Just a quick update on the Gigabot.
I was able to finish wiring up the RAMPS this weekend and do some preliminary prints. The Z Probe is now working as well. However, DO NOT USE IT just yet, the profiles have all changed and trying to print with old profiles WILL damage the printer.
#1) The original electronics used a different set of stepper configurations and drivers, which means that all your old gcode and profiles are belong to us. You can not use old configuration files to print on it. One major benefit to this is that the steps per mm and the motor currents are now properly tuned so the machine is much quieter than before and the motors run cool to the touch. This should make it much more reliable as well.
#2) Because of the new Z probe, the G28 command will mess the whole shebang up… YOU CAN NOT USE IT YET! I will be updating the firmware to prevent the Z from trying to run while it is not on the build plate, but until then, you WILL break the nozzle if you try to print anything!
#3) The Z probe works!!! Yipee… in fact, I printed a two foot square with an X through the middle and it worked flawlessly. However, this requires changes to the gcode to enable. Basically, after you run the homing commands, you run the probe (G29) command… that automatically maps out the build plate for a fantastic print! Did I mention it WORKS WONDERFULLY!!!
#4) The Viki display electronics appear to not be functioning, despite my best attempts. I’m going to swap it for a new Smart Electronics display instead… Since we are going to have a Raspberry Pi running it, I’ll print a large case for the both of them and permanently attach it to the top of the electronics box.
#5) Raspberry Pi… Ryan has an Octoprint build for the printer, we still need to configure it, but we have to get the printer done before we can finalize those configuration files. All users, when we are done, will use the Raspberry Pi as the primary interface to use the printer. This is so we can set up some specific profiles for prints and maintain the a) quality of the prints and b) integrity of the machine. This machine is too expensive to experiment on and we want everyone to have the chance to use it… if used properly, our profiles will allow you to achieve great results without needing to mess around with any settings, simply load your STL and set a few basic settings (material, quality, supports, etc.) and hit print… everything from slicing to positioning will be handled automatically for you.
#6) The Heat Bed is still not hooked up… scratch that… the thermocouple is not hooked up… the heat bed actually is… however, as a temporary measure, I am hooking up a thermistor to the top surface of the build plate, which will allow us to use it… but it is not ready just yet. We have an A2D converter on the way to hook up the thermocouple.
Lastly,
#7) WE NEED FILAMENT!!! This is an official call for donations of 3MM PLA filament… NinjaFlex filament and any other type of filament you want to run on it… right now, we have a ton of ABS, but on this type of printer, that’s a tall order getting it to work right… PLA is much easier, but we currently have NONE. (Ryan has a roll on the printer right now, but a) that’s his… and b) it’s Microcenter PLA, which basically falls apart of you try to print anything with it.
Bill