SeeMeCNC DropLit Assembly Manual Download

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DropLit Assembly Guide

Welcome to the Assembly Guide for the DropLit 3D printer.

Version 0.50, September 29th, 2014

Licensed as Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0

Questions or corrections should be emailed to

[email protected]

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Summary of Contents for DropLit

Page 1: ...de for the DropLit 3D printer Version 0 50 September 29th 2014 Copyright 2014 by Gene Buckle Licensed as Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3 0 Questions or corrections should be emailed to geneb deltasoft com Disclaimer text provided by LulzBot 1 ...

Page 2: ...zard Never place flammable materials or liquids on or near the printer when powered on or in operation Pinch Hazard When the printer is in operation take care to never put your fingers in the moving parts including the belts pulleys or gears Also tie back long hair or clothing that can get caught in the moving parts of the printer Static Charge Make sure to ground yourself before touching the prin...

Page 3: ... 23 Mounting the Arduino Uno 23 Assembling the Chassis 25 Installing the T Slot Extrusion 34 5 Assembling the Drive System Carriage 38 Installing the Stepper Motor 38 Installing the Carriage 43 Installing the Z Axis Drive Rod 50 6 Things Electronic 53 Installing the Limit Switch 53 Installing the Power Supply Power Switch 56 Wiring Installing the gShield 60 7 Final Assembly 64 Assembly Installatio...

Page 4: ... photographs in this assembly guide do NOT tell the whole story of each step Make sure you read and understand the accompanying text for each step A quick note on the Arduino Uno and the gShield These two devices work in combination to control the DropLit and are very static sensitive so please don t take them out of the bags they ship in until you re ready to install them Many thanks to Michael H...

Page 5: ...ead screwdriver 5 32 Allen Wrench 5 16 Wrench 3 8 Wrench Wire strippers Wire cutters Battery powered screwdriver If you ever needed an excuse to buy one of these THIS IS IT Soldering Iron Thin Super Glue Waxed lacing cord This is optional but you can use this in place of wire ties in pretty much any application You can find it here http www skygeek com wht string html While expensive you ll never ...

Page 6: ...e beginning construction This process is called the Five Stages of Masking Tape 1 Denial Oh there s no way I need to scrape all this tape off those parts Do I 2 Anger This sucks I ve NEVER SEEN SO MUCH TAPE IN ONE PLACE IN MY LIFE 3 Bargaining Well hi there Significant Other Would you PLEASE remove all this tape for me PLEASE 4 Depression This tape hates me sobs quietly 5 Acceptance Well I suppose...

Page 7: ...depot com fastener information Printable Tools Fastener Basics pdf and their Fastener Type Chart http www boltdepot com fastener information Type Chart aspx DropLit Hardware Bag 1 ___ 3 M5 Zinc Plated Nut ___ 6 1 4 ID x 5 8 OD x 196 Ball Bearing R4ZZ ___ 57 6 32 x 1 Phillips Pan Head Screw 18 8 SS ___ 6 6 32 x 2 Phillips Pan Head Screw 18 8 SS ___ 10 6 32 x 5 8 Socket Head Cap Screw 18 8 SS 7 ...

Page 8: ...oot pack containing ___ 4 Leg for 44010 Foot ___ 4 Rubber Foot 44010 ___ 4 10 32 x 5 8 Pan Head Screw Nylon ___ 4 10 32 Nylon Finish Nut ___ 4 Plastic Bearing Roller 1 8 ID x 3 8 OD x 0 156 W ___ 4 6 32 x 1 2 Slotted Pan Head Screw Nylon ___ 6 1 4 20 T Slot Nut 8 ...

Page 9: ...___ 6 1 4 20 x 1 2 Button Head Cap Screw SS ___ 6 2 56 x 5 8 Pan Head Screw ___ 6 2 56 Finish Nut ___ 4 M3 05 x 10mm Phillips Pan Head Screw SS ___ 4 4 SAE Flat Washer SS ___ 8 6 x 1 2 Phillips Pan Head Sheet Metal Screw SS 9 ...

