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Current Projects  //  Expermentation Log

2012 Fab Academy at AS220

Posted in Fab Academy AS220 - Providence, RI on May 13th, 2012 by Anna Kaziunas France – Be the first to comment

This Spring I have been busy teaching at and creating curriculum for the Fab Academy. You can check out the tutorials here: http://www.as220.org/fabacademy/tutorials

Happy New Year!

Posted in 3D Printing on January 2nd, 2012 by Anna Kaziunas France – Be the first to comment

Auld Lang Syne played using midi to CNC on my MakerBot Thing-O-Matic.

Merry CNCmas – Carol of the Bells

Posted in 3D Printing on December 25th, 2011 by Anna Kaziunas France – 1 Comment

Christmas Calibration Snowflake Prints

Posted in 3D Printing on December 23rd, 2011 by Anna Kaziunas France – Be the first to comment

Switch to HBP from ABP

Posted in 3D Printing on December 12th, 2011 by Anna Kaziunas France – Be the first to comment

I was having trouble with tall prints on the Automated Build Platform. I cut the belt off of it and removed the rollers and motor.  Then I covered the surface with Kaplon tape.  I ordered a alumium build plate, but I am waiting for it to arrive from the UK (MakerBot was sold out).  My print quality is already better and my rafts separate from the print much more easily.

Thing-o-matic Operational – First Prints

Posted in 3D Printing on December 12th, 2011 by Anna Kaziunas France – Be the first to comment
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Thing-o-matic Problems / Solutions – Machine stops after homing, ABP won’t heat

Posted in 3D Printing on December 7th, 2011 by Anna Kaziunas France – Be the first to comment

I have assembled my Thing-o-matic and she is now operational.  However, she had some issues along the way. Here is what the problems were and how I fixed them.

My Configuration:

  • MK7 extruder
  • ABP
  • MakerBot Motherboard v2.x (Gen4) with Mega 2560 (latest version of firmware)
  • Extruder Controller v.3.X (Gen 4) (latest version of firmware)
  • ReplicatorG 0028
System Information
 ReplicatorG version: 0028
 Java version: 1.6.0_29

Machine
 Profile Name: Thingomatic w/ ABP and Stepstruder MK7
 Driver Type: Makerbot4GAlternate
 Name: Thingomatic w/ ABP and Stepstruder MK7
 Motherboard firmware version: Unknown v3.1
 Motherboard communication statistics
  Number of packets received from the USB interface:0
  Number of packets sent over the RS485 interface:147081
  Number of packets sent over the RS485 interface that were not responded to:5
  Number of packet retries attempted:25
  Number of bytes received over the RS485 interface that were discarded as noise:0

Problem 1: When trying to print, Bot stops after homing

  • When I try to print, the axes home, then stop. All red LEDs are on for each of the mechanical endstops.
  • After about 4 minutes, there is an audible click and the red light turns on the  safety cutoff.  Nothing else happens.

What I have tried:

1. I ran the calibration script.

2. I tried making the offset settings for each axis 2mm less.  No change.

Solution:

The temp sensor was too hot.  I added a second layer of ceramic insulation to the Mk7 head under the temp sensor (in addition to the layer that MakerBot says to add).  This solved the “homing, then stopping” problem.  http://www.makerbot.com/docs/thingomatic/instructions-for-educators/stepstruder-mk7-assembly/  3/4 of the way down the page, under the  “Insulate the Heater” heading, the process is described.  If you have already taped up your print head, untape it, remove the temp sensor, add a second layer of insulation between the heater block and the temp sensor. Re-tape.

Problem 2: ABP motor does not work, platform will not heat

  1. The ABP will not heat and the ABP motor will not move.

What I have tried so far:

  1. Checking the wiring on the extruder controller.  (many times). It is wired up like this: http://www.makerbot.com/docs/thingomatic/instructions-for-educators/electronics/
  2. When I click the “enable” boxes for the build platform belt and the cooling fan, the appropriate LEDs light up on the extruder board, but nothing happens.

Solution:

I had plugged the cable in backwards into the ABP.  The cable gets plugged into the ABP with the ramp side up and the holes facing down. The platform heated after I reversed the cable orientation.  I found this orientation hard to see in the MakerBot build instructions.  See pic below for the right orientation.

Right Way


Makerbot Thing-o-matic Build

Posted in 3D Printing on December 6th, 2011 by Anna Kaziunas France – Be the first to comment

MakerBot 6066 is assembled, but not yet functional.

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Finished Decorative Side Table

Posted in Fab Academy Providence -Year II - Teaching, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, ShopBot on November 26th, 2011 by Anna Kaziunas France – Be the first to comment

A few months ago, when I was at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, I cut a side table out of oak plywood on their ShopBot.  I finished the table a month later with a combination of cherry and black walnut wood stain and a final coat of varnish.  These pictures show the final result. This table is currently on display at the Better World by Design Conference.

