Self introduction - Jeff Keegan (me)
2 views
Skip to first unread message
Jeff Keegan
Nov 17, 2009, 4:13:55 PM11/17/09
to New England RepRap
Hello fellow New England RepRap enthusiasts!
Having joined the list about a month ago, I've been intending to send
out a quick self-introduction, but wanted to wait until I was closer
to really building a reprap. Now, I'm close enough. :) Hello!
I've been following the RepRap project since April of 2007. I almost
dove in twelve months ago to build a Darwin but decided to wait a
week, which turned into a month, and then a year. Last month I
decided to dive in for real on a Mendel, spent a lot of time figuring
out US suppliers for pieces (I decided to stick to metric measurements
for most things to keep it simple), and now just about everything I
need is either at my house or in the mail. I plan to buy some MDF for
the bed/etc tonight, and I'm still waiting on Stepper Driver v2.3
boards to come back in stock, but other than that I've got everything.
Except, of course, the RepRap'ed pieces. :)
I've soldered my share of boards, and I'm ok with basic tools, but my
profession is software engineering, so I hope to have fun working with
the mechanical aspects while utilizing my software skills at
contributing to future design enhancements.
Two of the most intriguing aspects of the RepRap project to me are the
ideas of replication and design evolution. One initial recurring
thought I've had (that I don't know how long will survive the reality
of RepRap life) is that I don't want to get caught spending tons of
time/energy/love on a custom RepStrap design of my own (that few
others will use), but rather I'd like to make modifications to the
actual RepRap design to make it better (so that they can be
incorporated in future revisions, for everyone to use). As a result
I'm probably going to try to avoid the siren's call of creating-my-
very-own-special-unique-RepStrap-from-these-parts-I-have, landing me
in the more difficult position of not being able to bootstrap myself
up. :( Either way, my hat is thrown over the wall - I'm in.
Personally I'd love to see us start the equivalent of a New England
part "Library", with a few sets of Mendel RP parts kept in various
locations.. When we recruit new members to our cause, they buy
everything else they need, get the electronics wired, obtain every
fastener, construct their extruder barrels, etc, then they "borrow"
one of the sets of RepRap'ed parts. They print out replacements, and
return those to the virtually located "Library". If we have enough
local interest we might give preference to people in the New England
region, but ultimately anything we can do to help the RepRap community
grow is a good thing.
I tend to evangelize tech that I care about, and don't plan to rest
until I've printed out at least four sets of RepRap parts for
friends.. I want mine to be the grandparent of many generations of
RepRap. And despite the feeling of pride that I might get from
building a RepStrap of my own design, I actually hope my RepRap has a
RepRap parent itself, so we can make an interesting genealogy tree..
(maybe there should be a "serial number database" where someone can
claim a number for their RepRap that's unique.. :) )
Anyway, my name is Jeff Keegan, and I live in Methuen, MA. Nice to
meet you all!
..Jeff Keegan
jke...@keegan.org
Having joined the list about a month ago, I've been intending to send
out a quick self-introduction, but wanted to wait until I was closer
to really building a reprap. Now, I'm close enough. :) Hello!
I've been following the RepRap project since April of 2007. I almost
dove in twelve months ago to build a Darwin but decided to wait a
week, which turned into a month, and then a year. Last month I
decided to dive in for real on a Mendel, spent a lot of time figuring
out US suppliers for pieces (I decided to stick to metric measurements
for most things to keep it simple), and now just about everything I
need is either at my house or in the mail. I plan to buy some MDF for
the bed/etc tonight, and I'm still waiting on Stepper Driver v2.3
boards to come back in stock, but other than that I've got everything.
Except, of course, the RepRap'ed pieces. :)
I've soldered my share of boards, and I'm ok with basic tools, but my
profession is software engineering, so I hope to have fun working with
the mechanical aspects while utilizing my software skills at
contributing to future design enhancements.
