antonyking published a new build:

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Thanks Guys the build is a little slow ATM while parts dribble in. I hope to get into it full on over the next few weeks.

I have decided on a few of the electronics and I have 3x Nema 23 0.9deg(400 steps/rev) 127.5oz.in arriving tomorrow. I am going to start with a MKS Gen v1.4 board and drive the Nema 23's with TB6560 Drivers The Nema 17's on the X axis and extruder will have DRV8825 drivers.

 

Everything I have done to date, as in yesterday has been added to the build page. Hmm maybe I should do it here?

Anyway the build is mocked up with the 3D printed test plates while await for the aluminum plates to be machined.



I am printing off some temp 3d parts to make a simple "one motor to belt drive 2 leadscrews" idea as a test and because I only have one TB6560 driver for the Z at this time. Plus it would be interesting to see it go.

I will start wiring the motors. One good thing about the MKS Gen 1.4 is that it has pins for external drivers already and I don't have to make up a way to pin into the normal Driver socket.

 

The wiring has been a snack to sort out but I didn't think about the length of all the wires. So I will have to go to JayCar and buy some meters of wire.

The MKS board makes like so easy with it's layout.



I setup the board with Marlin 1.1.0-RC8 which is what I am running in the below short movie of the homing. I also did a firmware setup of the Stable 1.0.2-2 as a backup.

The advantages of the new firmware makes it all work very nicely, so it would be great if there was an official release of 1.1 soon. One of the new features is the BLtouch is now a one comment line in the new firmware with new Mesh Autoleveling. You can see I have a Geeetech 3DTouch which a BLTouch ripoff and I have one setup on my LulzBot Custom and they do work very well.

The first run.

 

After many small issues like duff touch sensor x2 that seems to have an weird fault causing it to go into alarm sometimes and sometimes working. I have a new one coming.

I replaced the Y axis linear drive and replaced with a belt setup. Instantly I got better Y axis. In my discovery though I fount the TB6560 drivers may be part of the issue and that was after I had to return 2 which had the switches fall apart. I replaced the Y axis with a Nema 23 0.9deg motor same as the 2x Z axis and I am driving it from the MKS Geb 1.4 with DRV8825 drivers.

I had a eureka moment when trying to get the TB6560 drivers to run the Z axis smooth when I realised the motors are low power, they are 12v but only 0.38A and given the 8825 are 2.2A I figure I'd give it a go... bugger me not only do they driver the Nema 23's smoother they will do it at 1/32 step.

Where I was missing steps with the TB6560 I can push the speed till I start jumping teeth on the belt. I have a 10mm wide GT2 belt and pulleys coming but I may have to got to GT3 belt for the Y axis just to help cope with the mass.

 

OpenBuilds V Slot Joiner by ant0ny

 

On the calibration cube it's not as bad as I expected. I will see if I can get a pic.

I had a situation where it would just miss a few steps at the very top of the calibration print, so I thought it was temp related with either the drivers or motors but I did a random longer print of a hinge part and it didn't miss a beat.

I am printing with a 0.4 nozzle which would be way to small if you where to utilize the size of the printer... so I need to get the volcano setup with something like a 0.8 nozzle to see what it's like for what it would be used for.

 

Ok thanks I might try this.

 

Well yes it could. I intend to build a smaller version of this same printer with the already printed components... not as big but 300x300 or 400x400 maybe.

The only 3 parts I would not print, just for reliability would be the 3 gantry plates the wheels bolt to.. so the 2x C-Beam Gantry plates and the 1x X axis Gantry plate.

I'll do a write up the smaller one when i build after this one is delivered.

 

Keith, Good tips I'll look into this.

I received my Ally plates which will stiffen the frame a little as well and re calibrate.

 

No I haven't done this. I did see Toms Guide where he compared.

For me it's the ease and it works OK but the fact that it's even in the ball park is better than screwing a bolt and micro switch etc like the old days... lol what... like 18 month a ago.

I have both BLTouch and 3DTouch so I should to a comparison. I use 3DTouch for myself but I only sell on BLTouch with some printers I build. 3DTouch are not as good by a long shot... I have 5 3DTouch's and 2 work consistently and 3 are ... well spares.