4.1 Using the Quick Releases
Part 4:
Preparing to print with the EggBot Pro
There are two quick releases on the EggBot Pro, at the tailstock and pen motor support.
Move the handle of a quick release to the vertical position (
A
)
to release (loosen) it or to the directly horizontal position (
B
)
to tighten it. Avoid going past horizontal to “flush” (
C
), as the
quick release is neither fully loose nor tight there.
Always use two hands when adjusting quick releases:
one for the handle, and one to hold the chassis steady (
D
).
If a quick release feels too loose or too tight, you can adjust
its tension. First, open the handle to the vertical (released)
position. Then, on the inside of the chassis (
E
) turn the blue
nut with respect to the handle, no more than ⅛ of a turn at
a time. Then, close the handle to test the new tension level.
A
B
C
D
E
3) Open Eggbot Control, and click through to the Set-
up tab (
B
). There, enter the factory calibration values
for the EggBot Pro, which are good starting points:
65
for the pen up position, and
50
for the pen down position.
4) Select the “Toggle pen up/down” action, and click the
“Apply” button. If everything works correctly, the pen
lift motor will alternately move to the up or down posi-
tions each time that you press Apply.
5) Use the control panel to fine-tune the positions. The “Up” position should be several degrees
above horizontal (
C
), and the “Down” position several below (
D
). You may find it helpful to insert
a pen to weight down the arm.
When printing on an object, the distal pen arm does not normally go below horizontal. Either, it
should be almost perfectly horizontal (with the pen tip riding on the object’s surface) or lifted up
just a little, as in (
C
), when the pen is up during gaps in the drawing.
B
C
D
§3.3, Setting the pen heights, continued:
