1 Topic by Harry Porter

  • Harry Porter
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Topic: New and have a few questions

Greetings! I recently received my filastruder kit and I have assembled it. The problem is that when I switch on the motor, it shuts the machine off. I am not sure what is causing this. I have wired it like the instructions have said and double checked my work. The PID controller works, the heater works, everything works until I try to turn on the motor. I then unhooked the motor from the switch and tried just touching the positive to the main switch's outside terminal. This also shut it off and as soon as I disconnected the motor controller, everything turned back on. Can somebody help me with this issue? I have checked for shorts and have found none.
My other question is with the filawinder. Where do I find the STLs for the gears?
Thanks-The Noob

2 Reply by elmoret

  • elmoret
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Re: New and have a few questions

That sounds like perhaps the motor controller is wired backwards, but its hard to say without photos of how you've connected everything.

STLs are in the sticky at the top of this forum.

Filastruder - the robust, inexpensive filament extruder
E3Dv6 All Metal Hotend - the premier 3D printing hotend

3 Reply by Harry Porter

  • Harry Porter
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Re: New and have a few questions

Thanks for the help! I reversed the polarity on the motor controller and that worked. This is weird because I know I wired it properly the first time. Either the motor controller is labeled +/- wrong or I grabbed the wrong wire off of the power supply. Could it be possible that the machine is working with +/- out of the power supply?
Also where have people been sourcing their pellets from?

4 Reply by elmoret

  • elmoret
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Re: New and have a few questions

The PID controller and heater are not polarity sensitive.

There's a nice thread of polymer suppliers in the stickies as well:

http://www.soliforum.com/topic/4195/polymer-suppliers/

Filastruder - the robust, inexpensive filament extruder
E3Dv6 All Metal Hotend - the premier 3D printing hotend

5 Reply by Nimikin

  • Nimikin
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Re: New and have a few questions

Harry Porter wrote:

Thanks for the help! I reversed the polarity on the motor controller and that worked. This is weird because I know I wired it properly the first time. Either the motor controller is labeled +/- wrong or I grabbed the wrong wire off of the power supply. Could it be possible that the machine is working with +/- out of the power supply?
Also where have people been sourcing their pellets from?

When I built mine the insulated cable was negative and the copper uninsulated cable was the positive, but I'm not sure if Tim has changed his supplier. I've seen it come up a few times.

6 Reply by Harry Porter

  • Harry Porter
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Re: New and have a few questions

Thank you guys for the responses! My Filastruder is up and running. I am waiting for PLA pellets and to finish my filawinder to try it out. What temperature do you recommend for PLA?

7 Reply by elmoret

  • elmoret
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Re: New and have a few questions

160C is a good starting place. You will need to get the existing ABS out before you'll have good quality PLA.

Changing from a polymer with a lower melt temperature to one with a higher melt temperature is easy - just run until the hopper is empty, load the new material, and wait for the old material to be flushed out. Going the other direction is not so easy. You will need to remove the nozzle after running to empty to clean out all remnants of the first polymer. Be sure to wear gloves while doing this, as the hotend will still be hot! Alternatively you can try running some PLA at ABS temperatures, but that may not get all the ABS out.

Filastruder - the robust, inexpensive filament extruder
E3Dv6 All Metal Hotend - the premier 3D printing hotend