Steves new build project. Sept 2015

[Stevolution]

I will remove that rant.... just found newer instructions

Too tired for this tonight. Walk away

[Stevolution]

Can someone please tell me what the heck is with these appalling instructions....

Page 94 of the new instuctions have an image of the top plate - making sure you get it the correct way up.

That image wasn't in the instructions I was using, so I went by the pictures throughout the instructions.

Turned out - according to the picture on page 94 that my top plate is the wrong way around. So I dismantled all of it - breaking part of the laser parts doing so, to find that later in the instructions nearly all the pictures show it the way I had it in the first place.

So which way is right? Page 193 shows it totally the other way around from the guide on page 94

Shockingly bad instructions. How hard is it to have pictures that match up throughout the build.

So great... its busted now

[Stevolution]

How can this attached image from the new instructions be correct?
There are no tie-wrap cable fixing holes running from the bottom left tower (X) to the rear (Z) tower?

Looks like I dismantled everything for no reason.

[geneb]

USE TAPE.

The original spin of the 2nd edition had an error in it. The 3rd Ed. (done about *8* months ago) fixed this - mostly. If you follow the text under the image shown above, you'll be fine. No, the wire tie holes don't match.

I didn't re-shoot all the photos because I wasn't willing to tear a working printer down that far. I DID replace some of them - the important ones anyway, while building a printer for someone else.

The image IS correct.

Had you started with a manual that wasn't 8 months out of date, you'd probably have a lot less problems.

g.

[KAS]

Think it would be possible to add the X/Y/Z engraving to the top of each plate?

[lightninjay]

Can someone please tell me what the heck is with these appalling instructions....

Shockingly bad instructions.

The only thing I find appalling or shockingly bad is all the criticism that Gene's manual gets every time someone chooses to follow photos instead of RTFM.

He doesn't even work for SeeMeCNC and yet people constantly complain about an OVER 200 page build manual that he put together on HIS OWN TIME...

[Stevolution]

You have to see it from my point as well. I saved up a LONG time to buy this kit.
People check their progress using the photos. These images being mixed through-out parts of the build simply adds doubt and frustration to assembling it.

I have watched a couple of Youtube videos on the building of these and they appear to have their top plate in a different orientation to the page 94 image. I can only assume the layout has changed.

It is unfortunate that I started with the incorrect version of instructions. I downloaded them a short while ago to have a pre-read through and didn't know they had released newer ones. So I did RTFM
Maybe include a disc in the kit with the PDF file that is relevant to the kit?

So if Gene put this manual together (and I do thank him).... and people constantly complain about it, why don't SeemeCNC put together a correct manual? Its their kit.

Anyway... this was supposed to be a build thread, not a rant. Going to pack it away for now. I won't bother anyone else with my frustrations.

[teoman]

I ny opinion the manual is good if you also read the text. And i did go lazy a couple of times during my build and did make mistakes where i had to reassemble.

We are lucky to have such a manual, i just bought another delta printer kit similar price as the max v2, when i inquired about the manual, they said "what manual". It will be my second printer so that is not a show stopper for me, but if it was my first assembly then i would not have purchased it.

[geneb]

The new drop of the manual will include a photo of one of the v2s at the shop.

I understand your frustration with the photos, but I DO clearly state at the beginning of the manual that the photos don't tell the whole story.

g.

[gchristopher]

Don't give up, Stevolution! There are definite frustrating moments, but it's worth it!!

(Fair disclaimer: I was fortunate to have just helped build a RepRap right before the Rostock Max, so my spirits were buoyed by how much better the Rostock manual is than pretty much any other documentation out there.)

Anyway, you can do it, and it'll be awesome!

[Stevolution]

Well the printer is built, and I have been playing around with it.

So far... the results ain't all that great for some reason

I am having better results with ABS than PLA. Printed some fan shrouds that I designed. They were passable.

Basically I am having issues with blobs all over the place (ABS).... lower temp - 210 deg instead of the default 228 deg does seem to help that but then that seems to affect any bridging.
Also scruffy corners and stringing.

I have the E3d v6 hotend installed with the default 0.4mm nozzle. Seems pretty good (for what results I have had). Any advice on what settings people are using would be great.

I can't use Slic3er in the Mattercontrol, as the objects I import are way off the centre and up in the air. Is there any way of returning them to the centre? If you ask it to print using Slic3er... the hotend just dives off the hotbed looking for some way off co-ords.
Cura and Matterslice seem fine

Thanks

[IMBoring25]

E3D recommends no more than 2 mm retraction, which is what I'm using, and most people (including me) report dramatically improved results with slower retractions. I turned mine down to 10 mm/s which really cleaned things up a lot and I haven't seen the need to tune it further.

