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  1. #11
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    I used to play with the Arduino controllers long before 3d printing came around. For car functions. Like I used an Arduino nano and a few 5v relays to make an autolamp module for my car. And I even used a mega to make a full bcm(body control module) for my old Honda. So I was already familiar with the Arduino environment and writing sketches and when I saw marlin I just identified with it. There are newer versions of it that you could use for your old ctc machine. I actually like marlin. I think it is really cool how everything is there and you just uncomment things to activate them or comment them to de activate them. But you never really have to write anything. maybe just change values.

  2. #12
    Super Moderator curious aardvark's Avatar
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    yeah 0.9 - and so far utterly failed to update it or change settings.
    I do have a spare mks gen 1.4, but unless I can figure out some way to plug 2 z-motors into it - it's not much use for the ctc.

    so if you slice a model with s3d and stick it on a sd card it works ?
    but not if you use direct usb ? (which you're not going to do much)

    That doesn't make any sense - but it sounds like your startup gcode isn't configured properly.
    You're using the same boards and extruders, bed levlellers etc, on all your machines aren't you ?

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by curious aardvark View Post
    yeah 0.9 - and so far utterly failed to update it or change settings.
    I do have a spare mks gen 1.4, but unless I can figure out some way to plug 2 z-motors into it - it's not much use for the ctc.
    There are actually 3 different ways for you to achieve this. First if you only have one extruder then you have an extra unassigned stepper driver that can be assigned to z2. If you have 2 extruders and no unused stepper driver sockets on the board then you can wire the 2 z steppers in parallel with the one driver and they will both work together. This can only work because the z axis sees such light load that the stepper can handle driving 2 motors. And finally you can add an extra stepper driver add on board. These are universal and can pretty much be added to any 3d printer mainboard and then configured in marlin. I think marlin is up to 1.1.9, now.

  4. #14
    Super Moderator curious aardvark's Avatar
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    looking around the net - it looks like the firmware can be updated.
    I'm pretty sure I've tried all the things I've seen that supposedly work.
    Who knows.

    not an old ctc machine - this years latest model - why they used such an out of date and utterly useless firmware is beyond me.
    It's not like decent firmware would have cost ctc any money.

  5. #15
    My mini died the other day and wouldn't communicate with the PC or the SD card. Monoprice gave me a refund but no new printer to replace it. So i replaced it with a larger 240x280 Delta printer. Well see how it works out and if its portable enough for me or not. I did like my mini tho while it lasted.

  6. #16
    Super Moderator curious aardvark's Avatar
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    nothing stopping you dropping another motherboard in the mini.

    touch wood - mines still going well.
    wasn't yours a refurb ?
    Or Am I thinking of someone else.

  7. #17
    Super Moderator curious aardvark's Avatar
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    been using the tiamat ultra filament - the stuff with nano diamonds. And been making fidget cubes with print-in-place-hinges.
    So A LOT of retractions.
    Been using them to fine tune the retraction settings.
    I can now print a fidget cube with zero stringing and very clean hinges.

    The tiamat ultra is also very tactile and a little denser than standard pla.
    Attachment 12401
    Attachment 12402

    Attachment 12403

    Attachment 12404

    Based on this model: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1752508
    I have increased the gaps between surfaces by 0.2mm. As it stands, wothout modification, the thing just solidly welds itself together into a single lump. Not sure what tolearances the chap used, but it's got to be under 0.1mm.
    I also printed one at 75% size that also worked perfectly. None of them have needed any post processing.
    A quick wiggle to free the hinges and they're good to go :-)
    So I'm goiung to reduce the added gaps and see just how small I can make one :-)
    Last edited by curious aardvark; 01-02-2019 at 06:27 AM.

  8. #18
    Super Moderator curious aardvark's Avatar
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    50% reduction in all directions - so 8x smaller than the normal size cube.
    Also dropped the gap down to -0.1



    Printed a 25% one out, looked good but fell to bits when you tried to move it.
    Going to work up in 5%'s till I get the smallest one I can make :-)
    here's the 50% in action:
    Last edited by curious aardvark; 01-06-2019 at 01:26 PM.

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