More likely back to the mixtape mendel project. I have had, in my head, the ideas I want to implement into version 0.2. Many of these things are fundamentally sound. I also wanted to test out some of the hardware and software I would be using on testing mixtape mendel. Partially to eliminate variables. Most of this project is focused on the mechanical design of a highly optimized printer for PLA bushings and low hardware count. One of my first steps involved some minor maintenance on Isaac. I replaced the X carriage with Buback’s version, here. It works well. I also went ahead and replaced the dying 30mm fan on the original carriage with a new 400mm one, which is positioned mush nicer. the original has a corner cut off and was positioned to blow air from one side of the carriage to the other, which ended up going downward. I also added heatsinks to my Pololu drivers. I have been running them since August and been breadboarding with them since last May. I also added a 90mm fan, which is awesome. Together, i can really crank up the extruder current, which is nice.
I have also been busy helping my friend, Brett, get isaac’s child working. Last month I printed him a set of Prusa parts. He did a great job on the mechanical construction, and i have been helping him get the electronics running. I am really surprised the PLA bushings work so well. I dunno if it is the PLA bushings, or the general acoustics of the parts, but it seems to transfer a lot of vibration and noise through the frame. He is using brass bushings on the Z axis and PLA bushings on the X and Y axes. I am really impressed at how well they work and constrain the axes, so I feel much more confident in using these on Mixtape. I have shown Brett the improvements I made, and his favorite is the glueless bushings on the X ends for the Z axis.
S. J. Kelly 