Two of the most intriguing aspects of the RepRap project to me are the
ideas of replication and design evolution. One initial recurring
thought I've had (that I don't know how long will survive the reality
of RepRap life) is that I don't want to get caught spending tons of
time/energy/love on a custom RepStrap design of my own (that few
others will use), but rather I'd like to make modifications to the
actual RepRap design to make it better (so that they can be
incorporated in future revisions, for everyone to use). As a result
I'm probably going to try to avoid the siren's call of creating-my-
very-own-special-unique-RepStrap-from-these-parts-I-have, landing me
in the more difficult position of not being able to bootstrap myself
up. :( Either way, my hat is thrown over the wall - I'm in.
Personally I'd love to see us start the equivalent of a New England
part "Library", with a few sets of Mendel RP parts kept in various
locations.. When we recruit new members to our cause, they buy
everything else they need, get the electronics wired, obtain every
fastener, construct their extruder barrels, etc, then they "borrow"
one of the sets of RepRap'ed parts. They print out replacements, and
return those to the virtually located "Library". If we have enough
local interest we might give preference to people in the New England
region, but ultimately anything we can do to help the RepRap community
grow is a good thing.
I tend to evangelize tech that I care about, and don't plan to rest
until I've printed out at least four sets of RepRap parts for
friends.. I want mine to be the grandparent of many generations of
RepRap. And despite the feeling of pride that I might get from
building a RepStrap of my own design, I actually hope my RepRap has a
RepRap parent itself, so we can make an interesting genealogy tree..
(maybe there should be a "serial number database" where someone can
claim a number for their RepRap that's unique.. :) )
Anyway, my name is Jeff Keegan, and I live in Methuen, MA. Nice to
meet you all!
..Jeff Keegan
jke...@keegan.org
Bruce Wattendorf
Nov 17, 2009, 6:59:48 PM11/17/09
to new-engla...@googlegroups.com
Welcome Jeff,
you better hurry the 2.3 driver boards are in stock at Makerbot
to stretch the library idea I have, to loan out a set of kaptan laser cut stencils.
and don't buy your electronic parts yet I have some spare parts I have collected I can throw
in and send to you.. It will save you some money..
Right now my Darwin is being preserved for maybe a museum someday and I am
working on 2 Makerbots one for the As220 fab lab and one for Nick and I.
So we hope to be printing again in a few weeks it is about 75% done just waiting for parts.
If you want to invest $40.00 I can print out a set of parts for you and it would get me up and running sooner since it would buy my last needed order of parts from spi-si of belts and pulleys.
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "New England RepRap" group.
To post to this group, send email to new-engla...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to new-england-rep...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/new-england-reprap?hl=.
Larry
Nov 18, 2009, 2:08:25 PM11/18/09
to New England RepRap
Jeff and Bruce,
Good to hear from both of you. I like the notion of a library model
for increasing the local user base.
Naming has (surprisingly) powerful impact on how people react to
things, and library has the right connotations for this -- you borrow,
use, and return things..
Bruce:
I'd be happy to kick in the $40, if I can borrow the set of parts
after Jeff's used them.
Similarly, if you've figured out what belts/pulleys to buy (here in
the US) for Mendel, I'd be interested in seeing the part#/quantity
list -- or maybe go in with you on a larger order, if you're
amenable.
Jeff:
If you'd like a piece of OSB or plywood as a base for your machine
(instead of MDF), let me know.
FYI, As of this am, I'm a bit closer to having a workshop area back.
My new basement area got sprayed w/insulation today.
Unfortunately, until the drywalling is done, it'll be packed full of
boxes, so the plastering crew can sheetrock the rest of the house.
Still, I can look forward to getting it cleared out, power set up and
start setting up for more reprapping. Once I get things re-organized
(and my lathe motor repaired), I hope to design/build an improved
extruder. Fingers crossed, as always.
-- Larry
-- Larry
On Nov 17, 6:59 pm, Bruce Wattendorf <bwattend...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Welcome Jeff,
>
> you better hurry the 2.3 driver boards are in stock at Makerbot
>
> to stretch the library idea I have, to loan out a set of kaptan laser
> cut stencils.
