1 Topic by PseudoShooter (edited by PseudoShooter 2015-02-07 18:39:18)

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Topic: Modified Bed Level Adjuster

Hello All

I just joined the forum today but I've been lurking for some time now.

A few weeks ago, I printed a bed level adjuster I found on Thingiverse to replace those awful thumb wheels that vibrate loose constantly.

After not being able to get the nut to stay put, I redesigned it to encapsulate the nut.

Since I installed the new adjusters on my print bed, I haven't had to recalibrate once.

It is a bit of a challenging print too because you have to pause the print at the right moment to insert the nut.

Thingiverse thing:644973

Cheers,

John

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Improved Da Vinci 1.0 with Firmware 1.2.5 and stock extruder
Arduino cartridge resetter and after-market ABS filament
TinkerCAD, Netfabb, Simplify3D

2 Reply by PseudoShooter (edited by PseudoShooter 2015-02-07 21:29:23)

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Re: Modified Bed Level Adjuster

I see scobo is a member here so I'm throwing out props to him for the original design of the adjuster.

He did all the grunt work, I just tweaked it a little more. Thanks scobo!

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3 Reply by scobo

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Re: Modified Bed Level Adjuster

Thanks for the mention, and for your remix. Nice job. smile
I'll need to remember that trick for anything else that needs something inserted into the print.
If anyone else is having trouble securing the nuts on the original design, glueing them in place then treating with acetone will seal them in good and proper.

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4 Reply by tonyno

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Re: Modified Bed Level Adjuster

Can you expand on, "treating with acetone"?

5 Reply by carl_m1968

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Re: Modified Bed Level Adjuster

tonyno wrote:

Can you expand on, "treating with acetone"?


You heat acetone so it starts to vaporize in a container like a glass jar. Just a cap full is all you need as the vapors is what you want. Also don't heat using an open flame. Use a warming plate or similar. But once heated you suspend the print in the vapors and the surface will melt to a bright glassy finish which will fuse it further. You can just just brush on a coat of acetone as well but it sometimes leave brush marks and is not as consistent as the vapor treatment.

Printing since 2009 and still love it!
Anycubic 4MAX best $225 ever invested.
Voxelabs Proxima SLA. 6 inch 2k Mono LCD.
Anycubic Predator, massive Delta machine. 450 x 370 print envelope.

6 Reply by PseudoShooter

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Re: Modified Bed Level Adjuster

Here's a nude torso I printed and then treated with acetone. I use the cold process myself. I find that the prints shrink a little and are prone to cracking somewhat.

I'm still learning the dark arts big_smile

https://www.thingiverse.com/make:113321

Win 8.1
Improved Da Vinci 1.0 with Firmware 1.2.5 and stock extruder
Arduino cartridge resetter and after-market ABS filament
TinkerCAD, Netfabb, Simplify3D

7 Reply by DrAnonymous (edited by DrAnonymous 2015-02-09 05:14:15)

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Re: Modified Bed Level Adjuster

If you're using the repetier-host software, then just edit the gcode file your slicer produces. At the layer where you want to insert the nut, simply put this command in:

@pause Insert nut now

Then when it runs, a message box will pop up saying "Insert nut now" when it hits the layer you paused at. No hard timing at all. There is a way to have the system play a sound too, so that you don't have to pay as close attention. I don't recall what it is right now.

Oh and I printed the adjusters as well. They work wonders! I also put a 3 or 4mm washer on the screw before I put the new adjuster on. I think my theory was that it would provide a more uniform pressure as the screw turned and would ensure less friction.

8 Reply by scobo (edited by scobo 2015-02-08 07:39:55)

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Re: Modified Bed Level Adjuster

The vapour method Carl describes would be the best way to go and would treat the whole part but for a quicker fix, you could just brush some on around the edges of the nut to seal it in.

Davinci 1.0 with repetier firmware & E3D V6 Lite
Anycubic Photon DLP printer, Einscan-S 3D scanner
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http://www.thingiverse.com/scobo/designs

9 Reply by KevinME

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Re: Modified Bed Level Adjuster

Does the front one need to be shorter like in the original or will it still clear the bottom when it's all the lowered?

