It's been a while since I've posted, or made any actual progress to the completion of my repstrap. Unfortunatley due to job related activities and general lack of sticktoitaveness and it doesn't look like I will make any progress for the rest of the summer. I have been keeping up as best I can on reprap.org and hope to continue on the project when I can.

The first major test for the electronics, and the stepper motor drivers all light up like Christmas trees!! The power supply works.

And now the entire ensemble, from top left clock-wise: three stepper motor drivers; the Arduino shield on an Arduino D; the pulse width modulator driver; and two DC motor drivers one's a spare.

I decided to throw all of the major electronics on a piece of $.89 hardboard from the dollar store down the road, formerly a clip board. All of the electronics above are held in place by a nut and bolt assembly, with spacer nuts between the boards and the hardboard.

I've still got quite a bit of wiring to do but I have been playing with the software end of things, I was able to upload to the arduino one time with Arduino version 12. Now the headache begins, I discovered that portions of the reprap firmware would not compile currently on version 12, but would on version 11. Now I am not getting any where with running the GUI for the older versions of the arduino software.

I've decided to jump into this project with both feet, just not my wallet yet. I'll be doing all that I can without really spending any money for the first couple of months. I've looked through quite a few designs and I think that I have decided on which one I will be using, xy table with a over hanging z axis, probaly mostly from wood, with a working area of 12x12x6 inches. I like the fact that I'll be able to swap out an extrusion head with a dremel and use it as a CNC mill.

Work table in the garage what a mess

Ubuntu setup in the garage, still need to install a wireless network card to get online to get all the software.

My first attempt at soldering on PCBs, I got a couple extra from RRRF.org Zach is running a great operation up in NY.

Satalite Image of The Hampton Roads area