 

MakerBot Thing-o-matic Pre-Assembly Prep – Staining with Watco Danish Oil

Posted in 3D Printing on November 14th, 2011 by Anna Kaziunas France – Be the first to comment

I heard that MakerBot owners had achieved some great results by using Watco Danish Oil to treat / stain / finish their MakerBots.  I used “Golden Oak” and then did a second coat of “Cherry” over each plywood piece.   In the image below, you can see the difference between the treated and untreated plywood.  I am pleased with the final results, the Watco Danish Oil really brought out the wood grain.

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My MakerBot Arrives

Posted in 3D Printing on November 11th, 2011 by Anna Kaziunas France – Be the first to comment

Halloween 2011 – Glowing LED Oni Costume

Posted in Flexible Circuits, Halloween on November 3rd, 2011 by Anna Kaziunas France – Be the first to comment

So its Halloween…. Better plan all week, better plan all month, better plan all year……


Soft circuits LED oni costume in action. Sewn with conductive thread, LEDs slowly fade in and out and are controlled by an Lilypad Arduino and powered by a Lilypad LiPower supply. The dress will run for at least 11 hours continuously. It may run much longer than that, but I haven’t tested it for longer than 11 hours.

The earirngs are basically throwies (LEDs taped to a coin cell battery) with earring hooks attached with coat-weight thread.  The necklace is four Lillypad LEDs wired with conductive thread in parallel to a coin cell battery.

 

Join the 2012 Fab Academy at AS220 Labs!

Posted in Fab Academy Providence - Year III - Directing on October 13th, 2011 by Anna Kaziunas France – 2 Comments

We teach anyone how to make almost anything

The Providence Fab Academy will return for its third year on January 2, 2012 through June 30, 2012.   Classes will be held in Providence, RI at AS220 Labs (a personal digital fabrication lab or “Fab Lab”).  This year I am coordinating the Providence branch of the Fab Academy and providing local instruction.

The Fab Academy is a Digital Fabrication Program directed by Neil Gershenfeld of  MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms and based on MIT’s rapid prototyping course, MAS 863: How to Make (Almost) Anything. The Fab Academy began as an outreach project from the CBA, and has since spread to Fab Labs around the world. The program provides advanced digital fabrication instruction for students through an unique, hands-on curriculum and access to technological tools and resources.

For the past two years AS220 Labs has collaborated with MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms in offering the Providence Fab Academy.  Our lab in Providence is part of a global Fab Lab / Fab Academy network. The Providence branch of the Fab Academy works with other participating Fab Labs and experts from around the wold via a distributed educational model where we pool our knowledge to provide a unique educational experience.

Learn to turn codes into things

At the Fab Academy, you will learn how to envision, prototype and document your ideas through many hours of hands-on experience with digital fabrication tools.  We take a variety of code formats and turn them into physical objects.

Students will learn to use the following tools:  Epilog Mini Laser Cutter, Roland MDX-20 Milling Machine, and the Roland CAMM-1 Servo GX-24 Desktop Vinyl Cutter, MakerBot 3D printer and a ShopBot CNC router.

The topics covered in this course include:  digital fabrication principles and practices, computer-controlled cutting, electronics design and production, embedded programming, 3D scanning and printing, mold making and casting.

Now Accepting Applications for 2012

The Providence, RI branch of the Fab Academy is now accepting applications for the 2012 session taking place from January 2 2010 – June 30, 2012.    The deadline for applications is December 10th.  However, applications will be processed as they are submitted and class size is limited.

For more information, visit our site at http://www.as220.org/fabacademy.

If you have any additional questions, contact me, (Anna Kaziunas France) at anna@as220.org.

Kipp Bradford unveils his open-source, hackable 2000BTU cooling systems at AS220 Labs

Posted in AS220 Labs on September 10th, 2011 by Anna Kaziunas France – Be the first to comment


During the pre-RI Mini Maker Faire party at AS220 Labs, Kipp Bradford explains his open-source, hackable 2000BTU cooling system. Look for it at RI Mini Maker Faire and at Maker Faire NY. For more information contact Kipp at: www.kippworks.com

3D Print of Spikes

Posted in AS220 Labs, Fab Academy Providence -Year II - Teaching on August 5th, 2011 by Anna Kaziunas France – Be the first to comment

Michael Rule was kind and ambitious enough to breathe new life into our old broken-down Makerbot. I made a 3D print of some spikes I designed in Rhino as a test print.

Spikes 3D Model

spikes rhino model

Printing Spikes on the Makerbot


spikes 3D print
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Final Print

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    • 2012 Fab Academy at AS220
    • Happy New Year!
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  • 3D Printing

    • Happy New Year!
    • Merry CNCmas – Carol of the Bells
    • Christmas Calibration Snowflake Prints
    • Switch to HBP from ABP
    • Thing-o-matic Operational – First Prints
    • Thing-o-matic Problems / Solutions – Machine stops after homing, ABP won’t heat
    • Makerbot Thing-o-matic Build
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    • My MakerBot Arrives
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  • Haystack Mountain School of Crafts

