Building a Morgan in France

[pumpkinwaffle]

Hello everyone!

As the title suggest, and probably much like all the others here, I’d love to build my own morgan, and have access to 3d printing at home.

Being a student on a really tight budget, I think It’d be a great challenge to build one so here I am 🙂

After having done a lot of reading online and on this forum, I’ve pretty much got the idea of the process. I am left however with quite a few questions.

1. Being in France, where can I get the parts? I guess any shop in Europe is an option as shipping fees should be reasonable. I did see lists and browsed a few online stores. But many of you here have successful builds can recommend a good shop.

2. As for the 3d printed parts thankfully I have access to a makerbot in my school so that shouldn’t be an issue. Is there a material preferred though? It seems PLA is the way to go, although i read somewhere that the toolhead should be ABS. Also these are the parts to print right?
http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRap_Morgan_extended_BOM

3. While the hardware can be salvaged from anything, I wonder if it you be possible to get the power supply from a computer and the step motors from printers? Are there any other electronics that could salvaged?

4. It seems to me that building this printer would cost about 300€. Does that sound right?

So far these are the main questions preventing me from starting. My finances being what they are I expect to grab a spool of PLA to print all the parts and then get the parts in the following 3 months-ish. Any order preferred?

I’m looking forward to joining you guys in the 3D printing adventure and tackling a somewhat challenging DIY build. I’m eager to hear your answers and advice.

[Blaze_1]

Welcome!

I just got mine built. Hopefully some of this will be helpful.

1. I recommend starting by checking out your local hardware store and do some price matching. A lot of the parts can be found there. I believe there are a few french builders here, they might have some suggestions.

2. Your link is to a fork of the Morgan. There’s a link at the top of the homepage for the part files. (Although I did use that fork for info to help me get a better understanding for my own build.)

3. Power supply, definitely. Salvaged motors, maybe. Depends on what you can find.

4. Sounds about right. Price matching should help get it low.

I say get the parts as you build. I started with a printed set then went for the pvc pipe and wood to build the base. Then I grabbed the copper pipe and hardware to get it all together. My electronics came last. (As they are the most expensive parts in total)

Hope this helps.

[mk3v]

Hi,

And welcome !!

I’m also a french builder.

I bought exactly the same motors, no problems so far.
It’s a chinese reseller and they have a German warehouse, so be careful to buy some from this warehouse.

For the printed parts I asked JP who is another french builder, you will find him in the french builders topic.

For the electronics : RAMPS, Funduino, smart LCD and others, I purchased it from dealextreme.com.
It’s not very fast but it’s cheap and quality is OK.

For the special electronics, filament, bearing, stepsticks, and special stuff, I went directly to reprapworld.com
They are in Netherlands, so it’s quite fast to France and not so expensive.

I wish you good luck !!

Kevin

[pumpkinwaffle]

Hey!

Thank you all for the warm welcome and the awesome tips. I was wondering about smart LCD, good to know it works.

I’ve done some research and it would seem that everything but the hardware will come just about 200€ all together, this is seriously amazing!

I should be able to salvage a lot of the hardware and get some parts from my school’s workshop.

The only I’m not sure about is the stepper drivers. The BOM mentions high and low current ones. Since I would use only nema17 0.9 motors in my build, which one do I need? Would the common A4988 do?
Oh and by the way the BOM doesn’t display anymore on the assembly page (don’t know if it’s just for me).

I’ll keep a log and be back with probably more questions once I get my parts.

[mk3v]

Yep !!

For the steppers drivers, I don’t think it’s about high or low current, it’s about more or less microstepping.
I chose to buy the stepstick DRV8825 available on nreprapworld.com.
They are a bit cheaper than pololus and they do the job pretty well…

Then you can chose if you want your driver to run 1/16 or 1/32 substeps, with a 400 steps motor you can have 12800 microsteps.

If you chose to buy only 400 steps motors and drivers that can go to 32 substeps you will just have to configure the firmware with the good steps per mm…

I hope this is not too confused…

[pumpkinwaffle]

Ah I see now! Don’t worry it’s pretty clear, and quite simple considering what it actually does.

I’ve been watching a few board assembly videos and wiring and now I can picture how the electronics part function/are put together. I sure is pretty neat.

