Stuff your 3D printer has made today...

[daedalusminos]

Pressure sensitive buttons are available - https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9375
I'm sure other cheaper sources are available, but that's the first I found.

That's what I used to prototype...worked fine, housing it was an issue

 

[daedalusminos]

I hooked the force sensitive resistor to a PIC which interfaced to a digital pot.

 

[Dr.Al]

I hooked the force sensitive resistor to a PIC which interfaced to a digital pot.

Yes, I'd played with this idea, but I was concerned that the RF interference would mess everything up. You'd need some sort of microcontroller to detect the start of pressure (to activate the switch as well as provide the potentiometer "value"). Isolating it from the HF start noise may well be non-trivial though. How did you deal with that?

 

[daedalusminos]

I simply sampled the sensor waiting for pressure (there was a cal routine to set pressure Vs power). After that the change in force just sent the Digi pot up or down. I never installed it (was waiting for 5 pin connectors) but with prudent filtering I don't believe the HF interference would be in surmountable.

 

[m_c]

Going by the 6061 video I watched, they're relying quite heavily on shielding to handle interference, but some basic filtering will likely kill off most interference.
It's not like response is that time critical, so you could probably apply some quite substantial capacitance to slow response and absorb interference without affecting performance noticeably.

 

[Kram]

@Dr.Al did you try the torch control?

 

[Dr.Al]

@Dr.Al did you try the torch control?

Yes and it works okay. I need to get used to adjusting it while moving my torch hand - it's certainly not as controlled as using the foot pedal, but I think it'll do the job. I mostly want to use it for those odd jobs where I can't use the pedal - in most cases it'll be a case of setting it in one position and leaving it there.

I'm wondering about redesigning it to have an independent button though. That would have two advantages:

1. More choice of potentiometer so I can make it a little less bulky
2. Once I've got the setting dialled in for the material I'm welding, I can mostly just leave it set and use the button (in 4T mode) to start/stop.

Designing ergonomic things is hard though!

 

[Kram]

It is! A simple problem of 10k resistance and button in a small package is not so simple, Im playing with a few ideas so very interested how you get on.

 

[dieselsamurai]

made this for my mill to add a cheap led selfie ring light , so much better spread of light

 

[ukracer]

made this for my mill to add a cheap led selfie ring light , so much better spread of light

View attachment 334088View attachment 334089View attachment 334090

Have you got a link to the STL please?

 

[dieselsamurai]

Have you got a link to the STL please?

I'll upload it to thingyverse later and post the link

 

[dieselsamurai]

Have you got a link to the STL please?

here you go , I cant remember exact dimensions so you may need to edit or print first few layers to check size

Led Ring light Mill mounting by Dieselsamurai

I created this mount to add a 6inch outer diameter LED selfie ring light to my round column RF30 milling machine but may fit others

www.thingiverse.com

 

[dieselsamurai]

This is the first thing I ever made on my printer that i designed myself and I knew then that it was well worth the investment

I have a Kango 900 breaker and the power switch is completely isolated from the trigger by two rods acting on a plate touching the mains voltage switch



great until the handle snapped and it broke one on the way , I repaired the handle but you cant easily buy these soo Tinkercad to the rescue . I know its a kids 3d software but i have to start somewhere!



20mins later a new rod! I could have made it on the lathe and milled the flats either side but not in twenty minutes and it was proof to me worth getting into this 3d printing malarky



I made the ends longer just for strength but it works in compression so didnt really matter

 

[ukracer]

here you go , I cant remember exact dimensions so you may need to edit or print first few layers to check size

Led Ring light Mill mounting by Dieselsamurai

I created this mount to add a 6inch outer diameter LED selfie ring light to my round column RF30 milling machine but may fit others

www.thingiverse.com

Next question , where did you get the led lights from.

 

[dieselsamurai]

Next question , where did you get the led lights from.

6" USB LED Ring Light with Stand Dimmable for Makeup Live Phone Selfie Lamp | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 6" USB LED Ring Light with Stand Dimmable for Makeup Live Phone Selfie Lamp at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[JMS1972]

6" USB LED Ring Light with Stand Dimmable for Makeup Live Phone Selfie Lamp | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 6" USB LED Ring Light with Stand Dimmable for Makeup Live Phone Selfie Lamp at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

Really must get round to getting one of these. My selfie game is very poor

 

[Onoff]

Hmmm....

Lad just printed a new handle for the freezer. My / his design from scratch. Printed one before but it started to delaminate. He knows more now so did another.

The problem is the print stopped 3 times. He had to switch off and restart, each time telling to start higher on the Z.

Best guess is an issue with the bed thermistor.

Weird as he's just completed two 11 hour prints for @Kram 's metal melter without issue.

 

[indy4x]

My first attempt at PETG, complete failure, my bad, just went with default settings so time to start experimenting with settings for PETG





And dross left on the build plate

 

[ChrisBailey]

I find petg a PITA compared to pla.
Make sure your petg is dry and dial in the retraction to stop the stringing.
If you hear a kind of crackling when printing, its wet.

 

[Dr.Al]

I find petg a PITA compared to pla.

I'm surprised at that, but maybe I've just been lucky. I use PETG exclusively (although I do store it in these when it's not on the printer so that probably helps with the dryness) and it seems to just work. Maybe I've just been very lucky.