XYZ Da vinci Jr heated bed ? (Page 1 of 2)

Great ! do you have any ideas on what kind of mods would be required? seeing the filament hack has got me thinking of abs on this printer

The issue you will run into is the need to externally power and control such a bed as the parts needed to do this are not populated on the mainboard so eve a complete port of Repetier would not help in this case..

Honestly I would just gut the machine and replace the controller and LCD with a RAMPS or controller of your choice and be done with it..

Sorry if this comes across as too harsh.  And, I understand if the mods want to kick me out after this.  But, it's getting a little much over multiple threads.......  So, imagine in my best jakecrowley voice : "I want, I want, I want, I want. Me, me, me, me....  I want NFC hack.  I want Repetier port.  I want heated bed.  I want someone else to figure it all out.  I don't want to pay for any of it. (Jr Hack thread post 207/219) Whatever anyone else is doing that I don't want is crap.....  Well, unless I said I liked the idea of the NFC hack when it first started. (Jr Hack thread post 247)  But then, decided I didn't like it because I'd have to pay for some hardware (Jr Hack thread post 267).  Why isn't everyone putting their time/effort into giving me what I want?  Why are they working, and getting results, on things based on putting their hardware/time/money at risk? (XYZlen actually bricked his Jr to further the Repetier effort.  I bricked NFC chips learning how to update the length correctly.  Greatone76 probably bought big $$ hardware to simulate NFCs to help decipher the NFC crypto algos.  Granted, he's also making a buck.  So, maybe not 100% altruistic.  But, give him credit that he has been posting UID/Password combos by request to help others, too.)" 

We get it.  It's all about you.  Here's a suggestion...  Either start working on some solutions or sit there (quietly would probably be preferred) until someone else gets the work done.  You complain you don't know how anything works to be much help.  With the time that's gone by, you could have been learning about the controller chips or the existing Davinci Repetier ports or documenting wiring connections from the Jr's controller to the peripherals.  It's a lot easier to take someone seriously when they're asking about technical details and showing progress related to the work.  Someone standing over a shoulder demanding "Is it done, yet?" over and over probably won't get the same respect.....  In fact, most people who are busy solving problems usually don't have the time to continually ask "Is it done, yet?".  OK.  Rant over. 

To answer the OP's original question, I've been working on installing a heated bed on the Jr.  I bought this heater off Amazon : http://www.amazon.com/150x150mm-Silicon … ed+bed+150 . 

The heating element is going to require (I think) more power than the Jr. can supply.  So, I also purchased : http://www.amazon.com/eTopxizu-Universa … TW9MB0F5N. 

I also picked up a simple external temperature controller from Amazon, too : http://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-All-Purpo … ontroller. 

I think I have roughly $60-ish in parts for the conversion so far.  I will need to add a 12v relay and a 1/8" 6x6-ish aluminum plate for the build surface.  After everything is said and done, I'll have to manually "turn on" the heated bed and make sure the temperature is correct before starting a print.

Now, for some observations I only discovered after getting the parts in my hand.... 

First, the good news!  The silicone pad has a self-adhesive side that should make attaching to the build surface very easy.  Now, the not as good news...  The silicone heated pad I purchased because it was the right overall dimensions and had an integral thermistor (heat sensor).  While there was a description of the thickness of the pad on the website, I didn't appreciate just how the piece was put together.  There's a "bump" of sorts on the back of the pad where the power and thermistor wires connect.  I'm going to need to cut out part of the metal tray that mounts to the y-axis to get it to lay reasonably flat.  It would appear from some other pictures I've seen on E-bay and Amazon that there might be better suited pads available.  I see some that appear to have solder pads on the heating element that could do away with the big humps I have on mine.  If I had it to do again, I'd probably try one of the ones that look to be as flat as possible.  I can see there will be limited room to increase the height of the build surface before the x-axis support will hit it when the z-axis is re-homing.

Second observation is that the simple temperature controller included its own temperature sensor.  So, I didn't need to buy the pad with the built-in sensor.  Not sure if this is going to be a big deal or not.  If the one in the pad works, I'll use it.