The only thing left to figure out is the software part. I’ve worked with a pinguino board once or twice in the past, from what I understand this Marlin firmware is simply the code that’s loaded on the arduino that handles the Gcode, right?

Any pointers for software/firmware tutorial/setup would be appreciated, although it’ll probably be a few months before I’ll even have to tackle the subject.

[Quentin Harley]

Hi pumpkinwaffle (intersting name 😉

Flex is not a problem here, especially in that specific part. Critical parts are designed not to flex.

The problem comes in with some of the larger parts, like the drive wheels and arms warping when you build it out of ABS. If you can manage to build it out of ABS – excellent. No problems there.

[pumpkinwaffle]

Hey Quentin thank you for your swift answer. I was planning on doing mass printing tomorrow and it sure is good to hear that I can go for it.

Thankfully my school is pretty tech savvy and they own a makerbot replicator x2. Sure is a fancy machine and it feels extremely reliable, although it lacks the visual appeal of the morgan ;D

Anyway I’ll make sure to check the pieces for wrapping as I print them. Sure felt good to tick that first box on the BOM.

Upon seeing pictures of successful builds and the overall design my teacher told me I should use plexiglas rather than wood. It would definitely make a lovely looking machine but I brings up yet more questions.

Are any wood screws used in the platform? would it be possible to replace all of them by bolts?

I’m just not sure whether all the wholes are present on the dxf or if I’d have to add some myself.

[Quentin Harley]

All of the holes required for the morgan with the older motormounts are present, but you will probably need to add a couple more holes for the new mounts.

Come to think of it, I will add the new holes on the platform dxf, since I have to lasercut some platforms for myself as well.

Will keep you posted. In the mean time, keep on printing, and be sure to use the mk2 motormounts…

[Quentin Harley]

The platforms have been updated: please use the mk2 files

[Jack]

Pumpkinwaffle, I don’t know if this will be any use to you but while I was waiting on gathering parts I spent some time on the wood. I used plywood and I made my own (Iron acetate) stain for it. I have no idea if have any interest in that.

[pumpkinwaffle]

Wood staining is definitely an option, although I was thinking about acetone ink transfer probably some steampunk-ish design, we’ll see.

I’m starting now to gather the hardware parts to put the printer together while I wait for the electronics. Since I’ve gone for the 12mm build however I’m just wondering if someone could list me what pieces are replaced with what? I couldn’t find a 12mm BOM.

Thanks you guys for your patience and all the great help.

[Quentin Harley]

All the 12mm parts are marked as such. All the parts are numbered – look for the duplicates with the same number, but stating 12mm.

[pumpkinwaffle]

I was actually referring to the hardware parts like the threaded rods, the ball bearings and such..

[Quentin Harley]

For the hardware, the only items that change is 12mm rod in stead of the 8mm ones, and 2 LM12UU bearings in stead of 4 LM8UU

Everything else remains the same.

[pumpkinwaffle]

Oh fair enough,

Somehow I thought that whole 12mm would have more of an impact on the hardware, that’ll good then.

Thanks

[hoff70]

Ramps set looks OK although chinese ramps can be a crap shoot. Friend had a transistor soldered into his backwards and it popped! Same goes with Mega clones.

I don’t want to discourage you but it’s something to consider.

The BOM calls for DRV8825 drivers on the X and Y so you’ll need to pick some of them up which will add to the total cost.

Yea, it does look complicated but when it’s done and you’ve sorted it all out it’ll seem easy \o/

I run an SD card reader/LCD but you don’t need it starting out. It can also make things more complicated because it’s something else to configure in firmware and another possible area to have to troubleshoot… You can always get the machine printing without it and add it in the future once you’re more familiar with things.

I’d say pick up a RAMPS 1.4 set, a mega and some drivers. Maybe 3 of each type in case one is a dud or you burn one up 😐 Having extras is fun because you can run about any stepper with a Pololu and an Arduino if you like tinkering!

Pre made wires are also nice. Get a set of wires with female header pins on the end as well. 4 leads for motors and 2 leads for stops. I ended up with 3 leads but just trimmed one wire off for the 2 leads. Pretty cheap and well worth it!

I’ve used a J-head clone before and it was a dud 🙁 They seem to be a crapshoot as well… I’d say spend the extra for a genuine from hotends.com. It may prevent a lot of frustration in the future. Your printer is only going to be as good as the nozzle.