Page 10: ...ropLit Assembly Guide ___ 1 300 OD x 030 wire x 1 2 SS Compression Spring ___ 2 10 32 T Nut ___ 2 M3 5 x 6mm Allen Set Screw ___ 1 1 5mm Allen Wrench ___ 4 10 32 x 3 4 Knurled Thumb Screw Black Nylon 10 ...

Page 11: ...uide DropLit Hardware Bag 2 ___ 1 12 M5 Threaded Rod ___ 1 5mm Shaft Coupler ___ 1 15 1 4 T Slot Extrusion ___ 1 Build Platform Standoff ___ 12 R4 Bearing Sleeve ___ 2 Hinge 1x1 ___ 1 75mm x 75mm First Surface Mirror 11 ...

Page 12: ...ide DropLit Electronics Pack ___ 1 Arduino UNO R3 ___ 1 Gshield 3 Axis Stepper Motor Board ___ 1 SW143 ND SPDT Micro Switch ___ 2 Spade Terminal Crimp for Power Switch ___ 1 NEMA 17 Stepper Motor 4800gcm holding torque 12 ...

Page 13: ...DropLit Assembly Guide ___ 1 Rocker Switch Round ___ 1 550W ATX Power Supply Viotek ___ 8 Small Wire Ties ___ 3ft 26ga Black White wire 13 ...

Page 14: ...Guide DropLit Acrylic Melamine Parts The following parts will be found in the main laser cut parts package Check off each item as you locate it Please contact support seemecnc com if you re missing any of these parts 14 ...

Page 15: ...DropLit Assembly Guide DropLit Acrylic Melamine Parts Continued 15 ...

Page 16: ...ing the DropLit is to start with the front cover This is an excellent choice as it gives builders an easy introduction into the tab slot construction that all SeeMeCNC 3D printers enjoy For this task you ll need the following components The Cover Name Plate is identified by the laser engraved SeeMeCNC logo as shown 16 Fig 3 1 Cover Name Plate ...

Page 17: ...from one side try inserting the nut from the other side of the part The laser leaves behind a bit of a beveled kerf that is wider at the top of the cut than at the bottom This feature can help insert problematic nuts If the nut REALLY won t fit you can give it a bit of encouragement using a pair of needle nosed pliers Just make sure that you re inserting the nut squarely as shown on the right The ...

Page 18: ...ide as shown there s only one correct way where all three screw holes align Press the tabs from the side into the slots on the Cover Front and then lay it over on the cover side so you can insert three 6 32 pan head screws in the mounting holes Thread the screws finger tight 18 Fig 3 6 First three nuts installed Fig 3 7 Cover side alignment Fig 3 8 Setting the mounting screws ...

Page 19: ... carefully tighten the three screws you just threaded into the nuts You want to take care to not over tighten the screws when installing them If you apply too much force the nut will start to collapse the base of the nut pocket The end result of that is the structural integrity of the joint is then compromised and the Melamine can no longer retain the nut properly 19 Fig 3 9 Properly tightened scr...

Page 20: ...needs to be installed Lay the cover down flat and slide the panel into the tabs provided as shown below Now insert three 6 32 nuts into the right cover side and install it using three screws just as you did the left side 20 Fig 3 10 Window panel installation Fig 3 11 Installing the right cover side ...

Page 21: ...in order to attach the Cover Name Plate Now set the Cover Name Plate into place as shown below with the SeeMeCNC logo upside down Attach with four 6 32 1 pan head screws You ll find there s an ongoing pattern with this whole screw nut thing 21 Fig 3 12 Nearly done Fig 3 13 Cover Name Plate nuts Fig 3 14 Cover Name Plate in place ...

Page 22: ...e ll get back to it when it s time to install it on the main DropLit chassis Note that from now on if I mention inserting nuts or screws without a qualifier I m referring to the 6 32 nylon lock nuts and 6 32 1 long pan head screws respectively 22 Fig 3 15 Completed DropLit door ...

Page 23: ...the beginning of this chapter Mounting the Arduino Uno First we re going to install the Arduino Uno into the DropLit base plate The reason for this is that the screws used to mount the Arduino Uno will be nearly impossible to reach later on in the build Here s the components you ll need for this task You re going to mount the Arduino Uno to the base plate using the holes marked in green The Arduin...

