User:Jmarsden

Jonathan Marsden

Member of the RepRap Core Team since May 2007.

Primary system administrator for Reprap servers.

Built a set of Reprap v1 electronics, which worked to the extent of driving one small test stepper motor.

Mendel build Summer 2010

Build Status

• Parts acquisition has begun.
• RP parts requested from Adrian 2010-05-27.
• Mendel hardware kit, PLA and Seeeduino Mega ordered 2010-05-28.

Personal Mendel Build Goals

• Low cost (under US$500 if at all practical!)
• Improve the mechanical build docs based on the experience putting them together.
• "Very standard" Mendel mechanics (for ease of getting help with them!)
• "Very reliable" extruder (so I can make parts sets)
• Some experimenting with electronics and firmware is OK, esp. to reduce cost, as well as avoiding supply issues with the official electronics kits.

Parts Acquisition

Electronics

• Seeeduino Mega fully assembled from http://www.nkcelectronics.com/seeeduino-mega-fully-assembled.html ($40)
• 4 Pololu Stepper Controllers, see Pololu_Electronics ($52 for 4)
• 3 Opto endstop boards from Ultimachines kits ($9 for 3)
• Misc other stuff, cables, Adrian's stripboard or PCBs for the stepper controllers, etc. (maybe $30??)

Stepper Motors

• 4 steppers, maybe Pololu 1209s (reduces number of suppliers to use Pololu for these) ($64 for 4)

Mechanics

• Hardware Kit from Ultimachine (because I know the least about the mechanics, spending $$ on a kit is OK!) ($200)
• Belts (not in kit above). Probably from Ultimachine too. ($26)

RP Parts Set

• From Adrian -- this is where being a Core Team member is a huge win :)

Extruder

• Not sure which design, Adrian's or Wade's geared stepper driven. ($??)
• Will need RP extruder parts from somewhere, once I decide which design to build! (Adrian's parts come with Adrian's RP set, and he'll build me a set for Wade's extruder design if I choose that one -- so this is now a solved issue).
• Barrel
• Nozzle
• PTFE (or PEEK?) barrier
• Thermistor (or thermocouple?)
• High temperature tape
• M3 tap (for Wades design)
• 1 608 bearing (for Wade's design)

Feedstock

• PLA, probably natural, from Ultimachine. ($50 for a 5lb spool)

Rough Project Cost Estimate

Looks like US$471 plus shipping, plus unknown cost of the extruder parts and any necessary tools (to make an extruder). It is going to get very close to my US$500 budget limit, it seems!

2010-05-28: Spent $44.50 on Seeeduino Mega.

2010-05-28: Spent $266.30 on Mendel Hardware Kit and 5lbs PLA.

Things to Print (when it works)

• A set of RP Mendel parts to sell, to get more Reprapping budget
• At least one set of RP Mendel parts to give away, to ease my conscience (!)
• A second set of RP Mendel parts for myself, as spares or for a second Mendel.