Teachers MakerBot

[Bryan Ross]

Hello,

We have received our MakerBot from the teachers grant. We are in the
process of assembling; and, since Google is no longer supporting
'Pages', we have put together a Google blog with quick notes and
pictures of our assembly process.

As soon as we get assembled and rolling, we will also be posting
details on projects that the students create and think up.

Please see http://rpmakerbot.blogspot.com

Thank you, so much, to MakerBot and everyone else involved (including
Bre Pettis, who has already answered many of my questions) for giving
us this opportunity!

Bryan Ross
Reeths-Puffer High School
Muskegon, Michigan

[Jerry Isdale]

Very Cool.
I am looking forward to hearing how you and other teachers are using your 'bots.
I have been asked to demonstrate my Goldbot to the Molokai middle school first lego robotics team. They (and HS) already have a CAD program on their neighboring island. Having access to (or their own) 3d printer would be awesome. Their instructor is working on getting approval.
Which means I'll need to be helping with 'bot issues and some what/how to teach with it. I have hopes other schools here will also expand their robotics and CAD programs.

Jerry Isdale
http://mauiMakers.com

[Luis E. Rodriguez]

Awesome! We are here for ya! I'm glad you get a MK5 to start with!

Luis E. Rodriguez

[Bryan Ross]

Hello,

I'm stuck... I have the MK5 together, and we did get it to extrude
plastic today (WAHOO!)... We have it mounted to the Z axis (which is
not too big of an issue)... but, how do I mount the electronics to
it? I can see the picture on the wiki, but there is only a 'front
view' picture, and no diagram or any other schematics :(

Can anyone provide more information??

Thank you!
Bryan

[Luis E. Rodriguez]

Most people mount it to the z axis or on the side with the other
electronics. I like the side myself.

Luis E. Rodriguez

[Dlplanes]

They have a mount on Thingiverse which I printed out and works great. It for the z axis. Just search mk5 mount.

[Federgarrido]

I haven´t received my MakerBot yet
Did anyone contact you about the shipping?

I don´t know who to ask! I guess I´ll just wait...

thanks for the link, we´ll be following your projects closely



Arq. Federico Garrido
Centro POIESIS
Universidad de Bs As

On Oct 25, 10:19 pm, Bryan Ross <ro...@reeths-puffer.org> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> We have received our MakerBot from the teachers grant.  We are in the
> process of assembling; and, since Google is no longer supporting
> 'Pages', we have put together a Google blog with quick notes and
> pictures of our assembly process.
>
> As soon as we get assembled and rolling, we will also be posting
> details on projects that the students create and think up.
>

> Please seehttp://rpmakerbot.blogspot.com

[Federico Garrido]

I haven´t received  my   MakerBot yet
Did anyone contact you about the shipping?

I don´t know who to ask! I guess I´ll just wait...

thanks for the link, we´ll be following your projects closely



Arq. Federico Garrido
Centro POIESIS
Universidad de Bs As

[Doug Sheldon]

Hi Bryan,

Mount the electronics to the side of the makerbot and run the wiring to the controller board and relay board in whatever way is convenient and doesn't cause the wiring to get in the way during operation. I added the MK5 on my gen3 makerbot and I needed to drill a few holes in the chassis to mount the controller board that had been on my MK4 plastruder. I also drilled a few new holes to mount the relay board.

Hope this helps,

(sorry, I haven't taken any pictures of my modifications)

Doug Sheldon

[Bryan Ross]

Federgarrido,

Nope, did not receive tracking information, it just showed up one
day. I'm assuming that you are not in the US, so it will probably
take longer to make it to you :~(. Be patient as you build it, as we
tried to rush a couple of things (like the magnets in the platform,
and my student left out a couple of screws and I didn't catch it until
we had to take part of it back apart to get them in) and had to redo
them. It has been an awesome project for my students and I to work
on, and we are very excited to see it starting to come alive with
electronics :). Take pics as you go, so that we can see how you
progress!

-----------------------------------

Thank you all for your input on where to mount the electronics. I
will check out the Thingverse site. My hope is to make the wiring
part as clean as the bot itself. Our school is very excited to have
this technology, and I want to look as good as it functions ;)

Thanks again... and I'm sure I'll have more questions as time
progresses!
Bryan

[Jerry Isdale]

On Nov 2, 2010, at 3:42 AM, Bryan Ross wrote:

> My hope is to make the wiring
> part as clean as the bot itself. Our school is very excited to have
> this technology, and I want to look as good as it functions ;)

Split Loom Tubing can help make the wiring look a lot cleaner:
http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/category/583/Split-Loom-Tubing/1.html

This is the black corrugated tubes with split on side. It comes in a variety of diameters and is great for hiding a whole bunch of wires (like power supply bundles) inside one tube. It wont eliminate the odd look, but it helps convert the rats nest into a borg effect.

