So I spent the last week removing RJ45 connectors from my electronics. Aparrently the requirements for the Mendel are quite different than the Darwin, which was the goal back when I put them together. So after reparing all the tracks I lifted from the PCBs removing things, I laid out the cables around the machine and tied them down. I think I’ve done a rather neat job.
I also had to setup the end stops, which I haven’t really calibrated yet. They’re close enough without anything colliding which will do until I’m ready to try printing. I used some 18 gauge aluminium sheet for the triggers which was easy enough to machine and soft enough to adjust later.
I grabbed the latest software and firmware from SVN and after a bit a fiddling I managed to have it all working from my macbook. The biggest problem is the RXTX library for serial communication. On 10.6 machine, the 32bit version won’t work so you either need to compile it yourself, or just grab it from this guy.
The extruder isn’t finished yet and I’ve ordered a replacement belt for the Z-axis, but here it is! It’s not actually printing anything, but everything up to that point seems to be working swell 🙂
UAVs, Photography, and more Software Engineering than most can stand.
Great to see and well done! Im still trying to work out how to put together my Techzone kit: http://reprap.org/wiki/LaserCut_Mendel Frustratingly the sellers have still not posted instructions on how to assemble it. It is an awsome effort hand-making all of the RP parts!