Folger Tech 2020 Prusa i3 Build Log

[Snarls]

Oh...and posting because I'm joining the club.

Woohoo! Can't remember if I told anyone, but I'm joining the club too. Just one more week....I'm holding in the excitement.

 

[jhitesma]

Woohoo! Can't remember if I told anyone, but I'm joining the club too. Just one more week....I'm holding in the excitement.

Do I sense a build party coming up

I tossed in the extra for a LCD controller and inductive sensor...think I have some aluminum laying around that will be usable for a build plate to go with the inductive sensor but not sure...for <$4 I figured I'd rather toss it in. Kind of regretting the LCD though...just did the 2004 one folger lists on the 2020 page: http://folgertech.com/products/repr...roller-with-adapter-mendel-prusa-3d-printer-1

But after a little research realized the fancier graphical ones were what I actually wanted and could get one on ebay for just a bit more. Oh well....the one I ordered was cheap enough and should work, I can always upgrade. All told with shipping, the LCD, the prox sensor, 1 kg of PLA and 1kg of ABS it was $330 which I really can't complain about!

 

[markyoe]

No updates in awhile...how's your tweaking been going Markyoe?

Oh...and posting because I'm joining the club. Got my Christmas bonus and it was this or a Taranis...but I just picked up a second 9x in the HK holiday sale so can't really justify yet another transmitter Just placed my order. I ordered direct from Folger since their price on filament was almost half the place you ordered from. No free shipping like your place...but the price on filament saved more than the free shipping.

Now to wait...hope they're getting them out the door faster instead of slower because of the holiday...but...not holding my breath

It's been going pretty well! I am sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have been pretty busy lately and not able to work on the printer much. The main problem I am working out now is z ribbing or wobble. It is WAY better than what it was, but I am a bit of a perfectionist.

That is awesome that you and Snarls each got one! You going to like it! Please let us know how it goes and feel free to post on this thread.

 

[markyoe]

I will post a picture of tonight's print in the morning.

 

[jhitesma]

Got my tracking ID's today, didn't expect them this soon Though they came with a warning that it could still be a few days before they actually ship even though the ID was generated.

I'm really tempted to order some 8mm leadscrews off banggood now as I have a feeling I'll be wanting to do that z axis upgrade ASAP...but I can't quite bring myself to order upgrade parts for something that hasn't even shipped yet

Glad to hear you're still at it with yours and continuing to improve! I admit I'm more in it for the project than because there are actually things I want to make...but...well, there ARE things I actually want to make as well. But I'm really looking forward to something to build and improve as much as I am looking forward to having a new tool

 

[wilsonb]

I bought these lead screws from openbuilds: http://openbuildspartstore.com/8mm-metric-acme-lead-screw/

The difference in print quality was immediate. I have always had a little bit of z-banding that was tolerable, but I just got sick of doing other tricks to deal with it and decided to get some nice lead screws and anti-backlash nuts. I was previously using 10 mm single start lead screws that were much slower and not nearly as accurate as the openbuilds screws.

They also have the couplers and anti-backlash nuts.

 

[markyoe]

I bought these lead screws from openbuilds: http://openbuildspartstore.com/8mm-metric-acme-lead-screw/

The difference in print quality was immediate. I have always had a little bit of z-banding that was tolerable, but I just got sick of doing other tricks to deal with it and decided to get some nice lead screws and anti-backlash nuts. I was previously using 10 mm single start lead screws that were much slower and not nearly as accurate as the openbuilds screws.

They also have the couplers and anti-backlash nuts.

Thanks for those links wilsonb! I think I might get those after the Christmas shipping rush is over. I am not sure how I will mount those of my prusa i3 though; do you have any ideas?

 

[jhitesma]

I'm leaning towards banggood for the lead screws:
http://www.banggood.com/3D-Printer-300mm-Lead-Screw-Z-Axis-8mm-Screw-Pitch-p-980650.html
(odd, they were showing as available in the US warehouse for a buck or so more this morning...maybe they sold out.)

The open build store prices look good...but they don't include the nuts and they're 50mm shorter...once I have a build going though and can measure things it will be easier to tell if that size difference really matters.

