A few things to note:
I have not abandoned this project! Expect a completely re-vamped...everything in about a month!
There will be a related Etsy store for random pieces and related stuff.
...
This project has a name.
For the longest time, I didn't know what to call my project. So, for now, I have decided to call it Project Dresner in honour of Karen Dresner, my lower school science teacher.
Tuesday 23 October 2012
Wednesday 12 September 2012
Some Great Resources
The good thing about all the issues my Mendel has been facing is that I have found some truly great resources for troubleshooting some common issues. I'll be posting these here and on a separate page so that they will be easy to find.
Software/Firmware
Make Something! Printer Firmware
Electronics
Software/Firmware
Make Something! Printer Firmware
Electronics
A Note on Calibration
I know that there are a lot of people out there who dislike the calibration process. This is especially true for people that are using derivatives of printers or have made their own modifications. That being said, anyone who recieves a printer as a perk will have their printer pre-calibrated with the standard values for my particular build. This also goes for those donors who are only recieving the printed parts or the files.
I know it really doesn't seem very important or necessary since the maths involved is pretty simple but it's my way of making everything just a tad easier. That is one of my goals for this project, isn't it? To make this whole process just a tiny bit easier. Also, I'm familiar with technical difficulties in classrooms and, although it is recommend in the materials provided with the printers that calibration methods and formulae be covered simply to round out the build experience, it's one less thing to worry about for whatever reason.
Happy Building!
I know it really doesn't seem very important or necessary since the maths involved is pretty simple but it's my way of making everything just a tad easier. That is one of my goals for this project, isn't it? To make this whole process just a tiny bit easier. Also, I'm familiar with technical difficulties in classrooms and, although it is recommend in the materials provided with the printers that calibration methods and formulae be covered simply to round out the build experience, it's one less thing to worry about for whatever reason.
Happy Building!
Monday 10 September 2012
Another Post Office Rant
If anyone was wondering as to why it has been taking me so long to get this project moving up to speed, blame the USPS. Seriously. It is unbelieveable how utterly incompetent my postal office is! On saturday, I finally had had enough of their excuses and bumbling around that I went down there after being essentially challenged to do so by the manager. Here is what I learned:
- He thought my name was Richard despite having spoken to me numerous times on the phone. As someone who knows the LGBTQ community, I understand that with the growing number of trans men and women, you never can be too quick to judge about a person's gender. There is an exception: When someone clearly identifies herself as a woman named Kimberly who lives with a man named Richard, who, by the way, the manager has also spoken to, it would be fairly safe to assume which one I was.
- No one ever files complaints for poor service.With the above said, I was then told that I was the ONLY PERSON to ever file a complaint against this office and the manager who shall remain nameless. This was then followed by the manager saying that he had me confused with at least one other woman and Richard. Um...What? But here I thought I was the ONLY PERSON EVER to have filed a complaint.
- Apparently, people no longer remember what a CD is. Now, don't go saying that a younger person might be more familiar with MP3s. The manager is at least the same age as me and therfore grew up during the age of cassette tapes and CDs (and minidiscs, laser discs...). This came up when I asked why my mail carrier would bend a circuit board and shove it into a teeny tiny apartment mailbox. The manager was unfamiliar with circuit boards and what they felt like so I compared it to roughly the same rigidity of a CD. He still didn't understand why I was upset that someone bent my boards and put it in my mailbox despite the package being labeled as fragile/do not bend and clearly labeled as a stiff envelope containing electronic components.
-More than one person cannot live in an apartment despite there being a history of mail and deliveries being addressed to two people in the apartment. I'm not even going to explain this one because I couldn't even understand what the manager was trying to say or imply with this.
Please don't start flaming be about how the recent budget cuts have affected the postal service. I'm well aware. There is, however, a difference between the affects of a budget cut and plain old laziness and incompetence. In this instance, we are dealing with incompetence and someone who clearly does not care about their job, is utterly clueless about how to do their job (and apparently who their superiors are), and is pretty clueless about things in general if my multiple conversations with this manager are anything to go by. Now, back to our regular posts about fun and educational stuff.
- He thought my name was Richard despite having spoken to me numerous times on the phone. As someone who knows the LGBTQ community, I understand that with the growing number of trans men and women, you never can be too quick to judge about a person's gender. There is an exception: When someone clearly identifies herself as a woman named Kimberly who lives with a man named Richard, who, by the way, the manager has also spoken to, it would be fairly safe to assume which one I was.
- No one ever files complaints for poor service.With the above said, I was then told that I was the ONLY PERSON to ever file a complaint against this office and the manager who shall remain nameless. This was then followed by the manager saying that he had me confused with at least one other woman and Richard. Um...What? But here I thought I was the ONLY PERSON EVER to have filed a complaint.
