all the hard parts are here...

[attachment=2893]

i did manage to turn down those ends of the rods by cutting in where the edge is and work backwards. worked well. and then finished them off with some emery cloth. just a slightly tight fit. but just lose enough to let them set up correctly in the jig.

[attachment=2894]
[attachment=2895]
[attachment=2896]
[attachment=2897]
[attachment=2898]
[attachment=2899]
[attachment=2900]

 ah the jig i drilled on the mill to make sure it was square and the proper length. 250mm when finished. that's an AL bar with steel rivets just glued in place (square) so i can make everyone 250mm... why rivets? well. they fit exactly with out to much force. but no play... :)

so while i was waiting for the 15 min epoxy to set up... ( each "bar" )  i put all the other pieces in place...

 
[attachment=2901]

prob should have waited over night to put it all together but what ever... (glue seemed a bit soft but still set so...)

[attachment=2902]
[attachment=2903]
[attachment=2904]
[attachment=2905]
[attachment=2906]

and finally i got some motors mounted... although the holes are whack. not lining up at all... so i just reamed the plastic a bit... all is well..

[attachment=2907]

ok well that's enough for now... been up all night working on this... happy new year and lets get it done!

~Russ

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 1st, 2013, 02:58 AM

well... its a new year. lets see how fast i can get this done...

here is almost everything except the wood base and sides. but that's easy... all the hard parts are here...



i did manage to turn down those ends of the rods by cutting in where the edge is and work backwards. worked well. and then finished them off with some emery cloth. just a slightly tight fit. but just lose enough to let them set up correctly in the jig.









 ah the jig i drilled on the mill to make sure it was square and the proper length. 250mm when finished. that's an AL bar with steel rivets just glued in place (square) so i can make everyone 250mm... why rivets? well. they fit exactly with out to much force. but no play... :)

so while i was waiting for the 15 min epoxy to set up... ( each "bar" )  i put all the other pieces in place...

 


prob should have waited over night to put it all together but what ever... (glue seemed a bit soft but still set so...)







and finally i got some motors mounted... although the holes are whack. not lining up at all... so i just reamed the plastic a bit... all is well..



ok well that's enough for now... been up all night working on this... happy new year and lets get it done!

~Russ

Looking good Russ :D. Where did you find the carbon fiber tubes, do you have a link?:cool::D:P

This is looking great!  I may have to get a rostock.:cool:

Quote

Looking good Russ :D. Where did you find the carbon fiber tubes, do you have a link?:cool::D:P

eBay. Should have got the 5 mm tho... Would have been easer.

I did not realize what size I needed...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/160857964468?redirect=mobile

This stuff is really cool. And strange. Never got to mess with carbon fiber... ;)

Nate.

Let me finish this one and tell you what to change... This is the prototype.

There are much better versions already, like the ones that run with 80/20 AL rails and strings for belts... Looks much better. And I'm guessing get real swivel ends... These although cool and all home maid... They aren't going to last long... ( I'm thinking there going to wear fast...)

But... We will see! ;) ~Russ
 
New style by same guy:

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 1st, 2013, 10:23 AM

Quote

Looking good Russ :D. Where did you find the carbon fiber tubes, do you have a link?:cool::D:P

eBay. Should have got the 5 mm tho... Would have been easer.

I did not realize what size I needed...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/160857964468?redirect=mobile

This stuff is really cool. And strange. Never got to mess with carbon fiber... ;)

Nate.

Let me finish this one and tell you what to change... This is the prototype.

There are much better versions already, like the ones that run with 80/20 AL rails and strings for belts... Looks much better. And I'm guessing get real swivel ends... These although cool and all home maid... They aren't going to last long... ( I'm thinking there going to wear fast...)

But... We will see! ;) ~Russ
 
New style by same guy:

Thanks Russ.:D

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 1st, 2013, 10:23 AM

Nate.

Let me finish this one and tell you what to change... This is the prototype.

There are much better versions already, like the ones that run with 80/20 AL rails and strings for belts... Looks much better. And I'm guessing get real swivel ends... These although cool and all home maid... They aren't going to last long... ( I'm thinking there going to wear fast...)