I am leaning towards Amazon for the couplers:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H1LNX5A?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00

Maybe ebay ($8.25 for two shipped):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Flexible-Sh...815857?hash=item19fb54b871:g:l8AAAOSwl9BWGL1-


But I want to get it built first...I'm really tempted to order the lead screws but banggood is usually pretty good about getting things to me in 10 days from China even on their cheap shipping. Though my last order from them has apparently ended up on a slow boat (Placed on Nov 10th, Didn't ship until 12/4 due to one item that was listed as "in stock" actually being out of stock...and still hasn't shown up nearly 20 days later ) So I'm kind of tempted to order the lead screws from them before my order from Folger even ships just so I have a chance of them arriving by the time I'm ready to start thinking about upgrading

BTW - Folgertech channel on freenode IRC is apparently worth watching. Seen a couple links to deals on upgrade parts on thingiverse and amazon and today someone shared a 10% off code for atomic filaments

Here's a nice link to Folger 2020 upgrades: http://www.thingiverse.com/ntrnflxlbs/collections/fgtech-i3-2020-upgrades

And Markeyoe here's a link to the motor mounts to gain more build space and make the best use of the upgraded lead screws: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:936437

 

[markyoe]

I'm leaning towards banggood for the lead screws:
http://www.banggood.com/3D-Printer-300mm-Lead-Screw-Z-Axis-8mm-Screw-Pitch-p-980650.html
(odd, they were showing as available in the US warehouse for a buck or so more this morning...maybe they sold out.)

The open build store prices look good...but they don't include the nuts and they're 50mm shorter...once I have a build going though and can measure things it will be easier to tell if that size difference really matters.

I am leaning towards Amazon for the couplers:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H1LNX5A?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00

Maybe ebay ($8.25 for two shipped):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Flexible-Sh...815857?hash=item19fb54b871:g:l8AAAOSwl9BWGL1-


But I want to get it built first...I'm really tempted to order the lead screws but banggood is usually pretty good about getting things to me in 10 days from China even on their cheap shipping. Though my last order from them has apparently ended up on a slow boat (Placed on Nov 10th, Didn't ship until 12/4 due to one item that was listed as "in stock" actually being out of stock...and still hasn't shown up nearly 20 days later ) So I'm kind of tempted to order the lead screws from them before my order from Folger even ships just so I have a chance of them arriving by the time I'm ready to start thinking about upgrading

BTW - Folgertech channel on freenode IRC is apparently worth watching. Seen a couple links to deals on upgrade parts on thingiverse and amazon and today someone shared a 10% off code for atomic filaments

Here's a nice link to Folger 2020 upgrades: http://www.thingiverse.com/ntrnflxlbs/collections/fgtech-i3-2020-upgrades

And Markeyoe here's a link to the motor mounts to gain more build space and make the best use of the upgraded lead screws: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:936437

Thanks! Yeah, I have printed those z axis motor mounts but they just magnified my problem with the z axis ribbing and all. I just bought those leadscrews and other parts that wilsonb linked. Nope, I wasn't patient enough to wait until after Christmas to order. I would suggest that you buy some leadscrews too. Either on banggood or open build. Z ribbing is such a big pain if the threaded rods aren't perfectly straight.

 

[jhitesma]

Thanks! Yeah, I have printed those z axis motor mounts but they just magnified my problem with the z axis ribbing and all. I just bought those leadscrews and other parts that wilsonb linked. Nope, I wasn't patient enough to wait until after Christmas to order. I would suggest that you buy some leadscrews too. Either on banggood or open build. Z ribbing is such a big pain if the threaded rods aren't perfectly straight.

Yeah, threaded rod really isn't a good replacement for actual leadscrews. I ordered a prox sensor for auto bed leveling as well, but don't plan on even trying it until I switch to leadscrews. Since auto leveling doesn't actually level the bed it just adjusts in software by moving the extruder up/down while it prints so your z axis gets a lot more use in both directions the issues of threaded rod would be even more amplified. I can see threaded rod being acceptable if you're only using one direction of Z-axis and have double nuts with a spring between them to minimize backlash: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:694575 but I still wouldn't expect as accurate of a Z as you'd get with lead screws.

 

[jhitesma]

Woo hoo, both my tracking numbers are showing activity and expected delivery Saturday Think I know what my plans are for Saturday night and pretty much all of Sunday

 

[Snarls]

Woo hoo, both my tracking numbers are showing activity and expected delivery Saturday Think I know what my plans are for Saturday night and pretty much all of Sunday

Awesome! Can't wait to start building myself. I have three big projects about to be underway. The printer, my f6f hellcat, and a new AP rig I got the parts for. Trying to get everything finished before I leave town in a couple weeks. That's hopeful, but I'll be building out of my mind.

I think I am using the same LCD as you, I did not know about the better one either. Also thanks for the tip about getting lead screws, I may do that at one point soon. I did not get an inductive sensor as I think manual bed leveling will suffice for me (for now at least ).

 

[jhitesma]

Awesome! Can't wait to start building myself. I have three big projects about to be underway. The printer, my f6f hellcat, and a new AP rig I got the parts for. Trying to get everything finished before I leave town in a couple weeks. That's hopeful, but I'll be building out of my mind.