> and don't buy your electronic parts yet I have some spare parts I have
> collected I can throw
> in and send to you.. It will save you some money..
>
> Right now my Darwin is being preserved for maybe a museum someday and I am
> working on 2 Makerbots one for the As220 fab lab and one for Nick and I.
> So we hope to be printing again in a few weeks it is about 75% done just
> waiting for parts.
>
> If you want to invest $40.00 I can print out a set of parts for you and it
> would get me up and running sooner since it would buy my last needed order
> of parts from spi-si of belts and pulleys.
>
> > jkee...@keegan.org
> > .
Good to hear from both of you. I like the notion of a library model
for increasing the local user base.
Naming has (surprisingly) powerful impact on how people react to
things, and library has the right connotations for this -- you borrow,
use, and return things..
Bruce:
I'd be happy to kick in the $40, if I can borrow the set of parts
after Jeff's used them.
Similarly, if you've figured out what belts/pulleys to buy (here in
the US) for Mendel, I'd be interested in seeing the part#/quantity
list -- or maybe go in with you on a larger order, if you're
amenable.
Jeff:
If you'd like a piece of OSB or plywood as a base for your machine
(instead of MDF), let me know.
FYI, As of this am, I'm a bit closer to having a workshop area back.
My new basement area got sprayed w/insulation today.
Unfortunately, until the drywalling is done, it'll be packed full of
boxes, so the plastering crew can sheetrock the rest of the house.
Still, I can look forward to getting it cleared out, power set up and
start setting up for more reprapping. Once I get things re-organized
(and my lathe motor repaired), I hope to design/build an improved
extruder. Fingers crossed, as always.
-- Larry
-- Larry
On Nov 17, 6:59 pm, Bruce Wattendorf <bwattend...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Welcome Jeff,
>
> you better hurry the 2.3 driver boards are in stock at Makerbot
>
> to stretch the library idea I have, to loan out a set of kaptan laser
> cut stencils.
> and don't buy your electronic parts yet I have some spare parts I have
> collected I can throw
> in and send to you.. It will save you some money..
>
> Right now my Darwin is being preserved for maybe a museum someday and I am
> working on 2 Makerbots one for the As220 fab lab and one for Nick and I.
> So we hope to be printing again in a few weeks it is about 75% done just
> waiting for parts.
>
> If you want to invest $40.00 I can print out a set of parts for you and it
> would get me up and running sooner since it would buy my last needed order
> of parts from spi-si of belts and pulleys.
>
>
> > --
>
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> > "New England RepRap" group.
> > To post to this group, send email to new-engla...@googlegroups.com.
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> > new-england-rep...@googlegroups.com<new-england-reprap%2Bunsu...@googlegroups.com>
> > --
>
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> > "New England RepRap" group.
> > To post to this group, send email to new-engla...@googlegroups.com.
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> > .
Jeff Keegan
Nov 18, 2009, 2:21:33 PM11/18/09
to new-engla...@googlegroups.com
On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 6:59 PM, Bruce Wattendorf <bwatt...@gmail.com> wrote:
Welcome Jeff,you better hurry the 2.3 driver boards are in stock at Makerbot
As soon as I saw that line (last night) I immediately stopped reading and went to the site to check. :) Yes, the bare PCBs are available (and worst case that's the route I'll take), but I've attempted enough surface mounted soldering by hand to know that it's a ridiculous pain (at least with a soldering iron - haven't tried solder paste and a toaster oven yet), and if the pre-built boards actually come in within a week or so like Zach hopes, it's worth the extra $10 to me to have it done. The pre-built boards are sadly out of stock (but hopefully will be in within a week?).
to stretch the library idea I have, to loan out a set of kaptan laser cut stencils.and don't buy your electronic parts yet I have some spare parts I have collected I can throwin and send to you.. It will save you some money..Right now my Darwin is being preserved for maybe a museum someday and I amworking on 2 Makerbots one for the As220 fab lab and one for Nick and I.So we hope to be printing again in a few weeks it is about 75% done just waiting for parts.If you want to invest $40.00 I can print out a set of parts for you and it would get me up and running sooner since it would buy my last needed order of parts from spi-si of belts and pulleys.
