A Return to Posting

I have decided to start posting on this blog again.  I doubt that there are many folks out there who are waiting breathlessly for information on what I am doing but this was always intended to just be a record of my progress for my own use.

Things have actually progressed here even though I have not documented them.  After the extruder "blowed up" on my classic Mendel I decided to build a Prusa rather than repair the old one.  It has turned out to be a great decision.  The build went quickly (for me anyway) and I am just waiting for the dual extruders to arrive before firing it up. 

Some specs on the new machine:

• Prusa Mendel (parts bought on Ebay)
• Ramps electronics (came with a full wiring set for a Prusa)
• Full hardware set bought online
• LM8UU Linear bearings
• LCD screen extension for Ramps
• Dual QU BD universal extruders (1.75mm)
• PCB heated bed kit

I financed QU-BD on Kickstarter so I have had to wait a while for them to get their first shipments out.  It took a couple of months for me to build the Mendel anyway and they have just announced that they have shipped all of their Kickstarter related hardware to their backers so I am hoping that the extruders will be here within the next few days.  I have both ABS and PLA filament in the 1.75mm size so I will probably set up the extruders by material rather than with various colors.

I also bought a small power supply on Ebay.  This is one of the ones intended for automotive lighting systems.  They are becoming very popular for Repraps as they are smaller than the older PC power supplies like the one I used on my last machine.  I plan on printing a case  that can combine the ramps, the power supply and the LCD screen into a single compact unit along with a cooling fan.

Construction on my DIYLILCNC is also progressing.  The main parts of the gantry have been assembled and the parts for the bed have been cut.  All of the mechanical and electronic parts are here, I just need to get the time to complete assembly.  It will be great to have something that can cut sheet parts for projects as a complement to the plastic parts created by the Mendel.  Note that the design for the 2.0 version is now out so I am, once again, constructing a machine that is one version behind the rest of the world.