AlanZ's Rostock v2 build

[AlanZ]

Thinking about future enhancements...

Is there much need or desire to run any extra wires up through one of the towers, perhaps to power any accessories to be installed in the top section.
For example, I have seen readouts at the top of the screen, or LED lighting near the hot end.

I don't know if the wiring for the PEEK fan is always hot, and can be tapped into.

Any suggestions? And if so, what gauge(s) of wire, and into which tower would you suggest?

[Polygonhell]

The PEEK fan (at least used to be) is hot when the hotend is on or over 50C.
It's useful to have a 12V line accessible if your going to fiddle with stuff, my MAX predates wiring through the towers or for that matter anything being located on the top, so I can't comment on which tower or what gauge.

[AlanZ]

Is the extruder stepper motor always hot, by some chance?

[AlanZ]

Also, if I run wiring for 12 volts up to the top, is it reasonable to assume that I only need to run a hot wire, and that I can tap into some ground wire that already exists at the top... or do I need to add a discreet pair of wires?

[Polygonhell]

Also, if I run wiring for 12 volts up to the top, is it reasonable to assume that I only need to run a hot wire, and that I can tap into some ground wire that already exists at the top... or do I need to add a discreet pair of wires?

The stepper wires are sine waves (or approximations there of), that are out of phase and only active when the stepper enable line is on.
Just running the +12V is probably fine if the ground is big enough to carry the combined current, I'd also consider running both sets (all 4) of HEAT/FAN wires up, in case you ever want to run more than one extruder.
You want to make sure your run everything away from the limit switch wiring, it tends to be sensitive to noise and false positives look a like a lot of other print issues.

[AlanZ]

Well, taking a look at the existing tower wiring, and possible flexibility for going to additional devices (extruders, displays, lighting, webcam wires, etc), I think I will defer installing any wiring right now.

After I get the printer up and running, I will likely install an aluminum tube behind and parallel to the Z tower. This way, I can run pretty much anything I want up that tube without interfering with the basic machine, and it will look neat. The tube just has to not interfere with the Z axis carriage.

Sound like a plan?

[AlanZ]

A quick look at the printer, fully assembled except for the trim plates.
It's been a great build, and I am looking forward to installing the firmware, calibrating, and printing.

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

[Eaglezsoar]

Well, taking a look at the existing tower wiring, and possible flexibility for going to additional devices (extruders, displays, lighting, webcam wires, etc), I think I will defer installing any wiring right now.

After I get the printer up and running, I will likely install an aluminum tube behind and parallel to the Z tower. This way, I can run pretty much anything I want up that tube without interfering with the basic machine, and it will look neat. The tube just has to not interfere with the Z axis carriage.

Sound like a plan?

I used a black tube with my black printer slightly to the left of Z on my V2 and I think it looks cool!
I used a plastic pipe and painted it with the paint that sticks to plastic. It is hard for me to spray
paint a vertical anything and not get runs but it came out okay.

[AlanZ]

Here's the printer... finally out of my dining room, and into its new home... ready for firmware and calibration.

[Windshadow]

nice work the silver edging sets off the black nicely

[AlanZ]

Thanks. All of the other edges are painted black.

[AlanZ]

I got the firmware uploaded, and began configuring the printer. So far, all of the testing shows that I have wired it correctly. It's a kick watching the arms move for the first time. The hot end and bed heaters work, as does the extruder. Tomorrow I will calibrate the printer, and hopefully get to print. Nice.

[AlanZ]

Calibration went well. The PEEK fan shroud has been printing for about 40 minutes... The print looks great so far!

[AlanZ]

No good deed goes unpunished.

<laughing> So I stepped out of the room for a few minutes, and when I returned, I watched it print for another 30 seconds or so... then it stopped rather abruptly.

I was puzzled until I looked at the computer (that was sending commands to the printer), and Windows had decided to do an update, so it closed the program!

Yes I know that this printer can print directly from an SD card inserted into the printer, so it's not dependent on a computer, but this is still early in the configuration process, and I am following GeneB's superb instruction (printing from within MatterControl).

The second, first print is now underway!

</laughing>

[barry99705]

No good deed goes unpunished.

<laughing> So I stepped out of the room for a few minutes, and when I returned, I watched it print for another 30 seconds or so... then it stopped rather abruptly.

I was puzzled until I looked at the computer (that was sending commands to the printer), and Windows had decided to do an update, so it closed the program!

Yes I know that this printer can print directly from an SD card inserted into the printer, so it's not dependent on a computer, but this is still early in the configuration process, and I am following GeneB's superb instruction (printing from within MatterControl).

The second, first print is now underway!

</laughing>

Good old Windows...

[Windshadow]

All laptops are prone to this.

before I added the caffeine app to the 2009 vintage powerbook pro I use on the printer I had just disabled the screen saver and sleep functions in the system preferences.... but since i was using the old thing plugged in I did not attend to the unplugged power saver functions.

yep i inadvertently knocked the mag safe power plug out while working about the printer and so it was on battery and went to sleep about 20 min into the print

for OS X computers the Caffeine App from the apple app store is the best way to deal with it I think. i do not know if there is a similar do not interrupt me for anything app for windows

[AlanZ]

And for your amusement... Time lapse and some comments about the build.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTk1KFKULrQ[/youtube]

[AlanZ]

Wouldn't it be nice if we could actually build at that speed?

[AlanZ]

The MOD-t is now happily sharing a bedroom with a Rostock MAX v2 delta printer that I completed a few days ago.
Tonight is the first time they are both printing together, side by side.
Here's a quick YouTube video of the odd couple.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Zr5G2bi3Y[/youtube]

[AlanZ]

I did the 24 volt upgrade this evening.

So, like others, I used a 24 volt power supply, with a nice Crydom D1D40 SSR to provide power to the Onyx, and a 24v to 12v converter to go to the Rambo and exhaust fan.
I used 10 gauge wires to power the Onyx board, so there should be plenty of wiring capacity.

To make thing as pluggable as possible, I used XT60 connectors on the 12 volt power line to the Rambo, and Dean connectors to the exhaust fan.

Quite a difference in speed heating up the bed to 110... very very nice.

Next steps:

• install the Inkbird temperature controller
• install two 150 watt ceramic heaters
• move the cold end to the outside of the printer (to keep it cool)...
• then on to building an enclosure.

[AlanZ]

I installed Octoprint on a Pi2 today, pretty painless. It's nice going wireless. I had to figure out how to get control of the Logitech C920's focus and manual settings... Not obvious at all.
I am almost done with my first Octoprint print... the first of three top brackets for a Raymond style enclosure. I printed the three bottom brackets yesterday, two via MatterControl and one directly from an SD card. Verbatim black ABS... just testing out the various ways of doing things.