Hacdc log

I thought it would be good to keep a log of what's going on. Contributions encouraged. Note that many entries extend into the morning of the following day. Aug. 14, 2018 The box2 print on the Taz had finished but was about a mm short, presumably due to a likely z axis skipping problem. I later stopped someone else's print because filament had stopped extruding, then noticed that the new filament guide tube was missing & the reel, which had been changed (light green), was on backwards. I fixed the reel and the print worked (but looked sloppy). I found the missing tube on the previous reel (white), reinstalled it, and, after adjusting the printhead height, started another box2. I also redesigned the probe mount for the Taz (probemount2A.escad & probemount2B.escad (both at renderadmin/ImplicitCAD/radioshack_box)). Neither regular printer was working. Aug. 16 The box2 print failed due to the same intermittent connection failure that's been plaguing the printer. Had delayed monthly meeting. Julia worked extensively to fix the z axis skipping but the z axis now keeps getting badly out of level between the 2 sides so the Taz is unusable. On the other hand, after turning on the controller (it was off but I think it was on on Aug. 14), both regular printers are now working. Aug. 20 Julia located a good design for a replacement extruder for the Ultimaker. Julia worked on the Taz. It it now working but the z axis still seems to be skipping & the intermittent disconnect problem is probably still there. There is now a box for RODS. Caution: It is dangerously topheavy. Aug. 23 A box again printed successfully but was a mm short. Julia rebuilt the Taz. Started another box but the filament stopped feeding; shut printer off. I added documentation to the Wiki on the laser cutter but unfortunately broke the front panel (flimsy plastic); I was able to sort of fix it by adding washers. Sept. 1 Rewired laser cutter (details in Cheap Chinese Laser entry). The laser should now be ready for testing by an expert. Several people from Nova Labs visited. They said Nova Labs would probably help HacDC fix broken equipment (if we can get it there). Sept. 3 Tom showed up to test the laser cutter. Manual firing worked but safeties did not. Got computer control of mirrors working but computer did not fire laser. See Cheap Chinese Laser entry for details. Due to the Wiki being uneditable the log was not updated. To summarize some of what happened: Julia replaced the power supply for the 3D printer computer monitor which may have been causing the random printer disconnections. She found that one roll of filament was causing problems because it needed to be extruded at 230 C (no simple way to test this). She also added heat sinks on the Taz z axis controller & stepper motors which solved the skipping problem. The Wiki was cleaned up (causing the above-mentioned uneditability). A test piece (the "sphinx") for the new Ultimaker extruder was printed. Oct. 4 The basement was found open & the lock for the outer grate is missing; it was temporarily replaced with a combination lock (contact Julia if you need the combination). Oct. 5 There was considerable chaos with Nick & people looking for him showing up at different times (finally resolved). The phone doesn't work. New parts for the Taz z axis are here. The science event list was finally updated (about time). Started printing a box4. Oct. 8 Phone is working. box4 & an Arduino cover printed well; started a box3. Finished design (still need to set values) for z-x rod joint for improved Taz z axis drive & the sphinx. Oct. 9 box3 printed well, started another. Only 4 people (including a new member) at the monthly meeting; little to report. Finished design for general pulley mount. Oct. 11 box3 failed due to filament stripping. Successfully printed stenograph machine stand. Started printing test body for new Ultimaker extruder. Fixed Cura so it will work for Rostock; tabletop computers D8PGDD1, 1M0QJH1, 5VVYKH1, & DJ7VKC1 now work. Determined that problem with some faulty tabletop computers was the USB drive and rewrote one drive. Created new HacDC hacks entry on Blabber to document fixes like how to change the cordless phone ring & fix Cura. Oct. 15 Extruder body print failed due to filament stripping but several other prints worked. The Algix filament was found to print well at an unusually low 180 C. Julia worked on the Rostock. Oct. 18 The Taz jammed & Julia cleared a clog from the printhead. The Algix filament did not print satisfactorily. A print with leftover filament worked but a new roll of filament had problems with stripping. A member swapped a nonworking (regular) Kodak printer for a working (after a little work) Epson one. A visitor tried to use the CNC mill (note that the parallel cable connects to the upper connector on the computer) but the y axis would not move. Oct. 19 The filament on the Taz may require a higher temperature; testcube printed fine at 225 C. The boxes have been recompiled for the Rostock (box1t32Rf.gcode etc. in /ImplicitCAD/Radioshack_box on renderadmin) and the zero-thickness problem eliminated. Tried to print a box3 at 225 but the filament started feeding erratically and the printhead now seems completely jammed like before. Oct. 22 Julia worked on both the Taz & Rostock. Additional cleaning of the feed gear and shifting the printhead down seems to have fixed the Taz problem (which may be the result of a tiny fan starting to fail); also the current filament should be printed at 229 C. The Rostock works but the fan may need to be turned off (set fan speed to 0) or down and there seems to be a loose connection (causing the temperatures to read def). Started printing (Taz) test body for new Ultimaker extruder. Oct. 23 HacDC has 2 new voltmeters (labeled HacDC 1 & 2). Extruder body test print successful. Attempt to print a box4 on Taz failed, possibly since it started at 215 C. Cleaned feed gear & successfully started a box3 at 229 C. After a false start printed a box1 on Rostock. Rostock printhead will not go above ~210 C and will drop when fan comes on, possibly crashing the print (def problem mentioned above). Immediately set fan speed to 0 when it comes on (typically when the first layer is completed). Started a box2 on Rostock. Oct. 25 Both boxes printed successfully. The Rostock temperature will plummet & crash the print if the fan is at 30%; at 25% the temperature doesn't seem to go over around 218. After a false start part of a kayak holder started printing OK on the Taz. Another object was successfully printed on the Rostock but an attempt to print another box resulted in everything going wrong - the printer