https://reprap.org/mediawiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Ben.Rockhold&feedformat=atomRepRap - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T17:02:52ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Makerbot&diff=59453Makerbot2012-05-23T18:28:09Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>Makerbot is a company that sells their own variant of 3D printers, originally derived from RepRaps. The first version was called Cupcake, used the RepRap [[Generation_3_Electronics]]. The second model, the Thing-o-Matic used [[Generation_4_Electronics]].<br />
Their current machine is called The Replicator http://store.makerbot.com/replicator.html.<br />
<br />
Someone has also built a [[repstrap]] similar to the old cupcake. Check out [[Pirated CupCake]] for more details.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Other 3D printers]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=36245Pirated CupCake2011-06-20T20:09:08Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|status = Working<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold <br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an ever-in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The Pirated CupCake, or "CupCakeStrap" is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap3.jpg|right|thumb]]<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong given adequate time and resources.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
Anything physical in the design of the CupCakeStrap that is unique or original.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
In a head crash, the extruder lifts up on the bolts that hold it in place, which are set head-up in the extruder half-dinos. This also makes it easy to lift out to work on (which happens a lot).<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
These nut-locks have since been replaced by [http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3091 these neat printable things] because honestly it made no sense.<br />
<br />
=== Heated Build Plate ===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Heated Plate.jpg|thumb|CupCakeStrap's custom heated plate]]<br />
Once finally printing in ABS, we had little to no success with printing anything much larger in surface area than 2cm square, so we opted to build a heated plate to reduce the effects of warping.<br />
Somewhat based on the design of the heated plates that have been shown off in the reprap blogs and of the Makerbot-designed board, we decided to use extra extruder parts to construct our own design. Ours is simple, a 6 ohm length of nichrome wire in an "M" shape, affixed with high-temperature tape to a brass sheet, with a spare thermistor mounted in the center. Both heater and sensor are attached to a four-pin molex connector, which allows the plate to be swapped out rapidly (especially useful when a printed part sticks too well). The leads go to the extruder board, with the heater in mosfet port A and the thermistor attached to A-6 via a temperature sensor (2.0) board.<br />
<br />
With the software configured correctly, ReplicatorG reads and controls the board perfectly. Our testing indicates that it can reach 100C within two minutes, though any temperature above 80C is acceptable.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. Supposedly the newer CupCake firmware supports it, but we are not sure if using this design would be better than the current setup.<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]<br />
[[Category:RepStrap]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:CupCakeStrap3.jpg&diff=36244File:CupCakeStrap3.jpg2011-06-20T20:05:08Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: uploaded a new version of "File:CupCakeStrap3.jpg":&#32;Updated to correctly represent the machine in question.</p>
<hr />
<div>Taken right after the second successful print (if you discount the extrusion testing blocks).</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=User:Ben.Rockhold&diff=36243User:Ben.Rockhold2011-06-20T20:02:16Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: /* Current Projects */</p>
<hr />
<div>Benjamin Rockhold is an avid DIY builder and designer, fascinated with machines that make machines.<br />
<br />
=Current Projects=<br />
This is ''always'' going to be out of date.<br />
===CupCakeStrap===<br />
The [[CupCakeStrap]] was a Roosevelt High School Senior Project, a CupCake derivative redesigned around a super-low price and nearly 90% scratch-built. [[File:CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|CupCakeStrap]]<br />
<br />
===Prusa Mendel===<br />
CupCakeStrap sucessfully bootstapped a Prusa Mendel in the spring of '11, currently in the holding of Project partner and friend Griffin Nicoll.<br />
<br />
===Roosevelt TEClub===<br />
Ben founded and led Roosevelt High School's main Engineering and Technology Club, which at time of graduation was building a Mill-Conversion repstrap to turn an under-utilized Prolight CNC mill into a many-headed RepStrapping monster.</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=User:Ben.Rockhold&diff=36242User:Ben.Rockhold2011-06-20T19:59:15Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>Benjamin Rockhold is an avid DIY builder and designer, fascinated with machines that make machines.<br />
<br />
=Current Projects=<br />
This is ''always'' going to be out of date.<br />
==CupCakeStrap==<br />
The [[CupCakeStrap]] was a Roosevelt High School Senior Project, a CupCake derivative redesigned around a super-low price and nearly 90% scratch-built. [[File:CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|CupCakeStrap]]<br />
<br />
==Roosevelt TEClub==<br />
Ben founded and led Roosevelt High School's main Engineering and Technology Club, which at time of graduation was building a Mill-Conversion repstrap to turn an under-used Prolight CNC mill into a many-headed RepStrapping monster.</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=17731Pirated CupCake2010-07-03T07:37:49Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: /* Heated Build Plate */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|status = Working<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold <br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap3.jpg|right|thumb]]<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
Anything physical in the design of the CupCakeStrap that is unique or original.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
In a head crash, the extruder lifts up on the bolts that hold it in place, which are set head-up in the extruder half-dinos. This also makes it easy to lift out to work on (which happens a lot).<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
These nut-locks have since been replaced by [http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3091 these neat printable things] because honestly it made no sense.<br />
<br />
=== Heated Build Plate ===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Heated Plate.jpg|thumb|CupCakeStrap's custom heated plate]]<br />
Once finally printing in ABS, we had little to no success with printing anything much larger in surface area than 2cm square, so we opted to build a heated plate to reduce the effects of warping.<br />
Somewhat based on the design of the heated plates that have been shown off in the reprap blogs and of the Makerbot-designed board, we decided to use extra extruder parts to construct our own design. Ours is simple, a 6 ohm length of nichrome wire in an "M" shape, affixed with high-temperature tape to a brass sheet, with a spare thermistor mounted in the center. Both heater and sensor are attached to a four-pin molex connector, which allows the plate to be swapped out rapidly (especially useful when a printed part sticks too well). The leads go to the extruder board, with the heater in mosfet port A and the thermistor attached to A-6 via a temperature sensor (2.0) board.<br />
<br />
With the software configured correctly, ReplicatorG reads and controls the board perfectly. Our testing indicates that it can reach 100C within two minutes, though any temperature above 80C is acceptable.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. Supposedly the newer CupCake firmware supports it, but we are not sure if using this design would be better than the current setup.<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]<br />
[[Category:RepStrap]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=17730Pirated CupCake2010-07-03T07:26:04Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: /* Z-Platform Nut-locks */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|status = Working<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold <br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap3.jpg|right|thumb]]<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
Anything physical in the design of the CupCakeStrap that is unique or original.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
In a head crash, the extruder lifts up on the bolts that hold it in place, which are set head-up in the extruder half-dinos. This also makes it easy to lift out to work on (which happens a lot).<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
These nut-locks have since been replaced by [http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3091 these neat printable things] because honestly it made no sense.<br />
<br />
=== Heated Build Plate ===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Heated Plate.jpg|thumb|CupCakeStrap's custom heated plate]]<br />
Warping is what you get when the bottom layers cool rapidly and contort. We had no success with printing anything much larger in surface area than 2cm square, so we opted to build a heated plate, as this reduces cooling and therefor warping.<br />
Somewhat based on the design of the heated plates that have been shown off in the reprap blogs and of the Makerbot-designed board, we decided to use extra extruder parts to construct our own design. Ours is simple, a 6 ohm length of nichrome wire in an "M" shape, taped with high-temperature tape to a brass sheet, with a spare thermistor mounted in the center. Both heater and sensor are attached to a four-pin molex connector, which allows the plate to be swapped out rapidly. The leads go to the extruder board, with the heater in mosfet port A and the thermistor attached to A-6 via a temperature sensor (2.0) board.<br />
<br />
With the software configured correctly, ReplicatorG reads and controls the board perfectly. Hackery FTW.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. Supposedly the newer CupCake firmware supports it, but we are not sure if using this design would be better than the current setup.<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]<br />
[[Category:RepStrap]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Thermoplast_Extruder_Hints&diff=16743Thermoplast Extruder Hints2010-06-08T04:07:20Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{MultiDevelopment}}<br />
{{Development<br />
|status = <br />
|description = <br />
|author = <br />
|reprap = Darwin<br />
|categories = Thermoplastic Extruder 1.0, Build Platform<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Bed Materials==<br />
<br />
Some bed materials work better than others. ABS does not seem to stick to the MDF bed at all. So far I've tried the following with ABS:<br />
<br />
*Electrical tape - sticks, but not well enough to stop warping.<br />
<br />
*Glass - doesn't stick at all.<br />
<br />
*CD-Roms - sticks well, gives a nice surface finish, but tends to warp. Build area is obviously very limited (and circular!). <br />
<br />
*Acrylic Sheet - works! ABS sticks to it quite nicely; I had some warping, but I only used 1.5 mm thick Acrylite FF P99 Acrylic Sheet from Cyro Industries. I've got some thicker stuff to test again as soon as I get my extruder running without the flexible drive.<br />
<br />
*1/4 inch Acrylic Sheet - works very well. Strong enough to resist warping. Rafts need to be somewhat weaker than the part, otherwise removing the part is very difficult.<br />
<br />
Wade 2008.10.01<br />
<br />
*Conductive foam (the kind that you use to ship IC chips I have found works very well and you can reuse it as long as your first layer is not deeply embedded.<br />
<br />
Bruce W 2008.10.07<br />
<br />