But... We will see! ;) ~Russ
 
New style by same guy:

Oh I have time to wait. :D I have 2 other printers to finish building/overhauling. :s

Nate

Quote from firepinto on January 1st, 2013, 12:56 PM

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 1st, 2013, 10:23 AM

Nate.

Let me finish this one and tell you what to change... This is the prototype.

There are much better versions already, like the ones that run with 80/20 AL rails and strings for belts... Looks much better. And I'm guessing get real swivel ends... These although cool and all home maid... They aren't going to last long... ( I'm thinking there going to wear fast...)

But... We will see! ;) ~Russ
 
New style by same guy:

Oh I have time to wait. :D I have 2 other printers to finish building/overhauling. :s

Nate

Lol yeah you do!! Nate and Jeff what place and brand do you buy for filament and what kind of problems have you had With filament?

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 1st, 2013, 02:21 PM

Quote from firepinto on January 1st, 2013, 12:56 PM

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 1st, 2013, 10:23 AM

Nate.

Let me finish this one and tell you what to change... This is the prototype.

There are much better versions already, like the ones that run with 80/20 AL rails and strings for belts... Looks much better. And I'm guessing get real swivel ends... These although cool and all home maid... They aren't going to last long... ( I'm thinking there going to wear fast...)

But... We will see! ;) ~Russ
 
New style by same guy:

Oh I have time to wait. :D I have 2 other printers to finish building/overhauling. :s

Nate

Lol yeah you do!! Nate and Jeff what place and brand do you buy for filament and what kind of problems have you had With filament?

I buy from http://www.repraper.com/category.php?id=11  It is good enough to use,  the price is right. I have printed out about 10 spools of there's. The black I had a problem with it clogging up the hotend nozzle. Also with every spool, the filament  seems to have memory or it gets harder to unwind, you have to help it along by turning the spool by hand. You might not have this problem with the 1.75 mm filament though because of the smaller size than what I am using 3 mm, but then again you might because the extruder is direct drive to the stepper motor and not geared.

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 1st, 2013, 02:21 PM

Quote from firepinto on January 1st, 2013, 12:56 PM

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 1st, 2013, 10:23 AM

Nate.

Let me finish this one and tell you what to change... This is the prototype.

There are much better versions already, like the ones that run with 80/20 AL rails and strings for belts... Looks much better. And I'm guessing get real swivel ends... These although cool and all home maid... They aren't going to last long... ( I'm thinking there going to wear fast...)

But... We will see! ;) ~Russ
 
New style by same guy:

Oh I have time to wait. :D I have 2 other printers to finish building/overhauling. :s

Nate

Lol yeah you do!! Nate and Jeff what place and brand do you buy for filament and what kind of problems have you had With filament?

I havent tried anything but the filament from Ultimachine.com.  I do  have some PVA filament tucked away that I got from Makerbot.  That was back when they were the only ones that sold it.  I havent tried the PVA yet.  
Most my experience is in PLA.  There is a difference in strength and flexibility between the colors.  Filament that is more clear is more brittle while the white is more flexible.  PLA needs to be kept dry out of humidity.  Some of my printing problems come from the filament absorbing ambient moister.  It causes steam in the hot end and makes bubbles pop out of the nozzle as it prints.  Some one needs to draw up a sealed spool holder. :P:D

Nate

Quote from firepinto on January 1st, 2013, 03:29 PM

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 1st, 2013, 02:21 PM

Quote from firepinto on January 1st, 2013, 12:56 PM

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 1st, 2013, 10:23 AM

Nate.

Let me finish this one and tell you what to change... This is the prototype.

There are much better versions already, like the ones that run with 80/20 AL rails and strings for belts... Looks much better. And I'm guessing get real swivel ends... These although cool and all home maid... They aren't going to last long... ( I'm thinking there going to wear fast...)

But... We will see! ;) ~Russ
 
New style by same guy:

Oh I have time to wait. :D I have 2 other printers to finish building/overhauling. :s

Nate

Lol yeah you do!! Nate and Jeff what place and brand do you buy for filament and what kind of problems have you had With filament?