behaved erratically, the printhead scraped the tape but then was in the air after being adjusted, the outer tube came off the extruder, & the short outer tube piece with a burnt end in the printhead clogged at the unburnt end. Oct. 29 Kayak holder part printed successfully. Nick dropped off 2 computers. Julia fixed the Rostock and found that the CNC mill was clogged & needed cleaning. Found that ImplicitCAD seems to get stuck on a certain rotate. The Taz printed another (small) object and started printing another copy of the sphinx (first copy is missing) while the Rostock started printing a box1. Oct. 30 Sphinx & box1 both successful. Started a box3 on both printers - the Rostock is printing wobbly. Put big metal case under table by SEM with computers inside (but wiring should be adjusted). Killed 2 flying bugs over the last 2 days (hopefully that's all of them). Nov. 1 Both boxes printed. The distortion (about warp factor 3) with the Rostock was from a loose printhead - fixed. A couple first-timers visited. Julia reflowed the graphics chip from an iMac G5 after a replacement for the badly burned-out halogen bulb for the soldering system was found in the basement but didn't have time to complete the repair. Some small items were printed on the Taz. Started printing another box3 on the Rostock & a test of the redesigned sphinx for the new Ultimaker extruder on the Taz. Nov. 5 The sphinx printed but the box3 stopped partway thru; both printers seem to have disconnected (the Taz after finishing), possibly due to a power fluctuation. The iMac repair worked (amazing) after a couple damaged connectors were fixed. Another small Taz print worked along with a test piece for the improved Taz z axis and a box4 was started on the Taz & a box2 on the Rostock. Tom got a new laser printer working (HP_Laserjet_Professional_P1606dn, can print double sided). An inkjet printer was successfully disassembled without ruining the controller. The inner door to the basement was open & the light was on but the outer door was still padlocked (opened from inside?). Nov. 7 Both boxes printed but there was still some distortion from the Rostock. Started printing another Taz z axis test piece & a box4. Nov. 8 Both prints worked. Small prints were done on both printers. A modified z axis test piece was printed on the Taz and the next version started. The Rostock again had a problem with not moving, not as bad as last time but it still seems to have caused the printhead to clog. Nov. 11 Test piece printed. Air conditioner was on - why? Printed an improved test piece - very close to final form. Started a box3 Nov. 12 Box3 printed. Printed a revised test piece. Julia unclogged the Rostock & found that the printhead heaters had weakened greatly (replacements ordered). The partially disassembled printer from Nov. 5 was apparently ruined. The problem with the intermittent failure of the Rostock to move may have been due to loose belts which have been tightened. The Rostock fan power supply was left unplugged to avoid having to turn the fan off (why didn't we think of this foolproof solution before?). The Rostock clogged repeatedly but finally worked (the third time's the charm). Another version of the Taz test piece was printed and seems perfect. The Rostock print crashed again - apparently the power supply is for another fan connection that isn't being used (so much for foolproof). (That power supply is actually for a fan on the extruder & was later plugged back in.) The belt tightening & unclogging procedures for the Rostock have been documented. Started box3s on both printers. The missing bathroom key turned up on the floor by the Taz. Nov. 13 Both boxes printed. Monthly meeting canceled - too few showed up. One visitor who was interested in repairing an old radio. Taz y-axis motor mount designed (but most parameters need to be added). Started a box2 on Rostock & box4 on Taz. Nov. 15 Both boxes printed but the box2 was a bit short because the Rostock ran out of filament. Two new people visited. Assigned values so a trial version of the Taz motor mount is ready to print. Printed a production version of the Taz z axis joint (but a minor change should be made and the position of the rod hole may also need to be changed). Printed half of a coupler for the new Taz z axis rod & started the other half. Nov. 19 Coupling printed. Small items printed. Installed coupling on testbed Taz; satisfactory. Measured rod position & adjusted z axis joint design accordingly. Designed improved generic coupling, printed test piece, adjusted design, & printed production version. Started printing new version of joint. Nov. 23 Z axis joint printed & it was installed on the testbed Taz & measured; some adjustments were made to the design and, after printing another coupling half, the revised joint was printed. It was just right so started printing another. Nov. 26 Joint printed (the filament broke leaving less than a foot left when the print finished, a clear violation of Murphy's Law). Julia dropped off filament for the Taz & Rostock, and parts. Printed 2 coupling halves (Taz, leaving about a foot of unused filament on one reel) & test motor mount for 2nd Taz (Rostock). Started another joint (Taz) & endpiece for 2nd Taz (Rostock). Nov. 29 Joint & endpiece printed. One hole in redesigned coupling turned out to be too big & at least one motor rod is notched; redesigned coupling accordingly and printed notched version. Found that ImplicitCAD would not compile some rotates because it ran out of RAM. Belt was installed on one side of the optical table. Started redesigning printer endpiece & motor mount as single stronger piece. The Rostock jammed extremely badly. A couple small items printed on the Taz. Started printing unnotched half of coupler. Dec. 1 Coupler printed. Installed revised coupler on 2nd side of testbed Taz. Coupler seems fine but rod was off by about .5 mm so joint does not seem to be exactly same on both sides. Printed another coupler half & started a 2nd. Dec. 3 Coupler printed. Julia worked her magic & got both the Rostock & CNC mill working including replacing the failing heaters in the Rostock printhead (so the fan should no longer be turned off). Printed 3 more coupler halves. Started a box 2 on Rostock & box4 on Taz. Dec. 6 Boxes printed. Was able to move new z axis on testbed Taz. Julia brought in 4 laptop video cameras but was unable to get any of them to work yet. Test print of body for new Ultimaker extruder brought in. Installed new z axis parts on Taz; rods were off by ~1.7 mm vs. ~.5 on the testbed Taz. New z axis works but printer needs to be adjusted - DO NOT USE the Taz. Started a box4 on Rostock. Dec. 