For HDPE, a good bed is a 'plastic' kitchen chopping board (probably itself made of HDPE). A raft, such as that produced by the skeinforge software, sticks to the bed, provides a base for the product and enables the product to be removed without damage to the bed.<br />
<br />
Jon Wise 2008.11.14<br />
<br />
* Blue (Painter's) Tape<br />
A surprisingly awesome surface. Not enough to stop warping, but relatively cheap and very durable. Some brands even work on a heated bed, so long as you do not attempt to peel them off above room temp (don't try, it's icky).<br />
<br />
* Kapton Tape<br />
Another good surface, especially when used with a heated bed. Not so great on the pocketbook, but with proper handling a good investment.<br />
<br />
==Insulation of the heater barrel==<br />
<br />
[[Image:Extruder-ring-4.png]]<br><br />
<br><br />
There's a good alternative to glass fiber wool, a material I wanted to avoid. It will give you an itchy skin because you have a lot of small cuts from the glass. What I did differently, I cut a rectangular piece out of a 'silicone baking mat'. You can find these in a cooking store or various other places. It can handle high temperatures (above 300 without any problems, I guess) and it's very rubbery. It can hold everything together very easily and it can be removed as well (as opposed to fire cement). It doesn't have much specific heat, so the extruder will heat up (or cool down) quickly, because only the copper needs to get very hot.<br></div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=RepRapTwoMendel&diff=16690RepRapTwoMendel2010-06-06T01:33:09Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div> This page has become severely outdated! Events in present or future tense may be in the distant past!<br />
= RepRap Version 2.0 "Mendel" =<br />
<br />
== Introduction ==<br />
<br />
Mendel will be the next generation of RepRap machine, and it is [[MendelUnderDevelopment|currently under development]]. This web page will bring all the details you will need to build Mendel for yourself. But, of course, at the moment it is under development too.<br />
<br />
== Retrospect ==<br />
<br />
Through "Darwin" we have learnt many things:<br />
<br />
* [[DarwinsSuccessfulElementsWorldwide|Elements that worked well, worldwide]]<br />
* [[DarwinDesignFaults|Darwin design faults]]<br />
* [[DarwinConceptImprovements|Darwin concept improvements]]<br />
<br />
== Mendel Specification ==<br />
<br />
The "Mendel" design is expected to offer several improvements over the [[RepRapOneDarwin|"Darwin"]] design. A provisional list of improvements (gleaned from conversations in e-mail between participants) is:<br />
<br />
* Use of PLA as main plastic feedstock.<br />
* Metal deposition head.<br />
* Capable of manufacturing own electronics.<br />
* Automated exchangeable head mechanism.<br />
* USB Interface.<br />
* DC Servos instead of stepper motors.<br />
* Select components for availability worldwide.<br />
<br />
-- Main.AdrianBowyer - 30 Oct 2006<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Twiki]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=16450Pirated CupCake2010-05-30T07:54:29Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|status = Working<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold <br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap3.jpg|right|thumb]]<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
Anything physical in the design of the CupCakeStrap that is unique or original.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
In a head crash, the extruder lifts up on the bolts that hold it in place, which are set head-up in the extruder half-dinos. This also makes it easy to lift out to work on (which happens a lot).<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
These nut-locks have since been replaced by [http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3091| these neat printable things] because honestly it made no sense.<br />
<br />
=== Heated Build Plate ===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Heated Plate.jpg|thumb|CupCakeStrap's custom heated plate]]<br />
Warping is what you get when the bottom layers cool rapidly and contort. We had no success with printing anything much larger in surface area than 2cm square, so we opted to build a heated plate, as this reduces cooling and therefor warping.<br />
Somewhat based on the design of the heated plates that have been shown off in the reprap blogs and of the Makerbot-designed board, we decided to use extra extruder parts to construct our own design. Ours is simple, a 6 ohm length of nichrome wire in an "M" shape, taped with high-temperature tape to a brass sheet, with a spare thermistor mounted in the center. Both heater and sensor are attached to a four-pin molex connector, which allows the plate to be swapped out rapidly. The leads go to the extruder board, with the heater in mosfet port A and the thermistor attached to A-6 via a temperature sensor (2.0) board.<br />
<br />
With the software configured correctly, ReplicatorG reads and controls the board perfectly. Hackery FTW.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. Supposedly the newer CupCake firmware supports it, but we are not sure if using this design would be better than the current setup.<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]<br />
[[Category:RepStrap]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=16433Pirated CupCake2010-05-29T00:41:45Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|status = Working<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold <br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap3.jpg|right|thumb]]<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
Anything physical in the design of the CupCakeStrap that is unique or original.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
In a head crash, the extruder lifts up on the bolts that hold it in place, which are set head-up in the extruder half-dinos. This also makes it easy to lift out to work on (which happens a lot).<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
These nut-locks have since been replaced by [http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3091| these neat printable things] because honestly it made no sense.<br />
<br />
=== Heated Build Plate ===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Heated Plate.jpg|thumb|CupCakeStrap's custom heated plate]]<br />
Warping is what you get when the bottom layers cool rapidly and contort. We had no success with printing anything much larger in surface area than 5cm square, so we opted to build a heated plate, as this reduces cooling and therefor warping.<br />
Somewhat based on the design of the heated plates that have been shown off in the reprap blogs and of the Makerbot-designed board, we decided to use extra extruder parts to construct our own design. Ours is simple, a 4 ohm length of nichrome wire in a loop, taped with high-temperature tape to a brass sheet, with a spare thermistor mounted in the center. Both heater and sensor are attached to a four-pin molex connector, which allows the plate to be swapped out rapidly. The leads go to the extruder board, with the heater in C and the thermistor attached to A-6 via a temperature sensor (2.0) board.<br />
<br />
However, the makerbot firmware fails to actually control this heated board, though tests with it mounted as an "extruder" have demonstrated that it can achieve 105C and boil water readily. It is possible that extruder firmware 2.3 simply does not know how to control it. We will wait on an update eagerly.<br />
The heated platform burned up. The wire fried on the second print with it, and left burn marks on the metal and the insulation.<br />
Unsure why, so making the firmware work with it will be important.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. Supposedly the newer CupCake firmware supports it, but we are not sure if using this design would be better than the current setup.<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]<br />
[[Category:RepStrap]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=16292Pirated CupCake2010-05-25T02:03:28Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: /* Electronics */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|status = Working<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold <br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap3.jpg|right|thumb]]<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
Anything physical in the design of the CupCakeStrap that is unique or original.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
In a head crash, the extruder lifts up on the bolts that hold it in place, which are set head-up in the extruder half-dinos. This also makes it easy to lift out to work on (which happens a lot).<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
These nut-locks have since been replaced by [http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3091| these neat printable things] because honestly it made no sense.<br />
<br />
=== Heated Build Plate ===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Heated Plate.jpg|thumb|CupCakeStrap's custom heated plate]]<br />
Warping is what you get when the bottom layers cool rapidly and contort. We had no success with printing anything much larger in surface area than 5cm square, so we opted to build a heated plate, as this reduces cooling and therefor warping.<br />
Somewhat based on the design of the heated plates that have been shown off in the reprap blogs and of the Makerbot-designed board, we decided to use extra extruder parts to construct our own design. Ours is simple, a 4 ohm length of nichrome wire in a loop, taped with high-temperature tape to a brass sheet, with a spare thermistor mounted in the center. Both heater and sensor are attached to a four-pin molex connector, which allows the plate to be swapped out rapidly. The leads go to the extruder board, with the heater in C and the thermistor attached to A-6 via a temperature sensor (2.0) board.<br />
<br />
However, the makerbot firmware fails to actually control this heated board, though tests with it mounted as an "extruder" have demonstrated that it can achieve 105C and boil water readily. It is possible that extruder firmware 2.3 simply does not know how to control it. We will wait on an update eagerly.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. Supposedly the newer CupCake firmware supports it, but we are not sure if using this design would be better than the current setup.<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]<br />
[[Category:RepStrap]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=16291Pirated CupCake2010-05-25T02:00:21Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: /* Z-Platform Nut-locks */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|status = Working<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold <br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap3.jpg|right|thumb]]<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
Anything physical in the design of the CupCakeStrap that is unique or original.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
In a head crash, the extruder lifts up on the bolts that hold it in place, which are set head-up in the extruder half-dinos. This also makes it easy to lift out to work on (which happens a lot).<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
These nut-locks have since been replaced by [http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3091| these neat printable things] because honestly it made no sense.<br />
<br />
=== Heated Build Plate ===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Heated Plate.jpg|thumb|CupCakeStrap's custom heated plate]]<br />
Warping is what you get when the bottom layers cool rapidly and contort. We had no success with printing anything much larger in surface area than 5cm square, so we opted to build a heated plate, as this reduces cooling and therefor warping.<br />
Somewhat based on the design of the heated plates that have been shown off in the reprap blogs and of the Makerbot-designed board, we decided to use extra extruder parts to construct our own design. Ours is simple, a 4 ohm length of nichrome wire in a loop, taped with high-temperature tape to a brass sheet, with a spare thermistor mounted in the center. Both heater and sensor are attached to a four-pin molex connector, which allows the plate to be swapped out rapidly. The leads go to the extruder board, with the heater in C and the thermistor attached to A-6 via a temperature sensor (2.0) board.<br />
