Morgan build Ellaville Ga. US

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    • #823
      hoff70
      Participant

      Hello all!

      I’m currently working on a build in the US. This will be my 2nd RepRap and I’m more excited about this one because I’ll be printing my own parts!

      I’ll update as I progress. Currently gathering stuff and studying the drawings.

      Here’s my Rostock printing parts for Morgan:

      And thanks again Mr. Harley!

    • #825
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      It is magic to see a whole robot created from raw materials to a fully productive desktop factory.

      Best of luck, and thanks for your willingness to help out with the SAE stuff.

      Q

    • #857
      hoff70
      Participant

      A little progress:

      parts

      As you can see I’m mostly printing/gathering parts. I have the build platform almost together and have assembled the tube/wheel/arm portion. I’m awaiting some bearings via mail and then I need to round up the bolts and washers.

      I have been studying the 9 degree steppers and what drivers will be required. The small stepper in the picture is for the extruder I plan on using. It’s very small and light and I was thinking about mounting it on the head instead of using the bowden arrangement. Not sure if it would work out or not… Just an idea.

      I also made a board for Gen 7 electronics. I’m not sure if it will be any cheaper than mega/ramps but I’ve been wanting to do it so we’ll see how it goes!

    • #891
      hoff70
      Participant

      Well, the parts bin is growing!

      parts

      Still waiting on some mail order parts.

    • #902
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      Looks pretty!

      I quite like the silver…

    • #903
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      PS: if using gen 7, be sure to use the biggest processor you can get. I have been running RAMPS but will be using OpenHardware.co.za electronics based on Sanguinololu and Gen7 inspiration on my next build.

    • #1029
      hoff70
      Participant

      Thought I’d update with a picture:

      morgan rostock

      That’s a mock-up of the center column. It’s hard to get a scale of things until they start going together. She’s gonna be a pretty big machine!

    • #1044
      hoff70
      Participant

      Frame is about done:

      morgan frame

      I haven’t glued the caps on yet because I may need to trim them a bit to get everything level and run the wires.

      Q, have you considered cross-bolting the PVC together to prevent any torsion type movement or do you think it’s overkill?

      Thanks for a great design! It’s much sturdier than I expected!

    • #1046
      hoff70
      Participant

      A bit more progress before beginning a busy weekend:

      frame1

      How does one upload an avatar? I’ve looked really hard and cannot figure it out…

    • #1048
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      The frame is so stable precisely because it is so hard to draw on a cad. The pipes stress around each other, causing it to be much more stable than the pipes itself.

      My prototype is not glued in, and I am carrying it around by the top platform…

      Cross bolting might weaken the pipes. You are welcome to try, but it is not necessary.

      For avatars, get yourself a Gravatar account using the same email address you used to regester on my forums. Whenever you sign into a blog using that email address, your avatar pulls through automagically!

    • #1056
      hoff70
      Participant

      Thanks Q! I guess I assembled it correctly because the PVC pipes are indeed stressed around one another. Perhaps 1″ deflection when “un-sprung”

      It looks like I’ll have to move the top platform forward a bit because the Z bracket appears as if it will hit the front PVC legs. Everything is level and square so I imagine it will be a simple job of adjusting the top plate fastening points a bit.

      Friggin’ brilliant how the drive tubes stay square with the linear slides \o/ I don’t expect this machine to be very “fiddly” once set up and calibrated. Seems like it’s going to be a really solid tank-like printer.

      I’m excited to say the least!

    • #1114
      hoff70
      Participant

      Not much going on because I’m waiting on some parts. Printed these out for leveling: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:9929

      feet

      I tried 3 of them but it’s not really steady enough. Guess I need to print another…

      I also mocked up my Z motor location:

      z motor

      But it looks really close to the copper tube. I’ll have to check it out when my 8mm rods come in. It may just be close because I’m using Roberts ball-screw bracket.

    • #1119
      hoff70
      Participant

      Not much going on because the rostock is undergoing some upgrades.

      Sometimes the RepRap serves us, sometimes we serve the RepRap :O

      Made a build platform from some 2.5mm aluminum:

      build platform

      I left a tang at the center front because some of the new HBPs have 3 leveling screws instead of the 4.

