Posts by texsquirreljr

I decided to splurge with the money I got for my birthday this year. I upgraded from a PowerSpec i3 Mini I've had for years, all the way to an Ender 3 S1! The Ender 3 is very quiet so I can do bigger print jobs all night on the larger print bed (I have to keep everything within my bedroom and the i3 likes to "sing" while it prints). The heated bed is an absolute dream come true- no more painter's tape and glue sticks! I can print in filaments other than PLA too and everything that I've printed so far has seemed sturdier (though I've yet to really put the two head to head).

There is just one issue though: I can't get it to make my print-in-place hinges.

It seems to have taken issue with both the print-in-place files I've tried. The first one was actually the first print job I did with the printer, it was a little collapsing dagger (it's like those toy light-sabers you used to wack your friends with). It doesn't seem to extend out all the way and two of the sections seem stuck together, quite weird considering there was no need for supports. I might have to revisit this model because I only tried it one time.

On the other hand, I've tried my print-in-place hinges several times with several different settings with a couple different PLA filaments, I even tried printing it in TPU! The thing is I know these should work, the i3 did a great job making a few of them and I not exactly willing to just swallow the notion that my new Ender can't outperform it in every way. I've tried matching the settings from the i3 .GCODE compiler (which might not be entirely correct, but even then I ought to be able to get away with a high resolution model with no support.

I've tried to think about every difference between the two printers and I just can't fathom how the Ender could fail at this task. Maybe the heated bed is keeping the knuckles and pin just warm enough that they end up sticking together, but I really doubt that- or at least I really don't want it to be true. No matter what I try the Ender hinges just end up breaking, they are too stiff. The i3 hinges are a little tight at first but they give and start swinging freely once you start working them around a bit. I still think it could be something in the settings, but I have a hunch I might be going about it the wrong way. So if start I getting too desperate (and no one has any better ideas) I might just try reducing some of the values in an effort to try and match the lower quality of the i3.

I just hope I can find a way to print stuff like my hinges on the Ender because the absurdity of having invested so much in an upgrade and it not being able to do something I plan to utilize more and more in my future projects is just revolting.

I'm attaching the .STL of the hinge for anyone who is curious, and I'll provide the .GCODE for either machine if anyone wants to take a look at them for whatever reason (not sure why you would). Just ask about any files that interest you. I'm rather proud of my work and I'm devastated that it isn't working with my new machine. I suppose I could always try to re-engineer it, but I feel like what my i3 can do my Ender should do better. Remaking the model would be rather easy, but I'm quite happy with how small I was able to keep the hinge's profile and it'd be a shame if I had to bulk it up a whole bunch.

It just annoys me because I know that these hinges can work, the i3 has proved it with four consecutive successful models (done in glow in the dark PLA ).

If the Ender can't cut it I suppose I'll have to make a standard hinge and just create all my future projects around them.

Sorry for belaboring that point over and over, I just think it's silly that my brand new machine is struggling with print-in-place while it exceeds standards in every other capacity.

I already was kinda planning to keep the i3, maybe keeping it boxed up in the attic until I have a need to print two models at the same time, but if I can't find any solution to this little puzzle I may end up keeping it right where it is.

I found out that it was actually a hardware malfunction / defect for once!

I'm trying to get some Servos to work with Python on my Raspberry Pi:

http://magicduino.com/Images/ItemsMedia/File/7203.pdf

And for some reason I can't get them to reverse with this script:

#Okay, so a duty cycle of 2 is full charge clockwise, while 12 is full charge counter clockwise.
#As they get closer to each other they slow down. With the servo I'm currently testing 7 seems to be the part where clock wise hits close to stopping.
#Only 0 seems to get you to absolute stillness.


#When messing with the arm servos, it will only go one way, but functions like a clock and only goes 120 deg.


import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
import time


servoPin = 17
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)
GPIO.setup(servoPin, GPIO.OUT)


p = GPIO.PWM(servoPin, 50) # GPIO 17 for PWM with 50Hz
p.start(0) # Initialization #0 seems to stop and hold it
try:
while True:
dutyCycle = input("Type new duty cycle as decimal number...\n") #Min Duty cycle seems to be 1.65 but is virtually identical to 2. Min is fastest with 6 being a relative slowest while not just grinding.
p.ChangeDutyCycle(float(dutyCycle))
input("Press enter to stop...\n")
p.ChangeDutyCycle(0)
except KeyboardInterrupt:
print("\nStopping and Cleaning...\n")
p.stop()
GPIO.cleanup()

1 through 15 seem to be all the different positions, but it only will only let me go down.

I can tell it to go to 5 then 4 then 3 etc.

but I can't tell it to go back up to 5 or 15.