<br />
However, the makerbot firmware fails to actually control this heated board, though tests with it mounted as an "extruder" have demonstrated that it can achieve 105C and boil water readily. It is possible that extruder firmware 2.3 simply does not know how to control it. We will wait on an update eagerly.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]<br />
[[Category:RepStrap]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Generation_3_Electronics/Tech_Zone_Remix&diff=16262Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix2010-05-22T23:57:19Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|name = Example Development<br />
|description = A single-board variant of the Gen 3 Electronics<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Kymberlyaandrus<br />
|reprap = Generation 3 Electronics<br />
|status = Working<br />
|categories = [[:Category:Electronics|Electronics]]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
== General ==<br />
<br />
These electronics are based upon the [[Generation 3 Electronics]] by [[User:ZachSmith|Zach Smith]] of RepRap.org/[[MakerBot|MakerBot Industries]].<br />
<br />
[[User:Kymberlyaandrus|We]] are calling them the TechZone remix (TechZone is short for [http://TechZoneCommunications.com Tech Zone Communications (llc)]. The version numbers have been preserved, to indicate that they're an extension of the RepRap [[Generation_3_Electronics]].<br />
<br />
These are the same circuit; but the layout has changed. <br />
<br />
This board works with and was designed for [[Mendel]], and naturally works with [[RepStraps]] as well. (They're the Gen 3 Electronics, after all.)<br />
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<br />
== Description of this electronics set ==<br />
The primary changes to the boards have been to reduce size, and incorporate the connection changes as shown here [http://reprap.org/wiki/PCB_adaptions_for_Mendel] in the RepRap web site. <br />
<br />
I have also changed the footprints of some components; either for size, availability of the component, or for price of the component.<br />
<br />
For those of you who want to build these yourself, you should note that we did not try to stay with larger sized components, some of our capacitors are the 0402 size, and some of the chips are the fine pitched TSSOP, or QFN packages.<br />
<br />
The TechZone Electronics kit includes:<br />
<br />
(1) Mainboard v1.2<br />
<br />
(1) Extruder Controller v2.2<br />
<br />
(3) Stepper Controller v2.3<br />
<br />
(3) Opto Endstops <br />
<br />
(1) USB >> TTL adapter v1.2<br />
<br />
(1) Cable set<br />
<br />
(1) Power Supply - this item is optional<br />
<br />
If you are going to use these electronics with a [[Mendel]],[[Darwin]], or a [[RepStrap]] like the popular [[MakerBot]] system and want to preserve the old cabling system and layout, you will probably want to make cable adapters.<br />
<br />
== Pinouts to hook it all together ==<br />
For a quick reference to all the connections on the boards, here are the files I currently have. <br />
<br />
[[File:MainboardLayout.cdr.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:ExtruderLayout.cdr.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:StepperLayout.cdr.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:USBTTL&OptoLayout.cdr.pdf]] The opto endstop image needs updated, but the pinouts are the same.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Mainboard: ==<br />
The TechZone Remix is drastically reduced in size, The [[SD card]] slot has been replaced with a [[microSD card]] slot, which is on the back side to further reduce size of the board. extra pins on the I2c communications have been removed (which results in the same number of pins and connections as what you end up with when you modify the [[Generation 3 Electronics]] as per the directions here [http://reprap.org/wiki/PCB_adaptions_for_Mendel][http://reprap.org/wiki/PCB_adaptions_for_Mendel].<br />
<br />
We have also added an additional footprint for the processor, to allow the use of the [[QFN]] pack instead of the [[TQFP]] (it is much more difficult to solder, but, it is much easier to find and purchase)<br />
<br />
== Extruder Controller: ==<br />
Again, the TechZone Remix is considerably smaller. This circuit has the least modification, since there were no extraneous pins or connectors. <br />
<br />
We did change the screw down terminal used for the temp connection to a 2 pin .1" jumper terminal. <br />
<br />
We also used higher amp mosfets in a Dpak configuration (almost all standard mosfets in a Dpak will work on this board, so you can select values which are correct for your use, if you are building your own.<br />
<br />
We added an additional footprint for the processor (like on the [[Motherboard_1.2|Mainboard]], and for the same reasons) and we added a footprint to the full bridge control chip(s). We are currently using the additional bridge motor control footprint for testing... so, more to come on that in a few weeks we hope.<br />
<br />
== Stepper Controller: ==<br />
I don't think we made any chages here, except for the size, and pre-changing the connections as per the RepRap configurations (here)[http://reprap.org/wiki/PCB_adaptions_for_Mendel]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Opto Endstop: ==<br />
This board is not based upon the [[OptoEndstop_2.1]], but it uses the same opto-sensor... it may still be a derivative of the [[OptoEndstop_2.1]] board.<br />
<br />
It behaves differently, the LED lights up when there is NOT an object in the sensor, rather than when there IS an object in the sensor<br />
<br />
<br />
== Opto Endstop NOTE ==<br />
For those of you who were early purchasers of our kit, the endstop has may have problems, please read HERE (link coming soon) to see if this affects you, and what you can do to have it fixed.<br />
<br />
<br />
== USB to TTL: ==<br />
This board is not available in the original [[Generation 3 Electronics]], people use a cable instead. As an alternative, at [[???link??? | other places]] in the reprap forum you can find instructions for using a generic breakout board and Serial adapter.<br />
<br />
This board also has footprints for two other usb to serial chips, one is just an QFN package of the ft232rl the other is for an CP2102 chip (which we still need to test)<br />
<br />
<br />
== Cable Set ==<br />
When you purchase a complete electronics kit from TechZoneCommunications.com (kymberlyaandrus in the for sale forum); We include a cable set which uses IDC connectors and ribbon cable, it is not pre-cut and assembled. You have to assemble your own cables, this allows you to get the lengths you want, for where you locate your electronics.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Power Supply ==<br />
The power supply is a generic 12V with at least 5Amps of power, we use higher amperage when it is available for a comparable price.<br />
<br />
The power supply is universal, so that it will work in most parts of the world (assuming a standard power system of some sort).<br />
<br />
<br />
== The Ever-Controversial File Section (These are our sources folks!) ==<br />
These files can be edited using pcb artist from advanced circuits, however if you use that program you will probably be locked into ordering your boards from them. (I have used them in the past, and they have great service, but I doubt you will get excited by their price). At the request of my supplier, i cannot share with you what we are using to create/edit these files in house with; as a result, I will redraw these in another, open source program so that you all have a more useable version. (it will take me a few weeks though, since I have lots on my plate right now - April 23, 2009)<br />
<br />
Mainboard layout files for PCB (see here for Schematic) <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
[[File:RepRapMB-v1.2.1.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[File:AllTogether_RepRapMB-v1.2.1.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:BottomCopper_RepRapMB-v1.2.1.pdf]]<br />
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[[File:BottomSolderMask_RepRapMB-v1.2.1.pdf]]<br />
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[[File:Documentation_RepRapMB-v1.2.1.pdf]]<br />
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[[File:TopCopper_RepRapMB-v1.2.1.pdf]]<br />
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[[File:TopSilkScreen_RepRapMB-v1.2.1.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:TopSolderMask_RepRapMB-v1.2.1.pdf]]<br />
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Extruder Controller layout files for PCB (See here for Schematic)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
[[File:Extruder-v2.2.3.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[File:AllTogether_ExtruderController-v2.2.3.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:BottomCopper_ExtruderController-v2.2.3.pdf]]<br />
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[[File:BottomSolderMask_ExtruderController-v2.2.3.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:Documentation_ExtruderController-v2.2.3.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:TopCopper_ExtruderController-v2.2.3.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:TopSilkScreen_ExtruderController-v2.2.3.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:TopSolderMask_ExtruderController-v2.2.3.pdf]]<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Stepper Controller layout files for PCB (See here for Schematic)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
[[File:StepperController-v2.3.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[File:AllTogether_StepperController-v2.3.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:BottomCopper_StepperController-v2.3.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:BottomSolderMask_StepperController-v2.3.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:Documentation_StepperController-v2.3.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:TopCopper_StepperController-v2.3.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:TopSilkScreen_StepperController-v2.3.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:TopSolderMask_StepperController-v2.3.pdf]]<br />
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Opto Endstop layout files for PCB (No Schematic for this version .. I might get one made sometime) <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
[[File:OptoEndstop-v1.2.zip]]<br />
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[[File:AllTogether_OptoEndstop-v1.2.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:BottomCopper_OptoEndstop-v1.2.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:BottomSolderMask_OptoEndstop-v1.2.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:Documentation_OptoEndstop-v1.2.pdf]]<br />
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[[File:TopCopper_OptoEndstop-v1.2.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:TopSilkScreen_OptoEndstop-v1.2.pdf]]<br />
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[[File:TopSolderMask_OptoEndstop-v1.2.pdf]]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
USB >> TTL layout files for PCB (I used the schematic from the sample application on the data sheet [http://www.ftdichip.com/Documents/DataSheets/Modules/DS_UC232R.pdf] for the ft232rl chip)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
[[File:USB-TTLv1.2.zip]]<br />
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[[File:AllTogether_USB-TTLv1.2.pdf]]<br />
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[[File:BottomCopper_USB-TTLv1.2.pdf]]<br />
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[[File:BottomSolderMask_USB-TTLv1.2.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:Documentation_USB-TTLv1.2.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:TopCopper_USB-TTLv1.2.pdf]]<br />
<br />
[[File:TopSilkScreen_USB-TTLv1.2.pdf]]<br />
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[[File:TopSolderMask_USB-TTLv1.2.pdf]]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
There is also a revised Bill of Materials. [[File:Gen3ElectronicsTechZoneRemix-BOM.xls]]<br />
<br />
