Delivery No.1 - Build blog of the first V1.0 Peachy Printer in the Wild

[thej]

Hi everyone!! TheJ (Jason) here in beautiful BC Canada!

Two weeks ago, I drove from BC to Manitoba and back again during my holidays. On the way back, I had the opportunity to spend almost 10 hours with Rylan to see the printer in action, to talk to him about all things "Peachy" and of course... to pick up my printer !!!

During that time, Rylan was in the process of moving and when I meet up with him, most items had not been unpacked including the printer parts. So we literally found and unpacked those parts and got them arranged so that they were accessible. We found and rigged up his prebuilt Peachy and started going through the software, calibration and the dripper setup.

Toward the end of the evening we sat down and discussed a few highlights of our discussions throughout the day (with Nathan filming :-). So get ready for a new Peachy Update on the Kickstarter page !!!

This thread will be a blog of my progress and experiences encountered while building my V1.0 Peachy Printer.

I'm following the instructions outlined in the "PPKV1 Instructional Build Video".
Found here: http://peachyprinter.ipbhost.com/ind...-instructions/
and here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZbAi0Scz5U

The build so far...

Starting out, I found separating the scanner parts (there are more scanner parts than printer parts it seems) from the printer parts and also getting the larger items out of the way, decluttered my work space and allowed me to focus on what I was actually building.

The build starts with the orange armatures. To each of these pieces, two crazy tiny magnets and a thread need to be attached. These 2 steps are probably the HARDEST and MOST IMPORTANT steps to get RIGHT!!! Pay VERY close attention so that you don't have to do this again. I botched mine (put the magnets on the wrong %@#*'n end and had to do it again. Wasn't happy :-( It took about 30 minutes the first time and about 20 minutes the second time to get the armatures setup. These are tedious and time consuming steps.

There are two ways to glue the tiny magnets to the armature:
1) Crazy glue
2) Printing Resin

The video has instructions on how to use the resin to stick the magnets but I used Crazy glue instead. The instructions were 10 minutes long on how to use the resin and you had to assemble other items just to do it. As far as I'm concerned, so long as your crazy glue tube as a pointy tip, it will work just as good or better. Just use a torn off corner of a piece of paper to draw off excess glue.

PRO TIP
When you discover that bending the armature while trying to get the magnets on will catapult them to far off lands (and you will!), using a letter opener or a butter knife to wipe along surfaces will reacquire these microscopic little buggers with ease ! Working over carpet helps too as they can't slide.

I'm only 36 minutes into the build video so far so back to the bench !!

Jason

[thej]

Printer Complete !!
Well, almost. I still have to setup my container, the mesh base with handle and the drip system....but the printer itself is complete.

I had some fun with the mirrors. There are 2 protective layers over the mirror surface and they must be removed. The first blue layer is quite easy to remove by scraping the corner with one of the plastic printer legs. However, the second transparent layer has proven impossible to even find! I checked both mirrors repetitively and even the blue layer to see if they were stuck together... no dice! the build video says to use the plastic printer leg as it won't scratch the mirror. Never say never! I found a way! I made a few scratches from the corner I was trying to catch the protective layers. I'm not sure if the scratches are on the mirror or the clear layer. I will have to experiment with one of the spare mirrors. In fact, it might be a good idea to sacrifice a mirror just to be familiar with how to get the protective layers off and to know what kind of force will and won't scratch the mirror. As it is, the mirrors are so super shiny, I can't imagine there is another layer left there.

I found myself dissembling and reassembling several pieces in attempts to get things right. It all worked out good, just a lot of fiddling.

One item that I was constantly having problems with was the aluminum dampener in the armature. It just would not stay straight. I eventually just crazy glued them in place. I straightened them as perfectly as I could first. I think it turned out quite well! They are now secured and look very straight.

Adding the coils was easy but they refused to go on in the proper orientation first try. I pushed them in from the opposite side then took them out and put them in properly. That worked perfectly. I think there was a tiny piece of plastic in the way that needed to be cleared out first.

I have a very tiny pair of needle nose pliers and they came in handy in putting the jumper cables on to the coils. If it gets a but tough getting the jumpers on, hold the coil secure then grab the jumper with the pliers and pull it on. Works like a charm!

Once that's all done, you can plug the usb cable into your computer and into the printer board, then unplug it and plug it back in to get an armature test. A red light and a faint sound will pulse and the armatures will rotate back and forth through 3 positions forever until you unplug it. This lets you see that the coils are plugged in properly and that the armatures are able to move (no obstructions).

