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I installed the dampers the other day. It required 12 M3 5-0.5 screws, 12 M3 washers because 5mm is just a little too long, and half of the existing screws required to mount the steppers to the frame. It's possible to pass 14mm screws all the way through the mounting to the steppers, but if you do this it will transmit vibration through the screws. The noise level has gone from "Am I going to get hearing damage sitting next to this all day?" to barely audible. It sounds like I'm listening through a headset with active noise cancellation.

When the printer is running under heavy acceleration, I can see the motors wobbling a bit. I mounted a depth gauge (accurate to .001 inch) and did a four-point calibration. The printer doesn't seem to have lost any repeatability. The one thing this does seem to have done is to increase the settling time. I've noticed that the belts have a bit of stretch to them, so when the depth gauge needle hits the glass it will land within about 1 thou of where it was before, and then settle to the same measurement in a few seconds. The dampers seem to increase this settling time, but it always goes where it should after a few seconds. If enough positional accuracy had been lost to matter, I would expect to see uneven walls, uneven layer heights, funny looking corners, etc. but no such phenomenon is apparent - even with acceleration at 4,000, jerk at 35, and speed at 200 mm/sec. This is with .35mm extrusion width, printing 0.08 layers.

I did have a little trouble getting one of the dampers onto a stepper. The metal collar that sits on the motor's snout is a little tight (tried it on two motors to be sure.) I used some soft-jawed clamps to seat it.

All in all, this is just as important an upgrade as getting a good hot end, unless you're deaf.

Damnit, I don't have the willpower to resist your subtle peer pressure....

For anyone that's wondering, the astrosyn dampers are significantly quieter than cork gaskets, which are significantly quieter than the stock setup. Switched from cork to Astrosyn today and am glad I did.

Broose wrote:For anyone that's wondering, the astrosyn dampers are significantly quieter than cork gaskets, which are significantly quieter than the stock setup. Switched from cork to Astrosyn today and am glad I did.

I have a feeling that dampers cut from really stiff rubber (like used in the Astrosyn dampers) and washers to go under the screw heads made of the same material would probably be just as good, and 1/10th as expensive. The foam dampers I got a few weeks ago were not anywhere near as dense.

626Pilot wrote:

Broose wrote:For anyone that's wondering, the astrosyn dampers are significantly quieter than cork gaskets, which are significantly quieter than the stock setup. Switched from cork to Astrosyn today and am glad I did.

I have a feeling that dampers cut from really stiff rubber (like used in the Astrosyn dampers) and washers to go under the screw heads made of the same material would probably be just as good, and 1/10th as expensive. The foam dampers I got a few weeks ago were not anywhere near as dense.

I bet if one used the cork gaskets with rubber washers under the screws, it might be a good low-cost solution. I can't get over how quiet the astrosyn dampers are, though. I wish I had known about them on some earlier projects I had done.

Keep in mind when considering the cork solution that you are not totally isolating the stepper from the mount by doing so.

Also, the stepper dampers are actually designed from the start to specifically damp the vibrations produced by the stepper motor size they are designed to mount.

So even if you put padding under the screws themselves, between the motor and what it is mounted too, you still have not achieved the total designed isolation that a proper stepper damper was made for.

Just sayin.....

Flateric wrote:Also, the stepper dampers are actually designed from the start to specifically damp the vibrations produced by the stepper motor size they are designed to mount.

Considering Flateric's above statement, the $21 I paid including shipping for the 3 Astrosyn dampers (through the group buy that Astroboy907 put together) seems like a pretty good deal.

This is the route I went. 5-dampers and 5 smaller steppers for $35+shipping.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-5-Steppe ... 19db790f12

I am planning on installing my dampers this weekend. What's the best way to get them on the printer with minimal disassembly? Remove belts, pull motors, install damper, adjust toothed gear location, reinstall belts....?

