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SoliForum - 3D Printing Community → STL Sharing & Print Showoff → Open Cable Chain
I haven't quite got this installed and tested in my Solidoodle 2 yet, but I see my thingiverse dashboard blowing up with folks adding this to collections, so perhaps it would be of interest here as well:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:611593
I still have my doubts about how many cables I can add and remove before the little pieces of filament start snapping off :-).
what size bed can print it? 6 or 8 inch
It's funny you posted this. I was actually driving home last night thinking of a more secure way to couple the links. If the filament doesn't hold, perhaps a bent section of a paper clip, maybe?
Either way, good job! Hope this works
n2ri
the links appear to print separately
so you should be able to print this on any machine
and be used on any machine with little modification.
n2ri
the links appear to print separately
so you should be able to print this on any machine
and be used on any machine with little modification.
1 file has 12 links in it
what size bed can print it? 6 or 8 inch
The 16 link array prints on my 6 inch solidoodle 2 just fine. The openscad also has modules for the individual links and for an array of 4 (but I didn't generate separate stl files for them).
P.S. I've just added a video of a dry run showing the solidoodle dragging the chain around in the over the top configuration I'm planning on going with to get the chain out of the way. Still need to test how well the filament survives multiple insertion and removal before I start moving the wires (and finding they are too short to reach the motherboard :-).
could also use soldering iron to weld ends of filament
I've now added parts to attach the chain to the extruder and and back of the case. The extruder mount is the most insane thing I've ever designed or printed with a massive superstructure built on top of the mk5 filament guide. I threw in a place to mount a microswitch for filament out detection and loops for zip tying cables to the mount. I spent a long time cleaning off all the support that was required to get it to print.
I guess I'll start trying to move the wires next, but I have this feeling none of them will be long enough to go up and over the top, so I'll probably have to spend a while with a soldering iron adding extensions.
I had another brainstorm: Since I just replaced the carriages and put in nice shiny new rods, I had the old rods laying around, so I mounted one of them as a rail for the cable chain to slide on. Seems to move much better this way:
Still haven't actually moved the wires to the chain yet :-).
Finally got the wires actually moved into the chain and while it does seem to work, I can't recommend it as being very convenient. It is way too much trouble to manipulate the wires around the little pieces of filament. I'll probably work on the design and see if I can come up with something easier to use.
Going up and over the top did mean that two of the cables were too short. I spliced in extensions for the hot end heater cable and the extruder stepper cable.
But everything does work like it used to now (though I haven't yet hooked up the filament out detector, so I don't know about it yet).
Since using bits of filament was a pain, I decided I had to come up with a better design, and here it is:
Little springy clips that slide into trapezoidal shaped slots so they can only come out by compressing the spring. I want to do some more experimenting, but I'll almost certainly be replacing the thingiverse files with this new version.
I've now updated http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:611593 with all the new and improved parts using springy clips instead of pieces of filament.
SoliForum - 3D Printing Community → STL Sharing & Print Showoff → Open Cable Chain
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