HM version 4 Rpi 3d print case


 
I love those infill patterns. I know that's just the way it makes a solid surface but I think it looks neat. Can't wait for my printer to get here so I can start wastin' plastic!
 
Nice!

Glad to hear you pulled the trigger!

Pro Tip! You will waste a considerable amount of time in the beginning just watching the machine print objects. It will hypnotize you! :)
 
Nice!

Glad to hear you pulled the trigger!

Pro Tip! You will waste a considerable amount of time in the beginning just watching the machine print objects. It will hypnotize you! :)

It's not just the beginning, I still get mesmerized by it. My wife looks at me like I'm insane.
 
It's not just the beginning, I still get mesmerized by it. My wife looks at me like I'm insane.

Ha! You are not alone.... :)

Even though my machines are in a heated chamber I still open it up and watch them go with 115F air blasting me in the face.

Deltas are even harder to tear your eyes away from. 0__0 I'm afraid that if I build one I'll never accomplish anything when it's printing.
 
I've been looking over the Makers Farm website and the Prusa i3 kit myself, looks like a nice printer with a nice price, and the company seems to be based in Utah, I like that they are in the USA. I'm gonna ponder through the weekend, but things like this tend to weigh on my mind, by Monday I will probably just say screw it and order one.

It kinda reminds me of when I built my first 286 computer, back when home pc's were pretty much non existent. I dug into the details of the hardware for a while, contemplating, it drove me nuts thinking about it and it didnt take long for me to "find" the money and pull the trigger. Turns out that decision pretty much drove my carreer path for me...

Speaking directly to Matt and Tom, I want to be straight up with you guys, I know I had contacted both of you to inquire about buying a case. If I decide to buy a 3D printer I obviously wont be needing the case(s) (HOPEFULLY! LOL), I would put that $60 toward the printer (guess it would just cover my first spool of plastic) and printing my own case would be my first project. Of coarse this would not be possible without the designs you guys created, or it would take me a month of Sundays to get a design of my own together, if ever. My goal is to learn (with the HM+rPi, exposure to LINUX, and the new 3D printing technology) and keep my mind active, I do not intend to be the third guy selling cases here in the forum. I hope you guys are cool with this, I know you guys have put a lot of time and effort into designing the 3D model for the case... Like I said, just want to be up front with you guys, and hope you will still help me out when I hit a snag.....
 
Ralph,

that makes total sense to me. :)

We are here to help! Never, ever hesitate to ask a question.

You guys are really awesome around here!

I've tuned into forums on topics of interest before, and done DIY stuff pretty much my whole life, but digging into this one project (being the HeaterMeter) exposed me to the Arduino, the Raspberry Pi, OpernWRT and LINUX, and now most likely the world of 3D printing. That's a LOT of exposure to mind opening technology!

I've been exposed to github for the first time and the world of open source everything and it's amazing what is out there, and all the great people willing to share and help, thanks for being among them, you guys have shared some pretty incredible stuff! Hats off!

PS I still dream of taking an Arduino + rPi and making a garden computer out of it, measure sun, rain, temp, soil moisture etc and control valves on soaker hoses... Guess that's a topic for another forum, I apologize for taking this thread so far off topic....
 
Yeah those delta printers are so beautifully hypnotic with the hot end just swaying all over and the bars going up and down. I really wanted a Kossel but, like you've said, they can be a real pain to get adjusted right. I can see this is being just the beginning of a continuous upgrade cycle though. Firstly I'd like to HeaterMeter the thing by adding a rasbperrypi and a web interface to connect to and look at. In fact someone just "stole my idea" and kickstartered it
Buccaneer 3D printer

Hopefully they open source the Pi interface so I can just steal it for myself.
 
Ralph, no worries. I hope you enjoy your venture into 3d printing. It has really occupied much of my free time because I find it so interesting. I hope you have an understanding wife/partner, etc.

Bryan, there are already people using rpi's to run their machines. I put together an old pc from some spare parts along with a monitor that someone was throwing away to run mine. I hooked up a cheap web cam and use webcamdvrxp to view over my network. There have been numerous occasions where I wake up in the middle of the night and will check out a print on my iphone to see how it's going. It's really become an addiction.
 
Ralph,

you should check this out: http://rayshobby.net/?page_id=160

Awe snap! rPi Garden computer right there! Damn! I knew it had to exist already but my search for "DIY garden computer" didn't come up with that page. Thanks for the link, they seem to have all the goodies! I think this one is gonna pretty much peak out my hobby quota, I still need to build myself a bigger smoker... gonna need a second job to support my hobby habit! LOL
Thanks again for pointing me in respective proper directions....
 
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Has anyone looked into whether we can fit another probe jack on the botton of the case, to wire up for a solenoid control? I'm thinking that a stereo jack would work well as it gives us three wires.

dave
 
I think the bigger problem would be that the PCB extends from one side of the case to the other and has components all along that edge that would be in the way. Looking down the road, I've got 4 "led" outputs set in the config even though there is only 3 LEDs. I'm trying to imagine a way that the 4th is run through a MOSFET that can be configured to output 3.3V, 5V, or 12V and that can be used for expansions like a solenoid control, fan, or LED. The blower/servo output would also be moved to the right side and the PCB extended upwards to make room. That's at least several months off though.
 
