Delta Cable management
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Just curious as I'm planning to get a delta next, why don't you run the cable from the effector along one of the arms and mount it to the carriage moving on the arm? Tx
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@robm said in Delta Cable management:
Just curious as I'm planning to get a delta next, why don't you run the cable from the effector along one of the arms and mount it to the carriage moving on the arm? Tx
Because that would/could generate force on the "pivot" or "joint" of the arm at the head end. Bad. Very bad.
And... it really doesn't improve anything, in that the cable still has to have a slack loop (or similar) at the carriage end of the arm.
What some people do is use elastic from all three carriages to create a "flying" platform just above the actual head. Everything from cables/bowden only, to the entire extruder drive, has been "flown". Results are still mixed. I may try it someday...
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@mysta said in Delta Cable management:
@danal Neat! so which two anchor points do you use for the elastic?
Edit: Ah I see where you said halfway up, so that doesn't pull on the connectors on the effector itself too much?
I was wondering the same thing. It seems to work very well. I may try a few other locations... but I'm not sure how to measure results.
I am a delta/kossel fanatic; at the same time, one of the things that bothers me is the asymmetric nature of the cables and the bowden. I just don't have any super clever solutions. I probably will at least bring the cables up to the center of the top, someday.
Also, please note that my extruder driver motor is WAY to high for the optimal length of bowden tube. The motor should be about 60% of Z height. It is where it is because of the cable (wire) I had the day I installed it. And I've been too lazy to move it.
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So I've got a delta with a lot of cables:
2 Cat 5 to the smart effector
Drive cable to the Nimble extruder
Water cooling hoses.I've done a quick video to show how the cables move around.
Since my electronics are at the base of the machine, I loop the electronics and drive cable up and over and support them with a quality keychain retractor. The water cooling hoses just kind of coil up without any real drama all by themselves. I've had only one issue with wire breaks but I did do away with the 2x3 molex connector on the smart effector and just use Dupont 2 pins (24v hotend), and have had fewer issues since. I can move anywhere in the build volume and even position outside the (over-sized) bed area to do filament purges.
I've tried flying extruder and whilst it probably beats bowden (although the margin is smaller since capricorn and pressure advance came along) it does add some mass (indirectly) and inertia and requires slightly smoother XY jerk/accel. Remote extruder wins for me. But the drive cable (and my water hoses) do the same thing they create "indirect" XY inertia, as such recent experimentation has seen me go back to 1000 accel for XY and 500 jerk.
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Got link for the retractable ring? Was just thinking how cool it would be to have something like that but with adjustable pull.
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All my end stop cabling runs up each tower on the inside (the center of the extrusion) so its totally invisible, even at the top I cut a small section out of the back of the slot to allow the cable to turn and come back down to the stop switch, cabling to the effector and extruder run up the rear tower in the slot on the back. I'm using a slightly modified version of DC42's cable clip.
The cable then passes over the top of the extruder and is spiral wrapped to the bowden tube down to the effector.
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@dadiy said in Delta Cable management:
All my end stop cabling runs up each tower on the inside (the center of the extrusion) so its totally invisible, even at the top I cut a small section out of the back of the slot to allow the cable to turn and come back down to the stop switch, cabling to the effector and extruder run up the rear tower in the slot on the back. I'm using a slightly modified version of DC42's cable clip.
The cable then passes over the top of the extruder and is spiral wrapped to the bowden tube down to the effector.
Yeah that sounds pretty standard. In my case my towers are 1.5 meters tall so you basically have 1.5 meters of cable that have to extend and then be able to home without getting in the way.
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@mysta said in Delta Cable management:
@dadiy said in Delta Cable management:
Yeah that sounds pretty standard. In my case my towers are 1.5 meters tall so you basically have 1.5 meters of cable that have to extend and then be able to home without getting in the way.
Just for fun, how about some pics of your 1.5 M tall printer? In a different thread, if you prefer...
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@danal Sure! It's relevant in this thread - I'll grab some pics when I get home. Cables and stuff are still 'temporary'.
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@mysta Yes, My towers are just over 1.7 meters tall so i just made up some cables before inserting the towers into the base.
For anyone interested there are a few build photos of my printer here - https://imgur.com/gallery/O1jtC I do need to add some of the finished printer but these give an idea of size and include the custom table I built which suspends the filament under the table on a lazy suzanne.
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Here’s two pics of it finished showing the cables etc.
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@dadiy So your cables will reach the top like that without strain?
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Yes. It’s been running like that for 6 months without issue. My biggest problem was the extruder. I bought a Titan extruder but it didn’t have the grip for my tube. I’m now on the Bondtech and never had a problem.
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@mysta said in Delta Cable management:
Got link for the retractable ring? Was just thinking how cool it would be to have something like that but with adjustable pull.
I had a dig around for it but I can't find that particular unit for sale anymore. Its got a metal cable inside and is fairly sturdy, they're all fairly similar.
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Here's a simple cell phone video of the "Stretch Magic" at work:
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@danal said in Delta Cable management:
Here's a simple cell phone video of the "Stretch Magic" at work:
What bed heater is that?
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@mysta said in Delta Cable management:
What bed heater is that?
Custom made by Keenovo. 590mm dia (glass is 604), 1400W on 120V (US standard), with built in 150C thermal protector. $240 USD, shipped.
Took some extra time because I ordered it JUST before China holiday.
The glass is a tabletop advertised as 24" by 3/8" (604mm by 9.5mm, roughly) on Amazon in the US. About $40 us shipped. I've been happy with it, although I'd note it is not very round. This makes no practical difference, so far, just a little bit of tweaking any time you remove it and replace it in the clips. It is reasonably flat, reflections of distant items on the surface show no noticeable distortion.
So the total bed was about $280 US. Considering I had ideas in my head ranging from cast aluminum plate to who knows what, that were going to be a lot more money, I'm very happy to report that the simple heater stuck to the glass (the heater came with a sticky layer) works GREAT!! Very happy with it. And, if I every damage the glass, it is the cheapest part.