Going past the scale doesn't help either as I tried a little incremental script to see where it actually moves (to see if it at least jiggled anywhere else from 1 to 100) and nothing got it to move.

I've tested with different servos and it seems to work with them, in fact the notes in the code I've included mention these and what works for them.

What am I doing wrong?

I'm downloading KiCAD now.

Quote from panic mode

actually i don't see how TB6612 could work with this arm since it is using servos and not steppers or brushed DC motors.

servos require PWM high accuracy pulse control. motor power does not go through external driver chip, only signal which is a weak but accurately timed.

TB6612 does exactly opposite - it is a motor driver meant to drive DC or stepper motor motors. for them high current passing though driver chip.

the two don't go together.... driver is either for weak and fast signal only, or it is high voltage/current device but - significantly slower.

TB6612 is the later one.

to drive hobby servos which are used in this arm, you need different type of drive, either using GPIO directly (no shield) or through shield like https://www.amazon.com/KEYESTU…kb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

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My other project is dealing with some DC motors. I just haven't touched the arm project because I am wrapped up with the DC motor treads project.

Unfortunately I'm dealing with some 9v motors, but I have the design down on paper: relays, ports, a bunch of AAs (only because the kit came with a huge AA bank). I already have the design planned out and I could totally just use a protoboard but I want to practice designing a PCB as a usable file so I can always design a PCB if I need to and add it to my list of skills _{and totally not at all because I want to be able to smugly tell everyone, "Oh yes, I made that myself! Ha ha!"}

Though I probably should take your advice and use the protoboard first since it's just good practice, I already have all the components and having a proof of concept I'm not having to hold together by hand would be nice to start coding it with.

I guess I've just been stubborn and lazy. I think I'll look into the protoboard and KiCAD.

Quote from panic mode

luck?

Okay! Okay! I'll admit it! I've been a bit _lazy, just promise you won't tell anyone!

All joking aside, I have assembled it already but I've been focusing on other projects. I'm honestly unsure how I'm going to get all those motors to work yet; it's a bit overwhelming, especially because the OSEPP Arduino Motor Shield 6612 that I got for it and a few other motorized projects doesn't seem to want to work for me with the OSEPP provided class. Rather than have to deal with the headache of figuring out whats wrong with the code right now, I've decided to make my own motor driver (for a different project) just so I don't have to deal with it's nonsense, unfortunately that has not been unproblematic but I see it as a way to simplify everything. Then I'd at least know what is going on with the code because it will be my code.

ALL of that said the instructions are very iffy (because when aren't they?) and you'll have to pay close attention. You might also want to consider the "Board & Controller Bundle" version of the same arm. I don't know what all that bundle comes with, but if you can spare the extra cash it might pay off and get you a working robot arm faster.

I hope this gives you some ideas.

What kind of robotics are you interested in?

I can do my best to help you a bit with manufacturing robots.

I've gotten this one for my last birthday!

_{Unfortunatly I haven't had much luck with it yet.}

In the May of this year, I graduated with my Associates in Robotics and couldn't find a job (which I'm going to blame on COVID). I ended up quitting my part time cashier job because my grandmother's cardiologist said that since I'm not the breadwinner and wanted to be able to see her, I should quit working. I didn't want to be too much of a burden on my boss so I quit; it was a fun but demanding job. He owned the restaurant and was an absolute perfectionist. The food was SPECTACULAR!

Last Thursday (first of November) I started an online IT class for my Bachelors so I'm not just sitting around.

So I am trying to make a motor driver in EasyEDA and I designed the footprints to the two main components. I quit for the day and when I tried to get back on I could no longer find the two footprints I had made.

Any EasyEDA Veterans out there who can tell me what might have happened or where I might find the default footprint directory (I've been searching for a while)?

What software do you most prefer for making your own circuit boards? I just want to know if there is a significantly better software.

Edit: I am making the driver myself because I got an OSEPP Motor Shield 6612. I had the code that supposedly gets it to work. Has anyone who has had that Arduino Shield had a problem with it not working in any logical way? I'd tried everything to try and get it to work.

So I got my Associates of Applied Sciences in Robotic Technology from Texas State Technical College in the May of 2020 (with honors). I am currently pursuing a Bachelors in IT with Western Governors University because I've had a hard time finding a job.

This however leaves me with quite a problem. I don't own my very own industrial robot. I'm currently trying to design my own motor driver for my Arduino, but I need something in the meantime to keep all my electrical and robotics information fresh in my brain. Any suggestions? Fun robotics projects?

This is my first post, sorry if I've formatted this wrong. I couldn't find a rules section.

Speaking of being a new poster, is there anything I should know about the forum? Any protocol I should know about? Is there anything I've done wrong with this post? Any inside jokes I should know?

Edit: Anyone else from Houston on here?