== Share Your Experiences with these Electronics (as used in your projects)==<br />
You are invited to share your experiences with these electronics here, just add links to your blog, or create an additional wiki page, then link to it here... or if what you want to share is short enough, just add it in to this page! Everything helps, and you can edit it later to clean it up.<br />
<br />
When we used the tech zone remix boards, the terminals on the stepper motor controlers were mislabled. They were labled A-B-C-D, but they should have been labled A-C-B-D, if you are using the standard Kysan motors sold by makerbot. One pair of coil leads (A and C on the Kysan Motors) should be plugged into the two terminals closest to the ten pin connector and the other two (B and D on the Kysan motors) should be plugged into the two farthest.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Electronics]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=15982Pirated CupCake2010-05-19T18:18:02Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|status = Working<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold <br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap3.jpg|right|thumb]]<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
Anything physical in the design of the CupCakeStrap that is unique or original.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
In a head crash, the extruder lifts up on the bolts that hold it in place, which are set head-up in the extruder half-dinos. This also makes it easy to lift out to work on (which happens a lot).<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Heated Build Plate ===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Heated Plate.jpg|thumb|CupCakeStrap's custom heated plate]]<br />
Warping is what you get when the bottom layers cool rapidly and contort. We had no success with printing anything much larger in surface area than 5cm square, so we opted to build a heated plate, as this reduces cooling and therefor warping.<br />
Somewhat based on the design of the heated plates that have been shown off in the reprap blogs and of the Makerbot-designed board, we decided to use extra extruder parts to construct our own design. Ours is simple, a 4 ohm length of nichrome wire in a loop, taped with high-temperature tape to a brass sheet, with a spare thermistor mounted in the center. Both heater and sensor are attached to a four-pin molex connector, which allows the plate to be swapped out rapidly. The leads go to the extruder board, with the heater in C and the thermistor attached to A-6 via a temperature sensor (2.0) board.<br />
<br />
However, the makerbot firmware fails to actually control this heated board, though tests with it mounted as an "extruder" have demonstrated that it can achieve 105C and boil water readily. It is possible that extruder firmware 2.3 simply does not know how to control it. We will wait on an update eagerly.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]<br />
[[Category:RepStrap]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=15948Pirated CupCake2010-05-19T06:33:27Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: /* CupCakeStrap Hardware */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|status = Working<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold <br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap3.jpg|right|thumb]]<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
Anything physical in the design of the CupCakeStrap that is unique or original.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
In a head crash, the extruder lifts up on the bolts that hold it in place, which are set head-up in the extruder half-dinos. This also makes it easy to lift out to work on (which happens a lot).<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Heated Build Plate ===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Heated Plate.jpg|thumb|CupCakeStrap's custom heated plate]]<br />
Warping is what you get when the bottom layers cool rapidly and contort. We had no success with printing anything much larger in surface area than 5cm square, so we opted to build a heated plate, as this reduces cooling and therefor warping.<br />
Somewhat based on the design of the heated plates that have been shown off in the reprap blogs and of the Makerbot-designed board, we decided to use extra extruder parts to construct our own design. Ours is simple, a 4 ohm length of nichrome wire in a loop, taped with high-temperature tape to a brass sheet, with a spare thermistor mounted in the center. Both heater and sensor are attached to a four-pin molex connector, which allows the plate to be swapped out rapidly. The leads go to the extruder board, with the heater in C and the thermistor attached to A-6 via a temperature sensor (2.0) board.<br />
<br />
However, the makerbot firmware fails to actually control this heated board, though tests with it mounted as an "extruder" have demonstrated that it can achieve 105C and boil water readily. It is possible that extruder firmware 2.3 simply does not know how to control it. We will wait on an update eagerly.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=15946Pirated CupCake2010-05-19T06:28:42Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: /* CupCakeStrap Basics: */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|status = Working<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold <br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap3.jpg|right|thumb]]<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
All of the Hardware variations from the original CupCake.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
In a head crash, the extruder lifts up on the bolts that hold it in place, which are set head-up in the extruder half-dinos. This also makes it easy to lift out to work on (which happens a lot).<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Heated Build Plate ===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Heated Plate.jpg|thumb|CupCakeStrap's custom heated plate]]<br />
Warping is what you get when the bottom layers cool rapidly and contort. We had no success with printing anything much larger in surface area than 5cm square, so we opted to build a heated plate, as this reduces cooling and therefor warping.<br />
Somewhat based on the design of the heated plates that have been shown off in the reprap blogs and of the Makerbot-designed board, we decided to use extra extruder parts to construct our own design. Ours is simple, a 4 ohm length of nichrome wire in a loop, taped with high-temperature tape to a brass sheet, with a spare thermistor mounted in the center. Both heater and sensor are attached to a four-pin molex connector, which allows the plate to be swapped out rapidly. The leads go to the extruder board, with the heater in C and the thermistor attached to A-6 via a temperature sensor (2.0) board.<br />
<br />
However, the makerbot firmware fails to actually control this heated board, though tests with it mounted as an "extruder" have demonstrated that it can achieve 105C and boil water readily. It is possible that extruder firmware 2.3 simply does not know how to control it. We will wait on an update eagerly.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:CupCakeStrap_Heated_Plate.jpg&diff=15945File:CupCakeStrap Heated Plate.jpg2010-05-19T06:23:04Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: Handmade 36W heated plate for CupCakeStrap</p>
<hr />
<div>Handmade 36W heated plate for CupCakeStrap</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=15944Pirated CupCake2010-05-19T06:20:47Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: /* Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|status = Working<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold <br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
<br />
__TOC__<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap3.jpg|right|thumb]]<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
All of the Hardware variations from the original CupCake.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
In a head crash, the extruder lifts up on the bolts that hold it in place, which are set head-up in the extruder half-dinos. This also makes it easy to lift out to work on (which happens a lot).<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Heated Build Plate ===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Heated Plate.jpg|thumb|CupCakeStrap's custom heated plate]]<br />
Warping is what you get when the bottom layers cool rapidly and contort. We had no success with printing anything much larger in surface area than 5cm square, so we opted to build a heated plate, as this reduces cooling and therefor warping.<br />
Somewhat based on the design of the heated plates that have been shown off in the reprap blogs and of the Makerbot-designed board, we decided to use extra extruder parts to construct our own design. Ours is simple, a 4 ohm length of nichrome wire in a loop, taped with high-temperature tape to a brass sheet, with a spare thermistor mounted in the center. Both heater and sensor are attached to a four-pin molex connector, which allows the plate to be swapped out rapidly. The leads go to the extruder board, with the heater in C and the thermistor attached to A-6 via a temperature sensor (2.0) board.<br />
<br />
However, the makerbot firmware fails to actually control this heated board, though tests with it mounted as an "extruder" have demonstrated that it can achieve 105C and boil water readily. It is possible that extruder firmware 2.3 simply does not know how to control it. We will wait on an update eagerly.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=15939Pirated CupCake2010-05-19T06:10:36Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: /* Z-Platform Nut-locks */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|status = Working<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold <br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
<br />
__TOC__<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap3.jpg|right|thumb]]<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
All of the Hardware variations from the original CupCake.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
In a head crash, the extruder lifts up on the bolts that hold it in place, which are set head-up in the extruder half-dinos. This also makes it easy to lift out to work on (which happens a lot).<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:CupCakeStrap3.jpg&diff=15938File:CupCakeStrap3.jpg2010-05-19T06:05:07Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: uploaded a new version of "File:CupCakeStrap3.jpg"</p>
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<div>Taken right after the second successful print (if you discount the extrusion testing blocks).</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Health_and_Safety&diff=15791Health and Safety2010-05-18T03:38:37Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>RepRap works with materials at temperatures from ambient to about 240 C. Clearly at the top of this range you are in danger of burning yourself - be careful! Also some parts of the RepRap machine (particularly the extruder) are capable of generating quite high forces and torques - don't get your fingers in them.<br />
<br />
Please be careful and use a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_boiler double boiler] when melting wax or thermoplastic. A double boiler is a set of two pans. The lower pan contains hot water, and the upper pan is placed in the lower pan.<br />
If you do not have a double boiler, put your wax or thermoplastic in a soup can and place that in a saucepan half full of water.<br />
Place the saucepan on your stovetop or hot plate and heat normally.<br />
<br />
Every manufacturing technology that humanity has ever come up with has been used to make weapons, and doubtless RepRap will be no exception. There is no absolute way to stop this, any more than one could stop someone buying a second-hand lathe on eBay and using that to turn up all sorts of very nasty objects. However, the RepRap researchers will work actively to inhibit and to subvert the use of RepRap for weapons production, whether by individuals, companies, or governments. And we will remove any such designs from this site. At least RepRap is not very suited to weapons manufacture - it tends to work with more subtle and delicate materials. Give people an internal combustion engine and a few will make tanks; but many more will make ambulances.<br />
