• initial commit

    ReidDye • 12/29/2021 at 22:34 • 0 comments

    Here's what the printer looks like now:

    It used to be a Sintron Kossel Mini (link), but I've made many modifications.  The original kit was not great.  I got it in late 2016, just as I was starting 6th grade, but got stuck after finishing the main hardware assembly.  The wiring diagrams didn't match the provided electronics (standard RAMPS 1.4), the instruction manual was a pirated out of date pdf, there was no explanation about how to set up the firmware, etc.  It was terrible.  After a few months of trial and error, I got frustrated and shelved the project.  I bought a prusa mk2s (now a mk2.5s!) that has served me well since.  But then, in late 2019, I picked it up again, and with the reprap knowledge I'd gained, I was able to get it printing.  I've been making lots of iterative improvements to it ever since. Here it was, with the minimum modification needed to print:

    Since then, I've:

    • replaced the RAMPS board with a Bigtreetech SKR v1.4 Turbo
    • upgraded to marlin 2.0
    • added automatic bed leveling
    • changed the probe to be nozzle based
    • changed the probe to be inductive
    • changed the t-slot+wheels motion system to simple pla sliders on the aluminum
    • added a flexible build surface
    • added heated bed functionality
    • changed the stepper drivers to TMC2208
    • changed the effector and cooling system multiple times, arriving at the current design of a magnetic quick-change system
    • slightly insulated the bed
    • added part cooling
    • reprinted some parts that were breaking
    • redesigned the connections to the diagonal rods to allow a greater range of movement
    • added leds
    • added a camera mount for octoprint (not visible in these photos)
    • created an octoprint setup (see that project)

    That's a lot of changes!  But there's more to come. I'm currently working on:

    • swapping the diagonal rods for CF ones
    • swapping the hotend for a volcano style
    • implementing a remote cooling setup
    • installing a CHT nozzle in the volcano, and making my own custom spacer with the same shape as the CHT to further increase flow
    • a new rolling screw style extruder (see that project) to replace the current (awful) MK8-style one
    • reinforcing the frame with plywood to eliminate wobbling, because the frame is kind of designed in the worst possible way for rigidity
    • cleaning up the wiring by moving the screen and mainboard to a wooden base plate
    • converting to 24v

    With these changes, I want to try printing a <10 minute benchy!  I know I'm pretty late to the #speedboatrace, but it'll still be fun.

    Anyway, that's the current status.  I'll write more logs when I make some progress!

    edit: I wanted to add a picture of the intermediate effector design.  I changed the stock effector to this, then this to the current quick-change effector.

    The main reasoning behind this was that the stock bed probe was offset from the nozzle, so the effector tilt caused by any imperfections in the build completely messed up the probing.  In this design, the probe is the nozzle itself, so that problem was eliminated.  I was also able to add part cooling with this design, which was a huge plus.