another builder

[MatthiasWM]

Hi guys. I will be building another Pwdr machine. My name is Matt. I live in Düsseldorf, Germany, and i am tired of trying to get my Z400 to work. All material for the Pwdr is ordered, so i hope i will have som3 time for the first buil steps next week.

See ya.

Matt

[MatthiasWM]

PS: blog is here: http://matthiasm.com/pwdr.html

[nothinman]

Good luck!

[MatthiasWM]

Allright, I completed the parametric SCAD files in my blog. They are untested, but should at least be complete. They are available for download under LGPL License.

http://matthiasm.com/pwdr_01.html

Most of the parts arrive, but the steppers are still missing, and the stepper controllers are held in customs. Sigh.

[Pwdr]

Hey Matthias, great job. Please note that the Pwdr hardware designs are released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. That means that adaptions of the designs are allowed, but they keep the original (CC BY-NC 3.0) license when released again.

On Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 01:04 , MatthiasWM wrote:

Allright, I completed the parametric SCAD files in my blog. They are untested, but should at least be complete. They are available for download under LGPL License.
http://matthiasm.com/pwdr_01.html
Most of the parts arrive, but the steppers are still missing, and the stepper controllers are held in customs. Sigh.

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub (#15 (comment)).

[MatthiasWM]

Ah, my bad. It was late at night ;-). I fixed the text here and in the Blog. I will also add that to the SCAD files.

[MatthiasWM]

Added a new page to the Blog: you can see all laser-cut parts, a few of them already assembled for testing.

http://matthiasm.com/pwdr_01.html
http://matthiasm.com/pwdr_02.html

Oh, BTW, are you guys interested in the updates here, or should I stop posting progress?

[digitalw00t]

Looks wonderful.. I'm going to be hitting mine hard and heavy when I get
back from a business trip to Pittsburg.

On Fri, Feb 1, 2013 at 1:14 PM, MatthiasWM notifications@github.com wrote:

Added a new page to the Blog: you can see all laser-cut parts, a few of
them already assembled for testing.

http://matthiasm.com/pwdr_01.html
http://matthiasm.com/pwdr_02.html

Oh, BTW, are you guys interested in the updates here, or should I stop
posting progress?

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com//issues/15#issuecomment-13009161.

./Andrew

[nothinman]

Matthias, poor idea with aluminium pipe for the roller. You really want something hard and smooth...

[MatthiasWM]

Yes, thanks, I read you posting about that. I bought aluminium pipes that fit into each other. That way, I can go from the 4mm bearing and gear to 10mm roller diameter without using a lathe. If this does not work, I can still get a polished steel rod and have that turned.

[nothinman]

Give it a try, but it won't work nicely for thin layers. You can get a hardened (precision) shaft from misumi-ec.com with both ends machined. I highly recommend them. The down side it the waiting time, 2-3 weeks typically :/ I guess it would cost you around 20 euros.

[MatthiasWM]

Stepper motors still missing. Everything else arrived. Here is the first Piston and the box itself:

http://matthiasm.com/pwdr_03.html
http://matthiasm.com/pwdr_04.html

[iitbulls]

Please do keep posting, following the build

[MatthiasWM]

OK, so I have all the parts now, I lasered the wood parts and assembled the bigger stuff. I can't do much this week, so I experimented a bit with the Arduino, the Danger Shield, and the EasyDrivers. Luckily everything works quite well.

Here are some thoughts on how I will write the Firmware (I am a Software Developer by trade, so I guess that means I have to do it from scratch ;-)
http://matthiasm.com/pwdr_05.html

Here are some more ideas on how to hook up the machine to the Arduino, leaving room for additional sensors and a good dimply/keyboard
http://matthiasm.com/pwdr_06.html

But here is a question for the readers: I want to read the commands that control the printer and build the object from a file on some storage. Now, this could be an SD Card which requires a very simple shield, but seems somewhat fragile, or it could be from USB Memory Sticks, which is more robust, but the shield as about $25 instead of $15.

Which one should it be?

[nothinman]

Whichever you like. An SD card is as fragile as the USB stick IMHO :)
Just bear in mind that a "shield" is usually just a socket + transceiver; you'd probably still have to write filesystem drivers; not sure if any come with arduino by default, as I'm not a big fan of it; but there are some free FATfs libs available written in C, so you should be good :)

[MatthiasWM]

Both interfaces come with a complete library. THe SD shield uses a library in the Arduino, the USB shield has its own CPU with a collection of Unix-style text commands to access the memory stick. All of them read and write at least FAT16 and FAT32.

I have become a big fan of the Arduino after using it for a while. It is super simple to set up, comes with a very simplified IDE and is programmed in full blown C++. Could life be any easier? ;-)

[digitalw00t]

The major benefit to printing off an sd card or usb stick is, if your
computer has a usb communication problem with the printer, your print
doesn't stop or have to be abandoned.

On Thu, Feb 14, 2013 at 2:03 AM, MatthiasWM notifications@github.comwrote:

Both interfaces come with a complete library. THe SD shield uses a library
in the Arduino, the USB shield has its own CPU with a collection of
Unix-style text commands to access the memory stick. All of them read and
write at least FAT16 and FAT32.

I have become a big fan of the Arduino after using it for a while. It is
super simple to set up, comes with a very simplified IDE and is programmed
in full blown C++. Could life be any easier? ;-)

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com//issues/15#issuecomment-13536939.

./Andrew

[Pwdr]

And notice that the Arduino will reboot when connected or disconnected from the USB...

On Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 16:59 , Andrew Falgout wrote:

The major benefit to printing off an sd card or usb stick is, if your
computer has a usb communication problem with the printer, your print
doesn't stop or have to be abandoned.

On Thu, Feb 14, 2013 at 2:03 AM, MatthiasWM <notifications@github.com (mailto:notifications@github.com)>wrote:

Both interfaces come with a complete library. THe SD shield uses a library
in the Arduino, the USB shield has its own CPU with a collection of
Unix-style text commands to access the memory stick. All of them read and
write at least FAT16 and FAT32.

I have become a big fan of the Arduino after using it for a while. It is
super simple to set up, comes with a very simplified IDE and is programmed
in full blown C++. Could life be any easier? ;-)

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com//issues/15#issuecomment-13536939.

./Andrew

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub (#15 (comment)).

[nothinman]

@Pwdr: No it won't... If it does then you have a problem with interference.

[digitalw00t]

It will only reboot if the usb is what is powering the arduino. There is a
connection for external power for it as well, which I would suggest we use.

./Andrew

On Thu, Feb 14, 2013 at 10:03 AM, Pwdr notifications@github.com wrote:

And notice that the Arduino will reboot when connected or disconnected
from the USB...

On Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 16:59 , Andrew Falgout wrote:

The major benefit to printing off an sd card or usb stick is, if your
computer has a usb communication problem with the printer, your print
doesn't stop or have to be abandoned.

On Thu, Feb 14, 2013 at 2:03 AM, MatthiasWM <notifications@github.com(mailto:
notifications@github.com)>wrote:

Both interfaces come with a complete library. THe SD shield uses a
library
in the Arduino, the USB shield has its own CPU with a collection of
Unix-style text commands to access the memory stick. All of them read
and
write at least FAT16 and FAT32.

I have become a big fan of the Arduino after using it for a while. It
is
super simple to set up, comes with a very simplified IDE and is
programmed
in full blown C++. Could life be any easier? ;-)

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub<
https://github.com/Pwdr/Pwdr-Model-0.1/issues/15#issuecomment-13536939>.

./Andrew

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub (
#15 (comment)).

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com//issues/15#issuecomment-13559322.

./Andrew

[nothinman]

@digitalw00t printers have been printing off usb/serial/lpt for ages and it always worked somehow...
I get what you're saying, but you should design it in a way it works rather than looking for workaround before even committing any work ;)
Powder-based printers can easily resume printing and it won't get destroyed. Just remember the position of the head, layer, and the number of droplets/nozzles fired. Add battery backup, set brown-out detection on avr and do save to memory on brown-out; on power on check the contents of the memory, and if data is present -- continue; simple.

[digitalw00t]

I use an arduino in my Prusa, just pointing out what I've seen from that
project. Adding a dedicated power to the arduino and printing from the sd
card merely removes the usb link from the equation and makes the printer a
free standing unit, independent from a computer. Also, when you start
printing you can just disconnect the notebook and use it for other things.

On Thu, Feb 14, 2013 at 10:24 AM, nothinman notifications@github.comwrote:

@digitalw00t https://github.com/digitalw00t printers have been printing
off usb/serial/lpt for ages and it always worked somehow...
I get what you're saying, but you should design it in a way it works
rather than looking for workaround before even committing any work ;)
Powder-based printers can easily resume printing and it won't get
destroyed. Just remember the position of the head, layer, and the number of
droplets/nozzles fired. Add battery backup, set brown-out detection on avr
and do save to memory on brown-out; on power on check the contents of the
memory, and if data is present -- continue; simple.

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com//issues/15#issuecomment-13561606.

./Andrew

[nothinman]

I am not saying don't do it :-)
It's your printer. Do it the way you like it.
It just seems like many people complain about the USB, and the truth is... there's nothing wrong with it.

[MatthiasWM]

I want to print from an SD Card because a 3D print takes much longer than a paper print. And 3D Printers are often not in the same room with a workstation because they tend to smell (FDM with ABS) or are dirty (plaster powder). With an SD Card, you just generate the file, plug it into the printer, and resume your daily work. No need for wires etc. .

But today I made a firm decision (even though I have this German urge to over engineer) that the first printer will be minimal in every respect. It will not have fancy displays or buttons or USB connections, but a super simple SD Card slot with the required voltage splitter. One chip, one socket, no experiments. And no distractions until the first model is printed to satisfaction.

To satisfy those who prefer to connect directly to the printer, I plan an Ethernet connection with web interface (can you tell that I have no access to my printer ATM? All I can make are silly plans). That is by far the cheapest solution, no LCDs, no Keypads, no SD Cards. Just log in, drag'n'drop the file, and off we go.

Since that is well beyond the Arduino, I am having a peek at Raspberry Pi. It's the same price, but adds net, USB, and even video for a debugging monitor. Now where do I get my 50 pins for the 5 ink jet cartridges? ;-)

[MatthiasWM]

...as digitalw00t said... .

[nothinman]

Ethernet is the way to go. And it works fine on AVR micros. ENC28J60 is your friend. Raspberry Pi is not. Get yourself the latest Arduino if you want more pins; it runs ARM uC, plenty of pins. Or multiplex your pins :-)

[MatthiasWM]

ARM, I see. So the newest Arduino has the same base as the Pi, only it has all those neat pins I crave. Thinking too far ahead, I have briefly considered a tandem solution. The Pi with its Linux environment takes care of storage and communications to the outside world, Then, using SPI or even USB, an Arduino style CPU on the print head controls the nozzles (shotest connections possible). The line from the Pi to the print head would only have five wires: 3 for power and 2 (or 3) for communications (just dreaming).