I used 3/4″ plywood for my wood parts. I don’t think I’d want to go any thinner than 1/2″ just because of stability.

Hope this helps a little! And good luck!

[Quentin Harley]

I have been using some Chinese ramps and lcd displays, but ipon genuine Arduino megas, and they seem fine… Be sure to check it out before you buy, if you can of course.

The hotend is one of the most important pieces of hardware… Get a proper J-Head if you want a good one. E3D hotends are also bulding up a good reputation, especially when working with PLA.

Q

[mk3v]

Hi !!

I think the kit on DX is OK but you’ll need 1/32 ustepping drivers.
I bought them on reprapworld.com, I chose the stepsticks and I use one of them for each motor.

Otherwise the funduino is OK the red ramps and the LCD also.

But be carefull with their J-Head, you should also take one from reprapworld.

And for the motors, search for wantai motors on eBay, they can be shipped from germany and they have good 400 steps motors.

Good luck !!
K

[pumpkinwaffle]

So much support and feedback, thanks guys! 🙂

I think I should definitely opt for a good quality hot end probably with .5 and .35 nozzles for versatility (In the end I’m aiming at the finest detail possible, print time isn’t an issue).

Budget being what it is I’m going to have to go with the cheap fundiuno/ramps set but I’ll make sure to check everything before firing it up.

[Earsmith]

I use a .35 on my Makergear M2 and the print quality is nothing less than outstanding.

[DragoslaV]

I got mine from here. It was 8,- GBP shipping cost to sent it to the Netherlands, I think this will be the same for you. Total cost was +/- 16 euro.

[Quentin Harley]

The Alpen drill bits are made in Austria…

More info about that here…
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:75682

Because the wheels are smooth, I did not specify the belt to use. If possible, get some T2 16 teeth pulleys, with 1.5m belt to match. The belts are only used on the two drive wheels. Z is driven by the lead screw drill bit alone.

[pumpkinwaffle]

Thanks for pointing out where to get the SDS! I had definitely underestimated the availability and cost of a lot of the vitamins.

My mistake regarding the timing belts, I mistook the pulleys (2 listed) for the belts. The BOM calls for T2.5 pulleys, are T2 pulleys actually better suited?

Well that’s nearly all the vitamins ordered, I should be able to put the “shell” together pretty soon!

[Quentin Harley]

You don’t need the SDS drill bit… but you want it. It is not cheap, but compared to fast lead screws it is very, very inexpensive.

If you want you could use threaded rod. A lot cheaper, but with the slow speed, and possible Z-artifacts associated with it.

[pumpkinwaffle]

There’s something beautiful about using a drill bit for the z drive. I can see how you’d get better performance with it than a threaded rod.

Either ways threaded rods are quite expansive in France, I don’t mind spending 16€ on a drill bit when a threaded rod would be 10€.

Now let’s play the waiting for the postman game 🙂

[Quentin Harley]

What kind of threaded rod is that expensive?

[hfisselier]

Hi pumpkinwaffle !

I will build a Morgan too. I’m a french guy in Perpignan. Could we exchange email to discuss about the project without disturb this discussion (and in French).

Thanks a lot

[pumpkinwaffle]

Indeed threaded rods are actually closer to 7€, I guess last shop I visited was way overpriced. I’ve never come across them for 2€, then again, I don’t have a access to a big DIY store.

Either ways the drill bit is already ordered and I bought some threaded rods. It’s about waiting for things to get here.

I’ll resume printing the parts when the holidays are over. With a bit of luck I should have everything done by july.

hfisselier Je pourrais t’aider avec plaisir, bien que pour l’instant je n’en suis qu’au stade de collecte des matériaux. J’ai déjà fait quelques recherches surtout au niveau de l’électronique. Le reste semble juste être une question d’assemblage. Par contre pour ce qui est de la calibration ça reste a voir 🙂

En tout cas tu trouveras mon email ici:
http://pumpkinwaffle.net/contact.html

Si tu as besoin d’un coup de main n’hésite pas!

[DragoslaV]

First off good luck with your build 🙂

But I do want to let anybody know that comes for info that you can find it under €2:

i.e. http://www.ebay.fr/itm/TIGE-FILETEE-POUR-COLLIER-M8-M10-Dim-M8-125-/171231573863

[mk3v]

Salut les gars !!

Actually, you can find stainless threaded rods in shops like Leroy Merlin for a few € per meter.

