I’ve put the MakerGear hot end through hundreds of hours of service without having any problems. Because of this track record, I’m wary of any other system. I've experimented with other hot ends such as the Budaschnozzle and J Head MKIV and I haven't found them to be as reliable.
The RepRapPro hot end will be an interesting new addition and I hope, as reliable as the MakerGear system.
Overall, the assembly was not difficult. The entire system is small and lightweight in comparison to the MakerGear hot end.
The compactness of the hot end assembly can be largely attributed to the system’s employment of a Bowden extruder. Instead of the typical Wades extruder or MakerGear Brutstruder which is attached directly to the hot end and carried on the X carriage, this extruder is mounted on the printer’s frame. The filament is then moved from the extruder to the hot end through an attached PTFE tube. This decreases the weight carried on the X carriage and allows for a greater print speed than the other systems can employ.
The major drawback with using a Bowden cable system is that there can be more oozing and this will leave bumps on the print’s surface. This is due to the increase of springiness in the length of filament that is compressed in the system.
This is my first experience with this type of system and I’m very curious to compare the print results with my other systems.
Electronics
This printer uses the RepRapPro version of the single controller board called the Melzi. It's a board designed to be more plug-and-play and a lower cost alternative to the other controller systems out there. I am not so convinced of this.
I followed all the test pre-checks with utmost care and found no deviating readings after installing all the electronics. I had full communication through the USB tests with Pronterface, yet when I switched on the 12v supply the drivers and the power supply MOSFET immediately burned.
After checking everything once again, I realized the only mistake I made was that I did not switch the jumper back from USB mode to power supply mode.
According to Adrian at RepRapPro, this should not have burned out the board. I am yet confused as to why this happened.
In the interim, I decided to assemble the alternative, Sanguinololu Rev 1.3a, ATmega 1284P. The drivers I purchased directly from Pololu Robotics. With connectors & USB cable, the entire controller system cost $97 USD.
I ordered a replacement Melzi board from RepRapPro for $139 USD. This is not a cheaper alternative. And coupled with the fact that it's supposed to be an easier controller to use (I have dated, yet formal training in electronics) I managed to burn mine out, so I'm not convinced in its plug-n-play capabilities.
Since my goal is to test this printer as a device that can be used “right out of the box”, I’ve waited for my replacement Melzi board. After carefully transferring all the wiring to the new board, I repeated my pre-check tests and USB communication. Making sure the jumper was moved back to the power supply position, I
turned it on.
Everything is working, all axes are moving smoothly and in the proper directions.
The RepRapPro hot end will be an interesting new addition and I hope, as reliable as the MakerGear system.
Overall, the assembly was not difficult. The entire system is small and lightweight in comparison to the MakerGear hot end.
The compactness of the hot end assembly can be largely attributed to the system’s employment of a Bowden extruder. Instead of the typical Wades extruder or MakerGear Brutstruder which is attached directly to the hot end and carried on the X carriage, this extruder is mounted on the printer’s frame. The filament is then moved from the extruder to the hot end through an attached PTFE tube. This decreases the weight carried on the X carriage and allows for a greater print speed than the other systems can employ.
The major drawback with using a Bowden cable system is that there can be more oozing and this will leave bumps on the print’s surface. This is due to the increase of springiness in the length of filament that is compressed in the system.
This is my first experience with this type of system and I’m very curious to compare the print results with my other systems.
Electronics
This printer uses the RepRapPro version of the single controller board called the Melzi. It's a board designed to be more plug-and-play and a lower cost alternative to the other controller systems out there. I am not so convinced of this.
 |
| RepRapPro Melzi controller |
After checking everything once again, I realized the only mistake I made was that I did not switch the jumper back from USB mode to power supply mode.
 |
| Red arrow points to the jumper |
According to Adrian at RepRapPro, this should not have burned out the board. I am yet confused as to why this happened.
In the interim, I decided to assemble the alternative, Sanguinololu Rev 1.3a, ATmega 1284P. The drivers I purchased directly from Pololu Robotics. With connectors & USB cable, the entire controller system cost $97 USD.
 |
| Sanguinalolu |
I ordered a replacement Melzi board from RepRapPro for $139 USD. This is not a cheaper alternative. And coupled with the fact that it's supposed to be an easier controller to use (I have dated, yet formal training in electronics) I managed to burn mine out, so I'm not convinced in its plug-n-play capabilities.
Since my goal is to test this printer as a device that can be used “right out of the box”, I’ve waited for my replacement Melzi board. After carefully transferring all the wiring to the new board, I repeated my pre-check tests and USB communication. Making sure the jumper was moved back to the power supply position, I
turned it on.
Everything is working, all axes are moving smoothly and in the proper directions.
This is highly informatics, crisp and clear. I think that everything has been described in systematic manner so that reader could get maximum information and learn many things.
ReplyDeletePTFE Schlauch
This is very educational content and written well for a change. It's nice to see that some people still understand how to write a quality post!
ReplyDeletePTFE Tube