Category: Site News

right got some fun stuff coming up will be posting over the next few days just been working on my raspberry control panel for the mk3s just been drawing up plans for the GPIO pins as will be doing an integrated system this is all dependent on it all working but looking good from my tests.

I have fitted a new tip to my soldering rig hoping its a better for doing reverse soldering on pins as from above you can see quite a few cables to deal that will be hidden by cable management.

have also been 3D printing a few test spoolers that are wall-mounted got one more to print before i post my findings. but will be doing the pi integration project first as this has now dragged on over a few blog posts. lots of highs and lows.

i also need some heat in the man cave as winter is definitely among us as temperatures are dropping into single digits.

I also managed to pick up a 300bar compressor for filling HPA bottles and a scuba tank will cover that shortly as going to be trying some modifications on that if my initial findings are ok.

hoping to get some work done tomorrow.

Sorry for lack of posts been away working at our holiday rental getting it ready for its firsts guests so been cutting signs for the doors and making welcome baskets and doing all the other fun jobs hanging mirrors pictures etc. so lack of sleep and having an ill baby boy as well. I am very tired

Oh, and my soldering idea didn’t work so it’s back to using brake out headers tonight. wish me luck as want to put this project to bed. (It did work had 2 wires the wrong way around)

Ok, I have figured out my issue got 2 of the pins the wrong way around somewhere pin 4 and 6 were reversed not sure how that happened so might go back to the solder idea as it works now. I am however getting a low power warning on the pi and have some calibration issues with the screen.

the calibration issue i think i know the answer to there is a line of code i need to move out of the x11 folder that might be causing my issues. will try that tonight and see if it fixes this problem.

So i missed the following line of code after running this command and reboot screen fingers crossed it will now work again going to test this later as plugged pi in wrong again last night as was tired.

sudo mv /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/40-libinput.conf ~/

Think the screen might have issues going to do a fresh install of the script as now nothing works on the touch screen.

going to run off the stand-alone power supply as the voltage is too low to run a pi3 so have ordered a micro USB brake out cable so i can solder to 2 pins on the pi to power the unit this will allow me to shut down the printer on a wifi plug.

Octo pi active and working just got to adjust web camera to get better image will then configure octolaps for some great time-lapse action. have recycled camera mount from my CR-10 as simple to fit.

I will cover the modification i will do to the link wire of the pi in a later post happy now the mk3s actually turns on and powers up.

then it stopped working yay back to USB method for the moment. till have thave some time to look into a fix.

Update think it is the cable as next post shows i think.

Todays Arrival:

Prusa MK3s Upgrade Kit today so better get refreshed on the disassembly of the extruder for the new filament sensor. As i thought that the doorbell went and DHL delivery from Prusa research lol freaky

decided to get the version with the printed part as the printer is working intermittently.

Black Elegoo Resin is arriving so can finish off relocating the USB plug might also give backplate another go. should have this before the end of the day. depending on amazon some time erratic delivery.

Last nights offerings.

Curing station was going to do it last night but got home and by the time i had fed and watered the son put him to bed was late so i just tinkered with the mk3 Prusa and managed to get it to Print a job with only one filament reload.

I then called it a night as was wet and felt like some PS4. I know i don’t post every day on here but bits are constantly going on in the background whether its day job or crafting business or fun projects and unlike the greats of web and youtube i am a one man operation and i love it.

Tonight will be a washout as at a wedding hoping to get some the upgrade done over the weekend. time allowing as looks like quite a few steps are needed.

RIght finally have finished cutting my curing station time to get it all assembled.

After Friday nighs miss calculation of size i didn’t want fully print base and holder so last night i printed bottom and top and one lamp holder ring of the 4 needed.

I then cut the rest of the spacer rings for the lamp. After doing so i put 4 x m3 hex bolts through the top of the lamp. I then glued each layer and added m3 nuts to hold all together.

after i had assembled it and glued the light fitting i did a test fit of the lamp to the holder.

I then cut the rest of the box for a final fit.

now to add some tinfoil and assemble the curing station.

I don’t like the finish going to order some aluminium tape. malke a smooth finish to it. I might add a camera to it as well to show it in action. will make the plans available shortly once i have finished it fully so hold on for part 3 next few days.

Update redesigned the box to be hinged. picking up aluminium tape tomorrow as want to get make it easier to use

As luck would have it i am working next door at the sensor and instrumentation show. stand 39 if you want to say hi.

As 3d printing is one of my many passions i thought i would go take a look around the show and who did i bump in to. the man himself Joshep Prusa had to shake his hand for developing such nice machines.