    • #1120
      hoff70
      Participant

      Meant to add a picture of the bottom:

      build platform

      Great design the way it just snaps in place! Still need to add the 2nd screws to the rear bracket.

      Yea it’s a street sign… Most of the frame materials have been scrounged which I believe is in the best tradition of RepRapping!

    • #1157
      hoff70
      Participant

      Another picture update.

      A pic of Z assembly:

      z assy

      And where I’m at in build:

      build

      I still have some general fitment and fidgeting to do but it’s progress!

    • #1158
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      Looking good!

    • #1159
      hoff70
      Participant

      Thanks Q!

      Mounting the Z stepper has a few challenges with the thick wood because of clearances and mounting the coupler.

      Mine:

      z motor

      The coupler can be mounted to the motor and then dropped into the hole.

    • #1160
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      Great idea! It is tricky enough to mount the coupler even on the much thinner aluminium plate. Since special cuts cost nothing more using laser, I will update the DXF soon.

    • #1161
      hoff70
      Participant

      I tried using the file that someone had sliced into 4 “tiles” and didn’t have much luck with it. Maybe I was doing something wrong 🙁 2 of the “tiles” worked fine but I couldn’t get the others to match up…

      I think I’ve worked it out but a simple to print template in PDF or something would be nice for future Morganites! Maybe 4 sheets with index marks?

      Anyway, I have high hopes for this printer! So far everything is going together well and she seems like she’s going to be a sturdy machine!

      Thanks again for the work you have put into this project and your ongoing efforts \o/

      Oh yea, I have never had much luck with my rostock/bowden without a fan on the hot end fins (j head) I notice you don’t run one and have no problems. Any input?

    • #1168
      hoff70
      Participant

      Progress for this week:

      wood

      I got everything tweaked and true and then took the machine apart for some finish work. I painted the PVC pipes with some black spray paint made for plastic and I’m going to let it cure for a few days before messing with them.

      Got a wild hair and decided to fool with engine turning the base plate… Almost all of the exposed screws are brass which I think look pretty spiffy!

      Also got some ABS in the mail (goldish/brown) so I should have the tool holder printed next week.

    • #1181
      hoff70
      Participant

      Well, going into another busy weekend I’ll leave Morgan here:

      morgan

      I couldn’t find any clear pics of what’s going on under Morgans skirt so I shot this in the hopes that it may help others:

      motor coupling

      That’s the Z stepper coupler and a smooth rod instead of a lead screw. Still need to get a hardened 8mm rod for that.

      I also need to think about where to mount the electrics and LCD while maintaining the clean look. I’m leaning towards putting the power supply and RAMPS under the base but I can’t settle on a place for the switch/LCD.

    • #1184
      hoff70
      Participant

      Couldn’t stand it and decided to mess with Morgan some more before bed 🙂

      arms

    • #1185
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      I am so jealous… what a beautiful build so far!

      I do have another piece of plywood in the garage… When I have the farm up and running…

    • #1194
      hoff70
      Participant

      Thanks Q! Your kind words are very encouraging! I think it’s an absolutely fantastic looking machine! The looks have a lot more to do with the clean design and aesthetics than some wood stain and spray paint though.

      Any input on where to put the LCD? I’m going to try hard to hide the wiring and keep it clean according to your original design goals.

    • #1197
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      I would place the machine sideways, so that the reel of filament and extruder faces the user. The lcd controller can go onto the closest front leg of the lower platform.

    • #1199
      hoff70
      Participant

      So it shall be done \o/

      Perhaps someone wants to design a printable LCD enclosure? I have this LCD on my Rostock and it’s pretty easy to configure and works well:

      http://reprap.org/wiki/RAMPS_1.3/1.4_GADGETS3D_Shield_with_Panel

    • #1202
      RobertKuhlmann
      Participant
    • #1220
      hoff70
      Participant

      Thanks guys. I have a similar rectangular box on my Rostock so I’ll probably go that route and mount it on one of the legs like you suggested Q.

      I got my ABS in and had a failure here:

      fail

      Seems the hot end I’ve been patching up over and over finally gave up the ghost 🙁 so I have another on the way.

      Oh well, at least I’ll have the dead j-head for doing the final mechanical clearance checks etc. on Morgan…

    • #1221
      RobertKuhlmann
      Participant

      @hoff70: You need to correct your camera-clock – urgent. 😉

    • #1222
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      Time travel is a wonderful thing. We get to see what he is doing next year already!

