Replicator 2 blower fan too strong - hardware mod to decrease speed?

[Steve Gong]

I find that the Rep 2 blower fan is way too strong, and I know there's no way to regulate the speed of that fan.  It's also incredibly loud.  

I'd like to somehow reduce the speed of this fan, but don't know enough about electronics, so I'm hoping someone could point me in the right direction.  Ideally, if I could mount a little dial to regulate the amount of power it's receiving, that would be great.  What is the cheapest and easiest way to get this done?  (I am comfortable with soldering and ordering parts off of ebay).

Thanks.

[Ryan Carlyle]

Something like this is overkill but will certainly work: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:244698

[adam paul]

Cover the inlet with some scotch tape.

[Jake Clark]

Open MakerBot Desktop, make sure that Rep 2 is your selected device, go into settings for your print. Custom print settings. Device Settings. Check the active cooling fan and then select fan power to being lower.

[Dan Newman]

On 13/05/2016 2:23 PM, Jake Clark wrote:
> Open MakerBot Desktop, make sure that Rep 2 is your selected device, go into
> settings for your print. Custom print settings. Device Settings. Check the
> active cooling fan and then select fan power to being lower.

Is that the annoying setting which makes the fan cycle on and off?

Maybe I should see if the PWM fan control in Sailfish on Core XY printers
as well as printers with ATmega 2560 will fit in the program space of the
Rep 2. I never tried since until recently, I hadn't heard of folks having
Rep 2's with too powerful of stock blower fans. The PWM control gives
much finer control and isn't noisy or annoying like when MBI Desktop cycles
the fan 100% on and 100% off via the gcode.

Dan

[Steve Gong]

If you could shed some light on this, that would be amazing.

My current work around is a custom blower with a hole on the side, that I can regulate with a piece of blutack.  But this workaround sucks because the horribly loudness of it all still persists.

[Dan Newman]

On 13/05/2016 4:55 PM, Steve Gong wrote:
> If you could shed some light on this, that would be amazing.

This being which: MakerBot Desktop or Sailfish and fan PWM control?

[Steve Gong]

Sailfish and fan PWM control!

Steve Gong  ❘  stevegongphoto.com  ❘  stevegong3d.wordpress.com

[Dan Newman]

On 13/05/2016 4:55 PM, Steve Gong wrote:

> If you could shed some light on this, that would be amazing.

1. I've confirmed that it does fit in a Sailfish build for the Rep 2 with a ATmega 1280 processor.
2. Sailfish is documented here, http://www.sailfishfirmware.com/doc/index.html
3. The control to set the cooling fan power level isn't yet documented but has been around for
well over a year. (It appeared after the release of v7.7 hence why it's not yet documented.)
It's a setting under "Utilities" and sets a "static" power level from 0 - 100%. By static,
I mean that it's not a power level you can change mid print or control from gcode/x3g. You
set it via the LCD UI and it's set until you change it from that same UI. For example, if you
set it to 50% (what I use on some of my printers), then the fan runs at about half power WHEN
your gcode enables the fan. (gcode for these printers can only enable or disable the fan
as you know.) The firmware, when it sees the fan enabled, will then run it at the power level
you have set via the LCD UI. The default power level is 100%. And, if you set the power level
too low, then the fan may not turn at all. I wrote a little piece of gcode to turn the
fan on briefly and I ran that to test. (I suppose I might make the LCD UI actually turn
it on for, say, 5 seconds.)

I've not yet release the build I just made with the fan power for the Rep 2. I want to find
time tonight or tomorrow to try it and ensure it works.

Dan

[Steve Gong]

Oh, that would be great if I could set it through the LCD UI.  I'm on sailfish 7.7, but I'm not clear on where exactly this setting is under "utilities".  Could you point me to the correct menu hierarchy? thanks.

[Dan Newman]

That's my point: your Rep 2 doesn't have that feature compiled in. It was
added after 7.7 was released and only added for Core-XY and Azteeg printers
since for those printers people were sourcing whatever sorts of fans they
could get their hands on. I gave little thought to adding it for Rep 2
since I figured most people (like myself) had a Rep 2 with a properly
sized (CFM) fan and thus didn't need the feature. Apparently that is no
longer the case: MBI must have lost their source of proper fans or otherwise
stopped using properly sized fans and just figured people would make do.