But I think I will try the drill bit or this kind of lead screw :

http://openbuildspartstore.com/8mm-metric-lead-screw-acme/

The standard M8 nuts can’t run as lead screw nuts for a very long time. The first I used died quickly, and I hope it was just because it was a bad one.

Good luck…

K

[pumpkinwaffle]

Alright guys!

I’ve got all the printed parts, I’m lasercutting the platform next week, and I’m about to order the last few things I’m missing.

Out of the whole list there are only two items that I am still unsure about.

Regarding the hot end the J-heads are pretty tough to find in france, I’m also strongly considering a e3D hotend, they sound pretty good on paper (and were recommended to me already).
Would an E3D hot end be compatible with the morgan out of the box?
http://e3d-online.com/E3D-v5/v5-Full-Kit/E3D-V5-3mm-Bowden-All-Metal-HotEnd

Otherwise if some has a link for a shop in europe selling genuine J heads it would help. E3D are a little on the expansive side.

Last but not least I don’t know where to find the universal build plate. I understand it’s lasercut but is it simply made out of wood? Or if it should be metal can it be bought somewhere online?

[pumpkinwaffle]

One last thing to consider is the stepper driver.

I plan on using only nema 17 0.9degrees for the sake of simply buying one bulk.

I was going to with those:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221412335628?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

I don’t know if they are the right choice. Hoff70 had one dud which isn’t so bad I suppose, although I’m yet to figure out what the modifications he did to them actually do.

[hoff70]

Check out my build thread about the E3D, I’m about to post some pics. No experience with E3D personally but several experienced people I trust swear that they are the greatest thing ever \o/ These aren’t bowden setups though but from what I understand the E3D doesn’t require much retraction so I have my fingers crossed.

You can also see my build plate solution on my build thread. I should have my heated plate next week so I’ll post some pics.

[pumpkinwaffle]

Well that’s all the parts ordered. I’ll be missing a couple of screws, rods and pipes but I’ll get that by the time the parts arrive.

I’ll be sure to post updates on the build. Excitement is at its peak 8)

[hoff70]

Were you going to use a heated bed? I’d recommend going with one now because you’re going to want one eventually!

[hoff70]

Damn 🙁 I’d double check and make sure my printed parts are correct dimensions. There are files for 8mm and 10mm (I think) rods so that may have gotten crossed up as well.

I’m interested in the acetone transfer stuff if you care to elaborate.

[pumpkinwaffle]

I think there’s something wrong with the lasercut platform. I did not scale any of the printed parts and the pvc pipes’ caps fit perfectly.
However once the caps are on the platform the pipes cross and I can’t fit the four.

Could someone send me the files they used for cutting their platforms? I’d like to double check but I’m pretty sure the problem comes from the platform.

As for acetone transfer it’s really simple you print a black and white image with a laser printer (mirrored) then put it face down on the wood sprinkle acetone on it and rub, and the ink should transfer.

It’s a really simple method but it gives a great used look, it would be brilliant with your steampunk design 🙂

[pumpkinwaffle]

I double checked with the original (mk1) lasercutting files and the holes for the pvc pipes match.

I don’t know why it doesn’t fit, I double checked my pvc pipes they have a 32mm outside diameter.

I double checked their length which is right as well, I tried different configurations of cap orders and pipe placement it just doesn’t fit, there’s a good 5cms missing for the 4th pipe to line up.

[hoff70]

Thanks for the toner transfer tips!

You may be OK on your pipes. They do kind of “wrap around” each other which makes the structure rigid.

I didn’t have any luck bolting my end caps to the wood and doing assembly. I assembled the caps onto the tubes and placed the bolts thru. I also epoxied the nuts into the end caps to hold them in place.

Perhaps you could get away with just dropping the bolt thru the remaining cap and leave the other bolts in place? That would save you some time and aggravation.

[hoff70]

Oh yea, the build is looking sweet!

[Quentin Harley]

Yes… They do wrap around each other. It needs a bit of force to get it to fit.

The original frame design had no wrapping, and it wiggled so much my dad called it the jelly Morgan…

So exiting to see Morgans sprouting all over the world!

[hoff70]

I too love the design! Poetic is a good description.