MDMD wrote:I am planning on installing my dampers this weekend. What's the best way to get them on the printer with minimal disassembly? Remove belts, pull motors, install damper, adjust toothed gear location, reinstall belts....?

I loosened the belt tensioners, popped the belts off the motors, and removed the motors. Then reassembled, took perhaps 15 minutes.

Make sure you move the drive gears on the steppers. They will need to be brought further out. After you have the printer running again, verify that none of them are too close to the edge. That happened to me.

I just got these installed an am doing my first post-damper print. I am very impressed. These should be part of the kit... if you don't have them already and sit in the same room as your printer - get them!

It took me longer than 15 minutes to get them installed but it was a simple and straightforward process. Thanks again to astroboy for organizing the group buy!

I'm just glad I took the time initially to give these a try one day when I was bored. Was worth the experimentation.

Also thanks to Astro for the group buy. Although I still don't have my shiny new ones yet. But I live way the hell out in Alberta so understandable.

Glad people are enjoying this little contribution I could make, and glad that finally someone is saying the same thing I was. These are so worth it!

- Flateric

From what I have been reading I gotta get me some of those!

Thanks for the thread.

Astrosyn have quoted me £2.65 per damper, plus £15 shipping to Australia for up to 20 dampers

If there are an aussies who want some dampers, contact me ASAP as I will be ordering some shortly and can order some extras and pass them on

And now I've got them installed too.. It's great. Although I'm wondering how the hell polygonhell does it in 15 minutes. My rostock may lose some doors if I have to keep getting into that base....

lordbinky wrote:And now I've got them installed too.. It's great. Although I'm wondering how the hell polygonhell does it in 15 minutes. My rostock may lose some doors if I have to keep getting into that base....

I found that filing down the tab on the top of the RAMBo door that it pivots on was very helpful. You still have to recalibrate after so 15 minutes doesn't really cover everything.

These dampers are great! Cut the sound of the machine by 2/3rds I reckon - gone from a bit loud / annoying to sit next to, to reasonably quiet and not interfering with music etc.

Ordered on evening of 14th and arrived (from UK to Australia) on day of 20th. 4 working days!

Install took me about 45 minutes all up (most difficult part from getting pulley off extruder motor (Steve's). Highly recommended upgrade.

(I have an extra 4 if anyone in Australia needs some)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3Xn7b7tcxY[/youtube]

pippin88 wrote:These dampers are great! Cut the sound of the machine by 2/3rds I reckon - gone from a bit loud / annoying to sit next to, to reasonably quiet and not interfering with music etc.

Ordered on evening of 14th and arrived (from UK to Australia) on day of 20th. 4 working days!

Install took me about 45 minutes all up (most difficult part from getting pulley off extruder motor (Steve's). Highly recommended upgrade.

I never bothered doing the motor on Steve's, I never really noticed much sound coming from extrusion, except for the gears. Did you notice it making a big difference?


Also - has anyone noticed their dampeners not staying perpendicular? I harvested some from an old photocopier, and the rubber does not seem stiff enough to handle the tension on the belt. I had to install some bearing covers to keep massive belt slipping at the bottom. One dampener in particular was bad, I can flex it with my hand. Maybe I should look for a new set? There's no way I'm going back at this point...

theverant, I think that the rubber in your dampers must be really old and has started to disintegrate like an old tire will do. You should not be able to flex them at all.
I have eight of them and if an elephant had small enough feet to stand on the edges of them, they would not flex.

Eaglezsoar wrote:theverant, I think that the rubber in your dampers must be really old and has started to disintegrate like an old tire will do. You should not be able to flex them at all.
I have eight of them and if an elephant had small enough feet to stand on the edges of them, they would not flex.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to eBay I gooooo...

Thanks for the heads up.

Anybody else want to go in on a group buy? Or did I miss the party

I'm in if we can get another group buy together.

Thinking about starting another one but not completely sure on it yet. For North America only, sorry Aussies!

I'll be in for a set if there is another round.