The end stop switches have arrived - PLA is supposed to be here tomorrow. Getting awful close here! I used the MPCNC to make two sets of LCD side panels in some very nice Sapele I had laying around. The detail is so amazing. It’s a fussy wood when it comes to detail but so gorgeous when finished. Had an almost iridescent quality about it. I’ll grab some photos and post them. Job #1 (and #2) when I get the printer going is to print the enclosure middle sections - one for the MPCNC, one for the MP3DP.
Someone (I think it was J Smith that’s also happens to be where I live actually) was saying something about wire management and cutting wires to length. I hadn’t thought of that and I don’t know why…well, in installing the new end stops to the MP3DP I decided I’d cut and solder to shorten the stepper leads so they were all just nicely fit. Glad I did.
The question I have is whether anyone knows what connectors I need to plug nicely into the end stop plugs on the miniRambo? I searched the RepRap specs but the model numbers they cite are definitely not the correct ones. I had read “molex” here somewhere but that’s about as close as I’ve come.
I also discovered in this process that the bit on the x-axis that receives the set screw for the end stop is upside down so I took a few steps backwards while flipping that…
Busy weekend here but I’m going to try to get as much of this done as I can…I wanna get the tool mounts for the MPCNC printed! Ice carving season is so so close…
Is this the plug you’re looking for?
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You can get larger quantities from digikey with the latching connections: 4-position, 3-position, and 2-position. You’ll also need the mating terminal inserts.
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Well I managed to find the connectors locally but they won’t be in until the end of the week or early next week. I had a sneaky suspicion that this may not be the last MP3DP I build so I ordered like 30 of them. Only a buck a piece and 39 cents for the insert terminal. Won’t hurt to have them around. I was amazed how many techs I spoke to that took one look at the board and knew what it was. Unfortunately none of them knew where I was going to find the parts.
I have the secret addition installed and it looks so awesome. Can’t wait to share this bad boy. It just seems like it’s going to be best shared with a little melted plastic oozing out of the extruder. Hahaha
I’ve had one lingering thought rattling in the back of my head every time I look at the heated bed. Do I need to find a piece of glass to put on top of the bed or do I/can I print right onto the bed surface (or tape adhered to the bed surface (so much to learn still…)?
For PLA, put blue painters tape on the aluminum. I have added a sheet of PEI on the aluminum.
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Looks really nice, good job! I started cutting mine but oh boy, steep learning curve indeed. Can’t wait to see your final pics!
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PEI ordered. Seemed to me I’ll get a smoother bottom surface to my prints that way. I’m waiting for the Molex connectors anyway so no lost time waiting.
It’s all here! All the bits I’ve been waiting for. Tonight just may be the night! Time to get the wiring hat on and heat up the soldering iron. Stay tuned - I hope to post the pics tonight!!!
Agh. So many teeny tiny bits involved putting the Molex connectors together. I don’t have the “proper” crimp tool for them either but I’m making do. Literally all I have left to do is the three Molex connectors for the end stops and then wire up the power supply. Everything else is wired up and pretty.
Oh, EXCEPT the extruder.
That white plug coming off the extruder motor does NOT plug into the miniRambo does it? I am assuming the answer is “no” and assuming I have to convert that to a 4 pin Molex as well (which I did not order…sigh…more wait time). Can someone confirm for me? Is it maybe as simple as carving off the nubs on the white plug so it’ll fit into the Molex receptacle?
Also “Fan 2”…it was just naked leads coming out of the board - not a molex receptacle. I put the 2 pin Molex end on the leads but it doesn’t seem to “click” onto the pins. It’s there but I can’t say I trust it. I couldn’t fit the factory supplied white plug on there either (pretty sure if wouldn’t fit anyway). Any words of wisdom on that front?
We’ve had many sneak previews here at home since I got the “extra bits” setup so maybe a quick photo tease will help y’all on this final stretch of advice so we can see what this thing turned out like? Just let me switch the dining room lights off to take the picture (how’s that for a big clue huh? hahaha)
[attachment file=73337]
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Just saw this:
[attachment file=“Screen Shot 2018-10-25 at 11.59.50 PM.png”]
Does this apply to the aforementioned Extruder 4 pin plug? Just pry the black part off the board?
Sounds like the hot end thermistor wire, yes you need that.
I use fan two for control of the extruder cooling fan, you don’t have to you can hard wire it to 12V.
Looks cool!
If you need to, most plugs fit either way.
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Its this one - the rainbow ribbon coming off the extruder motor. I (accidentally) snapped the middle clip out of the Molex receptacle on the board but this is the slot the wire appears to need to plug into but the white plug won’t fit into the black socket without some modification of some sort. I tried very carefully to pry the black receptacle off the pins but I’m nervous to pry too hard - don’t want to pull the pins right out of the board! The photo ( IMG_20170503_130652-400x255.jpg ) shows no black around the white connector though. Do they literally just pull off the board?
[attachment file=73361]
The white connector is a JST-XH connector, and the rambo is molex captive connectors. You can either cut the white end off and crimo on molex, pull the shroud off of the rambo board, or make an extension cable to connect them with close to the right connectors on both ends.
Personally, as long as the cable is long enough, I’d try to remove the shroud on the mini rambo.
Success! For any that find themselves in the same pickle, I just slipped the tip of a small screw driver under one corner of the black bit, then the other corner, then the back and forth and back and forth. Once I got it halfway up the pins it started to slide more free. It worked for me - don’t chase me down if you accidentally pull pins from your board. Nerve wracking for sure…
Now just the end stop Molex connectors and the power supply wiring and it’s ready! Hopefully this evening.[attachment file=73366]
[attachment file=73367]
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Okay! It’s ready. The next step is to plug things in and hope I don’t smell insulation burning. Sadly I have to be up in six hours for a full day of work so I’ll have to keep my fingers crossed until tomorrow evening. But then it’s go-time!
If anyone has any checks I should make as soon as things power up let me know. I imagine there will be end stop adjustments to make and perhaps some bed leveling. I’m going to see how long my wife will let it live on the kitchen table before I move it to it’s final destination in my office.
- check your temperature sensor are about right (25ishC for room temperature). Make sure the extruder fan works.
- Manually move the axes to make sure they are going the right way. The extruder won’t move until it’s hot.
- check M119 to see if your endstops are working.
- Home each axis one at a time.
- If your doing autoleveling, check all that. Otherwise, bed leveling.
- Load some filament and start the tuning (PID, esteps, temps, etc.)
- wire management
- post a bunch of beautiful pics of it to v1!
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Okay - operational report:
No sound of fans.
X-Axis moves proper direction. End stop does not affect stepper (wired Normally Closed - tested with voltmeter on continuity setting). Not sure I understand the function. I assumed when it hit the switch it’d stop any further stepper motion in that direction.
Y-Axis - Positive moves bed away from front of machine (not sure if this is right or reversed). End stop does not affect stepper (wired Normally Closed - tested with voltmeter on continuity setting).
Z-Axis - Moves only one direction (down…positive direction on LCD - that’s backwards, no?). When I click and hold the endstop switch I can move both directions. Dug through this post but it went over my head eventually…
LCD Bottom line (where it usually says CNC Ready) says Endstops Z
Temps on info screen showing 0º (top of icon) and 170º (bottom of icon).
FR 100%