Glad you got the tubes worked out \o/ And I like the etching on your plates! Please sand the lettering off the tubes or paint them or something 😀 Your build is looking sweet so keep it clean. Don’t know why but that bugs the crap out of me…

I’m still thinking about an acetone transfer, just not sure where or what 😀

[Quentin Harley]

I wipe the lettering off with a rag and some acetone. Quick and easy

[Quentin Harley]

For the production morgans we are going with V6… ordered 40 a few days ago!

The threaded rod should always be 8 (fits in the 608 bearings)

[Eujean]

Hi Quentin, where in South Africa could I get the V6?

[Quentin Harley]

I am going to import quite a couple soon. Your best bet at the moment is to actually order from e3d directly.
http://www.e3d-online.com
Shipping even with Royal mail is quick, and they cost slightlt more than the J-head knock-off hot-ends sold locally.

They are worth every penny though…

[pumpkinwaffle]

If you the consider the price and shipping cost of a genuine Jhead (came to about 50€ for me) the V6 is only 20€ more for a fan cooled all metal hotend.

Say Quentin, I was wondering if it would be possible to implement a direct feed rather than bowden on the morgan? My guess is that the motor would be too heavy but I sure would like to be able to print flexible plastics 😉

[Quentin Harley]

Weight is a problem.

There are flexibles that do not compress well, which should work fine with bowden.

I have a test roll that i will try and let you know.

[pumpkinwaffle]

Figured it would be an issue, printing flexible plastics isn’t my main priority though.

On a side note I was going over the printed parts, starting to assemble as I acquire screws and I realized the toolhead is not compatible with the e3d v6. The V6 is too short, as shown in the pictures:

As you can see the hotend is too short to be held by the screws like it’s meant to. I was wondering if you could redesign the toolhead to hold the e3d v6 and match the height the Jhead would have, in order not to have to change anything else on the build?

I can try to do it if you can give me some measurements but I’m not quite at ease yet with 3d modeling with scale.

[Quentin Harley]

It seems you printed the second version… which is for long hotends like the ones you can get from Printrbot.

Use the first version. It works correctly.
I will make another version for the V6 direct bowden mount hotends.

I think I will remove mk2… a bit confusing.

[pumpkinwaffle]

I printed the mkII indeed I didn’t know what hotend i was going to use at the time I figured it was a structural improvement. I’ll print the mkI.

So the one to print is the 21-Morgan_toolhead.stl right?

https://github.com/qharley/Morgan/blob/master/stl/21-Morgan_toolhead.stl

I don’t think there’s need to remove the mkII just list what hotend each toolhead is compatible with.

[Quentin Harley]

Removed already. It was a bad idea anyway…

Thanks for reminding me to it

[pumpkinwaffle]

Well this build sure is taking its sweet time, however I’m finally back with some updates 🙂

Staying true to my finances I decided to build a Ramps 1.4/smart LCD controller box in a true RepStrap style, with anything that was lying around, here we go.

The first thing I wanted was a a really sturdy design without anything flopping about when pressing a button. Since I had a lot hardboard from frames collected in the street I decided to go with it for the build.

I had to tailor the supports of the screen to be really snug and precise

The LCD has support on both front and back

The back is a box that holds the Ramps 1.4 with easy LCD connection, the arduino is on a little plate that slides into place.

Finally there’s two fans on the box, one with a dust filter that pushes air in, and one without a filter that pushes air out, it makes one crazy draft in there and should be in theory self cleaning.

The whole unit sits nicely on top of the power supply and will probably be bolted to it.

So there you go, a Ramp/smart controller box that’s pretty neat, costs absolutely nothing to make (wood, fans, and screws salvaged from the street) and has a bit of unique style to it.

I went a bit picture heavy on the post but I figured some might want to replicate it. If you have any questions fire away, if you need more photos of the build to replicate it let me know.

What do you guys think? 😉

Edit:

As for finishing the Morgan itself, I’m still 50-100€ short to buying everything I’m missing and the heated bed got lost during shipping, I probably won’t be printing for another month at least but I’m making progress. Now to tune the stepper drivers.

[Quentin Harley]

Good case. Extra space is mandatory for proper cooling.

I am rooting for you…
Q

[pumpkinwaffle]

Thanks Quentin!

I spent the afternoon yesterday fiddling with the stepper drivers, and even though I have 8 of them I couldn’t get a single motor to spin properly, it’s quite depressing.