10 Box printed. Started a box1 but it failed because one of the arms came loose at the top - fixed. One of the upgraded rods on the Taz wobbled badly which turned out to be due to an old part that was known to be warped. Shimming it with washers mostly eliminated the wobble. Taz has been recalibrated and is ready for use (so the z axis upgrade project has been successfully completed!). The "supercomputer" originally built to compile a huge fluidics chip was brought back in operation. Preliminary design of the motor mount endpiece for the Taz is complete. One of the laptop cameras was found to be incompatible with the current version of Linux altho a driver existed for it. Started printing box1s on both the Rostock & Taz but the Rostock stopped dead & the 3D printer computer will not respond (screen stays black) altho the Taz is still printing away normally. Dec. 11 Box1 printed but had a small shift part way up. 3D computer worked after restarting & reconnecting USB cable. Started a box4 on Rostock and a test piece for the new Taz motor mount end on the Taz. Found that Cura works for the Rostock on computers 1LDNKH1 & 7KDNKH1. Dec. 13 Test endpiece & box4 both printed. Corrected flaws in endpiece and, after a series of infuriating false starts, and discovering that excess belt on the Taz bed was snagging the main part of the belt and folding it so it snagged itself instead, started printing the revised endpiece & the other (pulley) endpiece. Dec. 17 Both parts printed. Designed & printed test piece for pulley mount for 2nd Taz. Modified endpieces & started to reprint both. Dec. 18 Both parts printed. Some parameters were corrected but there are unresolved problems: The pulley sticks out of the side of the pulley mount which will prevent it from fitting into the endpiece, the new belt is only about 12 mm below the top of the endpiece but the bottom of the pulley mount side is about 12 mm below the top of the endpiece, & the notch for the belt at the motor mount is too narrow and cannot be made much wider without reaching the bolt slots. Monthly meeting was fairly well attended. HacDC's rent will be going up significantly posing a serious problem. There was also a significant cost resolving the legal issue with Nancy. Small item printed on Taz. Started printing latest test version of pulley end & mount for Taz. Dec. 20 Objects printed. Pulley endpiece redesigned which should solve all the problems. A visitor wanted help developing a sleep aid light. Started printing latest test endpiece. Dec. 24 Endpiece printed. Broke testbed Taz endpiece pulley mount trying to remove pulley for examination but was able to remove pulley, make necessary measurements, and complete design of the pulley mount. Printed test pieces for 2 different versions & started a box3. Dec. 27 box3 printed (with hardly any leftover filament, another violation of Murphy's Law). Julia brought more filament (1 reel for Taz (seems to work at 215 C) & 2 for Rostock) & a high-resolution still camera (entrusted to Bobby). She installed the test pieces in the testbed Taz with satisfactory results; adjustments were made to endpiece designs. Piece holding belt to bed needs to be replaced. Small drone camera mount printed. Printed production version of pulley mount for testbed Taz and started motor endpiece and (to use up remaining filament) a box1 on Rostock. Dec. 30 Objects printed, but motor endpiece had lifted off bed; Julia had started another that printed with a shift and some possible separation. Small item printed. Started the production version of the pulley endpiece and a hopeful replacement for the belt-bed joint. Dec. 31 Endpiece printed but it & joint were backwards (WARNING: Bobby is terrible at thinking in 3 dimensions) altho basic idea of new joint was found to work. Another test joint was printed and design further adjusted. Heater installed in testbed Taz. Rather chaotic time with Julia's going-away party simultaneous with trying to get major work done. Adjusted level of Rostock bed with significant improvement (but need to document procedure). Started printing corrected pulley endpiece & box2. Jan. 2, 2019 Objects printed but endpiece lifted off bed; will hopefully still be usable. Added Rostock bed leveling to instructions. Printed another test joint. Replaced right bed leveling bolts on Taz with slightly longer ones to make adjusting easier. Started printing another version of the joint & a box4. Jan. 3 Objects printed. Test joint seems fine; belt attachment method seems to work very well. Several items printed but multiple object print failed because Taz ran out of filament - always check & it is best to print one object at a time; it should be faster & if something goes wrong you won't end up with multiple failed prints. Tom replaced the keyboard on a visitor's laptop. Jan. 5 Installed motor endpiece, pulley endpiece, pulley mount, & belt-bed joint in testbed Taz. Appears satisfactory; made a few minor adjustments to designs. Jan. 6 Julia took the Taz. Jan. 7 Tom did an amazing job to get the testbed (now only) Taz working under manual control (but it needs to be calibrated as well as set up for computer control). Some Ultimaker extruder parts printed but another print stopped dead - the dreaded disconnect problem. Jan. 8 At the monthly meeting the entire contents of the basement were declared outgoing so a major clearing out can be done, possibly at the end of March. If you want anything in the basement mark it or otherwise make it known. (The miter saw, one fire extinguisher, & a clip-on light socket are on loan from Bobby.) Jan. 10 Several visitors. One wanted to print rubber with the Mini but it wouldn't connect. A print on the Rostock failed because the design was too thin. Kevin got the Mini to connect but didn't get it unclogged & was unable to get the replacement Taz to respond. Installed setscrew in Taz endstop. Some sorting done. Jan. 17 A visitor tried to do a test print on the Rostock but it didn't work, probably due to a software problem since the old testcube printed fine. Kevin got the replacement Taz to move and discovered that it is version 1 rather than version 2 & a bunch of documentation for it. Jan. 18 After some problems getting the TV screen to work (documentation needed), movie night (The Martian) was successful altho turnout was rather low. Hot melt glued USB drives to several tabletop computers & some sorting was done. Jan. 21 It is now possible to routinely connect to the replacement Taz & give it commands. Attempts to read the current values of the parameters (which should be done before the firmware is updated) have been unsuccessful. Documented inductive