Saturday, April 14, 2012

Reprap Prusa Mendel 2.0 Frame w/metric parts is shipping

I decided to build a DIY 3D printer called Reprap in two parts over the course of a month and a half to spread the cost out over a few paychecks so I wouldn't dip into my savings account.  I had a friend who was also interested in 3D printing offer to chip in on the cost, but I didn't want anyone else financially invested in this if it turns out to be a miserable failure.  The odds of it failing do seem pretty small as I've spent the last month and a half reading up on how it all works and there are a lot of blogs out there people have made outlining their whole build process and many of the pitfalls they hit during their builds. So I don't think I'm in for any big surprises, but this is by far the most complicated piece of electronics I've tried to build and I've really only been building really basic electronics and programming Arduino's for about a year now.  So this whole project is in the scope of what I've been learning, just cranked up quite a few levels above what I've done.  There are thorough build guides on blogs and wiki's.  There are videos on youtube showing how to do it all step by step so I figure if I can follow the directions to a T and use a little bit of basic electronics intuition I should be able stumble through the whole process without too many major issues that hold up the build process.

After looking around on the web for quite a while for pricing and parts lists I finally decided it was worth paying a small premium and buying the whole framework in a kit off of ebay.  The picture below is what it's supposed to look like when it's all put together.

Reprap Prusa complete frame with
NEMA 17 steppers, Wades Extruder and printing bed

This is all the parts you get to put the thing together.
A picture of most of the parts that come with the kit

STILL NEEDED
01 X RAMPS w/pololu stepper drivers I already have the Arduino MEGA 2560 board
01 x Wade Hot End The kit I purchased has the filament extruder this mounts to
01 x Power Supply I have a couple of extra computer PSU's I might be able to use
01 x Heated bed  I'll need this for printing ABS is my understanding PLA works w/o
Lots x wiring & connectors I have a lot of ribbon cables and some connectors already
Velcro strips for Cable Management  I've got extras left over from past projects
Starter Materials for 3D prints PLA or ABS rolls  I'll need material to print with

I figure it should take a few weeks before the prusa mendel DIY frame kit arrives.  So I've got a little time to read up on the rest of what I need so I'll be ready for another order where I get the electronics in a few weeks to a month.

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