<br />
[[User:SebastienBailard|SebastienBailard]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=MendelUnderDevelopment&diff=15790MendelUnderDevelopment2010-05-18T03:37:07Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div> This page has become severely outdated! Events in present or future tense may be in the distant past!<br />
= Mendel - Under Development =<br />
<br />
Mendel is the version 2 RepRap. Some ideas have been kicked around the core team and Ed has done some designs, previously refered to as "the Wedge". Mendel looks smaller than Darwin, and is. But the frame actually has more printable area in it than the Darwin, where the head and carriage clashed with the frame, limiting movement. The Z motor also took up a lot of build height in the original Darwin, and Ed has fixed that too.<br />
The same electronics will do for the moment. Extra heads and servos etc. can come later. It's not finished yet, OK? Tab A may only fit in slot B with the appliance of heat, force, and the correct phase of the moon. With no better place to put development stuff, Vik has created this wiki page.<br />
<br />
* 3D part files are [https://reprap.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/reprap/trunk/mendel/mechanics/cartesian-robot/ here]. <br />
* Critical assmble distances and lengths are [[[[image:MendelUnderDevelopment-assembly-notes.ods|here]].|thumb]]<br />
* VRML file of wedge to illustrate assembly ONLY is [[[[image:MendelUnderDevelopment-wedge.zip|here]].|thumb]]<br />
* Crucial dxf's of sheet components are included in the attachments table below (max 6mm sheet).<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w0pYYVNavoE/So5n3cEzjII/AAAAAAAAA20/DnKf5Gn-M5M/s1600-h/dsc04806.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w0pYYVNavoE/So5n3cEzjII/AAAAAAAAA20/DnKf5Gn-M5M/s200/dsc04806.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372345607626394754" /></a><br />
<br />
Vik is currently building a Mendel frame to test out movement with stepper motors, and to deploy just the one static head. Image shows the major structural frame components and all the rods needed before assembly proper started.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Twiki]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=ImportedParts&diff=15789ImportedParts2010-05-18T03:09:17Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[RepRap]] machines are intended to evolve to the point at which they will be able to make a great majority of their own parts. However, there are a few parts which it won't be able to make... at least for now.<br />
<br />
== Simple List of Non-Printed Parts ==<br />
* Grease<br />
* Standard electronic chips such as microcontrollers and optical sensors<br />
* Standard electrical wiring, USB connectors, etc.<br />
* Motors (Stepper, Servo, and DC alike)<br />
* Power Supply<br />
* Bolts -- though these can be reduced in count with design accomodations.<br />
* &#216;8 mm steel rods<br />
<br />
Beyond that, all of the structural and mechanical parts should eventually be printable with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fused_deposition_modeling FDM Rapid Prototyping technology].<br />
Except perhaps the hand that assembles it... for now anyway.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Twiki]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Talk:Whoops&diff=15788Talk:Whoops2010-05-18T03:01:37Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: Created page with 'You can get here via "Random Page!" That can't be right!'</p>
<hr />
<div>You can get here via "Random Page!" That can't be right!</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Talk:Lubrication&diff=15787Talk:Lubrication2010-05-18T02:43:56Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: Created page with 'I've made some updates to this page, and I'm hoping to go and get some outside sources later on. Lubrication is pretty important, as is knowing what sorts will have a good effect…'</p>
<hr />
<div>I've made some updates to this page, and I'm hoping to go and get some outside sources later on. Lubrication is pretty important, as is knowing what sorts will have a good effect. More reports from working machines would be nice.</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Lubrication&diff=15786Lubrication2010-05-18T02:41:50Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>Lubrication is important aspect of every CNC machine and the [[RepRap]] is no exception. Proper lubrication will make your machine run smoothly, will suppress or even remove ugly noises and reduce wear and tear of your components.<br />
<br />
=Lubrication=<br />
The main parts of the [[RepRap]] machine that need to be lubricated are:<br />
<br />
* Threaded Rod + Nut<br />
* Bearings<br />
* Sliders<br />
<br />
==Threaded Rod + Nut==<br />
Both [[Darwin]] and [[Mendel]] [[RepRap]] models have multiple Z-stage drives constructed using threaded rod and a nut, though some experimental or [[RepStrap]] machines use only one. There are [[RepRap]] clones that have X and Y also made with threaded rod and a nut. Friction between nut and threaded rod, especially under the load of the Z platform in [[Darwin]] based models is huge and if not lubricated the Z-Stage will produce ugly squeaking sounds and rub off metal powder, and soon your threaded rods will show signs of wear and tear (especially if you use a lot of Z-Motion). Properly lubricating the rods will reduce the wear and tear on the rods (not to mention reducing the ugly sounds).<br />
So far, high viscosity [[PTFE]] filled oil ([http://www.super-lube.com/oils-synthetic-oil-with-ptfe-high-viscosity-c-5_15.htm| super-lube for example]) shown best results here.<br />
<br />
==Bearings==<br />
There are two major types of bearings found in [[RepRap]] machines.<br />
* Roller bearings<br />
* Linear bearings<br />
<br />
===Roll bearings=== <br />
These bearings are usually closed and have their own lubrication, so no additional lubrication is needed.<br />
<br />
===Linear bearings===<br />
Linear Bearings come in open and close package. The closed ones have their own lubrication and no additional lubrication is needed while open ones need additional lubrication.<br />
high-viscosity [[PTFE]] filled oil ([http://www.super-lube.com| super-lube]) for example shown best results here. Synthetic Gear Oil also shown very good results.<br />
<br />
==Sliders==<br />
Depending on the type of a slider ([[PLA]] on Chrome, [[PTFE]] on Chrome, [[ABS]] on Chrome ..) you will need to find appropriate lubricant. Note that some oils do not interact well with some plastics. In most cases when using [[PTFE]] on Chrome no lubrication is needed but some [[PTFE]] filled oil will help a bit especially if you use [[PTFE]] inserts for X or Y movement. Multipurpose grease also shown nice results.<br />
<br />
=Less Successful Lubricants=<br />
* WD40 is possibly the worst lubricant, tested on a [[Darwin]] based [[RepRap]] [[rapman]]. It "ate up" the Z threaded rods and produced huge amounts of ugly black gunk that was impossible to remove while not improving Z movement at all. <br />
* Light oil reduced the sqeeking sound but did not really help with friction and on the sliders it even increased friction (by attracting dust and creating sticky surface on the slider rod). [[CupCakeStrap]] has used light machine oil for the linear rails, which are aluminum rod and brass tube "brushings." The oil worked very very well, but over a one-month period the oil formed some black gunk, and much of it leaked down from the rails onto the acrylic X stage, lightly discoloring it. The gunk is easily removed, but doing so dries out the rail.<br />
* Silicone grease that is often used with [[RepRap]] is actually meant to be used with rubber gaskets, o-rings and similar equipment. It is not "bad" and some users report good results with it. There is also silicone grease with [[PTFE]] that is reported to work well.</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=LaserCut_Mendel&diff=15785LaserCut Mendel2010-05-18T02:09:28Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development:Stub}}<br />
<br />
<br />
{{Development<br />
|name = LaserCut Mendel<br />
|description = LaserCut Mendel<br />
|status = Experimental<br />
|license = [[GPL3]]<br />
|image = lasercut_mendel.jpg<br />
|author = Kymberlyaandrus<br />
|reprap = Mendel<br />
|categories = [[:Category:Repstrap|Mendel]]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|LaserCut Mendel Repstrap project|<br />
This Repstrap is cut from three different thicknesses of plywood, you may cut your own (if you have access to a laser cutter) or, you may buy a kit from TechZoneCommunications.com llc.<br />
'''*** Please note, until the instructions are posted here in the wiki, there will be no support for this project, if you choose to use the files before the instructions are posted, you are on your own, until that time!'''}}<br />
<br />
This page is the home page for this project, you should be able to find links to all files, instructions and videos needed to create a LaserCut Mendel of your own.<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
[[Image:lasercut_mendel.jpg|800px|left| Really big example images with lots of descriptive text are a fun part of documentation.]]<br />
<br />
=General Description=<br />
The LaserCut Mendel was developed by TechZoneCommunications.com llc. It was originally intended to be a 1:1 replacement for printed parts, however due the overly complex post-processing which would have been required, it was re-designed to be a replacement one axis at a time. In other words, you should be able to replace the LaserCut parts for any single axis with printed parts for that same axis and it should work.<br />
<br />
If you are cutting your own, you need to know that there is some ADVANCED post-processing of parts with a router table and drill press. You will also need to build some jigs to perform the post-processing accurately.<br />
<br />
The creation of the files represents over a hundred hours of work, so if you are not purchasing any items from TechZone, please consider making a donation to them so that they can continue developing and providing technical support for the RepRap community.<br />
<br />
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[[Image:20px-Exquisite-khelpcenter.png|frameless|right]][http://forums.reprap.org/feed.php?31 Forum/Mailing List]</h2><br />
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<br />
=Description of Differences=<br />
Although the frame is essentially identical to the standard Mendel, there are some notable differences.<br />
<br />
1. '''Hardware differences:''' The LaserCut Mendel uses far fewer m4X40 bolts (and less bolts in general), but it uses more of the m4X16 bolts. There are also 2 fewer bearings on the Y axis - technically you should be able to also leave these same bearings out of the original Mendel without impacting performance. We also use far fewer m3 bolts. We also need 8 pieces of 40mm X m4 studding<br />
<br />
2. '''X Axis''' We have reduced the number of parts, and merged pieces, in order to simplify the assembly out of sheet goods. We also changed the way the bearings mount up, they now rely on the "spring" capabilities of the plywood to apply pressure to the smooth rods (we have done this on all the axis).<br />
<br />
3. '''Y Axis''' The bearing mounts have been changed here (similar to the other axis). The "Frog" plate has been altered significantly to accommodate the new bearing mounts; if you intend to convert this machine to a true Mendel, you will need a "stock" frog plate. <br />
<br />
4. '''Z Axis''' The Z Axis is probably the least changed, but requires the most post-processing of cut pieces.<br />
<br />
5. '''Frame''' I mention the frame here so that no one thinks I forgot to mention it... It is relatively unchanged, and the pieces should be a near identical 1:1 replacement<br />
<br />
=Assembly Overview=<br />
Depending upon how you create/acquire your [[Category:LaserCut]] Pieces, there are several major steps to build your RepRap.<br />
<br />
1. [[Acquisition of parts]]. Information on all the parts needed to build a LaserCut Mendel Repstrap, what to get, where to get them, or how to make them.<br />
<br />