Also check the comments on the wiki Mk5 page. I posted links for several mounting options there:
http://wiki.makerbot.com/forum/t-217662/plastruder-mk5

[Bryan Ross]

Awesome... thank you for the links! I will check them out!

I was able to make one of the holders today that was posted on
thingverse. This was the first part we have ever made, so it did not
turn out as well as I had hoped... but it still works, so everyone is
very excited!!

We made the raft, but the part still warped a little, so when it go to
the end of the part, the MK5 nudged the part, and it shifted on the
stage. I'm trying to get the heated stage put together (this is a
major test of patience and non-shaky hands ... very small resistors
and LEDs).

I have posted pictures of the part that we made today on our blog
site.

Thanks again for your time, help, and information!!

Bryan

[Bryan Ross]

My student was watching some podcasts, and came across this:

http://webbeat.tv/webbeat-tv-021-safetyweb-facebook-app-giving-up-cable-tv-dead-drop-keanu-reeves-memes-and-can%e2%80%99t-find-my-phone/

If you watch the part about dead-drops, you will find a picture of Bre
connecting to one. I saw this same picture on the MakerBot site, but
I thought it was cool that my student recognized him. I see that Cali
Lewis showed this on GeekBeat.tv as well.

Cool stuff!

Bryan

[Bryan Ross]

Ok, I need help!

We were going along good, and everything seemed to be working fairly
well (we have only been able to make a few parts), and now when we try
to make a part, the raft gets really weird, and we cannot get it off
of the part. It is hard to describe the texture, but it is almost
like a plastic brillo pad. The problem is, it embeds itself into the
actual part, and we have to use a razor blade to cut it off.

The second issue is that when we create a drawing in Inventor 10, and
export the STL file, it comes out extremely small. Which, for most of
the parts that we have tried so far, is not a huge issue, as we are
just doing some some elementary parts for show for the younger CAD
students. Is there something that we are missing with the export of
STLs from Inventor? We have a limited copy of SolidWorks, and that
does not seem to have the same issue.

Thanks for your time and input!

Bryan

[bre pettis]

Hey Bryan,

You can just use the scale function in the latest ReplicatorG to make your objects bigger.

Alternately you can open it up in blender which is free. Each unit in blender is a mm. So import, scale, and then export stl and you should have accurate mm sizing.

Bre

MakerBot Industries
http://makerbot.com
Recent Press: http://bit.ly/cbsmakerbot

[ddurant]

> You can just use the scale function in the latest ReplicatorG to make your
> objects bigger.

Or use the uberconvenient "inches -> mm" button in repg, if you
exported in inches instead of mm by mistake.

On Nov 18, 2:55 pm, bre pettis <brepet...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hey Bryan,
>
> You can just use the scale function in the latest ReplicatorG to make your
> objects bigger.
>
> Alternately you can open it up in blender which is free. Each unit in
> blender is a mm. So import, scale, and then export stl and you should have
> accurate mm sizing.
>
> Bre
>

> MakerBot Industrieshttp://makerbot.com

> Recent Press:http://bit.ly/cbsmakerbot
>
>
>
> On Thu, Nov 18, 2010 at 2:52 PM, Bryan Ross <ro...@reeths-puffer.org> wrote:
> > Ok, I need help!
>
> > We were going along good, and everything seemed to be working fairly
> > well (we have only been able to make a few parts), and now when we try
> > to make a part, the raft gets really weird, and we cannot get it off
> > of the part.  It is hard to describe the texture, but it is almost
> > like a plastic brillo pad.  The problem is, it embeds itself into the
> > actual part, and we have to use a razor blade to cut it off.
>
> > The second issue is that when we create a drawing in Inventor 10, and
> > export the STL file, it comes out extremely small.  Which, for most of
> > the parts that we have tried so far, is not a huge issue, as we are
> > just doing some some elementary parts for show for the younger CAD
> > students.  Is there something that we are missing with the export of
> > STLs from Inventor?  We have a limited copy of SolidWorks, and that
> > does not seem to have the same issue.
>
> > Thanks for your time and input!
>

> > Bryan- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Bryan Ross]

So, ReplicatorG only wants units in mm? We have been drawing
everything in inches, so that is probably our issue. We'll try it
today and see if that makes a difference. Thank you very much for
your input!

Bryan

[Bryan Ross]

Good call on the inches -> mm button in RepG! I saw that button, but
was hesitant to actually hit it.

That seems to be the quickest solution.

Thank you, as always!!
Bryan

[Bryan Ross]

Hello,

We have continued working with our MakerBot, and have made plenty of
failed pieces as well as plenty of cool pieces. My students are
supposed to start adding to the blog, which should be cool.

