[mhackney]

outsider787, I don't think anyone here has completed their H-1 yet. I have a thread going on my build now. I am actually writing the assembly manual for SeeMeCNC H-1. The mechanicals are done now and I am working on the extruder and electronics.

As for parts quality, the Yahoo group has lots of photos, etc. Also, there is no reason to think that quality will be any different than similar RepRap machines. They all work on basically the same mechanics (threaded rods and linear rails/drill rod). The H-1 uses 1/4" diameter stock but it is also smaller. The extruder is the basic Steve's Extruder that almost everyone uses. Much of the quality is dictated by setup and tuning the machine. I've seen some very impressive parts from these types of machines and don't think mine will be any worse. Stay tuned!

cheers,
Michael

[hoss2006]

So what's the surface finish like on parts made on the H1 from SeeMeCNC?

Can someone post come closeup pictures please?

I'm not using an H1, I've built a Reprap Prusa.
If you are trying to judge the quality of the prints these machines can accomplish,
asking folks that are just starting to use them is not the best place to go.
Go to thingiverse.com and look at what's being made.
Most of the projects include close-up pics and you can see what experienced people can do with them.
Hoss

[rwskinner]

John at SeeMe has been doing some very nice prints in ABS on a stock H1 with no mods. He did add the new nozzle design but his prints were very nice with the old nozzle as well.

I have both the Mendel and H1 however I built my H1 first and my Medel is almost complete. So here is a long winded reply...

I started with Mach and using PLA and my prints were turning out very nice, no blobs or holes right out of the box with John's modified Replicator/Skeinforge combo.

I didn't like the computer and hardware laying all over the place and I really wanted to play with a self contained system so I put a Ramps 1.4 system on my H1. It took a while to get it tuned and calibrated. My PLA prints turned out pretty good but I was getting very small blobs on the outside corners. Probably just a lack of tuning on my part and understanding the software and firmware settings since it wasn't doing it mach.

Instead of more tuning with PLA I ended up switching to ABS to avoid the plugging problem I was having with PLA. My First two ABS prints turned out okay but surely nothing to brag about and not as nice as the PLA but again, it's just because I don't have it all dialed in.

I have been jumping back and forth and experimenting but what I plan to do is put the H1 back on Mach, and the Medel on the Ramps and play with one at a time and fine tune.

The nice thing about Mach is you can see everything real time and you can adjust feed rates and such real time so it's much more flexible.

The nice thing about the Arduino setups is the printer can be self contained and you can insert an SD card and tell it to print. Makes a much neater setup for limited space areas and much more portable.

At this point, both have their own set of advantages and I haven't played with either enough to have a favorite.

Richard

So what's the surface finish like on parts made on the H1 from SeeMeCNC?

Can someone post come closeup pictures please?

[hoss2006]

I'm building the Printrbot next.
Image of THE Printrbot - Thingiverse
The minimalist design is very appealing, the less parts the better IMO.
I'll use the H1 electronics and Mach 3 for the control on it.
Also want to try that new hinged Wades extruder for it, should be cool.
Hoss

[hoss2006]

That looks like fun! My Grand kids would like that. Have you gone through your first reel of plastic yet?

I've just about used up a 1lb spool of PLA, made a lot of parts (and scrap) from it.
Any of the clearish looking pieces I've shown like the cube gear was made from it.
I used a little bit of the black ABS 1lb spool but hardly enough to notice anything missing.
Got my new power supply in so I'm gonna get into some more ABS printing,
it seems to make a smoother print, stinks a bit more though.
Hoss

[rpovey]

I really like the look of the Printrbot, I was going to print one when I get my H1 running.
The other designs I'd like to play with are the Bowden style extruders and the X/Y axis designs that don't move the table, for more compact larger print areas.
First things first though, still need to wire and tune the H1, won't happen in the next week though, I'm out of town again.

[RomanLini]

It's getting bad, I go to the printer first thing when I get up even before turning on the computer now.
Get it printing something while I'll have my coffee and check email.
Made a little improvement to the Z axis home switch (they call them endstops)
It needs tweaking now and again to keep the nozzle height just right above the bed...

Hoss if you have not already seen it there is a thread on the forum for making electronic home switches;
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/open_s...made_easy.html

These would be ideal, as they have no moving parts and very accurate. They are also very easy to make.

[hoss2006]

Yes I have thanks, I'll have to consider it. The RAMPS can also use opticals so I'll have
to check. The Z is all that matters for accuracy on these.
Hoss

[hoss2006]

This will show what I've done with 1lb of PLA.
Hoss

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oneL1VQFs6Y&list=UUjoRKEpk7uE5Wzf4b-IFTFg&index=1&feature=plcp"]Reprap Prusa Parts made from 1lb PLA. - YouTube[/ame]

[rwskinner]

Hoss, I just got finished wiring up my Mendel. Do you mind sharing your Marlin config or at least let me know what you ended up with for step settings per axis and accel so I have a starting point? If not I understand, just trying to short cut it some.

Richard

[hoss2006]

Hoss, I just got finished wiring up my Mendel. Do you mind sharing your Marlin config or at least let me know what you ended up with for step settings per axis and accel so I have a starting point? If not I understand, just trying to short cut it some.

Richard

Sure, I have it saved as Marlin2. Open "Marlin2.ino" in Arduino.
Hoss

[rwskinner]

Thank you sir, very much appreciated !

Richard

[rwskinner]

Oh, are you running in 1/8 steps or 1/16 steps?

Richard

[hoss2006]

1/16th for all except for 1/8 on the z axis.
Hoss

[rwskinner]

Thanks, it only took a minute to figure it out when everything was twice the distance.

Two prints under my belt with the Medel using ABS and they turned out very nice indeed right off the bat. No blobs or any issues.

I think my H1 must have a little backlash causing the small blobs in the corners because I didn't see that here running the same GCode.

Cool. Things are looking up. Now to get the H1 back on Mach and get it tuned correctly.



Thanks again,
Richard

[duzallcnc]

Hi Hoss,

I noticed in one of your pics that you now have a new surface on top of your heated bed. Is that glass, acrylic or? do you run a thermistor on the heated bed or just put 12 v to it?

Thanks
Sean

[hoss2006]

It's a pretty common idea to use a piece of tempered glass on top held with paper clips at the edges.
That heated bed warps pretty good at temp but the glass stays nice and flat and a flat surface
to print on is paramount especially when putting down the first layer.
My glass is about 4mm thick, salvaged from an old end table.
The blue painters tape helps the plastic stick and is cheaper than kapton tape.
Hoss

[duzallcnc]

Hi Hoss ,

do you have a part number for the 100k thermistors? And the tape that is used on the hot end.

Thanks
Sean

[hoss2006]

I used some 1/4" kapton tape to hold the thermistor and resistor to the hotend.
Mcmaster #7648A711
and some 1/2" fiberglass with PTFE tape to put several wraps around it to keep the heat in, really made a big difference.
Mcmaster #76495A52
You can get a 100k thermistor from MakerFarm.
100k Thermistor
or at Mouser.com #871-B57540G104F I used one for the heated bed.
Hoss

[hoss2006]

A note on resistors for the hotends. They didn't have a 5W 5.6 ohm resistor for the J-head hotend I got at the time
but a 3W 6.8 ohm is another commonly used size.
I got one here along with my RAMPS kit.
6.8 ohm 3W 5% Resistor | UltiMachine
but they are a lot cheaper through Mouser or DigiKey. #W21-6R8JI
The diameter is smaller though and although you can use a thermal paste, I made a few
wraps of brass shim to go around the resister for a snug fit in the hole, transfers the heat very well.
Hoss