EZ Struder Upgrade - Need help testing and refining.

[626Pilot]

Did I print the wrong one?

[Jimustanguitar]

http://e3d-online.com/E3D-v6/Spares/Bow ... m-Filament

[img]http://e3d-online.com/image/cache/data/ ... 0x1000.jpg[/img]

[bvandiepenbos]

Jim,
I reprinted the same file with a better calibrated machine and the adapter fit just right.

It does need a bit more clearance for idler bearing to contact the filament.

The 11 mm dia. hobb I have is to small to properly engage the filament. I think slotting the 4 holes that bolt into stepper would allow you to position filament path in relation to hobb just right.

[Shizuma]

Printed up one over the weekend, so far no problems, though I mainly print with ABS, but mostly I wanted it for the easier loading of filament, was always a PITA on the original EZ struder design. The only I did have to do was run a drill thru the filament path as the top of the circle was a bit deformed from when it went past a 45 degree overhang, other than that it bolted right on.

[Windshadow]

http://e3d-online.com/E3D-v6/Spares/Bow ... m-Filament

[img]http://e3d-online.com/image/cache/data/ ... 0x1000.jpg[/img]

Is there a USA stock list for these? or only from the maker in the UK?

[Jimustanguitar]

Filastruder is their USA distributor.

http://www.filastruder.com/collections/ ... en-adaptor

[Windshadow]

thanks jim just what I was looking for.a friend sent about 12 feet of ninja flex to try and it backed up in the ezstruder so I thought I would try printing your upgrade mod... and save myself the $130 cost of the Bondtech QR.

if it still does not work I can still get the Bondtech QR and i am out only the $9 cost of the bowden adapter.

[Jimustanguitar]

i am out only the $9 cost of the bowden adapter.

They're handy, I wish I ordered more the last time that I placed an order... You can make/print a spacer and use them in the stock EZStruder, too.

Let me know how your adventure with NinjaFlex goes, I'm not sure if anyone's tried it yet or not...

[Shizuma]

So I'm wondering, but with an extruder like this making it mechanically possible, is there a way to modify the firmware to load/unload filament the way Ultimaker does it? For those not familiar with their printers, when you set it to change the filament it heats up the hotend and then turns on the extruder motor at a high speed to pull the filament out, then you click ok and it starts on the loading filament cycle where it turns on the extruder motor at a low speed and when you push the filament into the extruder it catches and pulls it thru, once it does that you click ok and it spins the extruder motor up to high speed to quickly push the filament thru the bowden tube for a set length that gets it close to the hotend end and then switches back to the slow speed again for the final push thru the hotend and nozzle with an ok prompt waiting for you to tell it when it stop.

Heck even adding something into the firmware to add the option for a quick high speed run of the extruder to move the filament the length of the bowden tube would be great just since with this design even when you push the red lever down the filament is still forced against the hobbed gear and pushing the filament turns the motor making it a bit harder to push the filament thru.

[Xenocrates]

Considering the bowden tube is of a measureable length, it would be pretty trivial to write a little piece of G code to do this, and either have it as a macro in mattercontrol, or a file sitting on an SD card (well, a couple files. You would need one for load, and one for unload). However, each person would need it to be slight different, as bowden lengths will not be precisely the same. I'm also slight curious as to which firmware the Ultimaker runs. If it's similar enough, it may be possible to just copy, then modify the feature.

[Shizuma]

Even a gcode file would be nice. From what I read Ultimaker uses the Marlin firmware. I will say too that their firmware is pretty nice, it has a very user friendly interface, we have one at my work, even calibrating the machine is done entirely from the printer using the control panel and knob. The only weird thing that is clunky is all the filament info is stored on the printer itself not thru the version of Cura and it truncates description names and to even add names you need to edit a file on the SD card and import it into the printer, otherwise it's just custom 1, custom 2, etc.

[Nylocke]

If you get one of the newer versions of Repetier (.92.8 is current) it has a filament change feature. Not sure how it works as I don't use it. Also you would need to either setup from scratch a config that resembles the MAX config, or you could try using the one I posted in either the Repetier or RAMBo sub forum a while back (the online building tool can take in old config files and will auto populate what it finds).

I wouldn't use Marlin right now, the delta motion last time I messed with it was slow and a bit jittery, and it doesn't have quite the EEPROM integration that Repetier has (makes calibrating take longer because you have to reflash). Also the Ultimaker one is a custom version for Ultimaker printers. It has been a while since I looked at it though, and they were busy reconstructing it due to poor organization (around a year ago).

[barry99705]

Are you guys printing this in abs or pla?

[Jimustanguitar]

Are you guys printing this in abs or pla?

I did mine out of ABS because of its resistance to temperature. If your extruder motor stays cool enough, PLA would be fine as well.

[barry99705]

Cool, just checking. My abs doesn't always come out as nice as pla, but I think it's good enough.

[M-I-H1]

I've had some trouble with the spring pad snapping off, may need a gusset behind it?

[Jimustanguitar]

I've had some trouble with the spring pad snapping off, may need a gusset behind it?

You're the second person to say that...
What's your extrusion temperature (and material)?
Do your ABS prints delaminate before the deform and discolor?


I agree that it's a thinner part of the print, but it's quite tough on the prints that I've done.

[barry99705]

I've had some trouble with the spring pad snapping off, may need a gusset behind it?

One of mine did that as well. I found that if I mounted the bottom plate to the stepper first, the whole assembly doesn't flex as much. Then you can mount the spring and lever.

[Jimustanguitar]

The strength of printed parts will definitely vary by machine/slicer/material/user... The sure fire solution is for me to beef up the original.

[Jimustanguitar]

Gusset added. Let me know how it works.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/i9Ebn12.png?1[/img]


STLs with V2 after the name.
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1142707

[miglo]

Going to print this and try it out! Thank you for all the hard work!!

[Shizuma]

The more and more I think about it the more I wonder if just eliminating the spring and red lever is a better solution, or at least reorient the spring to the side pushing directly on the left side of the bearing and get rid of the red lever since the lever is basically useless with the design as regardless of if you push it down the filament is pushed tight against the hobbed gear. it would probably take some fine tuning though to get the exact right location of a pin to fix the bearing on if the bearing was completely fixed though. or maybe even put it on a sliding bracket with a screw to adjust the roller.

[Jimustanguitar]

The lever still operates as it's supposed to for me... Is your lever broken? Or perhaps your pivot screw is clamping down on the red lever instead of the 'axle' that it rotates around?

[barry99705]

I had to whittle the bearing side of the filament channel down a bit to get it to fit. Straight out of the printer it wouldn't touch the filament before hitting the structure. I've printed out the new part, but haven't installed it yet.

[Shizuma]

The lever still operates as it's supposed to for me... Is your lever broken? Or perhaps your pivot screw is clamping down on the red lever instead of the 'axle' that it rotates around?

The lever works and pulls the bearing away from the filament, it's just that with the filament going thru the tube section so closely above and below the hobbed gear even if I push down on the lever the filament is held tight enough against the hobbed gear that if I push the filament thru it turns the hobbed gear and extruder motor, so in effect it's exactly the same in pushing the filament thru as if I don't push down on the red lever.