On the coding front, My Octoprint plugin is done(ish). Or at least, it works on my test bench.
The code is reading a temperature in from a LM75. It then enables a pin on the GPIO to either turn a fan on or a heater on. I’m using a simple IRF520 to get from the 3.3v signal to the 24v fans that I’ll be using. I’ll have to use a SSR for turning the heater itself on. The heater is a small PTC rated for 120v and 300w. Probably drive the SSR from the 24v going to the fan on the heater so that the Pi pin isn’t trying to source both the IRF520 signal and the SSR signal.
The temp probe hardware address, GPIO pins, and min/max temperatures are all set in settings. Then there’s a separate run tab where you can start/stop the controller. Eventually I’ll have it auto-stop after the print progress hits 100% (probably have it force the exhaust fan on for a few minutes to cool the chamber down faster). I might even try to setup a custom Gcode value so that starting a print can trigger the chamber controller too.
I’m just using a simple bang-bang control method that checks every 30 seconds. I don’t see the chamber temperature swinging fast enough for that to be an issue, but testing will tell.
My current 3d printer is still working on parts. It made it through the failed print from yesterday and is now working on the parts cooler fan mount.
I’m happy I didn’t get a chance to start my build over the weekend. After going through my stash of hardware and taking a look at more builds that others have done, I discovered I’m going to be quite short in the correct number of bolts needed in the different sizes. And I don’t have amy M5x30 at all. So I placed an order for some more hardware.
The fan shroud finished printing. On to the next print.
I’m pretty sure that’s all the printed parts. I still need to cut all the parts and wait for some hardware to come in. Then it will be time to start the build.
All prints printed with adaptive tool height, 40% gyroid infill
It’s been forever and a day since I’ve cut anything on the MPCNC (sorry). It looks like my speeds and feeds have disappeared from fusion360. I’ll have to run some test gcode before I cut my board. ESTLcam still has feeds in it from the last time I used it, but that was a really really long time ago and I’m not sure I ever went back and updated it after finding good speeds in fusion360.
I could always just use the laser to burn the outline onto the MDF and use a jigsaw to cut the part out
Mental note… turn on the laptop I plan on taking to the shop WAY earlier in the day… So many things are updating right now, it’s almost not useable. I think it’s been 2 months since I’ve turned this one on.
That is what my lady says about her laptop. I always tell her, “You know that is easy on a computer” She says, “Nope! Every time I turn that stupid thing on it runs updates and restarts!” She uses her phone for everything, I have a computer in every room and she will not touch them.
Just never turn them off, they’ll usually update in the middle of the night. Used to yell at a client because they’d shut their computer down for the weekends. That’s when we did remote maintenance.
As a positive, though… The mounting holes line up perfectly with the bed heater. I had to do some math in my head for the holes. The heater is 310mm^2, but I’m leaving the print size as 300mm^2 because that’s what my aluminum plate is. I was worried I had the math wrong.
I have to say this is 100% a windows problem. I run updates manually in ubuntu and they only take a minute or two every couple of months. And the best part is, they don’t waste 100GB on old files.
But this is the laptop with estlcam on it and since fusion360 likes to screw around with the CAM stuff all the time, I want to go back to using estlcam.
I’m OS agnostic. Windows, linux, mac… whatever is in front of me.
I guess I could try to get estlcam working on linux. I just haven’t messed with it that much.
I’ve also decided to make a design change. Originally, I was going to go with a 300mm height. The MGN rails I bought were all 400mm because I couldn’t seem to find 350mm (I really didn’t look that hard). Original plan was to cut the Z to length. If I bump the build height to 350mm, then I only have to cut the two Y rails. And really, I could leave the Y rails 400mm, but I’m not sure I bought enough belt for increasing both the Z and Y.
So, here’s my final cut list for metal:
Extrusion
4@495mm Box Vertical
4@445mm Box Left/Right
3@470mm Box Front/Back
3@455mm Z rails
MGN
4@400mm X and Z
2@350mm Y
I also want to use some extrusion to add a horizontal bar on part of the back wall. I’m using a DIN rail to mount some of my electronics and I’d like to bolt the DIN straight to the extrusion through the back panel. I’ll cut a slot in the back panel to make it easier to line up the bolts with the slide nuts.
Not sure if this is worth mentioning, or has already been mentioned in another thread.
When I’m changing build size in the CAD file, the X-axis MGN part doesn’t move on the drawing. It probably doesn’t matter, but it kinda drives me nuts having it stuck on the Y extrusion part and not out on the two 3d printed parts where it belongs.
I know the part can be moved (and I moved it), I just don’t know enough F360 to know if the rail can be locked to one of the XY carriages so that a change in X-rail length forces it to move.
Was it just the one Z rail or all 3? when i changed the size and did all the updates for mine the Z1 rail (front left if looking at the front of the printer) didnt move but the other 2 did. i just ignored it but it does screw with your head lol
She uses her phone for everything, I have a computer in every room and she will not touch them.
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