Here ya go!

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So now I need to print one to see if it'll work...

Any word on progress of this case and when it might be available? Just finished my HM4 and need a case.
 
The case is pretty much finalized at this point for a standard LCD and round button from the BOM.

I just need to update it to accommodate larger screens.

Tom also has the file, so you can contact either of us if you'd like a case.
 
That's awesome! I really like the square case so much better than the one with the ears on all four corners. I'm currently running the 4-line display discussed in post #291 of this thread, the Varitronix MDLS-20464B, I think that one has become pretty popular...

BTW, thank you for doing the run down of the cost/parts to build a 3D printer a few posts back. I've been reading and watching youtube about 3D printers and after all that I ended up thinking "I wish someone would do a breakdown of parts and cost to build a 3D printer", BINGO, there it is! AWESOME!

It seems the large MakerFarm Prusa i3 kit is right in line with your cost estimates and looks like a nice printer. I had told myself I will wait and see how it goes with Bryan, but I'm not really the patient type! LOL My Bro-In-Law tossed me $100 bucks for doing some work around his house yesterday, wouldn't take no for an answer. After pushing it back at him three times I said, hmm, this would be a good start on the 3D printer fund. So the cat is out of the bag on that one, sooner than later I will have a 3D printer....

At this point I am just milling around the internet trying to figure if a kit printer is the way to go, or if I could build it cheaper (or better for the same money) if I buy the parts seperate VS going with a kit? I guess your price break down kinda answers that question, at least partially. The Maker Farm kit looks quality and the price is right in line, so that seems to be a good choice, allthough it is my nature to question and compare and research when making large purchases...

I also bumped into the 3 color 3D printer that seems to be coming out of the UK? It's a couple hundred dollars more, and across the pond, but damn it looks nice! I can see that being a problem, as soon as I have a single color unit I will want 3! Being open source there's hope that a single color machine could be upgraded to 3 color later. I guess being new technology, and me being new TO the technology, it's best I just start out with one color! But part of me worries that I will be building/investing in something that will be obsolete soon as multi-color machines become common.

If you have a moment and want to comment on any of the above that would be great. If you'd rather watch the game or the smoke roll out of your pit I can understand that too! LOL

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge here in the forum, it's really got my mind going these days. I've always been a DIY kinda guy, and it excites me to see this "makers" revolution forming here in this day and age.....
 
Definitely save up.

You should check out the Pirate 3D machine on kickstarter. It seems pretty reasonable.

The reprap pro machine? Adrian is the founder of reprap, so you really can't go wrong with his machines.

That being said user friendly multi-color is still a ways off.

As far as costs go a kit should be cheaper, but if you have an idea and want to do something custom then you should consider self-sourcing.

You should really get over to the reprap forums and do some reading. There is a ton of info there.

Also, if you want to see my trials and tribulations in reprap you can go read my blog. http://myhomelessmind.blogspot.com/
 
Thanks for the reply and more good info. I've been doing a lot more reading in the meantime and am a bit more up to speed... The Pirate machine doesn't seem to be available until Dec? and seems to be a consumer type product? That's not for me...

I want to build the machine, be it by kit or parted out. I want the machine to have a decent build size. I've been looking at the Mendel, they seem to cost a bit more, the Prusa i3 seems to fit right into my budget and meets my requirements. I'm just looking into all the frame styles, the laser cut, aluminum, or just rods and parts, it seems the Mendel made of all rods should be cheaper and might be my prefered way to go if it would match my budget a little better.

I'm thinking I can dip my toe with this machine, in time as the 3 color units become more common I can lean on experience from this machine to part out a new tri-color machine and pass this one on to my Uncle. That was one thing about the Mendel RepRap concept I liked, I could print one out for my uncle and bro-in-law, but the build price is still so high, which I don't quite understand (why the Mendel RepRap build price is higher than the Prusa i3)

Thanks for the additional info, I'll keep reading and will probably be ordering SOMETHING on Monday.....
 
I've been thinking of converting my CNC machine over to a 3D printer. It uses NEMA23 motors is made of 3/4" MDF and is extremely solid. I made it 5-6 years ago, milled some stuff, but don't really ever turn it on anymore. I'd probably need new motor controllers as I'm sure the board I have isn't supported anywhere (runs off a printer port), and a nozzle, someway to feed wire, but I think the gantry and all the axis' would be fine.

hmm, maybe after I complete my meat curing chamber.
dave
 
Dave,

are you running mach3? Do you have a 3 or 4 axis BOB? If you've got a 4-axis BOB you're in luck.

Can you take a pic of your CNC? I've been joensing to get a CNC table for a while now.
Matt
 

 

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