    • #1225
      hoff70
      Participant

      You guys haven’t built Arduino time machines yet?

    • #1227
      RobertKuhlmann
      Participant

      Just came back from my 6th-generations-Morgan meeting. Morgan V told me, he feels alright after recovering from a cold last week.

    • #1234
      hoff70
      Participant

      Still a lot more show than go but I’m making a little progress:

      morgan reprap

    • #1235
      Ron Hunt
      Participant

      Your build looks great!

      Cheers!

    • #1243
      hoff70
      Participant

      Thanks Ron. Your build is very inspiring as well!

    • #1246
      hoff70
      Participant

      A link to my little blog on letsmakerobots.com :

      http://letsmakerobots.com/node/38437

      Several 3D printer folks there and soon to be another Morganite!

    • #1248
      hoff70
      Participant

      Got bored and made a toner transfer plaque:

      plaque

      Turned out pretty cool for a first time I think. I may experiment with this some more…

    • #1254
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      A lot of love going into this project…

      Can’t wait for it to start printing!

    • #1258
      hoff70
      Participant

      Yes Q, I’m having a good time building it! I’m trying to make a spiffy looking machine out of respect for the work you’ve done, plus maybe others will think it’s cool looking and decide to build one themselves \o/ Tis the absolute neatest looking reprap species by far 🙂

      I too am excited about printing. I’m shooting for the end of November!

    • #1263
      hoff70
      Participant

      I think the LCD will go here:

      lcd

      Not sure if it’ll be in the way of the spool holder or not. If so I guess I’ll place the spool on the “rear” of the machine. The SD card slips into the left side of the LCD box so it would probably be a pain to get to on the other side of the supports.

    • #1269
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      The spool might interfere..

      I am thinking of placing it here:
      Lcd

    • #1275
      hoff70
      Participant

      I think I like this better:

      panel

      Glad I thought of it 😀

    • #1346
      hoff70
      Participant

      Not very sexy but PSU came in:

      PSU

      Chinese 20A deal. About $25 on ebay in case anyone is wondering. I imagine it will go beneath the machine.

    • #1531
      hoff70
      Participant

      Not much going on here. Got some HE sensors and magnets plus waiting on wires and RAMPS.

      Did print eckstruder though:

      eckstruder

      I know it looks rough but I’ve been fooling with a 1mm nozzle for fast printing. Printing all the extruder parts took less than 2 hours. I’m hoping the gears will work OK.

    • #1532
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      Gears should be fine, especially with the latest advances in Slic3r development. The option to limit retraction to perimeter crossings only really helps to curb wear and noise.

      I am all for high layer height printing for structural pieces, and I am sure the 1mm nozzle lends itself to it very nicely.

    • #1533
      hoff70
      Participant

      Yes Quentin, I was surprised at how well it works! I’m still fidgeting with the settings a bit so I believe there is a touch more quality to be gained.

      Interestingly, it seemed to alleviate almost all the warping/delaminating problems that ABS has been giving me. The first layers stick like glue! The layers are extremely strong and I even did some destructive testing trying (unsuccessfully) to delaminate some parts with wire cutters.

      It also prints incredibly fast! The extruder body took less than an hour and the big gear was about 15 minutes. It’s one of the reasons I’m excited about a dual head machine. One could have a standard .4mm or so nozzle for delicate work and a 1mm for really rapid prototyping \o/

      Or perhaps the large nozzle for infill and the small one for the shell…

    • #1534
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      Another idea i had for multiple tool-heads on Morgan looks similar to the tool-changers found on the old plotters. Remember the grabby penholders that would mechanically act as pick or drop, depending on which side had the pen at the time?

      I remember spending hours just looking on in fascination while the plotter did its thing.

      I would love to have a couple of heads off arm, just waiting to be picked up.

    • #1535
      RobertKuhlmann
      Participant

      That would make sense, because the mass of the toolhead would stay low, while the double-head-idea doubles the mass of the toolhead.

      I’d prefer a solution that keeps the moved masses as small as possible.

    • #1538
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      It will be a bit of a challenge to make it stable enough for 3d printing.

      I do like a challenge…

    • #1540
      hoff70
      Participant

      Perhaps magnets.

