My thoughts on PP #666!

It must have been hours and hours on end that Mark had spent designing this thing, the way it fits together with all the details. I know if I would have done it I would have spent the better part of six month at my computer.

Nobody told me how much time I'll spent putting little strips of tape on slots. OMG, there are almost 200 square nuts that has to be taped and then inserted. I've spent as much time on the taping as I've spent doing the rest of the putting together, I think.

Reading in advance, I knew I would make some very basic mods. I changed the pulley locations on the Z-axis. I've put the small one on the stepper and the big one on the ACME rod. I didn't put a bigger stepper since there is no space for a bigger one. The Y and the X axis' go bigger steppers. I think they are 257oz/i or something like that. I forgot to order in advance the alu pulley for the X-axis so I ordered it after I was finished. It should arrive this week. I hope it will not turn out to be a complicated project to replace it.

I covered one of the drive rollers with strips as in the video and one continuous in a spiral. Unless someone can show me that the spiral is better in feeding the material I'll have to say it's not worth the effort. It took me almost three time as long to do compared to the strait strips method.

Man that thing is heavy. I think I'll have to get the neighbors to pitch in to move it. :nervous: Well... maybe not quite, but still, it is heavy. Definitively in needs of a stand with coasters!

Oh, you are wondering about the #666? When I bought the printer I go an email saying something like 'we thought you're printer will be #24 but it is #23'. When it came time to ship the printer I've got an email saying something like 'we made a mistake and assigned the #23 twice. Do you mind if we give that number to the other person?'. I answered something like ' you can give me #666 for all I care just as long as it arrives'.

And that's how #666 was born.

 

Why did you change the locations of the Z-axis?

I've found forum posts about the aluminum pulley on the X-axis and about bigger steppers, but I didn't come across one regarding the pulleys on the Z-axis.

Thanks,
Niels R.

PS: I'm reading in advance too... Going to order a PP3 as soon as we move to our new building.

 

I did it because of rcav8r. I saw that he did it and I thought that the reverse order of the pulleys will increase the power output on the ACME thread. Just last night I changed the pulley on the x-axis to the aluminum one, the one with the two set-screws. Since I now have a small pulley left I wanted to put it on the z-axis. It doesn't work because the belt is 2" to long. I may buy a new belt for it, sometime soon, and change it.

I also agree with rcav8r about the stepper on the z-axis being the right size. I did not consider changing it. I think that a 1:1 transmission would be the best solution. I did change the other two steppers.

 

Thanks, Mark. I'm sure I will. Excellently designed machine. Come-on, Mark, tell us how long it took you to work on it in SU. As I've said before, if I would have done it it would take me at least six month.