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Re: ORD custom heated build plates: They're HERE !!!

PostPosted: Sat May 12, 2012 6:49 pm
by orcinus
Sheesh. Any flashaholics here too?

Re: ORD custom heated build plates: They're HERE !!!

PostPosted: Sat May 12, 2012 10:02 pm
by WhiteB0rd
dzach wrote:
WhiteB0rd wrote:Well, just to chime in, de K5FQ. Sorry, no speekee CW.

How come? I thought Extras were supposed to speak CW, at a high WPM too. But I guess that was true some decades ago. Times have changed. We now speak Marlin #defines and Polulu drivers :mrgreen: .

Appologies for having turned frob's thread to a HAM chat room, my bad. Nice to know though there are still a few of us around. SK.


No one has had to to be able to copy CW for quite a few years. I got my ticket after the transition.

Let's continue HAMing here: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1292



WB

1st Production batch has shipped, ETA 3-4 days

PostPosted: Sun May 20, 2012 11:26 pm
by frob
8-)

Re: ORD custom heated build plates: They're HERE !!!

PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2012 12:21 am
by mxk
Yay!! Excellent news, cuz I gots bots a-waitin!!

Re: ORD custom heated build plates: They're HERE !!!

PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2012 12:27 am
by Enraged
sweet!

I just got my Hadron up and running (2 dead Pololus later), just need the heated bed and a peice of glass to print on now.

Re: ORD custom heated build plates: They're HERE !!!

PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2012 2:48 am
by frob
Enraged wrote:I just got my Hadron up and running
Cool, Congrats! Any Pictures ?
(2 dead Pololus later)...

That blows! literally! Any idea what killed them ?
To everyone:
I'd like to hear from anyone that's blown one , how did it happen?
I need to try to get a better understanding of the failure modes and actual fragility of that IC,
preferably without blowing up a bunch on purpose if i can avoid it.
I'm trying to decide if in the future i should just bite the bullet and use only the more expensive but probably very resilient IC's Ive found.

If it's mainly as a result of plugging in the modules backwards or otherwise incorrectly, or from a slip of a screwdriver while adjusting motor current, its not the IC's fault.
But if they're dying during otherwise pretty normal use or abuse, that's not good at all.

Re: ORD custom heated build plates: They're HERE !!!

PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2012 5:47 am
by Enraged
not sure why, I soldered 8 at once, and had these two that weren't working right. One of them didn't work at all, which explains why my extruder wasn't working, but the other was working oddly, like it was missing steps. I changed it out with one from my Shapeoko, and now everything runs fine. They were all soldered the same way, all had current set the same way, never put in backwards, so I'm really not sure what caused it. No mysterious blue smoke was released, because as I understand it, that stuff needs to stay within the electronic bits so make everything work.

Here's a quick picture of my Hadron, fancy lights don't show up too well with my iPhone camera:

Photo 2012-05-20 11 26 37 PM.jpg

Modular 'lectonics & connectors ideas

PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2012 3:40 pm
by frob
Cool, looks great with the LED lights! I'll have to try that at some point too :)

Sounds like the Pololu's were DOA. I guess you might try returning or exchanging them.
While i like the idea of modular electronics, seems to me that if the end-customer needs to solder the connectors onto them, it kinda defeats the purpose.
I'm trying to reach a final decision on what form of connectors to use on my own upcoming stepper modules.

Options i'm considering are SMT versions of headers like the Pololu's, but pre-installed - downside is that takes a lot of space on the module PCB.
I'd really like to be able to use a SMT connector on the main PCB too, which is not a great option if you got two .1" single-row pin headers per module.
So another idea i had was to use a single dual-row 2mm header (2mm is much more standard outside of North America) with vertical-mounted module PCB:

Advantages:
- fewer connectors so cheaper;
- much more compact;
- Much better airflow and cooling when necessary.

The third option would be a small card-edge socket on the main PCB an no connector on the module
Advantages:
- Same as above, but makes modules more economical, since they need no connectors at all
- More compact module, impossible to plug in backwards or offset.

Disadvantages:
Since solderless breadboards use 0.1" spacing exclusively, and doesn't work with dual-row headers, you wont be able to use these to experiment with them on solder-less breadboard.
On the other hand, if that's what you want to do, there are Pololus that work great for that. You cant please all of the people all of the time. As long as other available solutions exist, i'm good with that. Plus If there is demand for that, i can easily make a simple "breakout board" for them too.



Enraged wrote:not sure why, I soldered 8 at once, and had these two that weren't working right. One of them didn't work at all, which explains why my extruder wasn't working, but the other was working oddly, like it was missing steps. I changed it out with one from my Shapeoko, and now everything runs fine. They were all soldered the same way, all had current set the same way, never put in backwards, so I'm really not sure what caused it. No mysterious blue smoke was released, because as I understand it, that stuff needs to stay within the electronic bits so make everything work.

Re: ORD custom heated build plates: They're HERE !!!

PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2012 4:28 pm
by dzach
frob wrote:
Enraged wrote:To everyone:
I'd like to hear from anyone that's blown one , how did it happen?

Ok, here is my story:
  • 1pc DOA
  • 1pc dead after a short on the 12V AUX header when mounting the extruder's heatsink fan. This also impaired both the STEP and DIR outputs of the Arduino of the extruder stepper, the rest works OK. The fan had its ground pin connected to the stepper cable shield and the shield was grounded at the RAMPS side only.
I think locking one-way connectors and proper wiring diagrams with wire/cable sizing suggestions are a must for this kind of equipment. And although Bart claims it took him 5 hours from concept to operation for his prototype bot, it's taken me more than 2 weeks to reach a "first print" state of the built, mainly due to lack of wiring details and software setup problems. The actual mechanical assembly took indeed much less than 5 hours but I had to partially disassemble the bot three times to install the cables properly.

I love the result though very much. Printing infills at 150 and 200 mm/s is thrilling, and @300mm/s travel the head doesn't just move, it literally disappears and reappears at the other side instantly. It's a lovely machine :)

Re: ORD custom heated build plates: They're HERE !!!

PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2012 4:38 pm
by Enraged
I shorted one of my other Pololu drivers while setting the pot, but that one was on my Shapeoko and worked fine, so I think all I did was make some scary sparks.

If your board is going to be an "all in one" board, then run with it, I don't think you need modular drivers.

rant:

My problem with my whole ORDbot build is lack of information. There isn't much info on where to place end stops, no info on how to set up software/firmware, no info on how to do your first print. I had my machine built a week ago, and since then have been doing wiring and software. I just got it moving and extruding yesterday. We need a basic step by step guide in the wiki from someone who knows what they are doing (I'm looking at you ORDbot owners that have printed things), as I'm sure I am not the only one here who has never used a 3D printer before. I have used big mills and lathes, but those were full machine tools, but this is totally new for me. There isn't even a basic "how to do your first print". Pronterface is great, but like most open source software there is a lack of information, so I'm struggling through it.

/rant