However, we are starting to run out of our first spool of plastic. As
I'm looking to purchase more, knowing that my budget will more the
likely come from my wallet, I'm looking at the Natural ABS on the
MakerBot site... but, I don't know what the difference between the
'regular' and 'natural' is other then $20. As I have had some
frustration with this thing already, I don't need an additional
frustration with the extruding material.

As a side note, the 'frustration' is not from the bot itself, it is
from my learning curve with it. I have learned that if the extruder
base is not EXTREMELY level, we run into a 'binding' of the threaded
rod. So, the base does not lift up, it just skips on the drive
servo. Also, the threaded rods are not 100% straight, so I have a
slight woble as it goes up. The last thing that I learned is that
when the the bot is running, we need to make sure that the 'driving'
laptop needs to be plugged in... for when we are not watching the bot
do its thing, and the power dies, we ended up with a big ball of
plastic.

Like I stated, the issues are with me, not the machine... it does what
it is supposed to, and my kids are really fascinated by it. To be
able to draw something, and then make it, adds a whole new dimension
to our CAD classes... leading us to winning several CAD competition
awards this past Monday that our kids competed in.

Thank you for your input on the plastic! I appreciate everyone's time
and information.

Bryan

[ddurant]

Dunno plastics..

> extruder base is not EXTREMELY level

The acrylic Z platform? Don't worry too much about it. I never
bothered with more than "pretty close".

> 'binding' of the threaded rod

Easiest trick that may (or may not) work is to loosen up the Z belt
then make sure the set screw on the pulleys at the top of each rod are
all facing the same way. Doesn't matter which way, as long as they're
all the same. The idea is that rods don't sit exactly in the center of
the pulley and getting them all facing the same way means they wobble
in sync and have less chance of binding.

Another fairly easy one is to install these on your two most-warped Z
rods: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3091. Do not (do not, DO NOT)
install them on more than 2 of the Z rods, though - that'd make things
a lot worse.

If you're feeling a bit more agressive than that, you can try the full
wobble arrestor at http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2151. Check the
derivative objects for floats that are easier to print.

If you REALLY want to go to town on the Z stage, check out
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4740. This is Coming Soon to my bot
(I hope).

> laptop needs to be plugged in

You can also print from the SD card. You'll need a PC to get it
started but once it's going, you can unplug it. (I've never done this
but have read it can be done.. keep an eye on it the 1st time)

> leading us to winning several CAD competition
> awards this past Monday that our kids competed in.

Awesome - congrats!!! I want pictures!

[Junior Tan]

hi bryan

try to print from SD card. once it starts, unplug your machine - it looks scary, but it will just chug along fine

i do that ALL the time now; a lot less USB connection issues

bests

jr

[Chris Connors]

Hi Bryan
Sounds like you're on the way to good things. I've got some thoughts
as a fellow classroom teacher.

> However, we are starting to run out of our first spool of plastic.  As
> I'm looking to purchase more, knowing that my budget will more the
> likely come from my wallet, I'm looking at the Natural ABS on the
> MakerBot site... but, I don't know what the difference between the
> 'regular' and 'natural' is other then $20.

Keeping initial print size small will help stretch out your plastic
supply, but eventually, you'll need more. It is likely that there are
many teachers who are using Makerbots that they bought with their own
money. That's how I got mine. I didn't want to wait for the school
system, and I wanted to have it for myself. Now I've gotten the school
to buy it and we will have two in the room when we get the school's MB
built. Several students are also interested in building their own to
take to college.

How about some fundraising ideas:

1. You can participate in the Make: Money promotion. With that, you
set up an account with MAKE magazine, and then encourage people to use
your promo code when they subscribe. Your group gets half of the
subscription cost. This percentage is very good from what I've seen.
It also puts the ideas of the magazine into the community around you.
Check this link for more info: http://makezine.com/makemoney/ I admit,
since I write for the magazine's site, I have a slight bias, but do
believe it's a good program.

2. Your school can add plastic to the budget. This might not be
realistic, but hey, give it a shot. For the amount of mileage you get
out of a few pounds of plastic, it could be an easy sell. Schools
worldwide are on tight budgets, though. I was able to order a Cupcake
deluxe kit and several packs of colors. It helped that I already had a
cupcake of my own and have used it in the school with students. The
big expense is the machine, after that, you just need lots of plastic.
Color variety is good to have on hand.

3. What if the Makerbot community could chip in to provide some
funding for schools to buy plastic, parts or machines? If there were
an option at checkout to add 1% (or name your amount) that would be
earmarked towards funding gear and goodies for schools, that might be
a way to provide for students.