2. Raw LaserCut parts need a fair bit of [[post processing]], with clamps, glue, a drill press and a router table to get to an assemble-able point.<br />
<br />
3. Ready To assemble part need [[General assembly]] into the device shown at the beginning of this wiki article.<br />
<!-- what does the line above mean? --><br />
<br />
4. [[Electronics Installation]] <br />
<br />
5. Print something!<br />
<br />
==Video of axis moving==<br />
[[File:LaserCutMendelAxisMoving.mpeg]]<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
* Gen 3 electronics TechZone Remix<br />
* LaserCut geared extruder<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=Source Files=<br />
==Downloads==<br />
The following files are the original design files, in CorelDRAW format.<br />
*[[File:LaserCutFiles.zip]] This is all three of the following files in one zip.<br />
*[[File:3-8inLaserCutSheet.zip]]<br />
*[[File:1-4inLaserCutSheet.zip]]<br />
*[[File:1-8inLaserCutSheet.zip]]<br />
Here are the three files in SVG, a more widely used and portable format.<br />
*[[File:SVG-Files.zip]]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<!-- commenting out example stuff<br />
==Image Example==<br />
[[Image:lasercut_mendel.jpg|thumb|This is a thumbnail]]<br />
<br />
=Photos and Drawings=<br />
<gallery><br />
Image:Wiki.png<br />
Image:Example.jpg|Captioned<br />
Image:Wiki.png<br />
Image:Example.jpg|[[Help:Contents/Links|Links]] can be put in captions.<br />
Image:Wiki.png<br />
Image:Example.jpg|Full [[MediaWiki]]<br />[[syntax]] may now be used…<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
=More Examples=<br />
*[[Flickr Example]]<br />
*[[Video Example]]<br />
<br />
=Huge Image=<br />
[[Image:lasercut_mendel.jpg|frame|right| Really big example images with lots of descriptive text are a fun part of documentation.]] t text text text text text text. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text. <br />
{{Example Artifacts}}<br />
--><br />
<br />
[[Category:Mendel RepStrap]]<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=User:Ben.Rockhold&diff=15783User:Ben.Rockhold2010-05-18T01:42:53Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: /* CupCakeStrap */</p>
<hr />
<div>Benjamin Rockhold is a Roosevelt High School Senior, and lifetime DIY builder.<br />
<br />
=Current Projects=<br />
This is ''always'' going to be out of date.<br />
==CupCakeStrap==<br />
The [[CupCakeStrap]] is a Senior Project, a CupCake derivative redesigned around a super-low price and nearly 90% scratch-built. [[File:CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|CupCakeStrap]]<br />
<br />
==Roosevelt TEClub==<br />
Ben is President of Roosevelt High School's main Engineering and Technology Club, which is currently building a Mill-Conversion repstrap to turn an under-used Prolight CNC mill into a many-headed RepStrapping monster. This project is two years in, and expects to reach "completion" some time in the near future (ideally before the high-ups graduate).</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=15617Pirated CupCake2010-05-15T01:54:38Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|status = Working<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold <br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
<br />
__TOC__<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap3.jpg|right|thumb]]<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
All of the Hardware variations from the original CupCake.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=15616Pirated CupCake2010-05-15T01:53:30Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|status = Working<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold <br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
All of the Hardware variations from the original CupCake.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap3.jpg|thumb]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=15615Pirated CupCake2010-05-15T01:52:52Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|status = Working<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold <br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
All of the Hardware variations from the original CupCake.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap3.jpg]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Firmware_FAQ&diff=15504Firmware FAQ2010-05-09T21:24:50Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>If you have a question answered, you should post what it was and how you fixed it here.<br />
<br />
<br />
=General FAQ=<br />
==MotherBoard FAQ==<br />
====Arduino displays "Programmer Not Responding"====<br />
There are a number of problems that cause this, but the most predominant is mis-timed resetting. On the Sanguino-derived gen-3 motherboard, you need to press the reset button in order to upload the firmware to it. This can be tricky, because not all computers are equal and may compile the firmware in different spans of time. You want to press reset as soon as you see the "Binary sketch size: X bytes (of a X byte maximum)" message. If the error continues, check your cables.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=Serious "WTF" errors=<br />
Anything that has no obvious answer.<br />
<br />
==Errors with Compiling==<br />
When the compiler in the Arduino software fails before even uploading anything, you have a compiler error.<br />
<br />
===Motherboard Firmware===<br />
Nothing known yet.<br />
<br />
===Extruder Firmware===<br />
===="o: In function `__vector_11': multiple definition (...)"====<br />
Known for Arduino 0018, all OSs.<br />
This is an issue with the servo library included in the Arduino environment. A fix may be had by removing the offending sections of servo.cpp. When the error appears, there should be text highlighted in the Arduino window. This is a function that is not needed, so perform some ninja C++ and remove it. You may do this by deletion or the more elegant (yet kludge) "#if 0 {function} #endif" method.<br />
Either way, you should remove the entire function such that none of it runs. <br />
Like so:<br />
#if 0<br />
blah blah blah (Function Name)<br />
{<br />
blah blah blah (Function Content)<br />
}<br />
#endif<br />
Example available here http://pastebin.com/VqFrSKqD ''Originally Submitted by [[User:Ben.Rockhold|Ben_R]].''</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Talk:LaserCut_Mendel&diff=15503Talk:LaserCut Mendel2010-05-09T21:23:42Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: Created page with 'I added the svg versions of the design files, because CorelDraw requires money.'</p>
<hr />
<div>I added the svg versions of the design files, because CorelDraw requires money.</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Talk:Pirated_CupCake&diff=15502Talk:Pirated CupCake2010-05-09T21:22:08Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>Wow, I looked over your parts list and this seems pretty complete for ~$253. It's amazing how cheap you guys have managed to do this, however unfortunate it is that it would not be easy to reproduce, it certainly shows how with the right amount of rummaging around ebay you can get away with paying 1/3rd the price. Interesting project - best of luck!<br />
<br />
--[[User:TheOtherRob|TheOtherRob]] 20:35, 7 April 2010 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Thanks! Yeah, we were intending to lower the price further by using a bunch of steppers we salvaged from random junk, but they were not particurally strong or accurate.<br />
Redesigning the mounts for them would also have been a royal pain -- which I may have to do anyway because our belt pulleys are of larger diameter than the original ones.<br />
Maybe I should make a parametric cupcake.<br />
<br />
--[[User:Ben.Rockhold|Ben.Rockhold]], 9 May 2010</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=15407Pirated CupCake2010-05-02T05:48:55Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|status = Working<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold <br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
All of the Hardware variations from the original CupCake.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=15406Pirated CupCake2010-05-02T05:42:16Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|status = Working<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold<br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
All of the Hardware variations from the original CupCake.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=15405Pirated CupCake2010-05-02T05:33:00Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|status = complete<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold<br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
All of the Hardware variations from the original CupCake.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=15404Pirated CupCake2010-05-02T05:32:07Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|status= complete<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold<br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
All of the Hardware variations from the original CupCake.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=15403Pirated CupCake2010-05-02T05:29:00Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|status= In-Progress<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold<br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
All of the Hardware variations from the original CupCake.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=15402Pirated CupCake2010-05-02T05:24:50Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Taken after print #2]]<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold<br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
All of the Hardware variations from the original CupCake.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=15401Pirated CupCake2010-05-02T05:23:12Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap3.jpg|thumb]]<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold<br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
All of the Hardware variations from the original CupCake.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:CupCakeStrap3.jpg&diff=15400File:CupCakeStrap3.jpg2010-05-02T05:23:04Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: Taken right after the second successful print (if you discount the extrusion testing blocks).</p>
<hr />
<div>Taken right after the second successful print (if you discount the extrusion testing blocks).</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=15383Pirated CupCake2010-05-01T18:55:42Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: /* Software */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap2.jpg|thumb]]<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold<br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
All of the Hardware variations from the original CupCake.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything. Turned out the things was not soldered properly, and two pads were not touching.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something. (Documented that on the FAQ page)<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=15262Pirated CupCake2010-04-27T01:56:24Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: /* CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap2.jpg|thumb]]<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold<br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
All of the Hardware variations from the original CupCake.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something.<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
Note: One of the stepper boards exploded in construction, so we have replaced them with the Techzone version. This is not counted in the price, because "it should have worked"<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* A USB cable that actually works = $25 (Bought from the Metrix Create Space when cable #1 stopped working)<br />
* A 32MB SD card. = $0 Found one laying around, and we plan to simply hardwire it on.<br />
Total ~ $278<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:CupCakeStrap_Working_Directory_042510.zip&diff=15216File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip2010-04-25T19:56:48Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: The april 25th backup of the assorted files.
No guarantees that it actually works right now.