I also managed to have a chat with him about my machine issues. so might be able to fix that on my return to London. I have already ordered the parts so hoping to fix this at the weekend. whilst i was there i also managed to grab a textured build plate for the mk3 printer.

looked a Crealitys latest printer with a swappable head for cnc, laser and 3d printing. and the rest of the range.

Ultimaker had its new range of printers and wall of filament on the show but the price bracket is out of my league till someone sponsors me.

form labs stand hade the new model SLA printer again big bucks to buy so not on my shopping list.

Chatted with some nice chaps @kora3D who have some great safety enclosures for 3d printers with fire detection and fire suppression also filtered to keep the nasties out of the atmosphere. they gave me a free sample of there bed glue called formula 3D. wil let you know what its like once i get my printers up and running.

i then wandered over to makerbot and saw there newly launched method x printer with support for there preloaded filament reels and also 3rd party support filament, with removable bed and build size of 190×190

also spotted the duet 3d six spool multi-material printer on a quick wander through the hall.

as i was leaving hall 3 to grab a coffee i spatted the xyz printing colour printer looks interesting will try swinging back later to find out some more information

I had some time this afternoon to pop back over to the show and talk to some managed to get some free esun filaments to test, some cool carbon fibre filament from Filamentum. will take for a test drive when i have a hardened nozzle,

Laser lines full-colour resin printer was awsome no mess but comes at a price not for the hobbyist.

After a 4 hour drive back to the house i have decided to give resin printing another go.

saw a video 3DPrintFarm about hollowing out a print and set up of the print. so have decided to copy it and see if it works for me. As dident manage to get much time on holiday do some research.

i also test cut the base and roof of the curing station must have been drugged as hight of light support is way off so going to remeasure. ajust accordingly lol.

Time for some Rest and relax as been a long few days. Will finish curing box on Saturday night as long as son sleeps. will start looking and my 3d printers.

LightBurn Camera Update LED bed:

As i never finished this modification off. and Karl reached out to me asking me if it was worth doing. i had a job to do tonight doing some fun stuff for my son for the aeroplane flight. So thought i would kill 2 birds with 1 stone. do some testing

So it calibrated very well with the new strip lighting now i had the head crash into the camera mount think that might be the cuse of my issues. I am currently working on a new mount made out of resin.

As you can see from the little test i put together. did a quick trace using a hand drawing, yes i know next fine artist.

i then i tested to see if it cuts where the drawing was.

The result is crap, So i think i will look at some videos on calibration as i want to be able to put this to bed. so the first job i will do on my return will look into this and get it all working.

Prusa printers

i will be looking at repairing these machines on my return as i want to get the project that i started before it broke.

This will then lead on to my adventures in CNC and using soft limits until i get time to wire up the end stops. thankfully after i get back i have 1 more trade show to do for this month so can do some more stuff.

More fun with sublimation

going to be getting my head around T-shirts and mugs and some other fun promo bits for the man cave. might even set up a shop selling some bits who knows.

SLA Resin 3d printing

more of this coming up as i learn more about it. going to read up as sure my recent fails have been down to me not doing things right. not the machine its self.

Been a busy week in wales holidaying and having some well-deserved rest and doing some tidying up. god i have a lot of useful stuff that i need to sell.

been a tech-free week for me but have been busy in the background buying some new bits of kit. I have also touched on some of other new bit but its time i did some in-depth reviews in my not so live posts.

I will start with the ELEGOO Mars UV Resin printer has been featured by a few of the 3d printing gods but time for me to have a play. should be landing at the cave on Tuesday have ordered some transparent green resin to give it a test drive.

I will also be reviewing the FreeSub Heat Press 3D Vacuum ST-3042  sublimation machine. As for my day job i have a trade show coming up the week after next so will be designing some costers, mugs and bottle openers. this is already at the office waiting for my return to London.

I will cover my Ricoh SG-3110DN printer and its refillable cartridges that i got from Ink Experts. setting up an ICC profile in adobe products.

I will also cover my Freesub automatic mug press.

Removal from my cave:

My CR-10 is going to be removed from the cave as ist become unreliable will move it to wales so and revisit it at a later date.

Repair list:

my Prusa printers will work on these probably after i return from 2 trades shows and a week away some were hot and sunny will be moving things around the cave to fit the new equipment.

Time to play with:

Hoping to get to play with my CNC machine as got some ideas for Christmas presents and a bit i want to make.

right time to sleep as i have a 3+ hrs drive tommorow back to london.

After a month i have finally cleared most of the crap out of the man cave now to fix 3 x 3d printers somehow. as all 3 have different issues. I have decided that if i cannot fix them i will sell them off as only really need on a working printer to make parts. will be updating each section as i fix brake or sell bits on this post. will be covering the CNC machine shortly as the need to fix my 3d printer to make some bits i have designed to get me up and running.

