Tag Archives: Dave

ProfileMaker thoughts…

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Looking at Dave’s Profileinator seems really well suited to a stepper extruder.  However, he also suggests adding a “Flow Fudge Factor.”  I just use this set to 1.0, so I’m not sure if I’m using it correctly.

Flow Fudge Factor: I have to enter 1.0 into the flow rate to get 2.0 RPMs on the extruder.. I got tired of doing this math so I added flow fudge factor and set it to 0.5. This doesn’t change the volume calculations – it just modifies the flow rate on the table. If you have a MK4/MK5 extruder with a DC motor, start this at 127.5 to get the PWM value to use

In any case, it looks like by multiplying it by 127.5 you can get the required flowrate for a DC motor.  In printing with a DC motor, I never wanted to drop the speed below 255, because the DC motor had such a small range of speeds.  I could print between about 230 – 255.  Given this, I can understand why so many others, probably using a DC motor, would rather pick their flowrate as 255 and then determine the proper feedrates.

Cross-Platform Profileinator Web App

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Some of this write up is over at Thingiverse and some of it is at the end of the ProfileMaker page.

Dave Durant’s program for solving for flowrate is really incredibly helpful.  It is truly a shame that it isn’t more widely used.  I think part of the problem might have been people were intimidated by all the buttons and part of the problem was that it was a Windows only application.  There has since been a port to Java, but that’s not as convenient as a truly web based version.

I’ve hard coded the most common options, but fully intend to bring them back later as advanced options.  For now I just wanted to whip something together to help people out and show them just how easy calibration can really be.  Give it a shot.  If you haven’t printed at 0.2mm layers before, give it a whirl!

I’m really really looking forward to being able to enter values into Skeinforge from my cell phone.

Your suggestions, comments, questions, criticism, e-mails, etc are all welcome and invited.

 

Creating an Online Profileinator

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I’m always juggling multiple projects – that seems to be the mark of a Maker and/or a Maker with ADD. 1  I’m looking to tinker with a clockwork spider, an open source disc shooter, possibly an open source shooter compatible with Nerf darts, and now…  I’d like to create a web app that aids in the calculation of good profile settings.

I’ve downloaded a bunch of different Thing-O-Matic, Cupcake, PWM and RMP calculators off of Thingiverse and am tinkering with them to get a better understanding of how they run these calculations. 2  Once I understand these, I’d like to make a very simple front end for these calculations.

If you have a good idea of how these things work, please leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail through the contact form.  Thanks!

  1. Which, in my experience, might just be a redundant statement [↩]
  2. I’ve put out the call to Dave Durant to help me get a better grasp on these calculations… [↩]

MakerBot Hi Rez Printing Secrets revealed!

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Warning: All responses from Dave are real, in the correct order, and unchanged.  I may have embellished my questions and responses.

  • MakerBlock: Dave!  How do you spell your last name?
    • Dave: dduranT.. T!!!! :P
  • MakerBlock: How exotic!  I’m having trouble pronouncing the last bit, so I hope you don’t mind me just calling you “Dave.”  Well, how did you do it?  Oh, and what’s your favorite vodka?
    • Dave: Patience, practice, Grey Goose.
  • MakerBlock: In two words or less, did you print slowly or fast?
    • Dave: Really, REALLY fastly.
  • MakerBlock: Um, I guess that counts.   I mean, you did only use two words – but you used one of them twice.  And I don’t think “fastly” is a real word.  Did you run the extruder slow or fast?  Please be sure and end your response with a preposition.
    • Dave: Slow but not as slow as I expected I’d have to.
  • MakerBlock: Did you use a custom nozzle or the standard MakerBot nozzle?
    • Dave: I do have a 0.35mm hot end from makergear.com (props to makergear – much awesome to be found there) but haven’t installed it yet. I’m still using the 0.5mm nozzle from MBI.
  • MakerBlock: Could you describe your setup for us?  Please be sure and include at least one plug for your all-time favorite MakerBot / RepRap blog written by me.
  • MakerBlock: Dave, it’s been great having you on the show.  Thank you for coming to speak to us and we’d love to have you back any time.

Cracking a tough nut

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Dave M. posted his process for removing a threaded barrel from his PTFE insulator, and it’s brilliant.  I was wondering how to do this since I may want to get my heater barrel out of the nozzle.  But, how to do it without having to some plyers, vice, or some other crushing instrument on the threads?!

  • Screw on one nut, a washer, and another nut.
  • Put the PTFE in a vice
  • Put a wrench on the nut below the washer
  • Muscles!