Page 24: ...ff the edge of your work table so the portion the Arduino Uno mounts to overhangs a small amount Insert the four 2 56 5 8 pan head screws into the mounting holes Thread a 2 56 finish nut on to each screw and gently tighten with a P1 Philips screwdriver Take care to not crank it down too hard you ll crack the Arduino Uno s circuit board 24 Fig 4 2 Spacers in place Fig 4 3 Arduino Uno in position Fi...

Page 25: ...ll need the base you just installed the Arduino Uno on as well as the following components The first step is to install the feet on the power supply base plate Because the rubber shoes for the feet are very grippy set those aside until you re done with the whole assembly By leaving them off it s a lot easier to move the DropLit around as you work on it 25 ...

Page 26: ...ugh the mounting hole on the under side of the power supply base plate Please make sure that you ve got the power supply base plate oriented as I show in Fig 4 10 otherwise you re going to have a bad time 26 Fig 4 6 PS base and foot parts Fig 4 7 Foot cup screw Fig 4 8 Ready for nut Fig 4 9 Nut installed Fig 4 10 All four foot cups installed ...

Page 27: ...es cut in it We ll install all of the small horizontal parts first The base plate with the Arduino Uno on it will be installed last as it extends beyond the plane defined by the chassis side and would make mounting the other parts a bit more difficult Grab four nuts and install them into the Power Supply Base Plate as shown below 27 Fig 4 11 Right chassis side Fig 4 12 PS Base with nuts installed ...

Page 28: ...arts a bit loose will make getting the tabs aligned on the other side a lot easier Next up is the Mirror Base Mounting Plate Unlike the other parts this oriented vertically Install two nuts as shown Now install the Mirror Base as shown fix in place with one screw Now grab the Dish Base and install four nuts on it 28 Fig 4 13 Power supply base plate installed Fig 4 14 Mirror Base with nuts installe...

Page 29: ...lue has dried go ahead and install the Dish Base into the chassis side and fix in place with two screws Make sure that the T Nuts face DOWN At this point you can slide the two Bottom T Slot mounts into place in the slots provided in the Dish Base I did that with this documentation build but they re really not useful until it s time to install the aluminum extrusion 29 Fig 4 17 T Nuts installed Fig...

Page 30: ...o screws Next install two nuts into the Motor Mount Install it to the upper slot in the chassis side as shown and fix in place with one screw With the Motor Mount installed it s now time to get the big base installed 30 Fig 4 21 Tower Base nuts installed Fig 4 22 Tower Base installed Fig 4 23 Motor Mount nuts installed Fig 4 24 Motor Mount installed ...

Page 31: ...der to make the base installation as painless as possible Make sure that you ve got the Arduino Uno facing DOWN and that the USB port on the Uno lines up with the square opening for it on the right chassis side Fix in place with two screws 31 Fig 4 25 Base nuts installed Fig 4 26 Base installed Fig 4 27 Base installed ...

Page 32: ...tom and work your way up As you work your way up you ll want to throw screws in a bit more than finger tight to keep things from popping loose as you work your way up Please take your time and if it becomes necessary to apply a little mechanical encouragement to make the parts fit make sure you ve got the chassis laid flat and fully supported I really wish I could regale you with tales of derring ...

Page 33: ...his The last task for this section will be to install the last four nuts screws required to fix the base to the main chassis Insert two nuts on each side as shown and fix in place with four screws 33 Fig 4 29 Almost done Fig 4 30 Base nuts installed Fig 4 31 Screws in place ...

Page 34: ...hem shortly The aluminum extrusion will have an M5 threaded rod in the center of it remove the tape from the ends of the extrusion and slide the M5 rod out of the center and set it aside Take care to not bend it We ll start with getting the T Slot mount parts ready install four nuts into the T Slot Mount as shown below Next install a T Slot Nut 20 Button Head Cap Screw into the bottom and upper T ...

Page 35: ... in the two figures above They ll need to be in that orientation in order to fit into the t slot in the extrusion Now install the Limit Switch Mount into the Upper T Slot Mount Take special care to make sure that you ve got the parts oriented as I show here in Figs 4 37 and 4 38 35 Fig 4 35 First one side Fig 4 36 and the other Fig 4 37 Left side first Fig 4 38 then the right ...