I havent tried anything but the filament from Ultimachine.com.  I do  have some PVA filament tucked away that I got from Makerbot.  That was back when they were the only ones that sold it.  I havent tried the PVA yet.  
Most my experience is in PLA.  There is a difference in strength and flexibility between the colors.  Filament that is more clear is more brittle while the white is more flexible.  PLA needs to be kept dry out of humidity.  Some of my printing problems come from the filament absorbing ambient moister.  It causes steam in the hot end and makes bubbles pop out of the nozzle as it prints.  Some one needs to draw up a sealed spool holder. :P:D

Nate

I have tried Ultimachine and Makerbot ABS didn't really notice a difference in quality or performance, the rep raper ABS  seems to be getting better in quality and this is what all your Rostock Delta parts are printed from Russ. :D

I've just ordered more 1.75mm PLA filament from Ultimachine. The translucent natural and red PLA filament I'll be trying. Currently, I still have the 5 pound white PLA spool I'm using but haven't used the pound of the black PLA yet.

thanks for the reply's on the filament.

so i got a used table saw from my dad for Christmas! yeah!!!! he got it at an auction. i can now finally cut stuff... straight! haha  so i thought i would try it out to make the base and top.  



i took this:
[attachment=2919]

and printed it out to scale. then lay 3 of them up to make the correct placement... be ware. although theses are correct dimensions if printed correctly i was not able to use the lines to make the entire 3 match up... i had so off set them slightly from each other to make it 120 x120 x120 to make the 360...

[attachment=2920]

after i traced some stuff and figured out what i wanted to as far as how i wanted to make the one side with braces to keep this rig from warbling... i came up with this:
[attachment=2921]

i did take a point and poke holes through the places where the mounts go using the printed template.. ( this is just card board. )

you can see here the holes:

[attachment=2922]

i did manage to find some scrap MDF board to use... this is 3/4" MDF board. one piece had some bad spots but that's OK... ill end up covering it up anyway... and after using my new table saw...:

[attachment=2923]

so you can see i changed it from a square to this shape... i wanted to make it round but decided that was to much work making round it for what tools i have on hand...

so you can see one of the 3 big points are for the braces to keep it sturdy. and i could cut off the other 2 and make it more triangular but just thought sense this has 9 sides ill leave it...  wink wink... the other 3 small sides are for the motor mounts.

any way. i then layed my template over it to mark the holes... off to the drill press when i get a chance... off to real work i went...

so far so good... more when i get to it...

~Russ

Looking good Russ, even the simple things can take much time. Glad you have a table saw now, but where to store it, that's my problem.:cool::D:P

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 3rd, 2013, 07:03 AM

Looking good Russ, even the simple things can take much time. Glad you have a table saw now, but where to store it, that's my problem.:cool::D:P

:) yeah... if i can hang it upside down... i will hang it from the rafters... lol :)

~Russ

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 3rd, 2013, 07:15 AM

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 3rd, 2013, 07:03 AM

Looking good Russ, even the simple things can take much time. Glad you have a table saw now, but where to store it, that's my problem.:cool::D:P

:) yeah... if i can hang it upside down... i will hang it from the rafters... lol :)

~Russ

That would work for you, cause of the higher rafters you have, mine are 8', to low.:P

jeff, please can you give me some photos/ideas on how the heated bed is to be installed...

i was going to install the AL plate on the base with some spacers to keep it off the wood and then install the heater on the bottom of the AL plate?!?  then use glass on top of the AL plate... so i can remove the glass and install a new one to keep heat up/down time down?

any how. here is some progress photos: ( had about 40 min to work on this...)

i decided to use wood screws to hold the pieces on. except for one spot... worked like a charm. but something is slightly out of square... or triangle... lol

everything matched up on both plates but the top plate.. each piece is ever so slightly off... ill prob just leave it like is. should be fine as long as long as each 2 rods are parallel...