All files produced with either Inkscape or Autodesk Inventor.</p>
<hr />
<div>The april 25th backup of the assorted files.<br />
No guarantees that it actually works right now.<br />
All files produced with either Inkscape or Autodesk Inventor.</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Pirated_CupCake&diff=15215Pirated CupCake2010-04-25T19:54:46Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development<br />
|name = CupCakeStrap<br />
|image = CupCakeStrap2.jpg|thumb]]<br />
|description = Cupcake as RepStrap<br />
|license = [[GPL]]<br />
|author = Ben.Rockhold<br />
|reprap = CupCake<br />
|categories = [[:Category:RepStrap|RepStrap]]<br />
|url = [http://launchat1145.blogspot.com Project Blog]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|This is an in-progress build|This project is made 90% from kludge and improv hackery. It is not meant as a tutorial or even a rough guide so much as it is intended as inspiration. }}<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Basics:=<br />
''True DIY should be done on the lowest operating budget possible''<br />
<br />
The CupCakeStrap is the high-school Senior Project of Benjamin Rockhold and Griffin Nicoll. It is a CupCake made from as close to scratch as possible, with the excepton of PCBs, Steppers, and PSU. Everything else was purchased in individual components from "The Internet" and a few local hardware stores. The plastic and plywood parts were laser-cut with Roosevelt High School's laser cutter and free material from donation. The CupCakeStrap is different from normal CupCakes in that it has been modified to reduce the price of some important parts, and it is not intended as a final machine. Instead, it will serve to print out parts for its successor, a RepRap Mendel-derivative (similarly modified for low cost). Thus, it is a RepStrap in spirit and a CupCake derivative in body.<br />
<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
So, I bet you're asking "What's the attraction to building a Cupcake, with its smaller print area, high price, and odd naming?"<br />
Well, first off, it's the cutest of printing machines. Secondly, if it's not going to be purchased outright from Makerbot, it's really not very expensive at all. I'm not trying to say that the machines Makerbot sells are not excellent or are over priced, but the draw to make one from scratch is pretty strong.<br />
<br />
----<br />
The following is basic documentation, not in any real organized form. This is a to-do item :p<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Hardware=<br />
All of the Hardware variations from the original CupCake.<br />
<br />
== Improvisations Made for Low-Price==<br />
We decided that in order to maintain a low price, we ought to custom-build more parts than we have to order in a completed state. Basically, these modifications were made anywhere we thought we could save a buck without reducing functionality.<br />
<br />
===Acrylic Pulleys===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Acrylic Pulleys.jpg|thumb|Pulleys]]<br />
To produce pulleys for zero cost, we found random belts from a scrapped printer (a BIG one, new printers use really small and useless belts) that looked similar to the ones used on the real CupCake, and then measured them. Using Inkscape, we performed a rotation of the tooth profile into a circle, and modified it to work with warping and stretching. Then we just lazzored them out of thin acrylic, and fused the layers together with an acrylic solvent. To attach to the motor, we used some random rubber things from the same printer, used to move paper. The rubber is a short tube, and very stiff. It was about 10mm in external diameter, and about the same as our motor's shaft in internal diameter. We insert the tube into the pulley, then press it onto the motor shaft. It's way, way stronger to hold in place than the motor can torque.<br />
===Cheap Linear Bearings===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Linear Bearings.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Linear Bearings]]<br />
Rather than buy "real" linear bearings, we picked up some M8 Aluminum rod ($3 per meter) and some 8mm internal diameter brass tube (30cm for $4). With this, you get a sub-$10 brushing. We cut 6cm lengths of the brass tube and inserted them into a modified X stage (bearing holes reduced to diameter of brass rod). We made 3.5cm lengths for the Y stage, modified the same way. Essentially, we reinvented the brass brushing. These bearings work very well, even without lubricant. The primary source of friction is the motor on the XY stages and our motors are have excess torque, so friction is not a problem anyway. We feel these have a good chance and proving to have similar if not equivalent functionality as the proper ones originally intended for the Makerbot CupCake.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Improvisation Made for Increased Functionality==<br />
Now and then in the build process, we found things that we thought could be improved from the original CupCake. These are not particularly critical to the machine, but make it look better or work better (open to interpretation).<br />
<br />
===Motor Cut-Out===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Motor Cutout.jpg|thumb|Motor Space Cutout]]<br />
The motors we ordered (from Ebay) were more than 1cm longer than we expected, and so the Y-Stepper that rides the X-Carriage was too long to fit in the room given to it. We cut a large rectange out of the middle platform to correct this, and furthermore had to slide the PSU further forward in the machine. This means the PSU is 8cm in from the back plate. We have secured it with packing tape.<br />
<br />
===Extra Bearing Holders===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap bearing holders.jpg|thumb|Bearing Holders]]<br />
The original CupCake has bearings on the bottom end of the Z-Stage rods that stick up from the 4mm plywood used. These look kinda bad, so we added an extra few mm of acrylic cut to fit the bearing and to resemble the Z-Stage bearing capture layers. These extra layers are essentially cosmetic, but they also make it harder for the bearing to escape its hole. Theoretically, they could be augmented with a bearing-capture layer, and this would make the upper capture layers unnecessary. That might look nice.<br />
<br />
===Z-Platform Nut-locks===<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap platform locks.jpg|thumb|Platform Locks]]<br />
We decided that allowing the nuts to come lose from the Z-Stage was not something we wanted to see, even in the event of a head-crash. We added two more layers to the nut holder to fully trap it, a layer that mimics the platform's shape, and another Z-Guide part. We are going to have to modify the extruder-holding dinos to release the head in event of a crash, but that is a to-do item.<br />
<br />
In the future, we may exchange the Z-platform for a plywood one, as we have heard that after extended operation the acrylic ones can begin to warp from the heat.<br />
<br />
=CupCakeStrap Electronics+Software=<br />
Not too many modifications were made to the electronics for the CupCakeStrap, but it has an interesting history and mix of parts.<br />
<br />
==Electronics==<br />
[[image:CupCakeStrap Original Electronics.jpg|thumb|Original Electronics]]<br />
The CupCakeStrap was originally designed around the RepRap Generation 3 electronics, build by hand from components ordered from Mouser and Digikey. Due to backorder issues, we purchased the wrong linear regulators, and wholly left out the SD card slot, large 5v resistor, and the female headers. When powered on, one of the linear regulators (completely wrong for the job) sparked and smoked. The board it was attached to died (painfully I am sure), and the others were saved, and had the regulators amputated. Loss of the linear regulators proved hard to work around. A solution whereby we tapped the unused 5v supply from the PSU was proposed on the RepRap IRC, and this solution worked! By taking 5v from the ATX jack and feeding it to the output pad of the stepper boards we were able to operate the boards, now supplemented with a Stepper Driver 1.2 for the Z axis. After finally getting everything running, the CupCakeStrap performed two "prints," with no toolhead. However, on the third power-on one of the remaining 2.3 stepper boards began emitting ozone and shortly after a capacitor began sparking and then detonated with a puff of smoke and flame. The burn damage was significant, destroying the traces around the capacitor as well as two resistors. These parts were re-ordered, at some cost. Believing this board to be inert and with no immediate way to repair it, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase some completed boards as a replacement. We purchased three new stepper boards from [[Generation 3 Electronics/Tech Zone Remix | Techzone]], as they are new, interesting, and I do not think any other CupCake has ever been equipped with them. These boards are not yet reconciled into our price breakdown, as we have not decided if the accidental damages should be counted into the CupCakeStrap's price. They will probably not be.<br />
We were able to recover the burned board on the same day the new boards arrives, and we performed a test with it to be sure. However, the new boards proved to perform slightly better, and do not heat up as much as the 1.2 board. They are also really, really small. The original boards will be returned to CupCakeStrap after she has competed printing her first child, which will probably inherit all of the current electronics, leaving CupCakeStrap with An Arduino and various mismatched driver boards.<br />
<br />
CupCakeStrap's extruder is currently a Plastruder mk4-type design, with pinch-wheel and gearmotor. This is the only extruder that will be able to be driven given our time constraints, though designs for a NEMA-23 stepper driven "Paxtruder" derivative have produced a prototype/functional design. We cannot drive a stepper motor extruder with the current extruder firmware however, so we will need to upgrade to the reprap FiveD extruder firmware (and then hack that into working with the custom design!).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Software==<br />
While technically programmed as a CupCake right now, we plan to get it running with reprap FiveD firmware once a suitable stepper-driven extruder is constructed for it. Said extruder will probably be printed by the previous extruder (an awesome feat of self-upgrade!). <br />
<br />
In programming the board we made a number of changes, though few were permanent.<br />
* Inverting Z-enable to use a SMD1.2 when one SMD2.3 died.<br />
* Elongating the bootloader's upload waiting time. Done as the first attempt to increase upload success with hacked cable.<br />
* Adding a serial print to the extruder's startup - also for uploading timing.<br />
* Flipping the extruder's motor pins, so that motor #1 has motor #2's pins, and vice versa. This was done because for no known reason, motor driver #1 stopped outputting anything.<br />