Good to have (the kaptan stencils), especially for someone wanting to start "from the beginning" and go through the Darwin experience. :) I'd originally planned to determine from the Darwin and Mendel BOMs how many of the components were in common, and how financially viable it would be to purchase parts for a Darwin RepStrap (using purchased acrylic laser cut parts) and then reuse some for a Mendel, but gave up on the idea.
Thanks for the offer of electronic parts, but I'm not kidding when I say I have everything I need for a Mendel (except 3 stepper driver v2.3 cards, which I may end up making myself instead of waiting, but I'd rather buy them, and the RepRap'ed pieces). Are you waiting for parts that are out of stock, or you're just waiting for funds with which to purchase those parts? :)
If you're really only $40 away from being done with your Makerbot, (mail interrupted by gmail saying that Larry has just posted)... Great! Larry's in for the $40, I'm in for whatever costs you need for the plastic/time (I assume the $40 was for your belts and not the materials for the parts), and as soon as you can get the parts made I'll start building and have a new set printed for Larry before he can say completed-drywall. :) Do you have a paypal account? Order your belts!
..Jeff
--
/=====================================================================\
| Jeff Keegan == jke...@keegan.org == http://www.keegan.org/jeff |
\=====================================================================/
Jeff Keegan
Nov 18, 2009, 2:31:20 PM11/18/09
to new-engla...@googlegroups.com
On Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 2:08 PM, Larry <urs...@gmail.com> wrote:
Jeff:
If you'd like a piece of OSB or plywood as a base for your machine
(instead of MDF), let me know.
Yeah once I got to Home Depot and saw exactly what the weight/quality/flexibility of 1/4" MDF was, I was a bit underwhelmed, but at $5.23 I couldn't complain and since Mendel moves the base back and forth I figured light was probably better for now. I can experiment all I want on a test RepRap once I have an actual working RepRap to rely on to make parts. :) (I learned that when TiVo hacking - hacking your main TiVo can result in no one being able to watch TV for days - it's far easier to experiment on a 2nd machine. :) )
..Jeff
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to new-england-rep...@googlegroups.com.For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/new-england-reprap?hl=en.
Jeff Keegan
Dec 16, 2009, 4:40:33 PM12/16/09
to new-engla...@googlegroups.com
I was searching through my previous mail for Lincoln and this thread came up, and it seemed like a good a time as any to throw in more info.
My where-the-hell-did-that-come-from??? moment over the past month can best be described in this blog post I posted about 10 days ago:
http://www.keegan.org/reprapblog/archives/138
The rest of the blog has hopefully interesting posts as well:
http://www.keegan.org/reprapblog/
Tomorrow I get back the RepStrap (see first link above!) and I can continue my progress.
I hope everyone has a great holiday.
..Jeff
p.s. Bruce, I'm still in for the cost of plastic for the library parts, first for Larry and then for whomever comes along next, if you're still interested. If I get far enough with mine, I'll chip in any undone parts too (but man, it takes a long time to print...).
My where-the-hell-did-that-come-from??? moment over the past month can best be described in this blog post I posted about 10 days ago:
http://www.keegan.org/reprapblog/archives/138
The rest of the blog has hopefully interesting posts as well:
http://www.keegan.org/reprapblog/
Tomorrow I get back the RepStrap (see first link above!) and I can continue my progress.
I hope everyone has a great holiday.
..Jeff
p.s. Bruce, I'm still in for the cost of plastic for the library parts, first for Larry and then for whomever comes along next, if you're still interested. If I get far enough with mine, I'll chip in any undone parts too (but man, it takes a long time to print...).
On Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 2:08 PM, Larry <urs...@gmail.com> wrote:
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to new-england-rep...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/new-england-reprap?hl=en.
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages