Model Engine Maker

Supporting => Additive Machining => Topic started by: ddmckee54 on January 31, 2018, 10:28:05 PM

Title: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on January 31, 2018, 10:28:05 PM
As I said in my "Got the shakes" thread in Chatterbox I've got a benign essential tremor.  I've had it for years and it has been getting worse, despite the medications.  My neurologist says we've gone about as far as medication is going to take us so this might be about as good as it gets.  I have had to find ways to deal with it.  I'm an electrical engineer and communicating with electrical contractors is a big part of my job.  Where I used to hand sketch some thing out, it now gets done in AutoCAD.  Hand written notes and instructions are now done in Word or by e-mail, which also has the added advantage of giving me a paper-trail.  A couple of weeks ago I was making some wiring changes to my 3D printer that involved a minimal amount of soldering - couldn't do it anymore, my hands shook too much.

For some reason not being able to do that simple activity really pissed me off and I decided that I wasn't gonna take it no more.  I've got a 3D printer, I'm gonna build me some type of a jig/contraption that will allow me to successfully make a solder joint.  I want to be able to make that joint whether it's on a PC board or just splicing a wire, so this thing is going to require a fair range of movement.  I also want to be able to extend and retract the soldering iron to bring it into contact with what ever I'm trying to solder.  One last requirement, this thing has to be fairly compact and easy to store.  I'm also going to make this so that the parts are either 3D printed, bar stock and/or threaded rod that is just sawn to length, or simple plywood rectangles.

My first thought was some type of a movable X-Y table with the soldering iron on one side of the table and the solder roll on the other side of the table with everything meeting somewhere in the middle.  Then I realized that every time I needed to re-position the soldering iron I would also have to re-position the solder, etc., etc....  Not acceptable, too clumsy and time consuming.  My current thought is to have the solder roll and soldering iron slaved together.  Last weekend while I was waiting for the printer to get done with an 8 hour-ish print I started playing around with a 3D model of what I want, see the attached 3D PDF.  The model is rather crude because I'm still learning this 3D stuff.  I'm an electrical engineer, I don't NEED to know how to do 3D cad.  2D cad works just fine for electrical schematics - thank you very much.

The silver/gray thing is the solder feed tube, and the brown cylinder is an 8oz. roll of solder.  I haven't got the solder feed mechanism drawn yet, but it'll fit between the 2 red soldering iron clamps and it'll be in line with the solder feed tube. I'm thinking that the feed gear for a 3D printer Bowden style extruder drive would be a Jim-Dandy starting point for the solder feed drive.  I also haven't got the soldering iron extend/retract mechanism thought through entirely.  Right now it is shown as the red bar that holds the 2 soldering iron clamps apart.  It could be as involved as a rack and pinion or a feed screw of some type, or it could be just a friction clamp that keeps the iron where I put it.

The X-Y table at this point in time is just a lot of hand waving and head scratching.  I thought I'd start at the soldering iron and work my way out from there.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: b.lindsey on February 01, 2018, 12:20:06 AM
Don, I'm just seeing a blank white sheet in the .PDF. Is it just me or are others seeing the same.

Bill
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: PStechPaul on February 01, 2018, 01:00:43 AM
Also a blank for me. Acrobat Reader blocked 3-D content but still no joy after enabling it.

You might want to look into the "Gyro-Glove":

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/545456/hope-in-a-glove-for-parkinsons-patients/ (https://www.technologyreview.com/s/545456/hope-in-a-glove-for-parkinsons-patients/)

(https://cdn.technologyreview.com/i/images/Gyrogearx299.jpg?sw=280)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFzHYU3aVAY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rZpqryeAvs

You might be able to adapt a camera stabilizer for your purposes:

https://www.amazon.com/camera-gyro-stabilizer/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acamera%20gyro%20stabilizer
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on February 01, 2018, 03:55:16 PM
Bill/All:

When I first open the PDF from the thread I see a blank white sheet with a grey box in the upper left-hand corner.  The grey box has a red question mark in it.  Is that what you're seeing?

If so then there should be a yellow bar across the top of the screen with an "Options" button/tab towards the right-hand side.  It was about even with the edge of the white area on my PC.  This will give you a pull down menu with the options of "Always trust this document" or "Trust this document once".  Select one of them, because if you don't tell your PC security to "trust" the document it won't allow you to enable the content.

