Delta Foxtrot

Yes, but I wouldn't stick it down in case diferential expansion causes it to bow. I use thin sheets of steel on top of a flat surface. I think that mine is thinner tham 3 mm, probably 1.5 mm. This allows it to conform to a flat surface better than a thick piece.Edited By Delta Foxtrot on 01/03/2017 16:19:01

That was the problem. I turned it over and the LCD works. Self test ran ok. On with the calibration tomorrow. Cheers DavidEdited By Delta Foxtrot on 28/02/2017 22:59:03

I just had a quick look and the double marked ribbon was upside down, clearly fatigue setting in leading to a mistake. I will fix and retest.

Thanks Trevor. I have the red lines uppermost on both and the double lined one to the left of the single lined connector as i look at the board with printer in its normal orientation. I will check again in the cold light of a new day. Cheers David

Trevor, I finished the build tonight and tried a quick power up. The LCD powers up and tells me the printer needs calibrating and if I press the knob I get to the main menu, so far so good. When i turn the knob to move around the menus I just get more and more black squares across the screen. I think the ribbon cables must be plugged into the rambo incorrectly. I have them with the red cable at the top, like the manual shows, but the connectors are reversed vs the photos. I wonder if the red cable should be at the bottom.

Yes I think the smoke alarm is a no brainer, but it still means you have to be on hand for potentially very long periods when printing large parts. I guess that is the nature of this beast.

Trevor, I am pleased to hear that you are happy with the printing quality and have the Boss on-side. No stopping you now, except at night time of course. I have been wondering about potential running restrictions due to noise, and the length of time taken to print parts. I wonder if it is safe to leave the printer running unattended during long print runs, I would generally keep a close eye on heated machinery just in case, but with prints taken several hours that could be a bit of a bind. David

Trevor, Thanks for the information. Good to hear that you are up and running. I do not think you should need pritt stick for PLA, I think the Z adjustment was the way to go. I am quite enjoying the build so far. I have now completed the X,Y and Z axis assembly. Sounds like there could be some fiddly bits to come. Cheers David

Mal, The i3 mk2 frame is 6.5 mm aluminium, not 3 mm. Cheers DaveEdited By Delta Foxtrot on 26/02/2017 15:12:49

I just checked the threads and they are fine. It is impressive how Prusa listens to the feedback and fixes problems as they are reported. I have had none of the part fit issues reported by earlier builders.Edited By Delta Foxtrot on 26/02/2017 14:13:22 Edited By Delta Foxtrot on 26/02/2017 14:13:50

Trevor, Did you need to retap any holes during the z-axis assembly? I have seen comments suggesting problem getting m3 screws to screw into the frame. Cheers Dave

X-axis assembled. Enough for today, I am tackling this in small chunks to avoid distressing my back. So far I am very impressed by the quality of the on-line build instructions and the access to comments from builders and JP. The bearings work but they are not silky smooth, I expect that they will improve with a little running in.

Nice print Tony, looks like you are cracking on nicely.

Thanks for info Mal. I am new to all of this technology so not too familiar with the different versions of the Prusa printers. The major components for i3 mk 2 framework are steel bolts and aluminium frames, not acrylic. I will take a look at the links you posted. Cheers DaveEdited By Delta Foxtrot on 25/02/2017 20:15:43

Mal, Do you have the i3 mark 2 or an earlier i3?

Problem solved! I read through the comments on the Prusa build webpages and I just needed a small clearance adjustment to the motor pulley.Lesson learned!

Trevor, I built the y-axis today, a bit fiddly in places but not too bad on the whole. The y-axis is not exactly silky smooth when pushed by hand, in fact it is a little stick-slip. I played around with the belt tension, which is a bit hit and miss, backing off a little did not make the action much smoother. I am not sure if this will be an isssue or not when driven by the stepper motors. I would ve interested to know how yours compares. DaveEdited By Delta Foxtrot on 25/02/2017 18:36:16

Trevor, It is an interesting challenge to work with new materials. I expect that a lot a parts will be relatively lightly loaded compared to the material strength in any direction, in which case the print orientation can be chosen to minimise supports etc. With higher stressed parts more thought is needed towards maximising strength. I may make a bit of a start on the build tomorrow. Cheers Dave

Hi Mal! I did not notice any options on frame materials for the i3 Mk2.

My Prusa kit just arrived via UPS.

I found the video: https://youtu.be/mziT7KV-fRI

Thanks Trevor. I found a really good video on YT which discussed printed part design with regard to strength. It was a neat looking vice design which you can also find on thingiverse. Basically you need to consider the orientation of the layers in the printed parts vs what type of loading it will see to get the most out of a given material. Printed parts will not be isotropic and tensile loads are best aligned along the printed layers. Common sense really, but a point well made by the video. Cheers Dave

Sounds like you are cracking on with this nicely Trevor. My Prusa kit is due for delivery tomorrow. l may take a while to build it due a bad back as a result of a fall I had last week.

Thanks very much Cuban8.

Does anyone know the scale dihedral angle for the Turbulent?