Page 36: ...Slide the extrusion in from the top as shown below note that the T Slot Nuts need to be oriented vertically so they fit easily in the slots in the extrusion Slide the extrusion all the way down until it catches the T Slot Nuts at the bottom Once it does carefully tap the extrusion down until it s flush or nearly flush with the bottom surface of the Tower Base 36 Fig 4 39 Attaching the T Slot Mount...

Page 37: ...ion into the mounts When tightening the upper mount do the two lower screws followed by the two uppers Make sure that you don t tighten the screws too much You want the cap of the screw to just start to dimple the Melamine but no tighter 37 Fig 4 43 Tightening the upper mount Fig 4 44 and the lower ...

Page 38: ...s for this task The first thing that we need to do is remove the connector shell from the stepper motor wiring The gShield uses screw terminals and not four pin connectors like the stepper is supplied with We do want to preserve the little metal crimp sockets as they will fit easily into the gShield s terminal block Removing the pins is very simple insert a small pin or needle into the hole above ...

Page 39: ...t to slide the shaft coupler on to the stepper motor s output shaft such that the grub screw you just installed will grip on that flatted portion when it s tightened down When the shaft coupler has an internal feature that will limit how far down the shaft it will travel Once you reach that spot tighten down the grub screw Rotate the shaft coupler a bit and install tighten the second grub screw as...

Page 40: ... the stepper wires AND the lacing cord Now you can set the stepper motor in to position on the motor mount as shown below Make sure you ve got the mounting holes lined up It ll happen by default if you match the position of your motor to the one shown in the photo Four M3 x 10mm screws four 4 flat washers are required to fix the stepper motor into place You ll need a P1 Philips screwdriver for the...

Page 41: ...hassis I d recommend spindling the end of the wires a bit to make them a bit easier to get through the holes it s a tight fit Once you ve got the wires routed start at the top and fix them in place using the include wire ties 41 Fig 5 11 Spindled wires Fig 5 12 Tower Base hole Fig 5 13 Dish Base hole Fig 5 14 Base hole Fig 5 15 Top wire tie started ...

Page 42: ...DropLit Assembly Guide Tie the two upper first and the lower three last Clip off the tail of the wire ties when you re done 42 Fig 5 16 Upper two tie locations Fig 5 17 Lower three tie locations ...

Page 43: ...ttached to the t slot extrusion For this task you ll need the following components Insert the M5 nut into the bottom of the Anti Backlash Nut Carrier as shown The nut may not be a tight fit so you ll need to hold it in place until the carrier is installed 43 Fig 5 18 Anti Backlash nut installed ...

Page 44: ... the center hole in the mount You also want to ensure that your installation matches the photos EXACTLY You don t want to install the part on the wrong side of the Carriage Note that the center alignment of the M5 nut is more important that the center alignment of the mounting hardware in the Carriage The holes in the Carriage are large enough to allow some offset 44 Fig 5 19 ABN Installation part...

Page 45: ...low Next press the other half on to the R4 bearing The fit will be tight but it should go on without too much hassle Go ahead and repeat this for the remaining four R4 bearings Once you re done with that you need to insert two R4 Bearing Bushings into three of the R4 bearing assemblies you just finished 45 Fig 5 24 Bearings and tires Fig 5 25 One side installed Fig 5 26 Tire installed Fig 5 27 Fir...

Page 46: ... you ve got the bushings aligned with each other use the raised line on each as an alignment guide Set those aside you ll be coming back to them in a moment Now take three of the 2 pan head screws and slide a R4 bearing bushing assembly through a DL Carriage Plate on to each one 46 Fig 5 29 Bushings aligned Fig 5 30 R4 bearing installed Fig 5 31 All three done ...

Page 47: ...d the carriage in place Grab one of the R4 Eccentric equipped bearings and slide it into place between the two DL Carriage Plates Keep the alignment bump facing the extrusion that will give you the most leeway for installation I found that using a cut down Q Tip a very handy alignment tool Slide in a 2 screw from the other side and drive out the Q Tip and then install the upper eccentric 47 Fig 5 ...