[attachment=2936]
[attachment=2937]
[attachment=2938]

~Russ

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 5th, 2013, 02:21 AM

jeff, please can you give me some photos/ideas on how the heated bed is to be installed...

i was going to install the AL plate on the base with some spacers to keep it off the wood and then install the heater on the bottom of the AL plate?!?  then use glass on top of the AL plate... so i can remove the glass and install a new one to keep heat up/down time down?

any how. here is some progress photos: ( had about 40 min to work on this...)

i decided to use wood screws to hold the pieces on. except for one spot... worked like a charm. but something is slightly out of square... or triangle... lol

everything matched up on both plates but the top plate.. each piece is ever so slightly off... ill prob just leave it like is. should be fine as long as long as each 2 rods are parallel...





~Russ

Russ, there are several ways to do this.
One is, instead of mounting the aluminum plate rigidly,  spring load it, so it can move up and down.
Or you can mount the aluminum plate rigidly with spacers, then mount the heated bed with springs so it will give. This is to protect the hotend and bed, if it crashes into the bed, which it will happen at one time or another.
Something else you could do if you want, is to install a kill switch under the aluminum plate or heated bed, wired from input power to the Arduino, in case this does happen, this would also protect the mechanisms.
A momentary switch, about 1/8" to 3/16" away from the bottom of the plate/heated bed.
You could mount the switch in the wood base/aluminum plate with a screw adjustment that would touch the switch, from the aluminum plate. If you mount the switch to the aluminum plate, then just adjust it to where the heated bed will touch it.
I think the best way would be to mount the aluminum plate rigidly, this might work out the best.  http://thingiverse-production.s3.amazonaws.com/renders/98/7c/30/d2/99/IMAG0334_display_medium.jpg

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 5th, 2013, 07:54 AM

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 5th, 2013, 02:21 AM

jeff, please can you give me some photos/ideas on how the heated bed is to be installed...

i was going to install the AL plate on the base with some spacers to keep it off the wood and then install the heater on the bottom of the AL plate?!?  then use glass on top of the AL plate... so i can remove the glass and install a new one to keep heat up/down time down?

any how. here is some progress photos: ( had about 40 min to work on this...)

i decided to use wood screws to hold the pieces on. except for one spot... worked like a charm. but something is slightly out of square... or triangle... lol

everything matched up on both plates but the top plate.. each piece is ever so slightly off... ill prob just leave it like is. should be fine as long as long as each 2 rods are parallel...





~Russ

Russ, there are several ways to do this.
One is, instead of mounting the aluminum plate rigidly,  spring load it, so it can move up and down.
Or you can mount the aluminum plate rigidly with spacers, then mount the heated bed with springs so it will give. This is to protect the hotend and bed, if it crashes into the bed, which it will happen at one time or another.
Something else you could do if you want, is to install a kill switch under the aluminum plate or heated bed, wired from input power to the Arduino, in case this does happen, this would also protect the mechanisms.
A momentary switch, about 1/8" to 3/16" away from the bottom of the plate/heated bed.
You could mount the switch in the wood base/aluminum plate with a screw adjustment that would touch the switch, from the aluminum plate. If you mount the switch to the aluminum plate, then just adjust it to where the heated bed will touch it.
I think the best way would be to mount the aluminum plate rigidly, this might work out the best.  http://thingiverse-production.s3.amazonaws.com/renders/98/7c/30/d2/99/IMAG0334_display_medium.jpg

Ueah. Ridged I will mount it...

My prob is should I mount the AL plate then the heat bed then the glass. R mount the Heater then the al plate then the glass. You know what I'm saying. I want to AL plate to be hot. And the glass to Be on it. Yeah?

Good idea with the stop switches but rigid mount must be best...

Thanks ~Russ

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 5th, 2013, 01:54 PM

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 5th, 2013, 07:54 AM

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 5th, 2013, 02:21 AM

jeff, please can you give me some photos/ideas on how the heated bed is to be installed...

i was going to install the AL plate on the base with some spacers to keep it off the wood and then install the heater on the bottom of the AL plate?!?  then use glass on top of the AL plate... so i can remove the glass and install a new one to keep heat up/down time down?

any how. here is some progress photos: ( had about 40 min to work on this...)

i decided to use wood screws to hold the pieces on. except for one spot... worked like a charm. but something is slightly out of square... or triangle... lol

everything matched up on both plates but the top plate.. each piece is ever so slightly off... ill prob just leave it like is. should be fine as long as long as each 2 rods are parallel...





~Russ

Russ, there are several ways to do this.
One is, instead of mounting the aluminum plate rigidly,  spring load it, so it can move up and down.
Or you can mount the aluminum plate rigidly with spacers, then mount the heated bed with springs so it will give. This is to protect the hotend and bed, if it crashes into the bed, which it will happen at one time or another.
Something else you could do if you want, is to install a kill switch under the aluminum plate or heated bed, wired from input power to the Arduino, in case this does happen, this would also protect the mechanisms.
A momentary switch, about 1/8" to 3/16" away from the bottom of the plate/heated bed.
You could mount the switch in the wood base/aluminum plate with a screw adjustment that would touch the switch, from the aluminum plate. If you mount the switch to the aluminum plate, then just adjust it to where the heated bed will touch it.
I think the best way would be to mount the aluminum plate rigidly, this might work out the best.  http://thingiverse-production.s3.amazonaws.com/renders/98/7c/30/d2/99/IMAG0334_display_medium.jpg

Ueah. Ridged I will mount it...

My prob is should I mount the AL plate then the heat bed then the glass. R mount the Heater then the al plate then the glass. You know what I'm saying. I want to AL plate to be hot. And the glass to Be on it. Yeah?

Good idea with the stop switches but rigid mount must be best...

Thanks ~Russ

Ok, it will take a very long time to heat the 1/2" aluminum plate with the printed circuit heat bed you have, if it will reach the set temperature at all. Also to sense temperature correctly the thermister should be in the aluminum plate, there should be a hole in the side of the plate to insert the thermister into, use heat dissipation paste.
Russ to solve the problem of the very long heat time, I went with a 1/4" aluminum plate with glass on top and made my own elements on my first printer and is spring loaded.
 The second printer, I just used the printed circuit heated bed with glass on top and is also spring loaded.
[attachment=2941] [attachment=2942]

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 5th, 2013, 02:58 PM

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 5th, 2013, 01:54 PM

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 5th, 2013, 07:54 AM

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 5th, 2013, 02:21 AM

jeff, please can you give me some photos/ideas on how the heated bed is to be installed...

i was going to install the AL plate on the base with some spacers to keep it off the wood and then install the heater on the bottom of the AL plate?!?  then use glass on top of the AL plate... so i can remove the glass and install a new one to keep heat up/down time down?

any how. here is some progress photos: ( had about 40 min to work on this...)

i decided to use wood screws to hold the pieces on. except for one spot... worked like a charm. but something is slightly out of square... or triangle... lol

everything matched up on both plates but the top plate.. each piece is ever so slightly off... ill prob just leave it like is. should be fine as long as long as each 2 rods are parallel...





~Russ

Russ, there are several ways to do this.
One is, instead of mounting the aluminum plate rigidly,  spring load it, so it can move up and down.
Or you can mount the aluminum plate rigidly with spacers, then mount the heated bed with springs so it will give. This is to protect the hotend and bed, if it crashes into the bed, which it will happen at one time or another.
Something else you could do if you want, is to install a kill switch under the aluminum plate or heated bed, wired from input power to the Arduino, in case this does happen, this would also protect the mechanisms.
A momentary switch, about 1/8" to 3/16" away from the bottom of the plate/heated bed.
You could mount the switch in the wood base/aluminum plate with a screw adjustment that would touch the switch, from the aluminum plate. If you mount the switch to the aluminum plate, then just adjust it to where the heated bed will touch it.
I think the best way would be to mount the aluminum plate rigidly, this might work out the best.  http://thingiverse-production.s3.amazonaws.com/renders/98/7c/30/d2/99/IMAG0334_display_medium.jpg

Ueah. Ridged I will mount it...

My prob is should I mount the AL plate then the heat bed then the glass. R mount the Heater then the al plate then the glass. You know what I'm saying. I want to AL plate to be hot. And the glass to Be on it. Yeah?

Good idea with the stop switches but rigid mount must be best...

Thanks ~Russ

Ok, it will take a very long time to heat the 1/2" aluminum plate with the printed circuit heat bed you have, if it will reach the set temperature at all. Also to sense temperature correctly the thermister should be in the aluminum plate, there should be a hole in the side of the plate to insert the thermister into, use heat dissipation paste.
Russ to solve the problem of the very long heat time, I went with a 1/4" aluminum plate with glass on top and made my own elements on my first printer and is spring loaded.
 The second printer, I just used the printed circuit heated bed with glass on top and is also spring loaded.

Ok... So the al plate is not nessacery. Got it. ;)  just was thinking that the Al plate would Nicly heat but it may dissipate all th heat... No good. ;) ok!

Thanks!!!!!!!  ~Russ

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 5th, 2013, 04:39 PM

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 5th, 2013, 02:58 PM

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 5th, 2013, 01:54 PM

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 5th, 2013, 07:54 AM

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 5th, 2013, 02:21 AM

jeff, please can you give me some photos/ideas on how the heated bed is to be installed...

i was going to install the AL plate on the base with some spacers to keep it off the wood and then install the heater on the bottom of the AL plate?!?  then use glass on top of the AL plate... so i can remove the glass and install a new one to keep heat up/down time down?

any how. here is some progress photos: ( had about 40 min to work on this...)

i decided to use wood screws to hold the pieces on. except for one spot... worked like a charm. but something is slightly out of square... or triangle... lol

everything matched up on both plates but the top plate.. each piece is ever so slightly off... ill prob just leave it like is. should be fine as long as long as each 2 rods are parallel...





~Russ

Russ, there are several ways to do this.
One is, instead of mounting the aluminum plate rigidly,  spring load it, so it can move up and down.
Or you can mount the aluminum plate rigidly with spacers, then mount the heated bed with springs so it will give. This is to protect the hotend and bed, if it crashes into the bed, which it will happen at one time or another.
Something else you could do if you want, is to install a kill switch under the aluminum plate or heated bed, wired from input power to the Arduino, in case this does happen, this would also protect the mechanisms.
A momentary switch, about 1/8" to 3/16" away from the bottom of the plate/heated bed.
You could mount the switch in the wood base/aluminum plate with a screw adjustment that would touch the switch, from the aluminum plate. If you mount the switch to the aluminum plate, then just adjust it to where the heated bed will touch it.
I think the best way would be to mount the aluminum plate rigidly, this might work out the best.  http://thingiverse-production.s3.amazonaws.com/renders/98/7c/30/d2/99/IMAG0334_display_medium.jpg

Ueah. Ridged I will mount it...

My prob is should I mount the AL plate then the heat bed then the glass. R mount the Heater then the al plate then the glass. You know what I'm saying. I want to AL plate to be hot. And the glass to Be on it. Yeah?

Good idea with the stop switches but rigid mount must be best...

Thanks ~Russ

Ok, it will take a very long time to heat the 1/2" aluminum plate with the printed circuit heat bed you have, if it will reach the set temperature at all. Also to sense temperature correctly the thermister should be in the aluminum plate, there should be a hole in the side of the plate to insert the thermister into, use heat dissipation paste.
Russ to solve the problem of the very long heat time, I went with a 1/4" aluminum plate with glass on top and made my own elements on my first printer and is spring loaded.
 The second printer, I just used the printed circuit heated bed with glass on top and is also spring loaded.

Ok... So the al plate is not nessacery. Got it. ;)  just was thinking that the Al plate would Nicly heat but it may dissipate all th heat... No good. ;) ok!