Regarding MC, the 1.2.X branch of Slic3r changed the way it handles bed shape and some posts others have made looked to me like the latest revision of MC is not exchanging bed shape settings correctly with its embedded copy of Slic3r 1.2.9. If you otherwise like Slic3r, you can download a standalone copy, set your bed shape correctly, and use that standalone copy to generate gcode, then import the gcode into MC. Slic3r is really a more powerful program run standalone anyway.

[Stevolution]

Mmm.. tried 2mm retraction and 10mm/s speed..... stringy disaster.

[Stevolution]

Why does the Rambo have a bleeper/sounder.... yet it never does anything?

[Eaglezsoar]

Why does the Rambo have a bleeper/sounder.... yet it never does anything?

It may be turned off in the firmware. See this thread on how to turn it on. http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=6170

[Stevolution]

It appears to be on (true) in the firmware. Perhaps its either dud or disabled in some other way

[RocketMagnet]

The reference docs have M300 as the beep code however the firmware you install for the Max and Orion uses M120.
So if your sending M300 to your printer you get no sound, if you've written your own start and end GCODE sequences and used M300 then this could be a possibility for no sound.

Really long shot but when I made my own custom Start/End gcode I came across this issue.

http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php ... net#p63539

[Stevolution]

Mmm... neither M300 or M120 work.
Something isn't right somewhere

[geneb]

1. The beeper is on the LCD interface, not on the Rambo.
2. If you hear the loud "tick" noise when you press in the knob, the beeper is working fine.

g.

[Stevolution]

Yes its clicks with the button.... but never has done anything else.
I would like to get it to bleep when its getting nearly ready to print... next project then

[IMBoring25]

If no changes have been made since my firmware, it is M120, but it requires an S parameter that is called frequency but isn't really and a P parameter for duration in milliseconds.

Code: Select all

M120 S4 P200
G4 P200
M120 S4 P200
G4 P200
M120 S4 P200

would give three high-pitched beeps equally spaced over the course of one second.

[Stevolution]

Thanks for that beeper code... it worked. Now to make it do something useful!

Well 'Chappie' is running well. Have not done much PLA printing... mainly ABS, but getting good results now I finally have it dialed in.
Printed some working dolls house windows last night and they came out very well.

Adding an 80mm fan to the plain panel on the right hand side to help with ventilation. Best option I did on this was the upgraded 750w modular PSU. Its been excellent and much tidier to work with.

Managed to dial out most of the warped hotbed as well - plus a bit of adapting and fixing improvment. Robosavvy and SeeMeCNC have basically ignored any contact I have made with them about this issue.

Same goes for the plastic side panels. The laser has cut clean through the side panels leaving a hole instead of lightly scribing them with the identification marks. I asked SeeMeCNC about that (as the panels are really fragile on the corners now) and they said that they had a bunch of them cut too deep. So basically tough then.

Printed 3x layer fan holders. First I redesigned a model I found online to hold my 24 LED RGB ring and then fitted them. Got one fan installed and at 100% it doesn't seem to affect the nozzle temp at all.
So I have 2x more 30mm fans coming to balance it out. I will just run them slower.

Fitted RGB leds throughout the entire printer. Side 25w 'D' plug gives me access to the PSU and the RGB leds remotely.
I am building a custom enclosure and cabinet that will have a touch screen to control the LEDS, along with a dedicated laptop, filament storage underneath and a glass heated enclosure for the printer.

I also fitted a thermistor on the inside of the RGB ring to report back the temp at that point. I may get that to change the colours of the hotend LED ring depending on temp.

The RGB leds are also remote control. Thats how I have them now. Set to white, they are very handy for seeing your print.

3ED V6 hotend took some configuring, but seems to print well.

Printed a fan cooler for the extruder stepper and added that.

The 5x pin socket on the side (above the USB port) is for programming the onboard Arduino Pro Mini. That controls the RGB Adafruit LED ring. It basically takes the RGB signal from the LED strips used throughout the chassis and converts it to a data signal the RGB ring can accept. Its so that the ring can be the same colour as the chassis if I want it to be.

Few other tweaks.... blue illuminated on/off switch (so glad I painted all the edges blue - looks way better than plain).

Currently also working on a motorised spool holder. Oh and a webcam so I can have it picture-in-picture on the living room TV or on my phone.

[teoman]

Whoow. You did get carried away there a little bit didnt you.

Well done. I am envious.


I am sure the forum would appreciate a tutorial on the LED's and the arduino.

[Stevolution]

Well if its going to sit in the corner of the dining room and look pretty (as well as be functional).... then it may as well look pretty.
I will have to type up a LED tutorial + the Arduino code then.

If I get time tonight, I may browse through the Repetier software and see if I can find the place to add a beeper warning before it starts printing... gives me warning time to remove the tea towel!

[teoman]

You do that in the startup gcode.

You should even be able to change tones and make it beep like r2d2.