Things that still suck about the V1 printer - according to the founder

[rylangrayston]

We have posted alot of good news about the peachy printer lately, but its my job to keep thinking about what still needs improvement.
So I thought I would do a post that keeps it real.

Here are a list of known problems, temporary hacks for them, and what we plan to do in the long term to fix them.

1. Sometimes we still get holes in our prints.
hacker solutions - slow your print down, help us figure out why this happens.
long term solution - start doing r and d to the resin.

2. coil wires are finicky and can break off
hacker solution - solder your coil connections, when coil wires break unravel the wire and make a new connection, buy a new coil They will be cheap.
Long term solution - we want to put coils on there own pcb daughter boards, so they just plug in with a ribbon cable

3. some parts are very small and hard to assemble
Hacker solution - tweezers + patients goes a long way, oh and we are sending some extra parts in case they fly out of your tweezers
Long term solution - pre assemble some parts that are tricky for people to build.

4. salt water and hoses are messy
Note: we have done alot to improve this already, its alot better than our beta units, but could still be better.
Hacker solution - Put a towel down on your work bench and do all your printing on that towel.
long term solution - developing a sealed dripper that is very easy to take apart and clean might help, so would a pump.

5. Calibration features are needed for accurate prints
hacker solution - .... umm... dont print things that require accuracy
long term solution - build the features and do a software update.


Im sure our early adopters types will navigate these problems just fine, but it would be even better if they didn't have to.

[harpo99999]

I could not connect the coils in my beta as I could not tell IF I had managed to strip the micro fine wire enough to actually make contact even after wiping the wire with a hot soldering iron, so for me #2 is VITAL to fix(and I was even using a magnifing headset that magnifies 25 times)

[Aztecphoenix]

What about laser cutting a backing for the coil with two legs that you can connect the wires to and wrap the coil leads around to make a more secure connection

[rylangrayston]

I could not connect the coils in my beta as I could not tell IF I had managed to strip the micro fine wire enough to actually make contact even after wiping the wire with a hot soldering iron, so for me #2 is VITAL to fix(and I was even using a magnifing headset that magnifies 25 times)

Thanks harpo99999 thats the kind of feed back we need,
do you remember if we sent you 400 or 600 grit sand paper for sanding the wire?
our newest coils have a pre tined tip to make soldering easier also.

[3dspider]

When dealing with enamel coated wire, I've always found it is easiest to just burn the enamel off the end with a lighter... then gently sand the burned area to expose bare copper. Of course if the wire is too fine, you might melt it by accident.

[harpo99999]

Thanks harpo99999 thats the kind of feed back we need,
do you remember if we sent you 400 or 600 grit sand paper for sanding the wire?
our newest coils have a pre tined tip to make soldering easier also.

from vague memory I think it was 400 grit, bit it might have been even finer (and the piece was not large enough to have the markings on the back), and I was a beta 2 level if that helps to track it down, and I had tried the soldering iron after using the sand paper, but the only conductivity reading I could get was at approximatly my body resistance so assumed no contact

[harpo99999]

When dealing with enamel coated wire, I've always found it is easiest to just burn the enamel off the end with a lighter... then gently sand the burned area to expose bare copper. Of course if the wire is too fine, you might melt it by accident.

and given the wire is the thinnest I have ever worked with ( and makes the wire in coil microphones look large in comparison), the flame method was eliminated, and was even concerned about the heat gain from the 20w soldering iron that I use for board repair

[curious aardvark]

Oooh - you have to solder stuff ?

Ah right - then that's me out till the non-solder kits come out :-)

[rylangrayston]

I have made many many printers work with the sanding and twisting method. You dont need to solder but solder is better.
I think ill post a video of how to do it without solder, it is tricky.
I will also put more priority on coils that just plug in via a ribbon cable.

[MagicDan]

Rylan,

Thank you for the post!

I do not see these as anything too difficult to deal with, especially with a $100 printer. A resin one at that! Keep up the good work and thanks for all your insight and helpful information that you give.

I think what you have done is amazing, and I can't wait to see what comes out down the road.