Thanks!!!!!!!  ~Russ

Russ, I actually like the results I am getting with the 1/4" aluminum heated bed I built better than the printed circuit heat bed you and I have. The elements I made pull 16 amps at 12 volts dc, the other pulls about 9 amps. The aluminum may take a minute or two longer to heat up, but it also maintains the heat, when you swap out the glass for another print it will recover temperature much faster.
Of course this is with the elements I made and are very reliable. With your purchased heated bed setup, it will work, so you will be alright with it.
Just if you chose to build another you might think about building your own heated bed.  
[attachment=2944] [attachment=2945] [attachment=2946] [attachment=2947] [attachment=2948] [attachment=2949]

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 5th, 2013, 05:05 PM

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 5th, 2013, 04:39 PM

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 5th, 2013, 02:58 PM

Quote from ~Russ/Rwg42985 on January 5th, 2013, 01:54 PM

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 5th, 2013, 07:54 AM

Russ, there are several ways to do this.
One is, instead of mounting the aluminum plate rigidly,  spring load it, so it can move up and down.
Or you can mount the aluminum plate rigidly with spacers, then mount the heated bed with springs so it will give. This is to protect the hotend and bed, if it crashes into the bed, which it will happen at one time or another.
Something else you could do if you want, is to install a kill switch under the aluminum plate or heated bed, wired from input power to the Arduino, in case this does happen, this would also protect the mechanisms.
A momentary switch, about 1/8" to 3/16" away from the bottom of the plate/heated bed.
You could mount the switch in the wood base/aluminum plate with a screw adjustment that would touch the switch, from the aluminum plate. If you mount the switch to the aluminum plate, then just adjust it to where the heated bed will touch it.
I think the best way would be to mount the aluminum plate rigidly, this might work out the best.  http://thingiverse-production.s3.amazonaws.com/renders/98/7c/30/d2/99/IMAG0334_display_medium.jpg

Ueah. Ridged I will mount it...

My prob is should I mount the AL plate then the heat bed then the glass. R mount the Heater then the al plate then the glass. You know what I'm saying. I want to AL plate to be hot. And the glass to Be on it. Yeah?

Good idea with the stop switches but rigid mount must be best...

Thanks ~Russ

Ok, it will take a very long time to heat the 1/2" aluminum plate with the printed circuit heat bed you have, if it will reach the set temperature at all. Also to sense temperature correctly the thermister should be in the aluminum plate, there should be a hole in the side of the plate to insert the thermister into, use heat dissipation paste.
Russ to solve the problem of the very long heat time, I went with a 1/4" aluminum plate with glass on top and made my own elements on my first printer and is spring loaded.
 The second printer, I just used the printed circuit heated bed with glass on top and is also spring loaded.

Ok... So the al plate is not nessacery. Got it. ;)  just was thinking that the Al plate would Nicly heat but it may dissipate all th heat... No good. ;) ok!

Thanks!!!!!!!  ~Russ

Russ, I actually like the results I am getting with the 1/4" aluminum heated bed I built better than the printed circuit heat bed you and I have. The elements I made pull 16 amps at 12 volts dc, the other pulls about 9 amps. The aluminum may take a minute or two longer to heat up, but it also maintains the heat, when you swap out the glass for another print it will recover temperature much faster.
Of course this is with the elements I made and are very reliable. With your purchased heated bed setup, it will work, so you will be alright with it.
Just if you chose to build another you might think about building your own heated bed.

I found that my aluminum plate took longer to heat too, but I have 300 watts of 120 volt heat power on mine. :D Once it got up to temp it was real nice.:cool:   I would like to put mine on a Rostock type setup where the bed doesn't need to move.  I think that would be a great match.

This lulzbot printer I adopted has an 1/8" aluminum plate with the printed circuit heater spring loaded to that.  Then the glass is clipped on to the circuit board.  It's convenient but i think im losing a lot of heat on the underside.  When the hot end crashed into the print, things were looking scary for the glass and the PCB.  Lots of bending going on. :s

The MakerGear I have has a spring loaded bed. I never had the extruder head crash into the bed before. Just be cautious that your Z endstop is set well.

