Heaven help me - I've just bought a delta kit :-)

[curious aardvark]

haven't got round to buying a new horizontal strut yet. Currently spending most time on the laser engraving.
Also come to the conclusion that I need to buy pre-threaded struts.

Plus it's bloody hot in my workshop.
:-)
It's not abandoned - i could really have done with it for a mini-itx case that I've had to break down into 4 parts.
Plus money's been tight recently as well.

I need to get moving on the struts - probably need 2.
it's 28c in my workshop and even with a big fan blowing on me - there's only so much you can take lol

[mjf55]

CA, are you still working on BB? Any progress?

[mjf55]

CA, Any hard lessons I should learn from you BB adventure. I am thinking of building a 300 mm build plate diameter delta ( not quite as tall at yours.)

[curious aardvark]

yes - get the aluminium extrusion pre - threaded by the suppliers.
The build kind of ground to a halt when i broke the threading bit.
Then maneged to strip the threads on another strut and ran out of money to get new - pre threaded struts.
Plus since then I've been messing about with the ctc 13 pro b.
Not fully operational yet - as the print bed isn't actually affixed to the print frame in any useful or solid way (how it's designed). Basically if you move the printer - at all, it goes out of calibration. I'm going to bolt the whole thing to a rigid aluminium base - which will sort that issue out.

So still learning stuff that will all go into the BB when I recommence it's build.

What i would say is make your build plate larger.
The extra cost is minimal, and a 350mm round plate will accomodate a 250mm square. I know this as I spotted the files recently :-)
Once I've eventually got the top and bottom frames made the rest should be pretty quick.
I've got all the bits, even some 3mm bungee cord for the suspended extruder.
I keep seeing ideas at printer show I can incorporate :-)

Given how cheap a large format printer can now be had - the original idea behind the bb is probably not going to work. So it's been relegated to a hobby build.

Quick update on the he3d k200.
After a brief halt last year when the hotend ptfe tune broke in situ - still no idea how that happened. And a wee bit of hassle replacing it - she's now back to full working order and still my workhorse machine.
Plus I now have a lot of ptfe tubing for the future :-)
And given how many moulds she's knocked out, I do believe she's actually paid for herself now as well :-)

She's Still on original board and firmware, hotend and extruder - why change what works so well ?
Pretty much all the problems I see on the facebook groups are from people who have changed stuff - for no logical reason I can see - and have caused their own problems.

I did have adhesion issues with the printbite - but have now upped the bed temp to 65c - and it's sticking better than ever.
One thing I love is that she gets to temp reasonably quick - but once there the temps are nailed down. I might get a few tenths of a degree wobble on the extruder, but the bed temp is ALWAYS rock solid.

Just goes to show if you take the time to set a cheap printyer up properly and make the right mods - it#ll pay you back in spades :-)

[mjf55]

Thanks CA. Yeah, Still love the K200. Its printing like a champ. I wonder why so many folks don't like it. Probably can set it up correctly. I had gotten a clone E3D a while back ( like last year ) and designed / modified the effector to use it, dual part cooling fans and optical sensor probe. Waited a long time to install, but finally had a major molten blob on my print head, so the opportunity presented itself. I have to say, there is marginal improvement vs the stock setup. I do like the auto probing / distortion correction. Need ( well could use) a few improvements to my design but over all, i'm happy. Finally re-tried PETG ( was not happy with original results last year, but now I have it dialed in. TPU is next.
Yeah, the bigger delta build is a hobby type build, I just wanted a bigger build surface area. Your recommended 350mm is huge. I love watching the delta do its think. Mesmerizing. I may just take the easy rout and get a Creality CR-10 or Tevo Tornado. Build are I want, Good price, large support group. I keep hearing the Borg say "you will be assimilated; resistance is futile" Ehhh, whats the fun in that.

Wonder whats up with your PrintBite. Mine is still working great, even at 50*, but you use it more than me. Wonder if it eventually goes bad. May want to contact the manufacturer. I still highly recommend it, thanks for pointing me to it.

[curious aardvark]

well I suspect the printbite issues were as much climate and cheap pla related as anything else.
Just run through a roll of black esun pla that came with the klic-n-print. Switched back to some flashforge red yesterday, printed a cooling nozzle for the ctc - wow, that stuck about twice as hard as the esun !

350 does look huge. But like i said, it's a 250mm square with added rounded corners. Doesn't cost any more, so why not :-)

[curious aardvark]

just changed my nozzle, I believe this is the 3rd 0.5mm !
They are dirt cheap brass - so I don't expect them to last forever. They're averaging about 1,75km a nozzle. Which doesn't seem unreasonable.
Not bad for over 5 kilometres of filament in 2 years !
Just thought I'd update this and say the he3d K200 is STILL my best printer. Still running all stock firmware, electronics and mechanicals, still capable of running all day - every day.

Thought I had a serious issue tonight. Couple of small prints were under extruded !
You what ? that's bloody weird. Changed nozzel, current print back to it's normal impeccable self :-)

The 2 year old printbite is still as good as new.

This setup is how all 3d printing SHOULD be.
:-)

****

well sunavabeetch !
Turns out it's the new roll of silver filament that WAS the bloody. Looks, It's just gone and clogged my new nozzle !

This is the firast time I've ever had a filament that does this. The previous roll of this stuff was some of the best filament I've ever used.

Must be some big unmeltable particle is this roll.
well *&&&**^^%%$%^^&&*()**&&^%$£### and **&*())_~###(*&^%%^& as well !

[curious aardvark]

Well I guess i just jinxed myself.
The ptfe tube was buggered, So drilled that out, fitted new one and managed to twist the end off the nozzle leaving the thread in the damn hotend !

So children, tonight's lesson is simple: ALWAYS heat the heatblock before screwing your nozzle in or out !

Right, where do i get replacement heat blocks............
Hmmm - the one on the ctc i3 looks remarkably similiar, I think we have a plan !

That said, think I'm out of 0.5mm nozzles, sheesh lol (well you got to laugh).

[curious aardvark]

Alexa's (It and my niece were named long before amazon stole the name) back up and running.
And looking new and shiny.

So here's the thing.
I wanted a single heatblock.
ended up buying a pack with 4 heatblocks, 4 metal 'throats, bunch of 0.4mm nozzles for £10.
NObody just sells a single heatblock. And this pack was the cheapest I could find. Shame the metal throats don't fit alexas cooling block - but I've got plenty ptfe liner.
I guess at some point the extra bits will come in handy. not the same size heatblock (not quite a sdeep), but works just fine.
Nozzles - okay let's talk bloody ridiculous.

I could get a single 0.5mm nozzle from ebay for about £2.50 and a weeks delivey time. I wanted at least 2.
In the end I bought a mixed pack of 20 nozzles with next day delivery from amazon containing 2x0.5mm nozzles for £4.
Sheer insanity.
I'll probably play with the other sizes at some point. But how crazy is that pricing ? 20 for less than the price of 2 !

I know people don't like amazon. But where else can you order stuff at 22:30 and have it delivered the next day - on a saturday - before 13:00 and still pay less than ebay ?

The new nozzles are slightly narrower with a longer pointy end. Looks good and prints well.

Currently knocking out an alignment block for my new laser cutter.
After 5.5km of filament it looks like Alexa appreciates the new parts :-)

[curious aardvark]

they also do that at the bottom. if you slide them up to the top (just tried it) they will rub and catch on the belts - and that's probably a bad thing :-)

Given that my carriage is rock solid and she prints like a machine costing 5x more - I'll leave them at the bottom ;-)