4. Some kind of fundraising campaign like kickstarter for educational
robotics gear could work well too. People could donate a small amount
of money that would go towards the purchase of hardware and plastics.
When enough people have pledged, it clicks on and the schools/programs
get the materials.

> As a side note, the 'frustration' is not from the bot itself, it is
> from my learning curve with it.  

For me, these technologies require an enormous amount of patience and
excitement. It is a lot like owning an antique car or an old house, or
a motorcycle, in that you have a number of things that could go wrong,
and you will need to figure out how to fix it when it (inevitably)
breaks. The more you can enlist your students in the troubleshooting
process, the better. I've had mine break down several times, and each
repair has required my diving into the system to understand the flaw
and then make a part to repair it. The broken part can be fixed, you
just have to use your problem solving skills to get it done.

> Like I stated, the issues are with me, not the machine... it does what
> it is supposed to, and my kids are really fascinated by it.  To be
> able to draw something, and then make it, adds a whole new dimension
> to our CAD classes... leading us to winning several CAD competition
> awards this past Monday that our kids competed in.

Making a physical product is something that lots of people who design
with CAD seldom have a chance to do. Holding your design in your hands
brings about a much deeper understanding of the features of the design
than you can get from looking at it on the screen. What are the
competitions you have had them participate in? I'd like to know to
share them with my students and also to spread the word about the
competitions.

Thanks
Chris Connors

[Bryan Ross]

Heh... I tried replying earlier to this, and it never showed up, so
sorry if you get this twice...

Thank you to all that have posted with your ideas... I'm liking the
groups in google, as it is a great way to share information. As with
the other programs that I have been involved with... usually someone
else has already had and has resolved the issues that I currently face
(and vice versa). So, this is a great resource for me!! Hopefully, I
will be able to help someone else some day ;).

> Making a physical product is something that lots of people who design
> with CAD seldom have a chance to do. Holding your design in your hands
> brings about a much deeper understanding of the features of the design
> than you can get from looking at it on the screen. What are the
> competitions you have had them participate in? I'd like to know to
> share them with my students and also to spread the word about the
> competitions.

I hear about this... I taught Vocational Machining for 5 years, and
was then moved into a 'Module' technology clean room type program. In
this program, the kids made 'virtual' parts, and I definitely did not
care for this. I think students lost meaningfulness (that is a weird
word to type) of the program, as they never held on to a part that
they drew in CAD... it was cool, cuz they could simulate how that
particular part would interact in a virtual word, but just not the
same as holding the part in your hands. I'm hopeful that our school
will get back to a hands on shop class; where students learn
materials, tools, and processes.

As for the CAD competitions that we are involved in: we have two
local colleges that have individual competitions. This is my first
year as the 'owner' of the CAD program at the school (as our former
CAD teacher retired). This first competition had the students draw a
part that looked like an oar lock (about a 6" piece of angle, with a
'pipe' that was filleted to it). The students could draw this in
Inventor or SolidWorks (our students work in Inventor). After that,
they drew the same part in a three view drawing in regular AutoCAD,
and the last segment they drew the same part using board drafting in
three-view. I'm not sure what the next competition will be, but I'll
share the info after we compete in it :).

In addition, we have a program in Michigan called MITES (Michigan
Industrial and Technology Education Society) which is a competition
between high school students on all different aspects of Industrial
programs (drafting, woods, metals, etc...). I hope to take my
students to this competition as well (if not this year, then next year
for sure!) http://www.mites.cc

Also, we were in the FIRST Robotics Challenge (http://www.usfirst.org
and http://www.rprobotics.com). In this program, there is a drafting
portion. We were in this program for three years, but just could not
afford to do it this year. It is $5000 for 'non-rookie' teams, for
two events and the kit of parts to build the robot. This required the
students to fund-raise and the school to front us money to make it
happen. This year, we had some money raised, but not $5000, so we
opted to go for the FIRST Tech Challenge... which is basically the
same concept, just a smaller bot (and it is only going to cost about
$1500 for the first year, and will be about half that next year). The
kids have to design a solution to a complex problem (which at first
seems pretty simple, but the further they dig into it, the harder it
gets). The cool thing is that they have to be able to sketch ideas,
draw the parts, develop prototypes, and more... even though we do not
have a shop, we can get back to that hands on stuff that the kids are
missing in their regular core classes. My goal is to have the CAD
kids design the solution and test it on a small scale using the
MakerBot, and have the robot kids design and implement it using the
tetrix material required by the competition.

Heh... enough of my rambling at the moment. Hopefully this
information might help someone? I will be copy/pasting this into
notepad just in case this one does not take this time :).

Thanks again, everyone, for your time and input on my 'issues'!

Bryan