sensor for Taz autoleveling in 3Ddoc.txt. Jan. 28 Two people successfully printed a bunch of small objects on the Rostock. Feb. 4 Several objects were successfully printed on the Rostock & Mini. Design for Taz belt-bed joint was adjusted to recover 10 mm of y capacity. Feb. 7 A bunch of rubber objects were printed on the Mini. Feb. 11 There was a moderate leak in the basement. The source is unknown; the leak had probably stopped when it was found. Object printed successfully. Feb. 14 Kevin was able to read & modify the firmware for the Taz. End cap for new reel holder for the Mini was printed & the holder started. Feb. 15 Print failed; the intermittent printer disconnect problem recurred (the print separated from the bed as well). Trying long prints is not recommended until this problem can be corrected. Movie night OK. The space behind the basement wall is not unexcavated dirt but a concrete tunnel. HacDC may be able to use this for storage. Feb. 18 Object printed. Kevin was able to change the calibration of the Taz z-axis but the results were inconsistent. Started printing (after unclogging Rostock extruder; 160 seems to be too cool when removing the old filament, try 180) improved version of the new reel holder for the Mini. Feb. 19 Reel holder printed, was installed on Mini, & is almost perfect! Fairly busy monthly meeting. Gasket printed on Mini but needs redesign. Feb. 21 HacDC has disposed of the CRISPR refrigerator. Feb. 22 The door to the basement was open (but the grate was locked). Temporary access has been cleared to the corner behind the SEM. Several power cords that didn't go to anything were removed, significantly reducing the snakepit coefficient. Necessary measurements were marked and the remaining 3 reinforcing boards (remember those) for the shelves were cut. Bobby's miter saw & clip-on light (bulb left on shelf) have been removed (only thing of his left is the fire extinguisher). Boards for shelves by door are OK (still need to be installed) but board for corner behind SEM was cut wrong (too long) & will have to be recut. Feb. 23 The basement was cleared out. Much (maybe too much) of the contents were left outside the church by the trash bins. The (2nd) replacement air conditioner was installed. HacDC proved helpful to the Positive Force music show held that day. An attempt to install the recut reinforcing board failed because the existing shelf board was warped and the large C clamp could not be found; the reinforcing board was also badly bowed. Another (long-lost) copy of the board showed up that was straight; it was marked and will be used instead. Feb. 25 Small object printed after the first attempt failed when the filament broke & the 2nd attempt failed when the filament tangled on the reel. One small reinforcing board was installed on the shelf above the door. Feb. 28 Kevin tried to get the Ultimaker to work but failed; the feed tube apparently needs to extend further into the extruder. Some stuff was cleared out of the space. The last 2 reinforcing boards for the shelving were installed (a little painting remains to be done). March 4 After over 3 years, the shelves are finally finished. The floor was vacuumed while the corner behind the SEM was accessible. Other than possible sealing around the new air conditioner all work in the corner has apparently been completed. Several visitors came by. March 7 Sealing done around new air conditioner; table & SEM moved back. Many new visitors. Knobs printed on new Monoprice printer. March 11 Object printed on new printer. March 12 Sparsely attended monthly meeting. Some largely cosmetic rearranging of the wiring over the sink was done but the internet no longer worked. March 14 It turned out that the power strip right above the sink had gotten turned off; flipping the switch restored the internet. Two people brought pies (Pi Day). Drone flew around the space. Extensive rearranging of the wiring was done; this time the phone & internet both worked afterwards. The power strip directly over the sink is no longer required for the internet (the long power strip one shelf up definitely is; leave it on) preventing a recurrence of the previous problem. March 15 Almost all items remaining in the back part of the basement were moved to the front except a large whiteboard, the CNC mill, & the contents of the CNC mill supply shelf. Movie night: Gravity. More wiring was sorted out & network connections mapped. It was found that the TP-Link Switch is connected to a 12V supply instead of the correct 9V; this should be corrected. March 18 Objects printed on Monoprice after adjusting printhead height & on Mini with some delamination. Preliminary network wiring diagram prepared. TP-Link Switch power supply replaced with correct 9V supply; internet & phone both worked afterwards. March 21 - With light-to-moderate rain, there was a puddle a couple feet wide over the drain outside the basement, indicating that this was the probable source of the leak. Mike will try to snake the drain. Object printed on Monoprice. Remainder of HacDC network wiring was traced and labeled; numerous cables & power supplies that didn't go anywhere were removed (and temporarily piled up under the electronic workbench). Renderadmin computer was crashed in the process but Kevin was able to restart it successfully. March 25 Network wiring diagram (upstairs; the basement is completely separate) completed (& it fails a sanity check). Power supplies drawer organized; supplies now have color-coded twist ties (AC is black, solid color is voltage (i.e., white=9V), white with bands is thick band-narrow band with thin ring if a decimal (i.e., wide brown, gap (invisible narrow white)-green ring is 19.5V). Object printed on Mini after printhead was unclogged. 3D printer computer replaced (everything seems to work) & test print on Mini worked. March 28 Object printed on Monoprice. Rostock successfully tested with new 3D printer computer. Note: To send gcode files to the new 3D printer computer use scp filetoprint.gcode [email protected]:/home/hacdc with standard (not 3D printer computer) password. Use Ctrl-Alt-F# to select a terminal instead of Alt-F#. Pronsole is still pronsole (previous statement was wrong). Use load /home/hacdc/filetoprint.gcode to load file once sent. Octoprint is now running providing a completely different way to use the printers. Documentation will have to be prepared & existing instructions redone. April 1 Rostock print worked. New 3D printer computer has been switched to Ubuntu Linux. April 4 Objects printed on Rostock. Preliminary instructions for printing with new 3D printer computer written (on blabber). April 9 Average turnout for the monthly meeting. A likely rat was spotted scurrying under the radio equipment. April 11 Objects printed on Rostock altho there was a problem with an incorrect dimension but it then jammed. It was unjammed (if a piece of filament gets jammed in the feed tube unscrew BOTH ends & use the thick wire feed tube snake (standing up on the outlet box behind & to right of Rostock) to force the piece out (CAREFULLY use pliers to force the snake into the tube if necessary)) and successfully reprinted object. A visitor got a flex sensor to work with a microcontroller. April 15 Preliminary revised instructions for printing on the Rostock (with pronsole) completed (at /ImplicitCAD/radioshack_box/ins3DRostockpronsole.txt on renderadmin computer). April 25 Rostock jammed with filament apparently melted to feed tube connector. Bobby gave up; James resorted to cutting off the connector (which can't be done much more without shortening the tube too much) and got the Rostock extruding again. However, 2 attempts to print both failed when the NOZ: def problem recurred (with a thermistor disconnect error message on the computer). April 29 It was found that the USB connector on the Monoprice 3D printer had broken. It may still be possible to use the Monoprice with an SD card but not otherwise. A visitor worked on a product he is developing for motorized skateboards. Small object printed on Ultimaker. 4 prototype "DNA" pieces printed on Rostock. May 2 4 small "puzzle pieces" representing the 4 nucleotides of DNA have been designed. Besides making a fairly good schematic representation of DNA, they are good test & example objects that only take roughly 5 minutes each to print. They are available in the ImplicitCAD/radioshack_box directory on the renderadmin computer as dnaa.stl, dnac.stl, dnag.stl, & dnat.stl as well as compiled for the Rostock as dnaaRf.gcode etc. A visitor worked on getting flex sensors for a glove to work with a microcontroller. May 5 Moderately sized object printed on Rostock. Numerous DNA "puzzle pieces" printed to perfect design. DNA & RNA (rnaa.stl, rnac.stl, rnag.stl, rnau.stl, & compiled Rostock versions (rnaaRf.gcode etc.)) versions are complete. May 9 Instructions for printing on the Rostock with the new 3D printer computer using pronsole (the old way) are in the Rostock (yellow) folder with the 3D printer instructions (full & quick versions; also available in the ImplicitCAD/radioshack_box directory on the renderadmin computer as ins3DRostockpronsole.txt & ins3DRostockpronsolequick.txt). After repeated attempts, the Mini successfully printed a small object. The failure of attempts to print a large object on the Rostock was found to be due to the gcode setting the bed temperature to 60 C after the first layer had printed, crashing the program since the Rostock doesn't have a working bed heater; changing the gcode solved that problem. May 14 The monthly meeting was mainly about getting ready for the Dupont Underground event May 16. The instructions for using the Mini (& Rostock) with pronsole have been updated (ins3DMinipronsole.txt & ins3DMinipronsolequick.txt in the ImplicitCAD/radioshack_box directory on the renderadmin computer). An introduction to the DNA & RNA "puzzle pieces" has been written (dna.txt also in ImplicitCAD/radioshack_box). May 20 Some more DNA & RNA pieces were printed and the introduction rewritten. Pieces bent, were very difficult to remove brim from, & did not fit together properly. May 21 Scheduled planning meeting never happened; only 1 person showed up. More pieces printed satisfactorily; problem was largely due to removing pieces before they had cooled (which seems to take much longer when room is warmer). Instructions for using Rostock & Mini with pronsole revised again. May 23 Print on Rostock stopped. Several more DNA pieces printed (works much better without brim) but will be redesigned. Large print on Ultimaker failed due to separation from the bed. Instructions for Rostock & Mini corrected. June 3 The clogged connector on the Rostock feed tube was drilled out (use a 5/64" bit in a hand drill) but a swollen piece of filament remained in the tube & one of the connectors came off when it was pulled out. Putting the connector back on didn't work. The feed tube was replaced but the short tube in the printhead was also clogged. Drilling with a 1/16" bit made it possible to remove the tube & further drilling (with both bits) managed to clear it. The Rostock successfully printed a test cube. The z-axis switch on the Taz was tested & it works. June 6 A visitor worked on a stenography machine computer mount. DNA piece redesigned but did not print properly; the support (both with Everywhere & Touching buildplate) did not print. June 10 It was realized that the extrusion rate of the Rostock had not been fully adjusted to compensate for the fudge factor; it needs to be divided by the square of the fudge factor rather than just the fudge factor. The new value is Steps/MM:680.4 (not precise). The DNA piece design was further modified but the support still would not print even with the angle for support set to 0. The Monoprice board needs to be replaced. The Taz z-axis problem still seems intractable. June 11 Routine monthly meeting except HacDC website was updated. Test prints on the Rostock also failed to print support with thin or short overhangs. It was found that reducing the Shell thickness in Cura solved the problem for thin overhangs but not for short overhangs. Large bread slicer part printed on Ultimaker; partially detached from bed but may still be usable. Rostock maintenance instructions (ins3DRostockmaint.txt) updated including instructions for trying to clear filament clogs. June 13 Loose connector on Taz fixed which seemed to solve the z-axis endstop problem. With considerable fudging (Cura gcode wouldn't work properly) the Taz was made to print a test object. Z-axis well calibrated; x & y still need adjusting. Rest of Rostock instructions redone (but still need instructions for printing with new method & new instructions for new 3D printer computer). Another part for bread slicer printed (separated again but usable) & yet another started but the extruder failed. The missing support appeared when the size of the DNA piece was doubled. June 17 Taz printed good cube. Ultimaker fixed & large print started. Rostock clogged again but a group effort got it going again (maybe HacDC will be able to keep things going without Julia). Final (hopefully) design of DNA piece printed (A) & 2nd piece (T) designed & printed (both double size). June 20 Several guests; one started learning to solder, another how to 3D print. Another bread slicer part printed on Ultimaker. All 8 DNA & RNA pieces now in final form but problem of support not printing is unresolved; must be printed double sized (dnaa2Rf.stl, dnac2Rf.stl, dnag2Rf.stl, dnat2Rf.stl, rnaa2Rf.stl, rnac2Rf.stl, rnag2Rf.stl, & rnauRf2.stl prefudged for the Rostock) to avoid that problem; several were printed. Paper tray for copier stopped fitting; problem identified and fixed (fix still needs to be documented). June 24 Object printed on Rostock. Visitor wanted to use a laser cutter. DNA & RNA pieces redesigned again & finally completed; added some modified RNA bases (T (same T as in DNA, found in tRNAs) & pseudouridine (psu; downright weird, found in many RNAs); most were printed (still double size). June 27 Object printed on Rostock. Test object printed on Ultimaker and firmware updated. DNA piece programs cleaned up, modified base I added, & numerous pieces printed. DNA piece documentation (dna.txt in ImplicitCAD/radioshack_box directory on renderadmin computer) updated; double size versions ready for general use. Documentation on adjusting the Brother printer paper tray added (disregard 1st try) to HacDC hacks on blabber. July 1 Light had been left on in entryway. 3 guests showed up. Some of the DNA pieces were resigned yet again; problem of support not printing was eventually solved by including support in the object itself but even then the support did not print if it was .5 mm or less thick; .6 printed. Numerous pieces printed. Standard size C,G, & T for DNA and C,G,U,T, & pseudoU for RNA now ready to use. July 6 Because of poor print quality of small objects on the Rostock an effort was made to optimize the settings (dnatRf.stl makes an excellent test object). The temperature was reduced from 215 C to 205, 200, or 195, the shell thickness reduced from 1 mm to .5 (with the Fill Density increased to 90), or the filament feed rate reduced from 680.4 Steps/MM to 646.4. 205 C seems best for the current filament with no change to anything else. DNA pieces finally finished (but still have to convert some of the .escad files to .stl files). Numerous pieces printed. Added ddC, a drug used against HIV also used to sequence DNA. Updated "instruction manual" for the pieces (dna.txt in /ImplicitCADS/radioshack_box directory on Renderadmin computer along with the .escad & .stl files). July 8 Several (paper) printers were fiddled with. DNA pieces further revised & finally (famous last words) finished altho not all of the .escad files have been compiled into .stl files (so there may be a few typos). See (revised) dna.txt for details. July 9 Several visitors toured the basement. Monthly meeting well attended, uneventful, except for noting that HacDC will use up its cash reserves in 5 months at the current rate. DNA piece designs compiled (1Rfs (standard with support for Rostock), 2Rf (double size for Rostock), 1s (standard with support), & 2 (double size) .stl files) & errors corrected; many pieces printed. July 11 Outer door was open & door to roof was ajar but cover was on opening to roof (earlier in the week someone had been working on the roof). Monoprice printer connector fixed but there is another problem. Plans made for prototype 3D printing course. One final DNA (actually RNA) piece added (Cm), programs cleaned up, & dna.txt updated (see for details; gcode files can be used to determine best printing temperature for Rostock filament); numerous pieces printed & complete set given to HacDC. July 15 Yet another RNA piece (m1I) added, dna.txt documentation finalized, & numerous pieces printed. Project completed (at last!). Trial 3D printing class held successfully (but test print failed at last minute when printer was mistakenly unplugged). Science event list finally updated. July 18 Taz printed a slightly-out-of-calibration cube. Repeated attempts to print RNA pieces revealed that there is an intermittent (which is why the Taz sometimes didn't respond at all) & the z axis has a skip (not sure which side). When the Taz worked the flat part of the pieces was really good but the vertical part looked like a tumor (worse at 215 C temperature but still terrible at 200 & 195). It might need better filament, another fan, or something else (what it really needs is, of course, Julia). July 22 It was determined that the Taz moves well at standard speed when commanded by gcode but moves roughly when told to move at a lower speed either by gcode or with the move command. Instructions for 3D printer computer updated (about time). July 25 Attempt to print on the Ultimaker failed because of an apparent bug in the slicer. Test prints on Rostock showed that changing the size of the print area had no effect on the miscalibration problem. July 29 A visitor had a long discussion about getting started (i.e., electronics). Tom returned. Aug. 1 The Ultimaker was printing too stringy. Adjusting the settings helped. Aug. 8 Large object started on Ultimaker. A visitor was given an extensive introduction to 3D printing. Aug. 15 Another large object started on Ultimaker (previous successful). Aug. 23 Movie night (The Right Stuff) sparsely attended. First piece of preliminary documentation on ATmega328P microcontroller written (Micro1.txt in renderadmin/ImplicitCAD/radioshack_box directory). Aug. 26 Microcontroller documentation partially rewritten as micro1.txt. Possible rodent spotted in space (too briefly to positively identify). Aug. 28 Microcontroller documentation additionally rewritten as micro2.txt. Aug. 29 Tristan left a bunch of stuff to be retrieved Monday. micro2.txt rewritten. Event list mostly updated. Sept. 2 hacdc-openwrt did not work (HacDC Channel 1 did). micro2.txt rewritten yet again. Sept. 5 micro1.txt & micro2.txt rewritten again. Modifications made to 3D printer computer; Rostock now will not move horizontally. Window above left air conditioner was found to be open at top & closed - should be checked regularly. Sept. 9 Minor changes made to micro1.txt & micro2.txt. Rostock now moves in all directions but didn't print properly; height may be off. Can't connect to Mini. No change with Taz. Synthesizer worked on. Sept. 10 Monthly meeting was well attended but uneventful, several new members. Major effort launched to move files from obscure ImplicitCAD/radioshack_box directory on renderadmin to wiki; see wiki.hacdc.org/index.php/Categories Sept. 19 micro1.txt & micro2.txt heavily rewritten. Had visitor from Dublin, Ireland & another who was looking for a laser cutter. Sept. 28 The renderadmin computer would not connect. micro1.txt & micro2.txt heavily rewritten yet again; now available at wiki.hacdc.org/index.php/Documentation-ATmega_microcontroller Sept. 30 Attempt to fix Rostock ruined printhead nozzle. Unable to fix renderadmin computer. Large amount of documentation added to wiki - 3D printing, CAD, equipment (see wiki.hacdc.org/index.php/Categories). Oct. 3 Renderadmin computer fixed. Started tracing laser cutter power supply circuitry to compare with extra power supply previously traced. Oct.4 Found apparently leaky diode in laser cutter power supply & disconnected (not needed; for on board TEST button). Still have to finish reassembling, but laser cutter may be fixed! Oct. 7 Further testing confirmed that D15 in the power supply was leaky, which would be expected to cause precisely the firing-when-it-shouldn't problem that had been observed. This is basic Electronics 101 stuff that should have been found a year ago, demonstrating that (1) As claimed, Bobby is suffering from a severe case of overload-induced incompetence and (2) There is a severe lack of electronics know-how in HacDC since someone else should also have found this. Traced out circuit board for power supply in laser (designated PS1); it is almost identical to the extra power supply (PS0) in the cabinet. Kevin started working on the software for controlling the laser cutter but it wouldn't compile. The power supply was reassembled & temporary spacers installed so the controller resting on the power supply no longer blocks the power supply fan. Testing showed that the enable (P) signal now correctly controls the laser so the safeties work; however, no cutting was observed, probably because the optics are totally misaligned, dirty, or fried. Instructions for operating the laser cutter were written and posted on the wiki (wiki.hacdc.org/index.php/Documentation-Laser_cutter-K40). Someone brought in some no-longer-usable amazon dash units. Caught a quick glimpse of a critter scurrying under the amateur radio equipment - again, DO NOT LEAVE FOOD OUT! Oct. 8 Further testing revealed that mirror 2 (forward-to-right) is totally misaligned so the beam completely misses mirror 3 (right-to-down). The laser definitely works; it set paper towels on fire (oops!). James aligned mirror 2. Instructions for how to adjust the stationary mirrors added to wiki. Oct. 10 Tom got the laser cutter computer running but was unable to control the laser cutter. Oct. 14 Nothing newsworthy. Got 74ACT323 IC to work. Oct. 17 Roof was open (someone from the church had been working up there); after it was reported to Mike a guard finally closed it. Only 2 people showed up & little happened. Oct. 21 Work done on synthesizer. Couldn't find basement keys. Oct. 24 Only 2 people again. There are now fairly well-located & clearly labeled kill switches for all the 3D printers, electronics workbench, laser cutter, & microwave. Oct. 25 Moderate turnout for Movie Night (Hackers). Config file for laser cutter read from Smoothieboard SD card. Config file sends laser fire PWM to pin 2.4. Laser cutter had nothing connected to pin 2.4. Fire pin on ACR board was connected to adjacent pin 2.6. Connector moved. That should fix the old problem of the computer not being able to fire the laser. Now all that is needed is to figure out why the computer can't control the laser at all. Oct. 28 Unable to fix Monoprice 3D printer. Tom got computer control of the laser cutter movement working and a mechanical problem went away after moving the laser by hand but the computer still couldn't fire the laser (even after fixing a possible problem with the Smoothieboard config file not inverting the signal). Despite problems with multiple meters being dead, the problem was traced to the ACR board (signal in, no signal out). An attempt was made to connect the fire signal directly to the laser power supply but the Smoothieboard SD card failed. Oct. 31 Only 3 people total. A visitor needed to replace the driver board on their 3D printer. Nov. 4 Had 2 visitors, one from India/Japan. Nov. 18 Only 4 people. Regular printer (Brother) wouldn't print altho it made copies. Nov. 21 No regular open house because of HacDC Happy Hour event. Minimal people around. A new SD card has been obtained for the lacer cutter Smoothieboard. Printer still not working. Nov. 25 New SD card installed in laser cutter but no further progress made in getting laser to fire correctly. Nov. 28 Started tracing circuitry on laser cutter ACR board. Dec. 2 Had several visitors including one from England. There was a small puddle in the middle of the basement; watch for leaks. Dec. 5 Small turnout. A couple visitors. Traced more on ACR board. Dec. 9 More work done on visitor's laptop. Something shorted & damaged a component; computer still seemed to work but there may be a problem with the screen. Mini didn't work; probably clogged again. Continued tracing circuitry on laser cutter ACR board but some traces on PC board are too obscured to follow. Dec. 10 Meeting not held because of low turnout. Traced more on ACR board (but tracing fire command seems doubtful because of obscured traces). Dec. 12 Visitors helped work on laser cutter. Smoothieboard does not appear to be producing fire signal; perhaps board failed when SD card did. Documented (wiki.hacdc.org/index.php?title=Documentation-Laser_cutter-K40) how to directly control Smoothieboard from tabletop computer. Unconfirmed report that James died! Dec. 16 Started documenting tabletop computers (wiki.hacdc.org/index.php?title=Documentation-Tabletop_computers). Dec. 23 Tabletop computers 1LDNKH1, 1M0QJH1, 5VVYKH1, 7KDNKH1, & DJ7VKC1 all now have cura, emacs, meshlab, & minicom installed (the others that were on the tabletop computer cart (7Y5MPD1 & CPV3HF1) are not usable because they are missing the USB drive with the OS). A file named installed.txt has been added with an incomplete list of the software installed on each computer (which should be updated whenever more software is installed). Dec. 26 Attempt to use Monoprice via HacDC network failed. Renderadmin computer would not connect. Dec. 30 It was determined that the problem with the renderadmin connection was outside of HacDC. (It is possible to connect by using ssh [email protected] instead.) Jan. 2, 2020 Monoprice works from front panel with SD card (leave in printer) but format may not work with all systems. Gcode files can be transfered to the SD card using USB adapter attached to front of printer. Mini partially (extruder gear but not hot end) unjammed. Documentation added for computer network & Mini printhead disassembly (partial). Jan. 6 HacDC now has a replacement for the Rostock printhead nozzle but needs a different mounting piece. The calendar on the HacDC website no longer works. Jan. 9 Larger than usual turnout, including a couple old members who