    • #1541
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      Perhaps I can combine the two concepts…

      Thanks for the reminder!

    • #1542
      hoff70
      Participant

      Another project \o/

      So how’s the farm coming Q?

    • #1544
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      slowly…

      • #1572
        hoff70
        Participant

        Parts availability life interfering or what? Just curious because I’m excited about you getting the farm up and running!

    • #1578
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      Life… We had an annual audit at work. Keeps you going 😉

    • #3081
      hoff70
      Participant

      Well, I have been away for a bit tinkering with other things but I am ready to finish this machine \o/

      I received my 400 step motors last week and I believe the only parts left are some drivers and a Mega board.

      From the catching up I’ve done it looks like DRV8825’s are still the recommended drivers? I was just going to run them on all Axis if there wouldn’t be any problems…

      I’ve been messing with GRBL and some stray steppers/drivers so I want some extra drivers around for messing with.

      Thanks in advance!

    • #3085
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      Yes, 8825 still driver of choice – with the fast decay mod of course…

      It’s time for your machine to start living!

      Q

    • #3089
      hoff70
      Participant

      Yes it is Q! I’ll order the drivers this evening.

      I have a friend who is also building a Morgan and we are about even in our progress as of now so I’m getting re-energized \o/

      Any plans for an auto-level probe setup on Morgan? I was just wondering because I have it set up on my Rostock and I know the Delta/Scara firmwares are similar. I haven’t used it enough to comment on how well it works yet…

    • #3093
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      I am investigating the auto-level probe for morgan. The only disadvantage for me at the moment is that I will have to implement it into the firmware myself, since Morgan Marin has forked off too far.

      Perhaps I need to bribe somebody to merge my code into marlin head…

    • #3105
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      I am playing around with touchless sensors. The main issue with morgan is that the rotating head makes it hard to use a mechanical sensor. There is nowhere for it to go.

    • #3125
      hoff70
      Participant

      I like the pressure switches under the bed as well! Sure would be neat to incorporate a single sensor into the hotend holder some way…

    • #3133
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      I tried the pressure sensors, but could not find a way to get it repeatable enough. Needs to be perfect…

    • #3157
      hoff70
      Participant

      I ordered these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/221412335628?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

      plus a Mega. I’m thinking that’ll about be it for parts.

      I have 2 of these for X,Y motors: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10846

      That plus GT2 belt and 20 tooth pulleys.

      Figured I’d add those links to help folks round up parts.

      Cool that you’ve experimented with the pressure sensors Q. Shame that they don’t seem to be a good option 🙁

      Seems that having the actual hot end “touch off” on the bed would be the best thing but it’s a tricky problem…

      Curious, did you try the sensors under the bed or something else?

    • #3169
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      I did not use sensors under the bed, because the heatbed would not play nicely with it. I made a pressure pad that goes between the head and the bed.

    • #3625
      hoff70
      Participant

      Well, time to update! I’ve recently overhauled my other printer so it’s back to Morgan!

      Here’s my HE endstop assembly:

      endstop

      Mocked up:

      endstops

      Motors mounted and belts mocked up:

      motors

      The wires are routed through a hole in the bottom plate where they’ll return to the top side on the right. I have a RAMPS bracket on my other printer that I like so I’ll probably use it on Morgan as well.

      That’s it on the right:

      RAMPS

      It’s a nice accessible design that uses an 80mm fan. I’ll probably do a more “steampunkish” grille for Morgan with colors more in keeping with the theme.

      This is the configuration I think I’m going with:

      motors

      Power supply vertical in the back with maybe a glowing amber LED in the case. I think the chrome case showing will be nice.

    • #3737
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      The wood gives it a very classy finish. Interesting with the two motors mounted to one side. Does free up a lot of valuable space…

    • #3789
      hoff70
      Participant

      Still tinkering around a bit:

      PSU

      I figured mounting the PS vertical would be cool but it needed some decoration on top!

    • #3793
      hoff70
      Participant

      Stuck some RGB LED’s in the tubes to be extra goofy!

    • #3797
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      Would look cool if you could get the filaments to glow…

      Now I want a morgan with a nixi tube display

    • #3805
      hoff70
      Participant

      I actually went to a lot of silly trouble to do just that Q :O After much fiddling to get the actual heaters working I was rewarded with a rather dim glow that was barely noticeable 🙁

      Now nixies would be AWESOME!