The PCB heated bed now has the borosilicate glass from Lulzbot on top. I've just installed that and done test prints already. The print is a whole lot better with the glass than it is without.

well... where did i leave off...

looks like the mounting plate had some parts installed...

lets start here:

so i got the rods installed and started to install the end effector...

i found a small prob where the the bolts i used are socket head cap screws and they hit the zip tie when fully extended... ( flat) so i took my dremel and removed some plastic so the zip tie would not hit.

here is a photo of one side done ( left) and the other not...  (right)

[attachment=3002]
here it is after the plastic is removed. its not tight so it looks like its hitting but when tight it is not.
[attachment=3003]

then off to installing it. i did get the bearings with flanges installed on the top mounts and installed the linear bearings.. this is drill rod, it seems to work ok...  seems slightly sticky when switching directions but i think it will be just fine. i did lubricate them with " bones speed creme"  its what i use on my SK8 bearings!!
its a high speed high synthetic oil. works wonders...

[attachment=3004]
[attachment=3005]

I then decided that i wanted to mount all other stuff under the bead so i moved the rods down:
[attachment=3006]

I also installed the some fans on the bottom. ( matched right up to the mounts... so why not... :) )

[attachment=3007]

after trying for  a while to get the gears right... i decided to just order some instead...  for how tight the belt is, any play dose not do well...

[attachment=3008]

after those came in i got the belts installed and ready to go. i have seen on other builds the belts want to pull the tab a bit so i decided to put a zip tie on it so it would "pull back" so over time it will not brake off or bend...

before:
[attachment=3009]
after:
[attachment=3010]

all right so far so good all is well... now lets get those belts tight!!! yeah


And then...

[attachment=3011]

DOPE!

ah well... i guess that's the first part ill be printing... ZIP TIE TIME...

[attachment=3012]

oh, and if you were wondering.. it sounded like braking spaghetti noodles with your hand before you put it in the pot... C c C Cc C R rA CK!

[attachment=3013]

there... that will do it... lol

done with the belts...

[attachment=3014]

so so far... everything has been going ok.  but now im starting to think how i can change some stuff... :huh::-/

the structure is kinda flaky. it likes to move a bit. so i reinforced it with some wood: (still not good enough and i may need to redue the base... *see Starr at the bottom*)

[attachment=3015]

glued and screwed it together:

[attachment=3016]

now the top must " move" if it want to make the belts tighter... so i mounted some L brackets and i will use clamps to hold it in place...
[attachment=3017]

so whats next... lets play with the filament drive......
this is a Airtripper’s Bowden Extruder V3. (http://airtripper.com/)

here is the main piece.
[attachment=3018]

so the one part jeff maid by hand. i cut down and was going to add a bearing so the pressure did not bent the shaft... i was going to do this as the motor shaft was not long enough and i was going to need to weld on an extension and turn it down...  

so i thought... well lets see if i can just move the shaft... yeah i know chance tare up a motor... but at this point... i had no choice...

so i took it apart and scene it was a double ended motor i had some extra shaft...
after using a mill as a press... i was able to carefully move it :
[attachment=3020]

as you can see the bearing on the left is where the magnetic rotor was originally... now there was some stamped groves to have a press fit on the rotor... so i hope that the green glue golds the rest of that rotor in place as it may come loose from the shaft... time will tell...

here is the motor insides:
[attachment=3021]

now the hard part... putting it back together... after some time i finally got it all tightened up and free... there is like 0 clearance in these things...  
[attachment=3022]

here you can see just a tinny bit of shaft sticking out the end...
[attachment=3023]


now i did not have the correct 30mm long hardware i needed to make this work. just today i did find some steel ones at my local bolt supplier. i did get it 1/2 way together... but no photos yet...

 so so far so good right? well kinda. now its time to talk about the bad...

so now what... well after looking at the end stops i think it may be best to make something else work.. the end stops i have do not fit up the brackets. i can make something work but i just figured out that i have the slide plates upside down... there is a hole for a bolt for the end stops... its not on the wrong side.. ill prob just drill a hole...

***also. after looking over the print area... i think that the wood i installed may be in the way... so i may need to make a new base plate and top plate... yeah... the corner i cut off may needed to be there.. otherwise it may hit the wood brace... we will see i guess... i still need to see if i need to change something...

so i'm kinda just needind to sit down and see how i want to make the end stops work... and if i need to change the base plate...

that was a long post... what fun! :)

blessings, ~Russ

oh here is an upside down video of the slides with out belts... works well...
[attachment=3024]