Comments for MakerBlock

Comment on DrawBot – How to Recover from a Stalled Print! by MakerBlock

MakerBlock — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:53:21 +0000

@Sandy: What I’ll do is nuke my software installation and reinstall from scratch. I haven’t seen the Arduino quit if I’m not drawing… but I definitely do not see the behavior you described with the “READY” every 4-5 seconds. I haven’t tried running the ‘bot without the motor shield! I didn’t even occur to me to try that! Haha! I’ll update the blog after I reinstall the software and test it out.

Comment on DrawBot – How to Recover from a Stalled Print! by Sandy Noble

Sandy Noble — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:58:37 +0000

I’m almost 100% sure that the old issue around this is fixed, it was actually an accelstepper thing that Mike sorted out right away. Does the arduino decide to quit communicating if it _isn’t_ drawing? tricky to tell, I know, but it should be issuing it’s “READY” every four or five seconds if left to idle.

Does it do it if you unplug the motorshield and run the drawing without? You could maybe test how stalled it is by attempting to issue a command manually through serial monitor in arduino. Not sure if that’d work or if it’ll reset it.

Comment on DrawBot – Pen Selection, Part II by MakerBlock

MakerBlock — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:19:53 +0000

@Lee: I hadn’t known that about gel pens – thank you! Interestingly, the best results I’ve had so far are from a ball point pen – which I would never have expected.

Comment on DrawBot – Pen Selection, Part II by Lee

Lee — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:31:39 +0000

Fountain pens are beautiful to write with, but assume a natural writer’s slant. The ink contact patch is at the bottom side of the nib – the very tip is basically dry. I’d avoid those for drawbot.

You might find Gel Ink pens not working very well, either, but they’re worth a shot. They tend to be very generous with their ink (which is why people love them), but gum up and leave blobs behind up in this kind of situation – especially when drawing very long lines in one direction. This normally doesn’t show up when you’re actually writing with them, as the direction changes so often.

Comment on DrawBot – Pen Selection, Part II by MakerBlock

MakerBlock — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:58:22 +0000

@Joshua Johnson: I’ll definitely check out the Staedler pens. A perfect line until the ink runs out is a high endorsement!

Comment on DrawBot – Pen Selection, Part II by MakerBlock

MakerBlock — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:57:17 +0000

@John: That’s not a bad idea! Do you know where you can find them?

Comment on DrawBot – Pen Selection, Part II by MakerBlock

MakerBlock — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:56:41 +0000

@Brad Barrish: I tried that exact model Sharpie, but it bled way too much for my slow drawing robot. I’ll have to try to track down that kind of gel pen! I’ve never heard of it before…

Comment on DrawBot – Pen Selection, Part II by Joshua Johnson

Joshua Johnson — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:12:51 +0000

I have always used Pigma Microns but there are similar refillable pens by Staedler. There are no moving parts, the barrel is of uniform size and they leave a smooth, perfect line until the ink runs out.

Comment on DrawBot – Pen Selection, Part II by John

John — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:41:59 +0000

How about an astronaut pen? Probably more than your looking to spend but the write upside down or in zero gravity so they should be fine on its side.

Comment on DrawBot – Pen Selection, Part II by Brad Barrish

Brad Barrish — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:35:25 +0000

A couple that I love:

Sharpie Pen – http://www.amazon.com/Sharpie-Fine-Point-Black-1742661
Muji Gel Ink Pen (.38) http://www.muji.us/store/stationery/pen-pencils/gel-ink-ballpoint-pen-0-38mm.html