2011-05-22

Progress

Start of Day 2.
Electronics all made.
Now to do the wiring...
And to find a 12V 5A supply.

15 comments:

  1. Well, good job I don't read instructions - they are once again wrong, but makes for a neater job. The RAMPS PCB for the stepper motor controllers has extra headers saving having to faff with extra headers directly on the stepper motor board. So that is good.

    Now to wire the stepper motors. Hmm. Instead of an 8 way plug on then end, they just have 8 coloured wires. No problem, I have to make a cable anyway, but, err, the colours are not the same as the instructions so no way to know what goes where. The instructions just say how to wire up but not what the wires mean, so I cannot even expect to work it out if I find a spec for the stepper motors. Why Why Why!!!

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  2. Power supply - Maplin L25AY - or indeed a host of others that they sell (I have one of their bench PSUs from the ark, still going strong) - there's probably a Maplin quite nearby and crucially open Sundays.

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  3. So, decided to try loading the firmware anyway, while waiting for some answers on the irc channel...

    http://wiki.shapercube.com/wagn/Firmware_2_0#Uploading%20the%20firmware

    It is blank - no instructions, WTF!!!

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  4. Not sure of near maplin - my wife drove to one in Slough that is now a takeaway or something and not a maplin, and Slough is not that near...

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  5. Ok, kind of stuck now, rather annoying as this is very close to finished. I have a could of wires to solder on for the heater and sensor on the extruder, but that is about all I can now do.

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  6. I know... why not "borrow" the battery from one of your "borrowers" cars? :D

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  7. Why not "borrow" the battery from one of your "borrowers" cars? :D

    You could even return it flat and say nothing.

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  8. For a psu how about http://www.rapidonline.com/Electrical-Power/Power-Supplies/Desktop-PSUs/60W-to-65W-Desktop-switch-mode-power-supply-%282-pin-output%29/71063 or similar, I believe they do next-day delivery if you can wait until tuesday

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  9. An idea - he has just snapped his prop shaft so he won't be needing it :)

    I'll run the board up on a 2A current limiting bench supply first to confirm not shorted anywhere

    Instructions mention a fuse, which seems not to be present. So that is fun.

    I did get help on irc - they have even updated their wiki with the colours for the stepper motors!

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  10. Just occurred to me - how about using an ATX PSU? According to http://www.wikihow.com/Convert-a-Computer-ATX-Power-Supply-to-a-Lab-Power-Supply you can get up to 12A on the 12v line.

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  11. So you're almost at the point where you realise you should have bought a 3D scanner as well?

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  12. OK, have power supply, and stopped the feeder stepper motor causing the controller to cook.

    Now all it needs is firmware - but that means an AVr compiler. This old linux box here does not have one and is refusing to play with installing one. Ubuntu machine at home, no problem, apt-get avr-gcc, done. But that is there.

    I can't take this thing home on my bike! So I may have to elicit some transport or find a more up to date machine here... Or wait until tomorrow and print in a mac.

    Only remaining mechanical job is setting Z axis xero point, but that will be easier with the s/w loaded.

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  13. There are Linux LiveCDs that include the avr-gcc toolchain.
    There used to be a Knoppix based one that was good but I've been unable to find if for Some Time.

    I downloaded this one the other day for a similar kind of emergency:

    http://www.das-labor.org/wiki/AVR-Live-CD/en

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  14. Firmware loaded, and repsnapper controller app talking to it - woohoo.

    Feeder works, but Z, Y and Z do nothing.

    Hmmm.

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  15. Well, sorted correct stepper motor wiring, added some grease, adjusted the trim pots on the stepper controllers, sorted an even more powerful 24V supply, metled a tiny amount of PLA, and got stuck on the repsnapper s/w not playing ball...

    Very very very close to doing something now!

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