Third idea/observation is that I'm going to start using an aluminum plate for a build surface.  I'm not sure if the glass included with the Jr would be too sensitive to heating->cooling->heating cycles.  I'm going to try a 0.125 inch (just over 3mm) thick aluminum plate instead.  I know there are other 3D printers that use aluminum for a build  surface.  Hoping this will be just thick enough to keep from warping or deforming while being thin enough to squeeze below the x-axis support with the heated pad mounted underneath.

I'll get some pictures posted as I start modifications and assembly.

That looks like a good choice.  Here's my take based on my limited knowledge...

Pro :
- Good price compared to other temperature controller options I've seen. 
- Appears to run completely off 12v.  No need for extra 120/220 AC wiring
- Can control to 110 degC where others appear to max out at 100 degC.

Con (maybe) :
- Not sure how large the temperature probe is.  If the intent is to sandwich the probe between the heating element and glass/aluminum build surface, the probe needs to be pretty small/thin.  Might need some creative connection if the probe is too large.
- Appears on-board relay is only set up for 10A max.  The heating element I linked to below advertises 11.5A max.  Would probably need an external relay with higher current capability.  Website mentions use of "Power Expanded" for higher current?  Or, I'd imagine, there could be other brands of heating elements that wouldn't exceed 10A.

Good news!  While I don't have pictures of the setup yet, I just finished successfully printing a small ABS part with the Jr.  I put together a heated bed with the parts described above.  Still need to do some tweaking of the bed setup.  I milled a piece of aluminum to the same dimensions as the glass.  But, with that and the heating pad stacked together, the extruder/x-axis bar contacts the bed when homing the z-axis.  Now more than ever I wish I'd have gone with a different supplier for the heating pad.  The big "bump" on the one I have has caused a few headaches getting this put together!  One of the versions that appear to be much flatter would definitely be the way to go.  I guess if there's a bright side....  I'm also thinking while I have this apart, I might add a convenient way to level the bed via thumbscrews.  (I think the other XYZ printers have this already?)  One other potential modification will be to the z-axis homing switch assembly.  I think if I print out a 0.100 inch spacer to raise it up a bit, that might keep the assembly from hitting the bed.  I'll just have to make sure I don't try to print anything greater than 5.8" tall...

For anyone trying this, I used Hatchbox ABS (advertised temperature range 210-240degC) running at 215degC modified through Advanced mode in XYZWare.  I've been very happy with Hatchbox's PLA.  So, I thought I'd start with their ABS.  Very limited testing.  But, so far, so good!  The bed temperature set to 90degC.  Blue painter's tape with hairspray on the bed.

Thanks!!  I did use the controller in the link.  I also used the temperature sensor that came with the controller.  I just ground down the plastic on the sensor a bit so it could be sandwiched between the heating pad and the mounting tray.  I left the temperature sensor included with the heating pad disconnected.

I've never played with other printers.  So, I don't have a good reference.  The modified bed takes roughly 5 minutes or so to warm up to 90degC.  Not sure if this is excessive compared to other applications with similar bed sizes or not.  I have the controller set with a 2degC deadband between on/off (i.e. on below 88, off above 90).

Damn, the heated pad is out of stock. Any other place where i could order one or an alternative pad?

No problem, you can find it right here: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1416171/#files

Yeah, looks like the same type of silicone heater. I am using a 12v switched power supply, 150w and can handle up to 12A.
Yes, I am using the glass that came with the printer and I have heated it up to 90 degC maximum, but running it mostly on 60.
The X axis bumps just a little bit before printing, but I dont think it is a big deal.
I am thinking about going for an aluminium plate for the more even temp distribution and more exact messurement for a thermistor.

Yes. Because of the silicone heater I got wasn't completely flush in that end.

Update on my build:

I have added a relay that is connected to the back fan in the davinci.
When the back fan turns on, the relay gets a 5v signal so the 230v for the heater switches on.
The heater heats up to 60 degrees centigrade around 10 sec before the nozle temp is ready.
When the print is done, the fan stops and the 230v switches off.

This way it is automated, and the bed is not heating after the print is done.
So when I go get the print, it is completely loose from the build platform.

@thegasman2000 - you might be interested in this, that's my DIY heatbed for home PCB etching http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1931575