* Removing segments of the Arduino servo library, to clean up an error involving __Vector, or something.<br />
<br />
=Price-Comparason=<br />
Our CupCakeStrap has, to date, cost less than $300. Compared to the CupCake's $750 price, this is pretty significant.<br />
<br />
==Original CupCake Price Breakdown:==<br />
The makerbot's $750 base price is just for:<br />
* laser-cut plywood and laser-cut plastic = $200<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $75<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* The reprap-derived electronics for controlling it. = $200<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, pulleys, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts, including some magnets ~ $250<br />
* 1lb of ABS ~ $20<br />
* Belts = $???<br />
* M3 and M8 Allen keys = $???<br />
You should note that those prices are what you would pay Makerbot for the individual items (as of march 31st), and do not properly represent their market value.<br />
It also totals more than $750.<br />
<br />
The "deluxe" version adds $200 for the following:<br />
* Some more laser cut plastic<br />
* An ATX powersupply (like in a desktop computer)<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it<br />
* The cables that you need to connect the machine up it its own parts<br />
* 5lbs more ABS<br />
* Hex keys, wrenches, and some metal parts<br />
* An SD card.<br />
(Prices attached only where I could determine their actual cost)<br />
<br />
Now, that's a respectable list, and probably worth every penny to someone who does not already have any of those items.<br />
However, if you are in a position to use or borrow any of those things, the price becomes a lot less appetizing.<br />
Thus, it is a good idea to treat the machine as a RepStrap, and not worry about building an exact clone of the Master CupCake in whose likeness all other CupCakes are forged.<br />
<br />
==CupCakeStrap Price Breakdown==<br />
The CupCakeStrap was built using a lot of scavenged parts, things that were laying around, and a huge quantity of freely available acrylic sheeting. This was especially useful as it meant we could simply laser cut a new part whenever a measurement was wrong. For example, we now have three complete sets of XY stage plastic and about a million failed pulleys.<br />
<br />
* Laser-Cut plywood and acrylic = $0<br />
* Belts = $0 (from scrapped printer)<br />
* PSU = $0 (from scrapped computer)<br />
* 3 NEMA 17 stepper motors and one big gearmotor = $35 (Ebay and a free gearmotor)<br />
* Nichrome wire, PTFE tube, and a milled barrel and nozzle ~ $30<br />
* Nuts, bolts, bearings, metal rods and brushings and assorted metal parts ~ $100<br />
* RepRap Gen-3 PCBs ~ $20<br />
* Electronics Components ~ $120<br />
* A USB to TTL cable to interface with it = $3 (Nokia phone cable, bought from Ebay and hacked)<br />
* An SD card. = $0 (did not actually buy a slot for one, so there is none.)<br />
Total ~ $253<br />
This is a pretty rough estimate, pulled from my head. Probably less than this, but unsure.<br />
<br />
==Related Projects==<br />
The Original Makerbot [[CupCake CNC]] and the RepRap concept [[RepStrap]].<br />
<br />
=Design Files for CupCakeStrap=<br />
Essentially, these are modified Makerbot CupCake design files, with extra bits added and some assorted parts removed.<br />
If I could go back and re-do the machine, I would. Sadly, our supplies of time are too low for that right now.<br />
<br />
==Downloads==<br />
''Incoming... Slowly. Files may or may not be actually useful.''<br />
*[[File:CupCakeStrap Working Directory 042510.zip]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:SVG-Files.zip&diff=15198File:SVG-Files.zip2010-04-24T23:06:17Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=LaserCut_Mendel&diff=15197LaserCut Mendel2010-04-24T23:05:47Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Development:Stub}}<br />
<br />
<br />
{{Development<br />
|name = LaserCut Mendel<br />
|description = LaserCut Mendel<br />
|license = [[GPL3]]<br />
|image = lasercut_mendel.jpg<br />
|author = Kymberlyaandrus<br />
|reprap = Mendel<br />
|categories = [[:Category:Repstrap|Mendel]]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br/><br />
{{notice2|LaserCut Mendel Repstrap project|<br />
This Repstrap is cut from three different thicknesses of plywood, you may cut your own (if you have access to a laser cutter) or, you may buy a kit from TechZoneCommunications.com llc.<br />
'''*** Please note, until the instructions are posted here in the wiki, there will be no support for this project, if you choose to use the files before the instructions are posted, you are on your own, until that time!'''}}<br />
<br />
This page is the home page for this project, you should be able to find links to all files, instructions and videos needed to create a LaserCut Mendel of your own.<br />
__TOC__<br />
<br />
[[Image:lasercut_mendel.jpg|800px|left| Really big example images with lots of descriptive text are a fun part of documentation.]]<br />
<br />
=General Description=<br />
The LaserCut Mendel was developed by TechZoneCommunications.com llc. It was originally intended to be a 1:1 replacement for printed parts, however due the overly complex post-processing which would have been required, it was re-designed to be a replacement one axis at a time. In other words, you should be able to replace the LaserCut parts for any single axis with printed parts for that same axis and it should work.<br />
<br />
If you are cutting your own, you need to know that there is some ADVANCED post-processing of parts with a router table and drill press. You will also need to build some jigs to perform the post-processing accurately.<br />
<br />
The creation of the files represents over a hundred hours of work, so if you are not purchasing any items from TechZone, please consider making a donation to them so that they can continue developing and providing technical support for the RepRap community.<br />
<br />
<div id="mainPage.news" style="border: solid 1px #aaaaaa; padding: 0px;"><br />
<h2 id="mainPage.news.title" style="background:#eeeeee; font-size: 105%; line-height: 120%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px; margin:0px;padding: 0.4em;"><br />
[[Image:20px-Exquisite-khelpcenter.png|frameless|right]][http://forums.reprap.org/feed.php?31 Forum/Mailing List]</h2><br />
<div id="mainPage.news.text" style="padding:0px 10px 10px;"><br />
{{#widget:Feed<br />
|feedurl=http://forums.reprap.org/feed.php?151,43492,replies=1,type=rss<br />
|chan=y<br />
|num=5<br />
|desc=0<br />
|date=y<br />
|targ=n<br />
}}<br />
</div><br />
</div><br />
<br />
<br />
=Description of Differences=<br />
Although the frame is essentially identical to the standard Mendel, there are some notable differences.<br />
<br />
1. '''Hardware differences:''' The LaserCut Mendel uses far fewer m4X40 bolts (and less bolts in general), but it uses more of the m4X16 bolts. There are also 2 fewer bearings on the Y axis - technically you should be able to also leave these same bearings out of the original Mendel without impacting performance. We also use far fewer m3 bolts. We also need 8 pieces of 40mm X m4 studding<br />
<br />
2. '''X Axis''' We have reduced the number of parts, and merged pieces, in order to simplify the assembly out of sheet goods. We also changed the way the bearings mount up, they now rely on the "spring" capabilities of the plywood to apply pressure to the smooth rods (we have done this on all the axis).<br />
<br />
3. '''Y Axis''' The bearing mounts have been changed here (similar to the other axis). The "Frog" plate has been altered significantly to accommodate the new bearing mounts; if you intend to convert this machine to a true Mendel, you will need a "stock" frog plate. <br />
<br />
4. '''Z Axis''' The Z Axis is probably the least changed, but requires the most post-processing of cut pieces.<br />
<br />
5. '''Frame''' I mention the frame here so that no one thinks I forgot to mention it... It is relatively unchanged, and the pieces should be a near identical 1:1 replacement<br />
<br />
=Assembly Overview=<br />
Depending upon how you create/acquire your [[Category:LaserCut]] Pieces, there are several major steps to build your RepRap.<br />
<br />
1. [[Acquisition of parts]]. Information on all the parts needed to build a LaserCut Mendel Repstrap, what to get, where to get them, or how to make them.<br />
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2. Raw LaserCut parts need a fair bit of [[post processing]], with clamps, glue, a drill press and a router table to get to an assemble-able point.<br />
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3. Ready To assemble part need [[General assembly]] into the device shown at the beginning of this wiki article.<br />
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4. [[Electronics Installation]] <br />
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5. Print something!<br />
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==Video of axis moving==<br />
[[File:LaserCutMendelAxisMoving.mpeg]]<br />
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==Related Projects==<br />
* Gen 3 electronics TechZone Remix<br />
* LaserCut geared extruder<br />
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=Source Files=<br />
==Downloads==<br />
The following files are the original design files, in CorelDRAW format.<br />
*[[File:LaserCutFiles.zip]] This is all three of the following files in one zip.<br />
*[[File:3-8inLaserCutSheet.zip]]<br />
*[[File:1-4inLaserCutSheet.zip]]<br />
*[[File:1-8inLaserCutSheet.zip]]<br />
Here are the three files in SVG, a more widely used and portable format.<br />
*[[File:SVG-Files.zip]]<br />
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==Image Example==<br />
[[Image:lasercut_mendel.jpg|thumb|This is a thumbnail]]<br />
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=Photos and Drawings=<br />
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Image:Wiki.png<br />
Image:Example.jpg|Captioned<br />
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Image:Example.jpg|[[Help:Contents/Links|Links]] can be put in captions.<br />
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Image:Example.jpg|Full [[MediaWiki]]<br />[[syntax]] may now be used…<br />
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=More Examples=<br />
*[[Flickr Example]]<br />
*[[Video Example]]<br />
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=Huge Image=<br />
[[Image:lasercut_mendel.jpg|frame|right| Really big example images with lots of descriptive text are a fun part of documentation.]] t text text text text text text. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text. <br />
{{Example Artifacts}}<br />
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[[Category:Mendel RepStrap]]<br />
[[Category:LaserCut]]</div>Ben.Rockholdhttps://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:1-4in.svg&diff=15196File:1-4in.svg2010-04-24T23:04:30Z<p>Ben.Rockhold: </p>
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<div></div>Ben.Rockhold