    • Finished Decorative Side Table
    • AS220 Labs / Fab Academy Sign – Metal Etching / Cutting Tests on the Shopbot
    • Fab Lab Haystack Projects – From Haystack Students – 2011 Session 3 – Week 1
    • Decorative Side Table – First Shopbot / Furniture Project
    • Making LED Dragon Night Kites with Jie Qi
    • Fab Lab Haystack Projects – From Haystack Students – 2011 Session 2 – Week 2
  • Fab Academy Providence // Year II // TA Documentation

    • Finished Decorative Side Table
    • 3D Print of Spikes
    • WWII Pilot Cast
    • Tools Relief – Cast Attempt 2 – Success!
    • Tools Relief – Cast Attempt 1 – Failure
    • Heart of (hydro)Stone
    • How to Update the Fab Modules for Serial Devices / Modela Milling Machine
    • Old School Fab Academy Providence Polaroid Portrait: From the Days When Cameras Were Furniture
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    • FabRC – Fab Academy Final Project Progress
    • FabRC – Project Developments
    • FabRC – Final Project Planning
    • Working MTM Snap – Almost Complete!
    • Hello Serial Bus
    • Fab Academy AS220 Assembles the MTM Snap
    • Pure Data to Arduino Over Serial
    • Hello (Make Your Own) Arduino
    • Hello Stepper Motor
    • Hello RGB
    • Hello LED Matrix
    • Hello Phototransistor
    • Hello Microphone
    • FabKit / Fabduino
    • Fab ISP 2.0
    • How to Manually Reset the Start Point on the Epilog Mini Laser Cutter
    • Laser-Cut Acrylic Press-Fit Construction Kit
    • Mercurial Troubleshooting
    • Beginning Fab Academy 2011: Second Year – Assisting
  • Fab Academy Providence // Year I // Student Projects

    • My Illuminated Fab Academy Diploma
    • Fab Academy Graduation – Class of 2010
    • Puppet Master Final Project Page Updated
    • Shopbot Project – Modular Shelving
    • Diploma Completion Checklist Update – 08.14.2010
    • Modela Troubleshooting – Partially Successful Switch to Roland Vinyl Cutter
    • Very Basic Beginner Assembly Tutorial III: How to Use Avrdude
    • Very Basic Beginner Assembly Tutorial II: How to Use Gavrasm to Compile a .asm File
    • Very Basic Assembly Tutorial I: Where to Get Gavrasm for the Mac OS
    • On Self Replication
    • Modified Hello Echo – Part III: Working & Completed Modified Hello Echo + Button + FTDI
    • Modified Hello Echo – Part II: Hello Echo + Button + FTDI
    • The Mantis Hardware + Software Trial Run
    • Modified Hello Echo – Part I: Hello Echo + Button + FTDI
    • First 3D Scans – Modela Scan of Laughing Die and Shell
    • 3D Printing – Interlocking Rings
    • Assembling the MakerBot Cupcake CNC Plastruder mk4 Spindle
    • PuppetMaster v.1-v.2 [capacitive sensing]
    • Fab Academy Completion Checklist
    • Building Lab & Personal Pages
    • Fab Academy Final Project Proposal [revised]: PuppetMaster
    • Hello Serial Echo
    • Hello Step Response FTDI
    • FabISP Part II: Stuffing and Programming the Board
    • Making Serial, Programming and Connector Cables
    • Final Project [PuppetMaster] Licencing and Distribution
    • Internet 0 / Zero – Part 1: Milling, Stuffing and Setting Up the Boards
    • Mantis Milling Machine – Spindle Assembly
    • Fab Academy Final Project Proposal – Puppet Master Universal Remote
    • Using a GUI to Control Processing Output with ControlIP5, Firmata via Serial
    • Fab ISP Part I: Milling Out The Board
    • Motion Sensing Glow Skull
    • Completed TARDIS Cast | Working Light
    • TARDIS: Moldmaking
    • Laser Cut Playing Cards – Construction Kit
    • TARDIS: 3D Modeling
    • Potential Semester Project: Smart Clothing
    • Beginning Fab Academy
  • Puppet Master - Phase II

    • Beginning American Sign Language (ASL)
    • 6-Axis Sensor AH-6100LR Sample – Thank You Epson!
  • Sewing / Fashion / Costume

    • Soft Circuit Experiment – LED Matrix Capelet: Part I
    • Making Halloween 2010 – Fairy Costume
    • Halloween 2009 – Mardi Gras Style
    • Green Dupioni Silk Evening Dress
    • Green Dupoini Evening Bag
  • Miscellaneous

    • AS220 Labs Opening Party
    • Atari Punk Console – Round 2
    • Re-Wiring the Christmas Tree Star
    • Atari Punk Console Workshop
    • Intro to Circuit Bending Workshop
    • Learning to Solder – Practice Kit
    • Brainless Love
    • Experimenting with Context Free
  • Laser-Cutter Projects

    • Laser-Cut Copper Foil Graduation Cards
    • Laser-Cut Acrylic Press-Fit Construction Kit
    • Completed TARDIS Cast | Working Light
    • Photo Etching with the Laser Cutter
    • Mammoth Sculpture – Press Fit Acrylic
    • Laser Cut Playing Cards – Construction Kit
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