After you've "trusted" the document then you can click on the grey box and enable the content. Not sure if you need to left click or right click, can't get into that screen while I'm typing this.

After you've trusted the document and enabled the content you SHOULD see the model on the screen.  That's what worked for me anyway when I opened the PDF from the thread.  If that doesn't help then we need to go further into the realm of IT and cyber-security than I care to delve, or I am qualified to for that matter.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: b.lindsey on February 01, 2018, 06:18:12 PM
Thanks Don. It doesn't work for me within the thread, but if I download and save the .pdf file and then open it from my desktop I get exactly what you describe. Could be a settings problem on my end, but I can see the 3D drawing now  :)

Bill
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on February 01, 2018, 07:14:16 PM
Bill:

I haven't figured out how to embed the PDF within the thread yet, that's why it's attached.  I downloaded the file too.  When downloading the PDF my system asks whether I want to open the file, or save it.  I just tell it to open the file, I figure that I can always do a "Save As" from Adobe if it's something I really want to keep.  That way I don't have extra files laying around taking up hard drive space.  With todays drives this isn't a problem, just a habit left over from the "OLD" days when we thought that we'd NEVER fill up a 100MEG hard drive.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: crueby on February 01, 2018, 07:53:00 PM
Bill:

I haven't figured out how to embed the PDF within the thread yet, that's why it's attached.  I downloaded the file too.  When downloading the PDF my system asks whether I want to open the file, or save it.  I just tell it to open the file, I figure that I can always do a "Save As" from Adobe if it's something I really want to keep.  That way I don't have extra files laying around taking up hard drive space.  With todays drives this isn't a problem, just a habit left over from the "OLD" days when we thought that we'd NEVER fill up a 100MEG hard drive.

Don
We thought it was a big deal when we got the first 50meg drive, first we had without the removable platter stack in it....
 :old:

Good thing I'm not as old as Zee, he had to carve his own bits to code with...!  :stickpoke:
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: Admiral_dk on February 01, 2018, 09:22:08 PM
I don't know about carving the bits  ;) but the first harddisks I worked with where 5MB. The newer ones where 5.25" full height and the old ones where 14" remove able - the drive weighted 135Kg. ~ 297 pounds.
The more annoying fact was the newer 5.25" drives crashed a few times every day and you just might have lost all in such a crash - we had tape backup for the same reason (it took 10 minutes to make a backup).

This was back between 1979 and 1985 - the next gen 10MB drives where a lot better - like a month between crashes, and a few years further down the line we almost stopped making backups .... until we got servers.
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: PStechPaul on February 02, 2018, 03:02:23 AM
Took a screen shot:

(http://enginuitysystems.com/pix/Soldering_Steady_3D.PNG)
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on February 07, 2018, 08:34:14 PM
I haven't had a chance to work on this "fix" lately, I've been working on cleaning up the rat's nest of cables that has existed at the RAMPS board since I first got the printer, see attached photo.

It's been quite the learning experience.  Eventually I determined that the RAMPS board uses both Dupont connectors and JST connectors.  JST connectors are the little white connectors used on the RAMPS board - and Dupont connectors are the skinny black connectors that are about 1/2 the thickness of a JST connector

I have 2, 3 and 4 pin JST connections on my ramps board so I ordered a kit of bodies, connectors and male pin headers so that I could make up any connection I needed - I thought.  I also ordered a crimper, the Chinese generic equivalent of an SN-28B, that SAID it would crimp both JST connectors.   Don't you believe it, an SN-28B does a Jim-Dandee job of crimping Dupont connectors but it will cut a JST connector in half if you try using it to crimp a JST connection, DAMHIK. 

I ordered another crimper that was strictly for JST connectors, not knowing any better I ordered the crimper for the smaller pitches 0.5 - 1.0 - 1.5.  I've got the itty-bitty connectors right?  Ummmm... not so much, couldn't get the connectors to fit in the crimper without crushing something.  It finally dawned on me that the pitch numbers are referring to the center to center spacing of the pins in mm.  I've got a 0.1" center to center spacing on the pins or - wait for it - 2.54mm.  I looked into getting different crimper dies for the crimper I already had.  I could get die sets to crimp just about everything EXCEPT the ones I actually needed.  Sooo... ordered ANOTHER crimper, this time for the 2.54 and 3.96 pitches.

