GETTING THERE…
I thought I would share some insights before I started uploading 3d models, etc. I’m not planning on going into as much detail on this mod as I did on the original build. If you have any questions, just ask. If you are planning on making one of these, suggest you read this before you dive in.
Basics:
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This is an add on to the frame of the Wall Mounted Pen Plotter. It doesn’t need any of the linear rails, motors, etc. from the original, just the 20x20 aluminum frame and the drawing surface. If you’re creative, you might not even need those.
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Size is flexible. If you get the geometry settings (pulley locations, origin and drawing area) set correctly in the config.yaml, it should work with any custom size. The motor spools are designed to hold enough string for a canvas size of 765mm x 820mm. You might be able to fudge a little bigger, but if you want a significantly larger drawing area, you will need to print motor spools with more “threads”. A smaller canvas is not a problem.
Pens:
- I couldn’t get the ballpoints that I typically use to work with this. It simply doesn’t provide enough pressure for the ink to flow onto the paper. So, I designed it for the Pigma Microns which I use on the cartesian build. @orob did show some interest in making a dry erase version, so I will provide the model that accepts Expo Dry Erase markers (the Fine Point versions, not the fat ones). It will be untested, but it should work.
Options:
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Wireless Pen Lift. You will be able to draw without adding this option. Many of these types of drawing machines out there have no pen lift. It obviously limits your drawing options but still works. The wireless pen lift will require some soldering skills and the ability to flash an ATtiny mcu. Technically you could make a much easier lift that has that ugly wire that drapes from the gondola over to the control board (like every other Polargraph I have come across), but there isn’t much challenge in that.
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Homing. I don’t recommend this option unless you really want or need it. I didn’t come across any others out there that have the ability to home. The stock FluidNC firmware will not home a machine configured with “WallPlotter” kinematics. A modified version of the firmware is required. That should tell you something. If you have any questions about this, I would love to discuss it with you. I spent a week trying to understand it and figure out how to do it. I’m still working on it but am getting close.
FluidNC Firmware:
- WallPlotter Kinematics are not supported by the FluidNC project, but it is an option in the config, and I have been using it with very few problems so far. There is a very small paragraph in the Kinematics section of the Wiki that mentions it. So far, I have found one minor bug in the firmware that occurs when a “zero length” move is sent to the planner. I will provide a firmware build based on release 3.9.4 that fixes that bug as well as provides the ability to home.
Jackpot Controller:
- Should work fine with JP1 – JP3.
Build info to follow soon…
Cheers