    • #3821
      hoff70
      Participant

      Just got this in the mail:

      E3D

      E3D hotend. I have a friend who swears it’s the greatest hotend ever and he used a J-head previously.

      I’m still a fan of the J-head but we’ll see how this does.

    • #3825
      hoff70
      Participant

      DOH!

      e3d

      Looks like I need to go back and shorten the PVC tubes and smooth rods…

    • #3861
      hoff70
      Participant

      Making progress:

    • #3877
      hoff70
      Participant

      Thought someone may be interested in seeing modified drivers installed:

      drivers

      I used “Wire Wrap” wire from Radio Shack in the US. It’s pretty handy stuff for jumping boards.

      I noticed this on one of the cheap-O drivers I got from ebay:

      bad driver

      Notice the solder bridge between the pins :O That’s just how it came…

    • #3885
      pumpkinwaffle
      Participant

      Would you mind explaining what you did with that jumper wire and what is wrong with those drivers? I was thinking of ordering the the same drivers but seeing how you’re having issues with it it’s making me reconsider.

    • #3893
      hoff70
      Participant

      8825 mod shown here: https://www.morgan3dp.com/?s=stepstuck

      Check out the pins on the lower right of the chip in the pic. Two of them have a tiny solder bridge between them :O

      I’ve tested 3 of them on morgan and they work in initial testing but if this is your 1st printer I wouldn’t go too cheap on parts.

      Budget is important (To me at least) but I wouldn’t recommend getting the cheapest parts available. I’ve had a few of the really cheap reprap ebay parts turn out to be duds…

      I’ve had 100% good luck with reprapdiscount and gadgets3d and the prices aren’t that much higher.

    • #3901
      hoff70
      Participant

      Just some random pics:

      Printed a “heatsink” for the top of Z motor and got some retro wire loom:

      stepper

      Belt tensioners installed:

      tensioner

      PSU tower with tubes:

      psu

      Rigged the tubes up to fade RGB:

      It’s a weird sort of insanity I guess \o/

    • #3981
      hoff70
      Participant

      Just fudged some numbers in config.h and did a dry run:

    • #4045
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      Wow…it seems I missed a lot!

      Awesome!

      I have some build pictures of my own… Coming soon.

    • #4117
      hoff70
      Participant

      Working out the extruder:

      extruder

      I know the plans call for it to be located beneath the top plate but I like to watch the gear spin!

    • #4121
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      That’s actually quite cool…

      Easier access as well

    • #4141
      pumpkinwaffle
      Participant

      Spinning wheels are nice 🙂

      I was wondering, any chance you could send me the pattern you used for your metal plate that holds the heated bed?

      I’d like to use a design that’s known to work ^^

      Those lightbulbs are really good looking too, add some acetone transfer and you’ll have a killer build!

      • #4145
        hoff70
        Participant

        Sure, I’d be glad too. I’m working looong shifts all weekend but I’ll get you some measurements.

        I have a heated bed on my other printer and just measured the 4 corners and left enough room for error. I want to double check that it’s good before giving you dimensions.

        It’s made from an aluminum road sign that I liberated \o/

    • #4169
      hoff70
      Participant

      Another piece of the puzzle came in:

      switch

      It’s been kind of nerve wracking testing without a switch 😛

    • #4193
      Quentin Harley
      Keymaster

      The steampunk theme is now starting to shine through.

      Nice touch!

    • #1200
      RobertKuhlmann
      Participant

      René, that printed my Morgan parts, sent me this one as a bonus:

      http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:35438

      To be precise: Something similar. It has mounting holes that fit perfect for the Arduino LCD.
      I didn’t find the exact thing.

    • #3097
      hoff70
      Participant

      The Marlin Delta branch I’m using includes support for a servo driven probe which just seems to complicate things with an extra motor, wiring, code, etc…

      I did a mash-up of other folks work and incorporated it into Rostock:

      Not sure if you’ve seen the setup but it uses magnets, a nail and a HE sensor so It’s not much different from Morgan BOM \o/

      I’m still fooling with Morgan dual-head hardware and was fooling with this:

       photo IMG_1301_zps56116790.jpg

      Looks neat but doesn’t work very reliably 😐

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