10 Reply by PseudoShooter (edited by PseudoShooter 2015-02-08 19:04:57)

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Re: Modified Bed Level Adjuster

I had thought that too after I made them. It looks like the one in the front won't clear but it does.

You have about .5cm clearance at the bottom.

Oddly enough, testing this just now, I got an awful grinding sound as jog mode allowed me to go beyond the safe stop at the bottom. The front adjuster didn't bottom out but it was catching somewhere.

The machine shouldn't allow that to happen.

Win 8.1
Improved Da Vinci 1.0 with Firmware 1.2.5 and stock extruder
Arduino cartridge resetter and after-market ABS filament
TinkerCAD, Netfabb, Simplify3D

11 Reply by carl_m1968

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Re: Modified Bed Level Adjuster

PseudoShooter wrote:

I had thought that too after I made them. It looks like the one in the front won't clear but it does.

You have about .5cm clearance at the bottom.

Oddly enough, testing this just now, I got an awful grinding sound as jog mode allowed me to go beyond the safe stop at the bottom. The front adjuster didn't bottom out but it was catching somewhere.

The machine shouldn't allow that to happen.


On this machine there is no bottom limiter unless you run Rep firmware where you can set a Z max limit and set the firmware not to exceed that limit. With stock it try to move down all day as long as you keep pushing the button.

Printing since 2009 and still love it!
Anycubic 4MAX best $225 ever invested.
Voxelabs Proxima SLA. 6 inch 2k Mono LCD.
Anycubic Predator, massive Delta machine. 450 x 370 print envelope.

12 Reply by PseudoShooter

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Re: Modified Bed Level Adjuster

That blows then. I assumed that since it stopped at a set position after a build that it had a limiter.

I sure hope I didn't do any damage.

Thanks for the info.

Win 8.1
Improved Da Vinci 1.0 with Firmware 1.2.5 and stock extruder
Arduino cartridge resetter and after-market ABS filament
TinkerCAD, Netfabb, Simplify3D

13 Reply by oscahie

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Re: Modified Bed Level Adjuster

You do have a Z max length parameter in the EEPROM configuration. That's what prevents the bed from traveling too far down. You need to adjust that.

14 Reply by PseudoShooter

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Re: Modified Bed Level Adjuster

My bed stops where it's supposed to after printing. What I did the other day was force it to keep going down. I assumed that it had a limiter but nope. Now I know big_smile.

No damage though so I was lucky...

Win 8.1
Improved Da Vinci 1.0 with Firmware 1.2.5 and stock extruder
Arduino cartridge resetter and after-market ABS filament
TinkerCAD, Netfabb, Simplify3D

15 Reply by oscahie (edited by oscahie 2015-02-10 18:17:32)

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Re: Modified Bed Level Adjuster

PseudoShooter wrote:

My bed stops where it's supposed to after printing. What I did the other day was force it to keep going down. I assumed that it had a limiter but nope. Now I know big_smile.

It does have a soft limiter. Manual jogging (from the host at least, haven't tried from the printer's menu) won't go any further than the max length configured for each axis.

16 Reply by carl_m1968 (edited by carl_m1968 2015-02-10 19:17:15)

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Re: Modified Bed Level Adjuster

oscahie wrote:
PseudoShooter wrote:

My bed stops where it's supposed to after printing. What I did the other day was force it to keep going down. I assumed that it had a limiter but nope. Now I know big_smile.

It does have a soft limiter. Manual jogging (from the host at least, haven't tried from the printer's menu) won't go any further than the max length configured for each axis.


I run Rep firmware in my Da Vinci and it will not stop if I use the jog controls in Rep Host. If I set the jog to 170 or higher it will bottom out and the motor will continue to run till it thinks it has moved to 170. I will need to see what the z max is set for, but my guess is that the actual move length on this machine is not what is advertised.

Yep that was the issue, z max was set for 230 in  EEPROM so it would bottom out since the physical max is 180. So I changed it to 170 to be safe.

Printing since 2009 and still love it!
Anycubic 4MAX best $225 ever invested.
Voxelabs Proxima SLA. 6 inch 2k Mono LCD.
Anycubic Predator, massive Delta machine. 450 x 370 print envelope.