Page 48: ...pLit as shown When you ve got the top one done just lift the carriage a bit to reach the lower one You now need to install the last two nuts screws to the front section of the carriage assembly We ll then move on to adjusting the eccentrics 48 Fig 5 36 Eccentrics installed Fig 5 37 Bolting down the eccentrics Fig 5 38 Finishing the carriage assembly Fig 5 37A Tightening down the lower eccentric ...

Page 49: ...closer to the extrusion Adjust both eccentrics equally You want to make sure that you ve got the bearings tight enough that they constrain the carriage such that the only movement it has is straight up and down the tower A properly adjusted carriage will fall to the bottom when lifted with all five bearing moving and in contact with the tower extrusion 49 Fig 5 39 Adjusting the Eccentric bearings ...

Page 50: ...s task you ll need the following components Installing the Z Axis rod is really simple and straightforward First slide the rod into the chassis using the hole in the Dish Plate The hole is lined up with the stepper motor You ll need to support the carriage with the back of your hand as you do this Slide the rod up through the carriage plate and thread it into the M5 nut that s under the Anti Backl...

Page 51: ...thread on to a screw or rod This is a great feature in a fastener but an absolutely rotten thing to have if you re using these things to precisely move a platform or carriage What happens is that when the threaded rod changes direction no motion will result for some small percentage of the rotation because the rod is going to take up the slack in the nut If the rotation is small enough the carriag...

Page 52: ...riage in place with one hand as you rotate the threaded coupler clockwise After a turn or so the threads in the coupler should pick up the rod Keep turning until the rod has gone into the coupler as far as it can Once you ve done that spin the M5 nut up until it comes in contact with the bottom face of the threaded coupler Using a pair of slip joint pliers and a 5 16 wrench tighten the M5 nut agai...

Page 53: ...is task you ll need the following components We need to start by soldering a pair of wires to the limit switch as shown below It doesn t really matter what color goes to what post but make sure you re using the outer posts as shown in Fig 6 1 Now thread the leads up through the rectangular opening on the motor mount 53 Three Wire Ties Fig 6 1 Leads attached Fig 6 2 Route through the motor mount ...

Page 54: ...wn the center hole in the extrusion Pull all the wire through but not too tight Next use the two 2 56 screws nuts to fix the limit switch in place Make sure your switch is oriented identically to that shown in Fig 6 5 54 Fig 6 3 and through the tower mount Fig 6 4 Through the tower center Fig 6 5 Limit switch front side Fig 6 6 Limit switch back side ...

Page 55: ...imit switch wires through the small hole on the side of the base opposite the hole where the stepper motors were routed Finally tie the limit switch wiring in place using the three wire ties at the locations shown 55 Fig 6 7 Limit switch wire routing Fig 6 8 Wire tie locations ...

Page 56: ...r the next task The first thing you ll need to do is cut some wires free of the power supply for use with the DropLit The first two go to the power switch One is black and one is green They re found on the large connector on the power supply You ll see them highlighted below 56 Fig 6 9 Power Switch wires ...

Page 57: ...bout 1 4 of insulation from those two wires and crimp on the spade lug connectors that will eventually attach to the power switch Now locate one of the square connectors that s got two black two yellow wires connected to it They may be clipped together it doesn t matter as you ll just clip them flush and extract them the same way you did with the power switch wires 57 Fig 6 10 Power switch wires e...

Page 58: ...ly using four nylon screws Leave the screws loose for the moment Make sure you keep the orientation of the mounting plate the same as you see in the photos otherwise the power supply won t fit into the base properly Lay the DropLit over so the back of the machine is exposed and install one nut in each side as shown below Now you can insert the power supply into the back of the DropLit Take care th...

Page 59: ...tch and remove the retaining nut that s on the back Slide the retaining nut over the green black power switch wires as shown below Now route the wires out through the hole in the side of the DropLit and attach the power switch 59 Fig 6 18 Installing Fig 6 19 Ready for screws Fig 6 20 Power switch and nut Fig 6 21 Nut over wires Fig 6 22 Switch wired ...