Dan

[Dan Newman]

On 13/05/2016 7:09 PM, Dan Newman wrote:
> On 13/05/2016 5:57 PM, Steve Gong wrote:
>> Oh, that would be great if I could set it through the LCD UI. I'm on sailfish
>> 7.7, but I'm not clear on where exactly this setting is under "utilities".
>> Could you point me to the correct menu hierarchy? thanks.
>
> That's my point: your Rep 2 doesn't have that feature compiled in. It was
> added after 7.7 was released and only added for Core-XY and Azteeg printers
> since for those printers people were sourcing whatever sorts of fans they
> could get their hands on.

... But I've now added it for Rep 2's for Sailfish 7.8. I need to test it
this weekend. After I have done so, I'll put it out at the test site and
you can pull it and try it.

Dan

[Steve Gong]

... But I've now added it for Rep 2's for Sailfish 7.8.  I need to test it
this weekend.  After I have done so, I'll put it out at the test site and
you can pull it and try it.

Dan

Ohh, I misread.  Gotcha, that would be fantastic and many thanks! 

[TobyCWood]

Yeah Baby! Oh Behave! Ouch... sorry... lost control...

Needed this even with the Rep2 OEM radial fan that we've always had for PETG. The design meets the USE case perfectly. Set the % of fan to about 50% for the whole print is exactly what is needed.

[Dan Newman]

Well, I tested things this morning and then uploaded to the beta test site. However, the
(words fail me) CloudFlare caching service which yola uses is still not, 4 hours later,
presenting the updated firmware.xml file to my "location" out in the net. (And yes,
I know how to tell my browser to do an honest-to-god reload and not used its own
internal/local cache.)

So, once I see the the latest firmware.xml appearing, I'll drop a note.

Dan

[Dan Newman]

If you change RepG's update/firmware URL to

http://jettyfirmware.yolasite.com/resources/beta/firmware.xml

and then wait for RepG to update, you can then install the *alpha* firmware r1675 for your
Rep 2. (Be sure you use "MakerBot Replicator 2" and not the "2X" for a Replicator 2.)

After upgrading, the fan power control is under the Utilities menu. It's pretty much the
last screen so you'll get to it faster if you do

UP
Utilities
UP
... a few more UPs to get to "Cooling Fan Power". Then set it to, say, 50%. If you
hold down the DOWN button the decrements will speed up. Then press the CENTER button
to save the value.

Now when the cooling fan runs, it will run at reduced power.

This is alpha test firmware. It also has a new feature (contributed by Vincent Tsang [Tseng?])
for changing the HBP temp mid print.

Dan

[Steve Gong]

dnewman, thank you for this!

Have 2 questions:

1.  I've put in the beta firmware url into repg, and selected "upload new firmware" from the drop down menu, and in the printer selection, in addition to the plain vanilla "MakeBot Replicator 2" there's also "MakerBot Replicator 2 with ATmega 22560."  I don't know what this is, so I'm assuming I'm the plain vanilla one?  Is there a way to check if ATmega or not?

2.  I understand you mentioning that this is alpha test, so if something goes wrong, what's the scope of the possible damage (assuming I install and follow directions correctly)?

[Dan Newman]

On 14/05/2016 1:27 PM, Steve Gong wrote:
> dnewman, thank you for this!
>
> Have 2 questions:
>
> 1. I've put in the beta firmware url into repg, and selected "upload new
> firmware" from the drop down menu, and in the printer selection, in addition to
> the plain vanilla "MakeBot Replicator 2" there's also "MakerBot Replicator 2
> with ATmega 22560." I don't know what this is, so I'm assuming I'm the plain
> vanilla one? Is there a way to check if ATmega or not?

If you don't know, then you don't have an ATmega 2560. If you do have one, you
would know because you would have removed that big huge chip yourself and soldered
in a new one....

