The Lift mechanism continues.. and continues.

If I was in the USA, I'd grab it as a second printer :) I made a cardboard enclosure for ABS, and it works really well.

Peter Richards

Hey guys, I picked up a 500mm CR-10 5s and printed one dome. I’m planning to sell it and stick with my raise3d N2 Plus. I love printing ABS and I don’t have the space to build an enclosure around the huge CR-10 5s. If anyone is interested in it, text me at(717) 808-175(six). I paid around $1,000 on gearbest but I would sell it for $800 shipped to the lower 48 states. Thanks Troy

Brilliant and thank you Jace, I think I’ve followed you for a good few years now and watch the volume of items you share on Thingiverse, you’ve been around since I first started printing so it’s lovely if I’ve helped in some way! Printing is still magical to me and designing and printing even more so. Brilliant technology and even better times as we can all share designs, ideas and things!!

Michael Baddeley

Gidday Michael, 40 years ago my dad pulled into a a petrol station where they were handing out 1-3 A3 card board sheets of their Europa droid a Card Board model replica droid that from memory had a petrol pump for an arm (could be wrong ) that you had to create your self and it very much looked like the R2D2 we know and love today. 20 years on from that I was excited to share some simple childed hood memorys of what I was able to build with my farther with my children and ended up coming across a pepepakura R2D2 that was so overly detailed my children lost interest within the first 40 hours ; ) Still I completed it all buy my self and presented it to the family with very little inthusiasum in reply. This was the triger and in 2010 inbarked on a journey to buld a preplica R2D2. Having first joined the Mechetech R2D2 Builders club. I created a folder and started to collect as much information as possible. My Mk1 still sits in my work shop today 85% completed with every part all hand made components and 4 years in the making. A bit of bog and a sand and some paint he would just about be there, but a static model only. Then 3 years ago I got my 1st 3D printer as a fathers day gift and this whole new world of creating stuff just exploded my mind into a frenzy of making more intricate detailed stuff for my R2. I built the first ever dome uploaded to the internet, a teacher from the states whom posted it on Thingyverse and then you my freind poped up on the seen an revolutuionised the whole process of building a full size astromech right from your very home using a 3D printer, but not only that! You had stepped further with the introduction of it being as automated mechanically as humanly possible. Only once a dream, but now with in my grasp I followed you through Mk2 and now my 3rd Astrotech all of which are in the garage partially incomplete. I will get there living the dream and enjoying the journey as it goes. So thank you for your time and effort in creating such beloved masterpiece that we can all enjoy. I look on in anticipation to emobilising my creations to a vision such as yours. Thankyou again and keep up the great work, Cheers Jace

Jace Mclachlan

For position sensing in the past I’ve used a variable resistor (like volume control) to the analogue on the arduino, this gives accurate feedback and let’s you make something like a really big servo, but I’ll try a few methods.

Michael Baddeley

Good point on the dome. I’ve not of a 500 printer so not tested the final Results but I’ll add some support at the top.

Michael Baddeley

For the position sensing, you could always use an Upper and Lower limit switch and a pulse counter, that way a small Arduino nano can keep track of its position and even control the speed of the motor so that as the leg approaches the upper or lower limit the motor is slowed down, that way you don't have the motor hitting the end stops hard potentially doing damage. What type size of motor did you plan to use? I have created motor positioning controllers before to be used in hobby robotic, That project would not work in this instance, but something like it could be programmed up reasonable quickly if you want it.

Ray Edgley

I think a 500mm printer is a good investment if embarking on building an astromech droid. The difference in price between a 300mm CR-10S and a 500mm CR-10S5 isn't much compared to the total build cost of the droid. Also, you use less filament, less sandpaper and putty, and less print time, and way less finishing time. A R2 unit is an expensive undertaking, but in overall cost of a finished R2, I think going with a 500mm printer almost ends up being the within a few per cent of same cost as going with a 300mm one with the savings in filament, materials etc. and the time savings are huge.

Peter Richards

I've been stoked by the single piece print options so far, and am more than happy to test out any designs. One thing I have been wondering is if a bit of reinforcement might be useful for the one-piece domes. Especially at the top of the dome if printing without adding supports, the last 5% or so tends to get a little thin.

Peter Richards

I can not wait to finish making my new printer in 600mm3 :)