- Apparently, people no longer remember what a CD is. Now, don't go saying that a younger person might be more familiar with MP3s. The manager is at least the same age as me and therfore grew up during the age of cassette tapes and CDs (and minidiscs, laser discs...). This came up when I asked why my mail carrier would bend a circuit board and shove it into a teeny tiny apartment mailbox. The manager was unfamiliar with circuit boards and what they felt like so I compared it to roughly the same rigidity of a CD. He still didn't understand why I was upset that someone bent my boards and put it in my mailbox despite the package being labeled as fragile/do not bend and clearly labeled as a stiff envelope containing electronic components.
-More than one person cannot live in an apartment despite there being a history of mail and deliveries being addressed to two people in the apartment. I'm not even going to explain this one because I couldn't even understand what the manager was trying to say or imply with this.
Please don't start flaming be about how the recent budget cuts have affected the postal service. I'm well aware. There is, however, a difference between the affects of a budget cut and plain old laziness and incompetence. In this instance, we are dealing with incompetence and someone who clearly does not care about their job, is utterly clueless about how to do their job (and apparently who their superiors are), and is pretty clueless about things in general if my multiple conversations with this manager are anything to go by. Now, back to our regular posts about fun and educational stuff.
Wednesday 5 September 2012
What to do about fumes
I know a lot of people are concerned about the fumes produced by melted plastics. As I understand it, many people "prefer" the fumes of PLA over ABS. I say "prefer" because it really is a choice about which is less offensive since both are not exactly pleasant fumes, unless you are into that sort of thing. While you will be able to use both PLA and ABS with the printer (simply adjust the settings from ABS to PLA), some people simply cannot deal with the fumes because it makes them sick or just because they don't like it. This is especially true for this project as its intended use is in the classroom where parents may not appreciate having their child exposed to fumes and the potential chemical burn-off associated with melting plastic. So, in an effort to make this project as kid-friendly (especially for people who may want to build this printer as a family project/ science fair project/ class project) I have come up with some ideas how to minimize exposure.
- Place the unit near an opened window (if there is no cross breeze, a fan directed at the window may help with circulation)
- Choose a printer option with a case and affix some piping to the back to lead out a window. (this will probably be an extra option)
- Print in a garage or a room that is not being used (I chose my bedroom with the door closed)
- Place the unit near an opened window (if there is no cross breeze, a fan directed at the window may help with circulation)
- Choose a printer option with a case and affix some piping to the back to lead out a window. (this will probably be an extra option)
- Print in a garage or a room that is not being used (I chose my bedroom with the door closed)
Tuesday 4 September 2012
Some Preliminary Specs
So, while I fiddle with the Mendel and get things ready to build the delta prototype, I thought I should let you all in on some of the preliminary specs. Here are some details to pique your interest:
-Build Envelope: 12.5"x12.5"x12.5"
-Footprint: 14"x16"
-Dimensions: 14"x16"x20"
-Weight: approx. 15 lbs
-Heated Bed: Yes
-Motors: 5 NEMA 17 Stepper Motors
-Electronics: Sanguinololu (standard) or RAMPS (Request)with SD card reader
-Bluetooth: Optional
-Non-Printed Parts: Casing (structural support- Carbon Fiber or Acrylic), Hot End, Motors, Nuts and Bolts, Cabling, Timing Belt (this may change)
-Build Envelope: 12.5"x12.5"x12.5"
-Footprint: 14"x16"
-Dimensions: 14"x16"x20"
-Weight: approx. 15 lbs
-Heated Bed: Yes
-Motors: 5 NEMA 17 Stepper Motors
-Electronics: Sanguinololu (standard) or RAMPS (Request)with SD card reader
-Bluetooth: Optional
-Non-Printed Parts: Casing (structural support- Carbon Fiber or Acrylic), Hot End, Motors, Nuts and Bolts, Cabling, Timing Belt (this may change)
Day 35: A lesson learned
As I have mentioned in another post, I purchased my hot end already assembled. Never again will I do this! I encourage everyone to build your own unless you are buying from someone who: a) knows what they are doing; b) are willing to answer any questions you may have about how they built the part; or c) everything is well documented. So far, this one part has had several unknown wiring issues, a broken thermistor (which I literally just found). This would explain why I was not getting any temperature readings off of the hot end. I guess until my pack of thermistors arrive it will be extremely careful printing or no printing at all.
Understandably, I am not happy about this new development at all.
On a more positive note, as far as I can tell, the motors I ordered from DIYTechShop work beautifully.
Understandably, I am not happy about this new development at all.
On a more positive note, as far as I can tell, the motors I ordered from DIYTechShop work beautifully.
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