> 2. I understand you mentioning that this is alpha test, so if something goes
> wrong, what's the scope of the possible damage (assuming I install and follow
> directions correctly)?

I don't expect any damage. However, if you are a production shop then don't
run field test software. (Which means, don't run MakerBot Desktop which remains
to this day still labelled as "BETA"....)

Dan

[Steve Gong]

I can verify that 7.8 is working wonderfully, and oh my god what a godsend.  I can hardly hear the blower fan now, and it seems to be pushing sufficient air through.  I'm already wondering how I ever lived without this feature.  

Dan, thank you for this!

[Dan Newman]

You're quite welcome and thanks for the follow-up.

Dan

[Lukas Jakubisin]

Hi Dan, 

I know this is old thread, but would you still have the copy of the 7.8 sailfish alpha? The link is old and doesn't work anymore. Do you still have it somewhere? Looking forward hear from you.

Thanks 

[Lukas Jakubisin]

Could anybody help me with this?

[Lukas Jakubisin]

Hi, is there someone who can help out? Still no luck figuring it out :(

[Lukas Jakubisin]

I have just found it and it works!

[Steve Gong]

Well, as luck would have it, I'm back here because I reset to factory settings and somehow it turned off my LED light for good.  And there isn't the option to toggle LED on and off in the menu in 7.8 sailfish alpha.  I want to try reinstalling but no longer have it.  Bish, could you point us to where you found it?

[Lukas Jakubisin]

Hello mate, no problem. Here is the link with the firmware: http://s3.amazonaws.com/sailfish-firmware.polar3d.com/beta/firmware.xml

Hope it works for you. :)

[Lukas Jakubisin]

Steve, did it work for you?

[Steve Gong]

Thanks for sending the link! It’s been quite a few years since I messed around with this so I’m a little rusty. Is the firmware itself an .xml file? I seem to remember I need repg to install the firmware is that correct?

The whole reason I’m needing to do this is actually because I did “reset all settings” on the printer with the 7.8 firmware and my LED lights mysteriously turned off. I can’t turn them back on because there’s no LED toggle option in the menu!

On Nov 30, 2022, at 14:26, Lukas Jakubisin <bish...@gmail.com> wrote:

Steve, did it work for you?

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "Makerbot Users" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/makerbot-users/Ve3yyaMT8is/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to makerbot-user...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/makerbot-users/39e50025-ed38-4c16-a18b-355eb756aa2fn%40googlegroups.com.

[Lukas Jakubisin]

Hi,

Yes, you need latest RepG. Once you open RepG make sure you have selected the connection port. Go to Machine then Connection(Serial Port) and select your com port, in my case it was only one there COM3. Then connect your printer by clicking the connect button. After that go to File/Preferences, then go to advanced settings tab and change the Firmware Update URL to the one I have sent you. After that go to Machine again and click Upload New Frimware... , after that is pretty straight forward, select your printer and select firmware and flash.

Here is link to my google drive folder with RepG and some screenshots to aid with the update. Let me know if you have access and copy the files you need and let me know once done so I can unshare.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13G2wyaZ9-tBx0MDDTRZQ1eKqFpa15HES?usp=sharing

[Steve Gong]

I appreciate you helping me out!  I actually have a mac, so I’m going to need to find a version that can still run on the new arm processors…  Will give it a shot when I get a chance.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/makerbot-users/e81b7f17-680f-4014-be37-24155f30e526n%40googlegroups.com.

[Lukas Jakubisin]

You're in luck Steve, if you check my drive again I have just copied another zip file there with all versions of RepG including Mac versions. It's called 32084_Sailfish_Firmware.zip.

I can't guarantee it will work as I don't have Mac so newer tried but downloaded this somewhere the other day. Saves you some time searching :)

[Steve Gong]

I tried it and unfortunately that version of RepG doesn’t even run anymore on the new chips :(  I’ll have to do some digging around and maybe use a friend’s PC.

Thanks so much!

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/makerbot-users/1f103742-f211-46e1-8f76-68fbeaa3ee99n%40googlegroups.com.