I went and added the firmware (from your github) on the arduino, and hooked up the motors and pololus. I have both A4988 and dvr8825 (i’m using Nema 17 O.9° motors). Having placed the pololus properly on the shield (checked from successful build photos, it’s misleading how the dvr8825 go in backwards).

I fired up pronterface hoping to tune the potentiometer of the pololus. I was bitterly disappointed to say the least. Either I’m doing something completely wrong or I got 8 duds…
Only two pololus would make the motors shake somewhat uncontrollably (one of which without being told by pronterface) and the others wouldn’t do anything! These things also get really hot (the ones that make movement, the others stay cold), so hot you can’t touch the chip for more than a few seconds.

Now I’m aware these are meant, well they it’s normal for them to get hot, but after only a few seconds it doesn’t seem right. I tried to tweak the potentiometer on the “working” ones but it didn’t make much of a difference other than making the movement jerkier or plainly stopping it, tweaking would actually make the motor spazz back and forth. Also the potentiometer is free spinning, there doesn’t seem to a minimum or maximum, how much of a turn does it take to tune one? No matter how much I turn it doesn’t seem to make any difference.

Here’s the procedure so you guys can tell me right away if I did something wrong.

-Disable heated bed thermistor in frimware
-Disable endstops in firmware (comment #define ENDSTOPPULLUPS)
-With everything unplugged, set the pololus and motors
-plug in thermistor of the hot end (couldn’t get a temperature reading either, is there meant to be a way to plug it in? Then again I didn’t bother setting it up in firmware) Since I figured you can’t disable all the thermistors.
-plug in usb, connect with pronterface
-turn on the power supply

Sometimes when I send a move command the motors have a quick movement like maybe 2-3 steps in a go and then they stop. I’m clueless on this one.

Is there a way to test a pololu by other means like with a multimeter without ramps?
I tried to have a single pololu/motor at a time to narrow down the things that could cause problems, that didn’t help. I also read somewhere that you’re not meant to do that, is that true?

Since I’m using cheap stuff (dvr8825 from ebay, A4988 ramps and arduino from DX) it’s hard to pinpoint the issue, not that I would know anyway. The arduino seems to be working fine, screen controller works too.
Should I ask the seller for new pololus or did I somehow fry them?

Seems like this build is suffering from delay after delay but I’m not giving up!

By the way Quentin I read the thread on SCARA Kinematics and CPU-Performance, truly facing stuff going on there, sadly my knowledges is limited to understanding what you guys are on about and I don’t have what the skills to be of any help but it’s nice to see the energy being put into it. When I finish my Morgan I’d be happy to help testing 😉

[Quentin Harley]

Measure the voltage on the pot as your turn it. I attach one multimeter probe to the screwdriver and the other to gnd.

You want about 0.7 volt on each for a start… No more! It sounds like you get over-temperature protection kicking in.

Also, inserting the drivers correctly is critical. Easiest way is to check the bottom and make sure the side with labels A1 A2 B2 B1 is facing the connector going to the motor. This is true for all types.

It could also be that you wired the motors wrong. Not a problem, no damage to be expected in that case.
With the multimeter, find two wires that have a low resistance, typically 4 or similar ohm. Wrong combination should be open circuit. They form a coil. They should be on one side of the plug, and the other two wires on the other side of the plug.

Lets see!
Q

[pumpkinwaffle]

A bit of a slow answer on part I’m afraid life has been rather eventful on my side in the last few weeks.

So firstly I haven’t tested the drivers again as I am not quite sure I understood the procedure. If I am right I have to turn ramps on with the driver and motor plugged in and measure the voltage when it turns on, using this setup?

Is this the right way to measure voltage of the driver?

As for the motor itself, it would seem indeed that it wasn’t wired up properly, surprisingly enough matching the colors to those of the extension wire I bought of ebay wasn’t enough 😀

From fiddling around with the multimeter I’m left once again with rather puzzling answers. I don’t get 4ohms of any combinations. I only seem to get 1.6ohms out of two combinations.

black & green

blue & red

other combinations give a 0. If i understand right I should have the colors in this sequence (BLACK-GREEN-BLUE-RED)?

[Quentin Harley]

Hi there!

Good work. Yes, voltage measured just like that, except that i normally use my small screwdriver as the positive probe so that i can measure while i adjust.

