I don't see why files can't just be saved to the files section currently used, I just wish the discussion format was easier to follow.
When I tell people to look into the C-Bot I send them here and they have to read through 60+ pages to absorb the good bits of info currently buried in the thread.
This is a great design, I'd like to see it be more accessible to new people.

 

Why not both? Carl could easily dump the git repo into the files section while retaining all the documentation, directory strucure and contributed designs. A quick zip download, unzip and then re-upload periodically could handle the files.

As for the discussion, definitely there is too much here to wade through. Has anyone reached out to openbuilds to see if there are more topic based forum options available?

 

Question:

In the BOM extrusions worksheet it says "increase these by ~30mm" in the notes for the top and bottom sides. Is that in addition to the value presented?

Also, since it's apparently a hot topic today.. You absolutely should use github, and you should also do it in exactly the way grat advised. The file structure you choose does not matter beyond your personal preference, as anyone who forks it can simply choose their own format, and have a history of how they got there. That said, learning to use git is a big ask for people who don't write code for a living, so it might be worth having a simplified set of instructions for forking if the idea is to get everyone who builds a C-Bot to publish their build (I personally plan to build either C-Bot or its D-Bot derivative, but have zero interest in publishing a build unless I do something crazy like rewrite the whole thing in OpenSCAD or something).

 

Alright, so for this git still makes sense, but you should probably not actively encourage forking for every build. Instead, separate different build options as needed, and ideally have a "build" operation that combines the different options you want into a single set of files. For physical builds like this, the best inspiration I've seen is the Wolfstock build (GitHub - wolfmanjm/wolfstock: A 3d Delta printer based on Mini Kossel), but there's no need to follow that to a tee. The main point, if you want to bring all the good ideas back in, is to encourage pull requests.

 

Yes, I agree. Git absolutely makes sense. I think that its perfect for managing the source files for a project like this and its variants. I use git every day so I am also probably a bit biased.

I think that how we manage the file sources is not nearly as important as how we maintain the community. Making the community accessible, searchable, scalable, and fun is something that will allow more people to participate and make it easier to maintain. In my mind the discussion about how to create and organize the forum / community is more important than the file discussion as how we manage the files can shift over time much easier, this 66 page Uber thread has GOT to go tho.....


As a side note, my printer has been going non-stop for 2 days. I am almost done with the XY set and only have the Z set left now. Pretty excited, I have all my stuff except my motors, which get here Thursday. Boom.

@Carl Feniak Someone else had asked about the notes you have in the XLS sheet about bumping up a few widths, can you give us an update on where you landed with that?

-Matt

 

FWIW - I found I needed an extra 65mm of space when using a hotend mount from the generator. That's 65mm from the excel spreadsheet from December. What I can't figure out is why. The fan off the backend doesn't hit the back of the frame and the hotend mount itself is no farther out than any of the other carriages...

EDIT: I should add the 65mm is what I remember. It might have been less and probably is the same issue that @AK_Eric had. I am using the same front and back lead screw setup he has.

 

As developers, yes, version control is good. However, the new builder coming in here who is not a developer needs to have a place where they can go and browse the files and get what they want without having to deal with the complexity of GitHub. While we can use GitHub behind the scene, I feel we still need a basic file repository with the latest versions of the files.

 

So something that should be considered when transitioning this to a community collaboration project with lots of different options.. We will need a way to "compile" the options. This could be as simple as a script to select the right STLs and extrusion lengths, or as complicated as converting it all to OpenSCAD (or OpenJSCAD, or ImplicitCAD, etc.) and creating the entire model as a result of a given set of inputs. I'd say the latter is overkill at this point, but as options are added the ad-hoc approach will quickly become un-maintainable.

I think the right answer for now would be for Carl Feniac to upload his build info to git exactly as he built it. Having one concrete base, we can then extend to verified changes (e.g. different widths and heights), hopefully done as an automated process with bug tracking, pull requests. Seeing as he is the originator of this project, I think it would make sense that he be the owner of the account for the project, and only add maintainers as he sees fit.

Of course, this is ultimately Mr. Feniac's decision. I know I'm looking at this from the perspective of a software engineer, and perhaps that is not the right way to maintain a hardware project.

 

Maybe I'm missing something here.. But can't you just create a 'release' directory and let users download from that?

 

If you can, I haven't found a way. A lot of times, to get a single file, you have to view it raw in GitHub and then save it from your browser. It is either that or download the full zip of the project and get what you want.

As an example, here is a link to the Marlin logo in GitHub... MarlinDev/Documentation/Logo at master · eboston/MarlinDev · GitHub

How can I download Marlin Logo GitHub.png directly from the page without have to do a save image? If I click on the file, it shows the image. On that page, there is no download link. The same problem exists for text files too. You have to view them as raw files and then save that from your browser.

 

You could download the entire project as a zip.. That way you have a complete snapshot of the entire project at a given time.

 

That might be good the first time, but when something is updated, personally, I don't want to have to download the entire thing, again, and then dig through the zip file to get the one file I actually wanted. This might work fine for source code, which is what git was made to handle, but for files like .stl that are not compiled, you have to look through to whole thing to find the changed ones.

Git was made to deal with files on a project level. We also need a way for users to deal with files individually.

 

"git pull" is pretty easy-- And the Windows UI for git isn't that tough either.

Sure, the README.md should link to a "how to get it" document, but I suspect most people who are planning on building a printer have enough savvy to follow a git download-- if they don't, the Arduino IDE is going to be a rude awakening for them.

 

Can someone post a link to this generator? I think I am working on this same thing lol, I am creating a packing algorithm to help me make my cuts. It looks like this, has it already been done?

