Topic: help. is it okay if the plastic on thermocouple melts?
I have the thermocouple positioned on the brass nozzle so that the plastic end is by the fan. The plastic is melting. Is this normal?
Thanks
Re: help. is it okay if the plastic on thermocouple melts?
Holy moly, you have the thermocouple installed backwards. That end goes in the PID!!! The other end is the sensor!
Re: help. is it okay if the plastic on thermocouple melts?
Oh crap. Thank you.
Re: help. is it okay if the plastic on thermocouple melts?
Re: help. is it okay if the plastic on thermocouple melts?
What'd you do with the other end (the end with the small bulb on it that fits perfectly into the hole drilled in the nozzle)?
Why weren't you worried when you weren't getting a correct temperature reading?
It is really worrisome that someone would not know which end of a thermocouple was the sensor, but proceed anyway without asking for help. The yellow end is even labeled positive and negative, matching the instructions and the PID controller.
Re: help. is it okay if the plastic on thermocouple melts?
Ok, sorry but, that was really funny...
At least it was something cheap.
Still, this shows that your electrical instructions are really lacking. There are random resources here with more details, but for non electrical people a wiring diagram is not enough. The thermocouple doesn't really fit on the PID either, so I kind of see how he got there. It works, but its not like the plug it has for it on a multimeter.
At my work we would have 100s of pages of instructions for something like this, and those are supposed to be experts assembling things. Need to grab a nontechnical person have them test out the instructions and add the details needed for that person to get to the end.
Re: help. is it okay if the plastic on thermocouple melts?
I disagree. In my opinion if you can't tell a thermocouple from its connector, then you have absolutely no business buying, using, or assembling a Filastruder, or any other kit-style electromechanical device really. If you're a "non-electrical" person, you have no business buying a kit that requires electrical assembly. Know your limitations. Stick to (preassembled) microwaves and coffee makers.
First of all, no one is going to read 100s of pages of instructions - I can barely get people to read all of the 10 pages of instructions that exist right now. Second of all, if it takes 100s of pages of instructions to teach you enough about it, then you aren't technically skilled enough to use it. I definitely point this out on the product page:
The Filastruder takes 2-3 hours to assemble. At-home polymer extrusion is certainly in its infancy; while the Filastruder has been tested by thousands of users and run for tens of thousands of hours, there is a learning curve involved that is similar to 3D Printing. Be sure to read the cautions and warnings in the assembly instructions before use. The Filastruder is targeted to makers and tinkerers, the types of people that have used basic hand tools before.
The instructions state:
Insert thermocouple in brass plug.
They also state:
If you are uncertain, upload pictures to the forum, or have a knowledgeable friend check it out!
There is no part of the terminals that will fit anywhere in the brass plug/nozzle. The other end, however, will fit perfectly in the hole that is in the side of the plug. Finally if there was any confusion, why not stop and ask BEFORE heating it up?
Again: If you can't tell which end of a thermocouple is the sensor, you shouldn't be assembling anymore more complicated or dangerous than legos - or you should at the very LEAST be asking for help every step of the way. No offense, chubby panda.
I guess a solution to this is to step up the verbiage on the product page. I don't mind a bit if less people buy them, as I'm intending to sell to folks that have the skills to build and understand these machines, not the average person off the street. I really want only qualified folks to buy one, should I make a quiz that is part of the checkout process? I say it tongue in cheek, but I'm open to suggestions that limit purchase and use to people with the right skills.
Chubbypanda: It would probably be a really good idea to post several pictures of the rest of the machine in case any other mistakes were made.
Re: help. is it okay if the plastic on thermocouple melts?
I had similar questions in my mind about the thermocouple because I had never seen one before (Type K). I also read the instructions several times thru, which I didn't find super clear. I read them before I bought I the filastruder and knew there would be a big learning curve. When I got the filastruder, I read wikipedia about thermocouples and googled pictures of "wired filastruder PID", where I saw the thermocouple wedged in and screwed down.
I don't think we need more step by step instructions, but I think a few pictures will go a long way. I don't even mean step by step pictures, just - Here's the PID wired, Here's the hot end finished, Here's the flange/bushing/bearing/barrel assembled.
And Tim doesn't really need to be in charge of that. Anyone can post pictures to the Sticky (well, anyone with enough posts anyway - which is half of why I am responding to this).
Re: help. is it okay if the plastic on thermocouple melts?
I am happy to add such photos for clarity's sake. My only concern was making things seem too appealing to a would-be buyer without the technical expertise needed.
Re: help. is it okay if the plastic on thermocouple melts?
adam wrote:
I don't think we need more step by step instructions, but I think a few pictures will go a long way. I don't even mean step by step pictures, just - Here's the PID wired, Here's the hot end finished, Here's the flange/bushing/bearing/barrel assembled.
I think pictures would go a long way in helping.
elmoret wrote:
I am happy to add such photos for clarity's sake. My only concern was making things seem too appealing to a would-be buyer without the technical expertise needed.
I don't think its complex, just not obvious to someone who doesn't understand how it works. Once I got it together it all made sense to me, but with loose parts it was difficult to get there.
Re: help. is it okay if the plastic on thermocouple melts?
autoxer wrote:
Still, this shows that your electrical instructions are really lacking. .
as someone who just built a filastruder: The electrical instructions are more than fine.
Most people would see a small, wire-sized hole as the place to plug in the wire-like end, and the Two screws on the back of the PID, labelled as + and - on the PID and on the connector, as the place for the connector.
there really isnt ANY place to put the business end into the nozzle or hot-side.