Your wire order as you deducted is correct. 1.6ohm is not unusual. When you start it up the first time the motor rotation my be the wrong way around. Swap either blue-red or black-green to make the motor spin the other way around if necessary.

Time for the final push…
Q

[pumpkinwaffle]

Hello Blaze 1

Thank you for the advice, it helps quite a bit. I was thinking of building the electronics last. I’m pretty handy with building anything. The only thing I’m less comfortable with is soldering (not that I can’t do it but I haven’t done a lot of it yet).

The main parts I was wondering about were where to get the electronics and motors really. There’s many deals on ebay but I don’t know how reliable they are and I’d like to avoid knockoffs and problems that usually come with them.

For example, the step motors, I found five 0.9 step motors for 65€ (I guess using four 0.9 is less of a problem than four 1.8). Sounds like a good deal to me but I’m not very electronics savvy…

http://www.ebay.fr/itm/5PC-Schrittmotor-Wantai-Nema17-Stepper-Motor-0-9-42BYGHM809-4000g-cm-48mm-1-7A-/221370793805?pt=Motoren_Getriebe&hash=item338aba3f4d

[mk3v]

Hi,

It’s pretty simple, you’ll juste have to configure the firmware due to the hardware you chose :

https://github.com/qharley/Marlin/tree/armlevel

You’ll have to load the firmware with the Arduino software available on the official arduino website.

Then you’ll be able to connect your electronics to your PC with these softs :

http://koti.kapsi.fi/~kliment/printrun/

Actually, I think pronterface is the only easy way to do the calibration…

And the others softs are to make the G-codes (slicer, and you can also download Cura…).

At the beginning I was not sure about all the wiring an d I found this belgium wiki for another printer which is good if you wish to use a RAMPS board :

http://mchobby.be/wiki/index.php?title=3D-OrdBot-Ramps

with this for testing purpose :

http://3dnotepad.blogspot.fr/2013/10/test-des-ramps.html

Have fun !!

[pumpkinwaffle]

So I’ve finally started and printed the first part of the list in my school.

I first tried to print in PLA but sadly enough they have a bad batch of it so in the end I has to go with ABS.

Has anyone made a mogran out ABS so far? I prints nicely on my school’s makerbot however I’m worried the flex in some key pieces like the arms would cause trouble.

Here’s the piece itself:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6lox7w7vpfvzix5/IMG_20140410_175535.jpg

And the flex that’s worrying me:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ie4wfxuube9o9gk/IMG_20140410_175557.jpg

I’m going to continue printing tomorrow so any input would be greatly appreciated. For the moment I’m sticking to pieces like mounts and such as I believe flex is less of an issue for those.

[pumpkinwaffle]

Well you sure are quick 🙂

I only managed to print one piece of the morgan today (z mount top) as another student made a 7 hours long print, of course being for a project related to school work he had priority, but I’m in no rush and I’ll continue printing next week.

I did pick the mk2 motormounts seeing in the blogpost that they solved some issues with the morgan. I’m also going with 12mm pieces.

In the end the platforms will be made out of wood on my build, as nice as plexligass would be the prices made me jump out of my chair.

I’m hoping to have the hardware part the machine finished by the end of the month, and the rest will come depending on my student’s budget. Hopefully I’ll have done before summer so that I can use all that spare time away from school printing 😀

[pumpkinwaffle]

I’m considering ordering a few things soon, any change someone could tell me if these are the right parts/prices?

This seems like a pretty sweet deal, although there is little details on the stepper drivers:
http://www.dx.com/p/funduino-3d-ramps-1-4-3d-control-board-set-red-304187#.U1EEnFdTo1J

Now sure nozzle sizes are a matter of taste and experimenting but would 4mm be a good in size to start with? It seems a bit pricey for a j head, anyone know where I could get a better deal?
http://www.dx.com/p/diy-3d-printer-reprap-j-head-mkiv-mkv-hot-end-nozzle-multicolored-0-4mm-100cm-cable-244712#.U1EFHldTo1I

There so many places to get parts and so many variations on them it’s really tough to make a choice without experience ^^

Oh and one last thing, I haven’t seen any information regarding the thickness of the wood for the platform. Logic is telly me it doesn’t truly matter but still, is there a preferred thickness?

[pumpkinwaffle]

Well that’s just amazing! The detail on such a small scale is truly impressive.

