Plus, you can “quickly” reprint any pieces that may fail under load (seriously, use a straight-handled hex driver to set the bolts, not anything that gives you leverage and nothing that has a power cord or battery), or that Ryan redesigns in that labyrinthine mind of his…
I’m still working on getting things dialed in, but thought I’d show off my first large carving (well, large for me at 24" x 24"). I made it for my niece — she’s going through an artistic phase and I thought she’d like to paint it. There are a few imperfections, but I thought it came it really well overall. I’m going to seal and prime it before giving it to her. I used a 1/8" end mill for clearance and a 1/2" 60° V-bit for carving. It took roughly 10 hours in total. I could probably speed that up, but I’m keeping the settings pretty conservative for now.
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Soooo nice!
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That’s spectacular. What are you using for CAM?
Thanks! I used V-Carve Pro.
The pattern came from Vecteezy, which I edited in Adobe Illustrator to include the name and exported as a DXF file.
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Back again! I manufactured an updated 611 plate with “spring-loaded” dust shoe mounts. Hope you like it. Download SVG or DXF
I used strips of 2mm craft foam (doubled up) and cut some flaps for flexibility. The Lexan fins provide enough spring to load and maneuver the foam, but also enough grip to hold it firmly in place.
So far so good! I liked this better than the Thingiverse version since there aren’t any clips to add depth to the plate, plus it’s more secure.
I also set up Spindle Power Control using the relay in the linked post and added the M106/M107 commands to my post-processor.
And it’s not pretty yet, but I made a temporary tower for my X-axis cable since I accidentally chewed through the first one when it got pulled under the machine. OOPS!!!
Thanks for all of your support so far! I’ve been moved by all the kind responses and likes. Such a great forum.
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That is an amazing idea for the foam. I am sure that is going to get some downloads if you put it up!
I love that craft foam I have a few sheets under my LR right now!
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Thanks! There’s a link to a Dropbox folder at the top of the post where people can download the updated design, but I’ll add it again for good measure.
Download SVG or DXF for 611 Plate with Dust Shoe Fins
The perimeter and fins can all be done with a 1/8" end mill. The gap along the edges is 3mm in the design, so if your tool is a touch wider (e.g., 3.17mm), you may have to create another tool for the perimeter cut that’s defined at 3mm in order to create the toolpath. The difference isn’t enough to matter in the final product since it’s on the outer edge, but I would use the appropriate tool diameter for the inner cuts and screw holes.
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You helped me solve a problem I have been having with my dust skirt. I am using the craft foam and cut lots of fringes. They kept getting sucked up into the hose and clogging things. I have been trying to come up with a different material that is stiff enough to block the air and but not get sucked up. You made your fringe wider and doubled over. Great solution. I just didn’t think laterally!
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Nice! Happy I could help.
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What type of electronics did you use? I have a MPCNC with a ramps 1.3 board and I was trying to figure out if I could salvage the parts from it to build the lowrider v2.
Right now I’m having trouble finding some stainless tubing.
Could you post the size of your build? And how you built your table? I had issues with my table warping over time, granted it is outside in a workshop down here in the south, not sure what more I can do.
What type of electronics did you use?
I used the kit with the Mini Rambo 1.3a. I’m not familiar with the capabilities of your board as this is all relatively new to me.
Right now I’m having trouble finding some stainless tubing.
I got mine from Speedy Metals.
Could you post the size of your build?
It’s 65" long and 44" wide, including the rails.
And how you built your table?
Honestly, I’m sure there are better examples on this forum for how to build a table. Mine is just a 2x4 frame with a few extra supports under the top and a shelf down below to keep the legs straight (2x4 and 3/4" plywood). I also recently ran some 3/8" threaded rod on the ends as cross braces to knock down any remaining jiggle. The top is two layers, 3/4" plywood and 3/4" MDF. The MDF is just brad nailed down as a spoil board — in the initial pictures, there is actually another piece of MDF being used on top of the spoil board since I wasn’t ready to get it dirty yet. The side rails are more 2x4s trimmed flat on the edges, then finished with 1.5" x 1/8" aluminum angle. So technically, the actual top of the table sits 3/4" + 1/8" below the rail height if you don’t count the spoilboard. This helps to keep the Lowrider as low as possible, where it works best, without sacrificing rigidity when the spoilboard is added.
