Show your MODS

[RobH2]

I have thought about getting some black-anodized v-slot and a black heat bed to go with the black frame. I may yet do it someday.

Then you'll have to call it a "Makerferrari" in stead of a "Makerfarm."

[RobH2]

Nice mods.

My extruder motor has never caused any issues and runs pretty cool. Interesting how different two of the same machines can perform.

For anti-vibration I bought a wheelbarrow inner tube and sliced it up. I cut two-inch slices across the flat tube so I have fat rubber bands essentially. I fold each one and that gives me 4 layers of rubber and I put that under my Makerfarm in 6 spots. It really works well.

Finally, sometimes I want to manually control the two fans I have around the bed. I got some round switches on Amazon, drilled two holes and now I can turn the fans off or on at will.

FanSwitches.jpg

[clough42]

I'm using the Hexagon all-metal hot end, and it requires a cooling fan blowing on the fins to maintain the temperature gradient. The fan shroud that comes with the hot end touches the hot end block, which melts it. It also directs the air back into an enclosed space, where it then blows down on the bed, interfering with adhesion.

I designed a replacement deck and a fan shroud that uses a 25mm fan to pull air across the hot end fins and vent it out the top, behind the extruder. This keeps all of the airflow away from the bed and also makes it easy to see what
s going on because the hot end isn't buried behind a fan.

The shroud is very close to the heat block because there isn't much space. I have found that wrapping the plastic in Kapton tape keeps it from melting. I went a step further and made a thin insulator pad out of fiberglass tape and Kapton because I am experimenting with higher temperature materials.

The parts and instructions are here: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:335613

2014-05-18_16.25.09_preview_featured.jpg2014-05-18_16.26.00_preview_featured.jpg2014-05-31_10.38.00_preview_featured.jpgXCarriage-2_preview_featured.jpgXCarriage-3_preview_featured.jpg

[clough42]

I added auto bed leveling to my printer so I don't have to mess around with the Z stop and bed leveling springs. I wasn't really happy with the aesthetics of any of the servo mounts I could find, so I designed my own.

This servo mount and switch arm tuck the switch up inside the X carriage when it's not in use, keeping it out of sight and out of the way. The arm is intended to mount a switch with a bare button (no lever arm) and has the switch element aligned vertically with the servo pivot to minimize the effect of servo position errors.

The mount is sized for a Hextronik HXT900 servo, which is available worldwide for less than $3 (USD).



The parts can be downloaded here: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:335632

2014-05-22_18.02.19_preview_tinycard.jpg2014-05-22_18.02.30_preview_tinycard.jpgServoShelfBracket-HXT900_preview_tinycard.jpgZProbeArm_preview_tinycard.jpg

[clough42]

I added a 40mm fan to the RAMPS board to keep the drivers and especially the heat bed transistor cool. The heat sink on the transistor was getting warmer than I liked and I think I was having trouble with the bed getting to temperature. I'm not sure if it was a real problem or not, but since I added the fan, it's been fine.

I didn't design the fan mount. I used this one: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:49235

2014-08-10 21.38.09-resized.jpg

[clough42]

I have very little tolerance for messy wiring. I don't like how it looks, and I'm always afraid it will get caught on something and damaged, so I took the time to dress all of the wiring on the printer.

I trimmed all of the cables to length and reterminated them with new crimp pins. I sheathed everything with TechFlex braided sleeving and dressed the ends with heat shrink tubing and cable ties. I found (or made) places to tie everything down nice and neat, leaving slack for the cables to flex and move while printing.

For the wires going to the X carriage, I kept the hot end wires (heater and thermistor), motor wires, fan power and bed leveling (servo and switch) in separate bundles so I can easily swap out the parts without having to redo the wire dressing.

I have no idea why Colin didn't include holes to pass the Z motor wires through the frame on the i3v like he did on the i3, but I added them myself with a coping saw.

2014-08-10 21.37.24-resized.jpg2014-08-10 21.37.31-resized.jpg2014-08-10 21.37.55-resized.jpg2014-08-10 21.50.46-resized.jpg

[kd7eir]

I have very little tolerance for messy wiring. I don't like how it looks, and I'm always afraid it will get caught on something and damaged, so I took the time to dress all of the wiring on the printer.

I trimmed all of the cables to length and reterminated them with new crimp pins. I sheathed everything with TechFlex braided sleeving and dressed the ends with heat shrink tubing and cable ties. I found (or made) places to tie everything down nice and neat, leaving slack for the cables to flex and move while printing.

For the wires going to the X carriage, I kept the hot end wires (heater and thermistor), motor wires, fan power and bed leveling (servo and switch) in separate bundles so I can easily swap out the parts without having to redo the wire dressing.

I have no idea why Colin didn't include holes to pass the Z motor wires through the frame on the i3v like he did on the i3, but I added them myself with a coping saw.

2014-08-10 21.37.24-resized.jpg2014-08-10 21.37.31-resized.jpg2014-08-10 21.37.55-resized.jpg2014-08-10 21.50.46-resized.jpg

What size TechFlex did you use?

[clough42]

What size TechFlex did you use?

I used the 1/4 inch size.

[kd7eir]

Thank you sir. I have my i3v 10"on the way and wanted to order the proper TechFlex.

[RobH2]

I was going to ask about the sleeves on the cables. Glad you mentioned the name of it. It looks nice.

I also see a new connection method for the Z Rods to the stepper motors. Is that a standard part for the i3v or a mod? I find that my rubber connections are prone to slipping. They do provide some protection in a head crash as they will release and push off, but as even the lightest lubrication eventually makes its way to the bottom, it discolors in the vinyl tubes, so I know it's there. They aren't as tight as they used to be.