Page 60: ...and insert it into the DropLit chassis then thread on the retaining nut Wiring Installing the gShield For this task the only component you ll need is the gShield itself 60 Fig 6 23 Switch orientation Fig 6 24 Switch installation complete Fig 6 27 The gShield ...

Page 61: ...soldering iron The first step is to solder the limit switch wires to the gShield The black wire is soldered to the hole marked GND and the white wire is soldered into the hole marked D11 61 Fig 6 25 Limit switch wires soldered into place ...

Page 62: ...go into the position marked Vmot Please trim your wire a bit so that little or no wire is visible outside the face of the terminal block In other words DO IT BETTER THAN I DID Now insert the four stepper wires into the Z position on the gShield just as you see them on the right Note that this terminal block uses a very small flat tip screwdriver 62 Fig 6 26 Power wires installed Fig 6 27 Stepper w...

Page 63: ...fit exactly into the two rows of sockets on the Arduino Uno as shown below Once you ve got the three sets of pins started gently press on the center of the gShield to seat both sides evenly You re almost done Next up we ll get the last parts installed 63 Fig 6 28 Installing the gShield Fig 6 29 gShield installation complete ...

Page 64: ...ort First up let s get the mirror support framework assembled For this task you ll need the following components The first thing you ll need to do is use the knurled thumbscrew to create threads in the Mirror Bottom Base Plate as shown 64 1 Knurled Thumbscrew Fig 7 1 Threaded base ...

Page 65: ... back out through the glass after being reflected This will cause an image ghost that would ruin your print If you re curious here s a nice description of the effect http en wikipedia org wiki First_surface_mirror The mirror that SeeMeCNC ships has had protective film applied to the primary surface making it easy to identify how to orient the mirror Using your Super Glue attach the mirror to the m...

Page 66: ... touch the surface of the mirror Now you can install the mirror assembly into the base of the DropLit We ll worry about setting the height later so for now just set it into place and thread the thumbscrew in 66 Fig 7 5 Mirror installed Fig 7 4 Removing protective film Fig 7 6 Adjustment thumbscrew installed ...

Page 67: ...DropLit Assembly Guide Final Assembly For the next tasks you ll need the following components 67 3 Knurled Thumbscrews ...

Page 68: ...the top plate Fix it in place with six screws Get the Back Cover and install four nuts into the pockets as shown below Carefully tap the back cover into place on the back of the DropLit and fix in place with four screws Next we re going to install the Logo Cover on the front of the machine Insert two nuts on each side in the locations shown 68 Fig 7 7 Top Plate nuts Fig 7 8 Top Plate installed Fig...

Page 69: ... in place without having to tape it Now you can set the Logo Panel into place and attach it using four screws Now let s get the door mounted Install a brass hinge at the two hing locations on the left side of the door You ll need two Socket Head Cap Screws and two 6 32 nylon lock nuts for each hinge 69 Fig 7 12 Acrylic Logo Panel in place Fig 7 13 Logo Panel in place Fig 7 14 Hinge front side Fig ...

Page 70: ...his will hold the door in place long enough for you to easily thread on and tighten the nuts used on the back side Now insert the other two screws and nuts tighten all the way around and the door installation is complete 70 Fig 7 16 Both hinges installed on the door Fig 7 17 Holding the door Fig 7 18 Door installed ...

Page 71: ... Pan Head Machine screws to the Vat Holddown Top part Next flip that assembly over and install a Vat Holddown Bottom using another pair of the 6 screws When you ve assembled both of the vat clamps you can install them on the Dish Plate using two of the knurled thumbscrews as shown below 71 Fig 7 19 Vat clamp parts Fig 7 20 Step 1 Fig 7 21 Step 2 Fig 7 22 Vat clamp installed Fig 7 23 Both clamps in...

Page 72: ...on the bottom of the DropLit They just slide on Kind of like Slippers Of Awesome Next let s get the Build Platform Installed Simply insert a knurled thumbscrew into the threaded end and then install it in the Carriage as shown 72 Fig 7 24 Shoes on ready to dance Fig 7 25 Build Platform ready to install Fig 7 26 Platform installed ...

Page 73: ...DropLit Assembly Guide Congrats Your DropLit 3D printer build is now complete 73 ...

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