It actually came out very flat (to my surprise and delight) and quite strong. But I have yet to see about the longevity in my FL garage. It’s my hope to get some use out of it as is and then build a better, possibly bigger, table in the future.
I made some new updates to my machine, so I have to show it off. Those are the rules, right!?
To start off, I moved the electronics down to a new offset side-plate. It’s spaced out from the existing Y-plate with 2.5" 3D printed spacers and 1/4-20 bolts. Also, I added a fancy new switch panel — now I just need to remember where I put those launch codes…
The switches are as follows:
- System power. Also serves as an e-stop.
- Spindle (trigger interrupt).
- Laser (trigger interrupt).
The laser and spindle triggers are connected to the fan header for M106/M107 operation. With the new switches, I can independently control which trigger leads are active without having to swap connectors or unplug anything when changing tools.
Also, I upgraded to the StepperOnline 92oz High Torque Nema 17 Motors all around. While the added power is certainly a bonus, the biggest gain in my book is that they don’t get hot — barely even warm. Sometimes, when I’m in the middle of a project, I like to leave the machine powered up overnight (not running) simply so I don’t have to re-zero everything the next day. This adds peace of mind in that nothing is going to burn up, as the old steppers were too hot for my comfort.
Just a note, these steppers are significantly taller and require a larger Y-plate opening. Plus, they do NOT come with 4-pin connectors and must be wired appropriately.
I also added some new parts trays for quick access to screws, collets, bits, and such. I scaled them down a bit from the original to perfectly fit my cable cover.
And finally, I made a new “cable-saver” tower to prevent my X-axis stepper lead from getting eaten again, plus it serves as a home for the laser trigger cable when the device is not hooked up. You’re welcome to steal the design, but you’ll almost certainly need to modify the clips as appropriate to your application.
I think that’s all for now. Thanks for looking!
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Do you find the new steppers a worthwhile upgrade over the ones in Ryan’s kit. I just got mine up and running and have a problem with skipped steps all the time. I can’t tell if it’s the board/firmware I’m using (I’m firmware dumb lol) or am I just asking too much of the steppers. Thanks for showing the upgrades. Got my mind running now lol
Skipped steps are 90% build issues, 8%bad feedrate/rapids, 2% random. They are a sign that something is very wrong, if you have my board and my steppers you can turn up the steppers you currently have, the newest firmware actually does just that…and there is still room to turn them up. I highly suggest figuring out what is wrong currently before solving it with more power.
I agree with you 100% Ryan. The reason I’m leaning toward firmware is I’m not running your board or firmware. I blindly followed TT and got the skr 1.3 and had a heck of a time getting the firmware to work. It’s very jerky when just moving it around. First move of y axis when powered up always results in missed steps. Then after that it will move smoothly. Doesn’t matter where on the table it’s at. Z will randomly miss steps also on first move. I’m currently at work offshore right now so I can’t play with it but trying to do as much research as I can before I get home in a week and a half so I can get right to work and figure this thing out. I ordered a Rambo 1.4 board and 2208 drivers before I left so I could just put your firmware on it and see what that changes. I would like to get the skr working just because I try to avoid letting things like this get the best of me but I’m so firmware dumb at this point I’m not sure what I’m going to do lol. Thanks for all your help! This forum has been a blessing for sure!
The rambo has built in drivers. Using Ryan’s latest firmware should be great for you out of the box.
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Well here we are back to me not knowing enough lol. Here is the board I bought.
KINGPRINT 3D Printer MKS Gen V1.4 Controller Board Mega 2560 R3 Motherboard RepRap Ramps1.4 Compatible with USB https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072ZZ3YQW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_32cvEbGTZ0Q58
It doesn’t have built in drivers. Will this work with the drivers I got?
Ah. Common mistake. Ramps is not the same as Rambo. They were both originally designed by Ultimachine, but the Rambo was later (and is more robust). Getting a Rambo (especially from Ryan) is a sure way to get running fast. If you want to use that board, then I would suggest getting some drv8825s (at least 3) and use those to start. The RAMPS version of Ryan’s Marlin should work right away. The TMC stuff is super fun to mess with, but they can be fickle. This MKS board, and some dumb drivers like the drv8825 and some serial wiring is how we were doing it for a long time, and it is the simplest IMO. There are plenty of people here who are more than willing to help figure out these issues, but if you want to get going quickly, this is the way.
If you have more questions, get a build post running, and we can have it all in one place, along with your particular set up.