Awesome !!
Next up, Container Time !!!

Jason

[amoose136]

Photos next time would be great. I have my own (unofficial) parts now and will be building my own take shortly if some upcoming galvo tests are successful. Thus far I've spent under $50 USD in parts and can repurpose everything in other projects (I have many) if it doesn't work out.

[harpo99999]

thej, it is good that you have got to the same point that I have (I got to this point back in april, and have been focusing on the fff printers of mine since then, so you might get the first WORKING peachy v1

[thej]

Printer and drip system are fully assembled !!!
Here are some pics!!

(OK, the forum REFUSES to upload any pics. Is there a size/resolution limit ?!? I have several I will upload once I figure this out. I will keep trying)

I will be doing a proper calibration soon but I have tried a few test patterns already just to make sure the armatures are moving, etc.
I found that the galvo on the vertical armature is looser than I would like. If I move the printer, it needs to be checked and realigned (most of the time). I am considering glueing it in place or better yet, glueing a piece in it to keep it aligned better. There just seems to be too much play. I will probably make an alteration to the existing galvo DXF and print it :-> (Ooooh... the excitement builds!!!)

This one was interesting. I started a test pattern and saw that the BEAM on the glow paper was an "L" shape!! Checking the mirrors I noticed that the laser was hitting the corner of the mirror. I shifted the mirror down a bit and it is much better :-) I have a great pic but... I can't show you :-(

PRO TIP
The glow paper needs to be face-up to work! That would be the dull white-ish side.

More to come. Maybe even pics !

Jason

[thej]

I'm playing with the drip feed system now to get a good understanding of how it works (and doesn't :-)

I'm using a 2 litre pop bottle for my salt water source and a 4 litre glass cylinder as my print container.
I found a problem with my dripper. I had made a small hole in the large tube that the print container hoses and drip detector go into. I made the hole to close to the top. What happened is that the drip came off the top aluminum wire, ran down the dripper tube b/c it was right beside it and then streamed over the bottom aluminum wire. Because the tube was so close there was a stream of water not drips. Fail.

I flipped the large tube over, put the drip detector and hose in, cut my drain hose hole BELOW it and the drain hose in the new hole. Solved.

Next issue was drip rate. I was still getting a full stream of water not drips.
I tried stuffing a plastic piece in the bubbler hose on the reservoir. I thought it would plug it but it almost had no effect. I then realized that the HEIGHT of the reservoir is what regulates it. The bottom of the reservoir should be a bit above the drip detector. You can adjust as required to get the drip rate you want.

Jason

[CescoAiel]

(OK, the forum REFUSES to upload any pics. Is there a size/resolution limit ?!? I have several I will upload once I figure this out. I will keep trying)

Have you tried uploading elsewhere and just linking to them? I can do this:

Just post them elsewhere, paste the link and uncheck the copy and reference locally checkbox...
(There seems to be an error in the config of the board software, it gives an error when you do not uncheck that checkbox!)
(UPDATE: Just sent a message to the mods about the error)

[curious aardvark]

all attachments to the forum have been deleted. No attachments are curently allowed.

At no point has any explanation for this been given by a mod or administrator.

Yes it sucks and it's no way to run a forum - but it's what we have.

[jfkansas]

tinypic works also. Upload and then copy the BBcode link to the image.

I understand the board limiting the attachments. It is a huge use of storage and there is liability in the types of pictures posted and content.

[thej]

Thanks for the PostImage link and info about the check box!!

Here are a few images that I have taken so far.

Mirror Alignment fail:
The laser hits the inner corner of the mirror screwing up the beam. Easily fixed.



Here is my completed Peachy printer



Here is my reservoir (2L pop bottle), dripper and print container (~4L glass cylinder).
I made my print base a bit different. I like it better than the recommended one (so far. We will see after I do a print).



Here is an orientation test. No calibration has been done (although this is part of the calibration itself).
I was expecting it to draw directly below. Some adjustments are probably required.



I will be doing more experimenting with the drip system tonight then doing the actual calibration for my print container. Because I'm using a larger container, the main tube (that contains the hoses in the print container) is too short for a full container print. The 2L bottle I'm using will need to be changed to a 4L bottle and I will need to make my own cap with holes for it. Easy. I will also need to make some mounts for the Peachy to securely rest on my large print container. I have some ideas stirring.
I will assemble the recommended 1L and 2L pop bottle setup too.
I also need to get some UV lights. Sunlight will have to do for now. I will just have to keep the cat from eating my print jobs ;-)

Stay tuned !!!

Jason