C-Bot Cut Calc

 

There is this:
Home (f.lux forum)

Or go ahead and signup here and I will make you an admin (whomever, seriously). It takes about 5 minutes to flesh it out.
Home | C-Bot.io
This is running on my free heroku instance so if you get an error saying "excessive load" just refresh, its because it goes to sleep after a few minutes to save them proc power.


In my mind it would look like this (newer design and some other features obviously but close) too, which is kind of what I was going for:
KTM RC390 Forum

 

Why should a user who is not using git for anything have to install these tools? I'm just saying we should also have a way for people to easily grab files.

And I don't see your connection between git and the Arduino IDE?

 

A link to a git zip file or even dumping the file structure from git into the files section when appropriate should keep things easy for a gitless user.

 

Thingiverse link: Hot End Mount Generator - Customizable for various carriages, hot ends and options. by croadfeldt

GitHub link: GitHub - croadfeldt/Roadfeldt_3d_hczf_mount: Parametrized Hot / Cold End, Print Cooling Fan, Z Probe, Servo Mount for various X carriages.

Excuse the messy code, it's been added to a lot and I was trying to keep compatible with thingiverse's customizer which means a monolithic file. The plan is drop customizer support, add a direct drive option and split the code up properly.

 

I'd like to setup a github repository just for this conversation about the github repository. Everyone can pull and fork and spoon and whatever is needed there.
Couldn't help myself.

 

If we were managing this like a "real" software/hardware project we would worry about / figure out source control for the likes of us. We would collaborate, test things, improve things, break things, and then we would "release" compiled versions of files that were pretty much baked every so often for the average user. We are not the same as average users, we have conversations about how we want to use pull requests in github and what the naming convention for files should be. That is not normal. That being said what I see looking at the D-bot thread on thingiverse and from parts of the discussion here is that the community is trying to grow beyond users like us. This is a great printer and as more of us make them more of our friends and co-workers are going to want them, more people are going to be told to "Check out the C-bot" and sent to the site. The vast majority of those users are going to just want the basics, they won't want to look through git and pick and choose want variants they want any more than they want to read through 65 pages of information.

I think that just putting a link in the files section of the community directly to the "download zip" link on github is probably perfect for most non-git users for now. They are going to download the STLs and either print them themselves or have a friend do it. They are going to buy everything on the bill of materials with very little if any deviation, They are going to install a basic RAMPS board running Marlin, hook it up to Slic3r and start making spaghetti all over their build plate, and then come to the forums and post a picture and say "first print, what can I improve".

Actually, if any of us ever decided to put together a "kit" with the all the parts in it and sell it, I bet they would prefer that over anything else.

I personally LOVE working with these people, I have had SO MUCH FUN helping people on the forum for the i3 variant I am using right now. I love sharing my passion for this hobby and helping others avoid some of the pitfalls I have experienced.

Anyways that is just another way for me to say that what direction the community goes from here is really up to the founders of it, not me. I am just a new guy here who loves this design and got a bit frustrated trying to find all the things and figured maybe I could be of service. From what I can see however it is reaching an inflection point between possibly becoming a mainstream design ala the original Prusa (LOL I can already imagine the knockoff Chinese "C-bot variant" kits), or staying a smallish project. Personally I see a lot of the design flaws of the Prusa design solved in this design and I would like to share it with as many as possible, even if they don't use git

-Matt

 

LOL messy code doesn't bother me, I rarely bother with coding standards when I am hacking on a personal project and not getting paid

When you get a chance check this out: C-Bot Cut Calc I think it could be helpful to people. I am using it to determine the most efficient use of the extrusion I have, but it could be used to help people decide how much extrusion to purchase as it "packs" the cuts into the stock lengths as efficiently as possible (ok so I can't claim that yet, but thats the goal, its .... pretty good right now)

 

Can you guys please chime in on the z-platform mounting options? I am leaning towards front / back but offset looks nice too, what are peoples experience with them / pros and cons / etc...

Also when using the calculator it asks for the lead screw length, I am using this Two-Start Lead Screw and Nut, SINGLE do I need to take into account the 5mm mounting area or can I just plug in 317 for the height?

 

Front to back lead screws or right and left lead screws both work well if centered I think. It just boils down to which you think looks best.

 

Is there a reason you what this one in particular? There has been lots of discussion about pro/con of 1 vs 4 start screws and from my observation, 4 start is fine. You can get less expensive screws/nuts on Amazon.

 

Because they are already in my hands for one thing , I choose them because I had the money and 2 start seemed like a good middle of the road option. I also tried to buy from people in the states as much as I could because if there is one thing I hate its waiting for shipping.

 

Already having them is no excuse!

There are several on Amazon that are Prime. Depending on where you are at, you could probably get them same day. But since you have them, it's not an issue.

As for front/back, both back, or side offset, my personal preference is the sides. If you don't have access from the sides, that lead screw in the front could interfere with your access to the bed.

Are you planning on using two motors or one with a belt?

 

I bought two motors, and will probably start in that direction. What I haven't decided yet is how to do the two motors. I have an Azteeg X3 Pro here so I can wire up most of my house to that board, not sure how bad the sync issues will be trying to drive 2 steppers for Z, vs splitting the wires, vs using a belt. I am using the 6128 drivers so hopefully I can throw almost anything at them

I do know that I am running two power supplies, one is going to be 24v, the other is 12v for now, but I have a 24 to drop in if/when I get the heated bed I want (FilaBase). For now I have the 12x12 from MakerFarm and it runs on 12v.

Using the 24v E3Dv6, eventually going to mount two of them, but starting out with a single nozzle for now.
I have a Flex3Drive on order
I plan on creating a modular tool mount like this one that I designed for my Tarantula TEVO Tarantula Modular X-carriage - BETA by msquared2015 so that I can swap to a dual hot end, or laser tool with some level of ease

I am sure there are other interesting tidbits but thats most of it