worked on 3D printers. The Ultimaker is now working & an apparently intermittent short in the Taz z endstop was fixed (at least for now). Jan. 12 New USB drive prepared for one of the tabletop computers that was missing one. Tom left a miter saw he was working on in the storage bathroom and used the machine shop. Jan. 16 More work done on miter saw. Attempt to update tabletop computer failed because of inability to respond to warning message about GRUB; amazingly, the computer still worked after being shut off. There was a small leak in the basement. Jan. 20 Mini unclogged, printed objects. No leak in basement. Jan. 21 Good turnout for monthly meeting including HARC guys. Several new members joined. Little overall change in finances. Major discussion on planning for future. Considerable support for getting rid of SEM. Decided to do a much needed inventory (planned start Jan. 28). Jan. 23 Wiki limited due to maintenance. Jan. 27 Wiki largely fixed. Decided to schedule electronics lab sessions (see HacDC website) on Mondays. Jan. 28 The inventory turned into a cleanout of the space (not basement) with lots of stuff going into outgoing instead of figuring out what HacDC had. The SEM console was largely disassembled. Jan. 30 Visitor worked on laser cutter. Feb. 3 Visitor worked on laser cutter & got computer control to move the mirrors again. Monoprice working well using microSD card (SD card adaptor on front). Carbon monoxide meter showed 0 but carbon dioxide meter showed high levels that at one point exceeded 1000 ppm which can cause impairment. Feb. 6 Further work on the laser cutter again seemed to show the fire signal going into the ACR board but not coming out. Attempting to bypass the ACR board by connecting the Smoothieboard output directly to the fire position on the power supply was partially successful - the computer could fire the laser but the safeties did not work properly. The laser would not fire if the controller door safety switch was open but once the laser was firing opening the safety switch did not halt firing (except twice) altho the switch did halt firing in manual mode and switching from auto to manual halted firing which did not resume when switched back to auto until the safety switch was closed. This behavior seemed impossible but later examination of the circuit revealed feedback that can explain how, but not why, it happens. Tom dismantled old hard drives. Feb. 7 More hard drives disassembled. Feb. 10 Turnout poor for electronics introduction. The laser cutter no longer kept firing when the safety switch was opened (no idea why). However, it did fire on low when commanded to fire at a power level of 0. A glow was noticed around the final mirror which was found to have cracked apart and was replaced. Laser cutter rewired so that the Beam Current knob will now control the current in auto as well as manual mode (which will make debugging safer and provide a convenient way to test a program if it is ever fixed). Feb. 11 Fairly good turnout for monthly meeting. HacDC has been offered exhibit space at the USASEF & is looking for ideas on what to show. The laser cutter Smoothieboard PWM fire output became highly distorted when it was connected to the power supply fire input. The Smoothieboard output did not seem to be open drain as it was configured to be; switching to a different pin (from 2.4 to 2.5) gave open drain but had no effect on the distortion. There also seems to be a loose contact in the safety switches that occasionally prevents the laser from firing. Feb. 13 Only Kevin & Bobby. Kevin found that the printer computer would not boot up. Feb. 15 Moderate turnout for Capture the Flag. Preliminary inventory of space (not basement) done. Feb. 17 Laser cutter seems to act differently each time; minimal progress. New extruder installed on Rostock but not yet working. Radon detector put in basement (but wasn't reset - will have to start over). Metal saw loaned to HacDC & put in basement. Space rearranged (mainly VR stuff moved to other side). Tabletop computers DJ7VKC1, 1LDNKH1, & 7Y5MPD1 updated and update procedure documented (wiki.hacdc.org/index.php/Documentation-Tabletop_computers). Feb. 20 Masonry blade for new saw brought in. Radon detector showed low one-day Rn level, reset for long-term reading. Temporary terminal strip installed in laser cutter to aid debugging but some connections are inconveniently short. Further testing indicated Smoothieboard output is not open drain which could be the cause of incorrect firing. Work done on getting supercomputer running. All working tabletop computers updated (5VVYKH1 doesn't work, most likely because an update was halted halfway thru at 3:30AM Tuesday morning) & new file update.txt created giving the date of the most recent update & any files that were not updated because they had been modified. Discovered a few cases where programs that had definitely been installed (listed in installed.txt) were no longer present. Feb. 24 Hardly any turnout for electronics course. Laser cutter seemed to work at one point after adding a diode in series with the fire line to raise the voltage from .3 & 3.3 V to 1 & 4 V. After cleaning up the control wiring snakepit it again seemed to work (but the safety switch under the control panel doesn't work reliably). Feb. 27 Ultimaker not working. March 2 Signal lights for safety switches on laser cutter added. Computer control of laser cutter worked fine from 3D printer computer but tabletop computers were unable to control laser cutter. Laser cutter cut extremely poorly; power was coming out of second mirror but was barely getting to cutting surface indicating a problem with the final mirror. Mar. 5 Additional cleaning of the final mirror & lens fixed the poor cutting by the laser cutter. There is still a problem of cutting being significantly weaker to the left. Mar. 6 Letting the laser cutter run longer revealed that it was not moving correctly, probably because the software control was totally improvised. Mar. 9 Small turnout for electronics course. Work done on Rostock. There seems to be a problem with the temperature sensing. The square glass bed broke (there were plenty of replacements). Mar. 10 Annual meeting with board election (as a slate). Some rearranging done; switches are now in one of the Radio Shack drawers divided into push (lots), toggle (lots), slide (1), rotary (0), & key (2) and LEDs are in a bin above the electronics workbench. Mar. 12 Church closed for all sizable events; HacDC events canceled thru at least March 29 - expect few updates. Mike reported that an antenna on the roof seemed to be leaning precariously. Inner door to space wasn't shut.