I REALLY need to get back to working on my Balsa RV3 I've cleaned my build table 3 times to dig in on it and all 3 times other projects have taken the table over before I could make any balsa dust

I also still have to finish modifying my toaster oven to turn it into a solder oven so I can build up these openLRS boards I have all the parts and boards for, build those boards, finish fixing my knuckle quad so I can test fly dRonin on Sparky, do some test tunes on my 250 and 280 with an experimental build of dRonin...and I think there's a video or two I keep forgetting to make for my youtube channel

I really don't need another project like this...but...oh well

I think I am using the same LCD as you, I did not know about the better one either. Also thanks for the tip about getting lead screws, I may do that at one point soon. I did not get an inductive sensor as I think manual bed leveling will suffice for me (for now at least ).

I don't plan on adding the inductive sensor for a bit. I only got it because it was so cheap and I figured it would save on shipping over ordering it separately. Not sure the aluminum I have on hand is suitable as a build plate either now...probably not thick/flat enough. So will need to deal with that before I can go auto level anyway. I'll probably order and install lead screws before I do the auto level stuff.

Next few nights I'm trying to make room for this once it's built. Have a small desk next to my computer desk that's covered in planes, multis, my wife's big printer, my medium sized enlarger (Big 4x5 enlarger is still in my parents basement, and small 35mm only color enlarger is still in storage), and other random junk. Plan is to put the enlarger into storage (haven't done any darkroom work in about 4 years) add some hooks on the walls for the planes/multis and then build a small shelf over the printer so the 3D printer can live above it.

Didn't expect it to ship quite this fast or I'd have dug in on making room for it already

 

[wilsonb]

Thanks for those links wilsonb! I think I might get those after the Christmas shipping rush is over. I am not sure how I will mount those of my prusa i3 though; do you have any ideas?

Maybe something like this?

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:962486

 

[jhitesma]

Had to work a half day today, got a message from my wife that 6 packages had arrived for me today?! Now I've been expecting a few things but not 6 boxes!

2 of them I was 100% expecting today. Sausage casings and stuffing tubes for my meat grinder. I grew up in a Polish/Ukrainian family in the Cleveland Ohio area which meant EVERY major family gathering ALWAYS included kielbasa and pirogi ... which I've learned are impossible to find here in AZ. I learned to make my own pirogi a few years ago and they rival the amazing ones my great grandmother used to get from the little old ladies in the basement of her church...but real fresh (not smoked) kielbasa has eluded me. The stuff at the grocery is just smoked sausage and has very little in common with what I grew up with and long for. For a few years we had a real butcher shop that actually made their own and it was amazing. Then the city repaved the street they were on and the 3 month project turned into more like 9 which made it hard to get to their shop and they ended up closing This year I finally asked my mom for the old family recipe her grandfather used to use and am having a go at making my own. Can't wait to cook them up tomorrow because they smell and look freaking amazing:



So that was 2 of the 6 packages.

2 more were from my parents and weren't expected until Saturday. Last minute gifts for my daughter, no big surprises there.

But what about the other 2...well...my printer is coming in 2 packages...could it have arrived early?!

No

One of them was the kingkong props I ordered from banggood months ago (before people had reported how low thrust they are) which they took forever to ship and then put on the slowest slow boat I've waited on in 3 years Oh well, they're cheap and I've got a big pile of them so I can bash them with abandon.

The last package though was 3D printing related...just not my printer. It was the free filament sample I ordered from Quantum3D


Unfortunately despite my choice of color it hasn't helped get my daughter more excited about helping me build the printer She says it's not pink enough. Guess I should have gone with the blue...it's a lighter color as well and she's really big on turquoise right now.

Printer is still looking like Saturday if the USPS sticks to their plan. I did manage to get the table next to this computer cleaned off other than my wife's big printer. But now thinking instead of building a shelf over her printer and putting the 3D printer on top I'll go the other way around. Build a box around the 3D printer and put her big printer on top. That way I can enclose the printer which apparently helps with ABS printing. Maybe even add a charcoal filter if I find I like ABS...I'm not a big fan of PLA in general so even if it's easier to print with I want to learn to print other materials.

Also setting up octoprint and repetier on my spare notebook tonight so I can start getting used to the toolchain options...probably going to try Repetier to get started with since it seems to have the most support...but Octoprint really intrigues me for a longterm option.

Well, gotta go finish putting out "Santa's" gifts and get some sleep soon...but honestly...I'm more excited about sausage tomorrow and the printer the day after than I am anything under the tree with my name on it right now

 

[markyoe]

You are hilarious!! You should start a blog! I got a free sample from quantum too. You should check out cubicity for free samples! I got seven 10m samples for $7!

 

[paulshort]

How did you get seven samples. It only lets me order one.

 

[markyoe]

How did you get seven samples. It only lets me order one.

Were you on Quantum or Cubicity?

 

[paulshort]

I was on quantum

 

[paulshort]

Darn. They only ship to US and Canada. I live in New Zealand