CR-10

the cr10 is showing very high temp when switched on on the heat bed not sure why. going to re-solder the connector. see if this fixes the issue.

Prusa Mk2s MMU

this constantly jams the nozzle so going to look on the world wide web for some answers if not might convert it back to just being an MK2s or 2.5s depending on time and money or i could upgrade it to a Haribo edition.

Prusa Mk3

This keeps jamming up not sure why as was working flawlessly for the last 6 months again this will be a web search for an answer as i have tried lots of things that i keep thinking i have fixed it then gets to the second layer and block up.

For sale list:

Trinus 3D Printer

going to sell my Trinus 3d printer as just too small for me and not worth the time and hassle so open to offers on it comes with laser brand new extruder and enclosure with LED screen and tools spare nozzles. if anyone is interested contact me. it powers up but will need some tinkering to get it working right. open to offers

K40 modified laser

This is my k40 laser comes all working will it comes with a C3D controller board flow switch and upgrades panels featuring temp gauge e-stop switch and flow led. upgraded inline and modified exhaust fan air assist pump. looking for £400 ono

New Equipment Wishlist.

• 3D heat press as going to do a bit more sublimation.
• CW-5200 chiller for my laser.

As i have a spare 8m of LED tape and want to add some lighting to my very compact man cave/workshop. I have decided to use the leftover LED tape and wifi controller to achieve this.

This is a quick any easy project for anyone who like me does not have a lot of space for strip lighting and needs a quick fix.

Parts i am using:

• 3528 LED bright white LED tape Link here for the kit.
• Wifi LED Controller. link for this great bit of kit.
• 22 AWG JST Plug Connector 2 Pin Male Female Plug Connector
• 22 AWG LED wiring Cable
• Cable ties (optional)
• Wiring Management cable tie pads (optional)

Tools you’re going to need:

• Wire cutters
• Wire Stripers
• Soldering Iron
• Flux pen

I started out measuring out 3 x 800mm strips of tape for the shelves of my racking.

The first strip of led tape came with a 2.1 x 5.5 connector, I left this in place so i could connect the supplied power supply to the tape and the wifi controller will also plug into this connection between the power and the tape. will show this later on in the post.

I then used my flux pen to prim the solder pads I then added solder to the pads ready for receiving the JST connector wiring. I made sure that -+ were soldered to right pads.

I started to add the strips of tape to the different areas that i wanted to light up. so in my case, I put some above the vinal cutter and in the CNC enclosure, i then added tape above my parts bins to light them up and also above my 2 x 3d printers and several other areas i wanted to be illuminated.

now time to install power and the wifi controller. just plug-in power supply and then the controller stick controller down. take a picture of the QR code and install the app.

The end result is awesome as I have had to go off to Wales for a nice long weekend of RnR with the family i will post some images of the finished project tomorrow. as i didn’t get a chance to photograph it before i left.

As i have had some issues with getting my lightburn camera to align and recognise all registration marks in calibration and alignment set up. I have decided i am going to add a better light source and see if this will improve the process.

first of all, i am going to identify current strip is running 12v or 24v or 240v so out with my trusty voltmeter. As i can see a 3 prong pin looks very similar to some i have seen on Amazon or aliexpress so once i know voltages i can look at my options. i am hoping its 12v as then will be as easy as buying a connector and digging out some led tape.

high voltage led strips so i have decided to go down the route of low voltage dimmable LED’s as cheap easy to fit.

As a maker, i had all the bits, apart from the led tape that i needed to order. So I found a cheap 5m kit off amazon prime as time is always an issue when ordering from China.

I have 50m of red and black, led wiring cable in my stock of parts. I started off by stripping the wiring off both wires and tinned them, I then took used my flux pen to clean up the terminals and added solder to both solder pads. I then soldered the wires to the pads.

I then used isopropyl alcohol to clean the area i was going to stick the tape to. I started bottom right worked the tape around the edge of the bed above the rim. Till it had gone around the bed.

i added cable tabs to so i could keep some cable management i then threaded the wiring through the laser and out through a hole in the floor i then wired up a d 2.1 x 5.5 female connector to the end of the cable.

this is where i connected the dimmer switch and plugged the lighting into the mains

The end result looks good and hoping will cure my lightburn camera issues.

Next up:

I am going to see if i can now calibrate properly using the lightburn camera. if that works fine, I will design a slimline camera mount for the lightburn camera. As an issue with current cameras mount is the laser head hits is when running on the bottom of the printer.