I’ve been hunting down more parts and once again I’m back with some questions.

While the timing belts T2.5 are self explanatory, after them on the BOM is mentioned Timing belt without any detail, looking at the assembly guide I don’t see a third timing belt used so I’m quite puzzled about it. Is it actually needed, and if so what measurements and where to use it?

I’m also having a bit of a hard time with the Lead screw 330m Alpen8mmSDS. From what I understand It’s a drill bit (seen on some videos of morgan) but it’s displayed as a threaded rod in the reprap magazine assembly guide. If anyone could point me towards an ebay link for one (shipping to europe preferred) I would greatly appreciate it.

[DragoslaV]

Stainless thread rod maybe? Mine was under €2 and bought at the local construction store.

Also regardless of the drill bit, you still need a threaded rod for the wheel to the arm distribution.

[pumpkinwaffle]

Thanks for the answer, I too have great hopes for the e3d. From what I’ve read it grants finer results with PLA but is a bit trickier to get right. It’s also a bit taller but that can easily be solved by making the copper pipe/threaded rod longer. I’ll hold off buying it until I get an opinion on it from you.

Defects on cheap ebay parts are to be expected but as you get more of them I suppose it’ll even out, sadly enough in france there are few shops to get parts from and they’re all way more expansive than ebay. I might place on order from a shop in the US but I’m worried import fees will be a killer.

I must have missed that article on the drivers, awesome to see they can improved!

It’s nice to see the build platform can be handmade and doesn’t require exactness, 100€ for a pre made one is plain ridiculous.

Turns out I’m going to be making two morgans, a friend will help my acquire the parts for the first one, in order to print the second one. 😀

Any chance you could send me the blueprint of your build platform?

edit:
Just realized the e3d v6 is out, I’m sold, it looks simply amazing. I doubt the direct extruder would work on the morgan but once the printer is actually put together I might look into implementing it. Printing flexible plastics would be pretty cool.

[pumpkinwaffle]

I went with a heated bed, thanks for the advice.

At first I was considering not using one to take the cost down but since I’m making a morgan for a friend I’m going to need to print ABS.

I got the platform lasercut yesterday but there seems to be an issue with some of the holes. The Z mount holes are offset.

Not that it’s a big problem to make new holes by hand but if it could be fixed for the next person to build a morgan it’d be nice. There’s offset on both halves of the platform.

Platform is a nice 18mm compressed wood, might do an laser printer/acetone ink transfer on it 😀

[pumpkinwaffle]

Makes sense, I guess I was worried of snapping the printed parts, they’re actually quite tough!

So far the build is making steady progress. I am one part away from having the complete set, however the last part (08 drivewheel tube) won’t print properly, which has to do with my school’s printer. Should be solved soon however.

I received the nema 17 this morning, I’m still waiting on many bearing and screws from ebay but overall it’s taking shape nicely.

I have to say Quentin I’m falling in love with the design of the Morgan. I find it a very poetic approach to 3D printing.

I was thinking it would be great, as a part of the website, to have a map of the world with a dot for all the morgans. Possibly with a photo of the build and contact info of the person, so if someone nearby wants to build one we can help them out.

[pumpkinwaffle]

The doorbell is starting to ring every day or two with a package for me, such a great feeling.

Anyway I’m making progress on the build. Yesterday I received and assembled my E3D V6 hotend, I tested the thermistor with a multimeter and the value changes with temperature so I think I didn’t mess it up.

I have to say the hotend seems to be of really good quality, much smaller than I expected but overall really nice indeed. It has a reassuring snug fit in the tool head and since the V6 is shorter than the V5 I don’t think there will be any adjustment to be made on the morgan.

The assembly of the hotend was extremely simple, it’s like every single detail was though of, no need to force anything, no tape, everything is tightened with screws and the ptfe tubing is provided.

Assembly wise I’d recommend it to anyone, as for performance/morgan compatibility I’ll report on that as soon as my build is finished.

I’m yet to receive the adruino/ramps so there’s not much more I can do for the moment.

One little question however, as I am making the 12mm build I got the bearings and smooth rods accordingly, however I’m not sure if the threaded rod should be 8 or 12mm

[pumpkinwaffle]

Here’s a crude drawing with measurements of the e3d v6 in millimeters.

Knowing that the diameter of the hole in the tool is just right I didn’t measure diameter.

[Author]

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