When JST connector set arrived it was for 6, 7, 8 and 9 pin connectors.  This wasn't what I ordered - was it?  Go back to the order, yup - it's EXACTLY what I ordered, CRAP, CRAP, CRAP, CRAP, CRAP.  Back to EBAY - check.  Find 2, 3, 4, and 5 pin JST connector kit, in 2.54mm pitch - check.  Buy now - check.  Wait... DAMN I hate waiting.

My 2.54 pitch crimper finally arrived last night and I can NOW properly crimp 2.54 JST connectors, most of the time.  I still get a 10-20%, or more, reject rate - but I blame that on operator error, not the equipment.  I got 4 out of 5 stepper motor cables shortened last night and one of the axis limit switches done before my neck got sore from being hunched over for hours.  I only had one boo-boo and that was on the Z axis limit switch cable, didn't have it plugged in completely.  Tonight I should be able to get take care of the rest of the cables and maybe even get the RAMPS board enclosure installed.  However because of my little Z axis limit switch boo-boo, I now get to re-level the X axis.  Oh the joys of owning/maintaining a 3D printer.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: zeeprogrammer on February 07, 2018, 10:11:13 PM
Bill:

I haven't figured out how to embed the PDF within the thread yet, that's why it's attached.  I downloaded the file too.  When downloading the PDF my system asks whether I want to open the file, or save it.  I just tell it to open the file, I figure that I can always do a "Save As" from Adobe if it's something I really want to keep.  That way I don't have extra files laying around taking up hard drive space.  With todays drives this isn't a problem, just a habit left over from the "OLD" days when we thought that we'd NEVER fill up a 100MEG hard drive.

Don
We thought it was a big deal when we got the first 50meg drive, first we had without the removable platter stack in it....
 :old:

Good thing I'm not as old as Zee, he had to carve his own bits to code with...!  :stickpoke:

50Meg! What waste!
Go back a bit further. Started with a 5 Meg drive. Then a 10! We were swimming in space...and then came Windows.

And yes, I started with Hollerith cards.
I couldn't believe my fortune when RAM chips doubled in size from 1K to 2K.
Then 8" floppies.

I'm watching this thread because it's a classic case of 'got a problem - will solve problem' and it's a problem that touches, or will touch, many of us.
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: PStechPaul on February 08, 2018, 02:07:22 AM
I wasn't familiar with JST connectors, so I looked it up:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JST_connector

I bought some male and female connector pins (https://www.banggood.com/100Pcs-Dupont-Jumper-Wire-Cable-Female-Pin-Connector-2_54-Interval-p-79876.html?rmmds=myorder) and housings that would probably work for the 100 mil (2.54mm) connectors. Pins were about $2/100, housings $1 to $5/100. I use an AMP service tool crimper for these and other small crimp connectors.

(http://enginuitysystems.com/pix/electronics/SIL_100_3802.jpg)

(http://enginuitysystems.com/pix/electronics/SIL_100_3806.jpg)

(http://enginuitysystems.com/pix/electronics/SIL_100_3811.jpg)

(http://enginuitysystems.com/pix/electronics/SIL_100_3812.jpg)

(http://enginuitysystems.com/pix/electronics/SIL_100_3815.jpg)

(http://enginuitysystems.com/pix/electronics/SIL_100_3817.jpg)

The wire was a bit small for the connector, so I added solder:
(http://enginuitysystems.com/pix/electronics/SIL_100_3819.jpg)

(http://enginuitysystems.com/pix/electronics/SIL_100_3820.jpg)

Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on February 08, 2018, 04:04:22 PM
Paul:

What you are showing are the Dupont type connectors.  The pin and socket terminals for a Dupont connector will not work in a JST connector.

In a Dupont connector the pins and socket terminals are held into the plastic body of the connector by a small plastic tab molded into the body.  You can see the tabs in your last picture.  The Dupont connector terminals are also longer that the JST terminals.

The pin and socket terminals for a JST connector are held into the plastic connector body by an itty-bitty metal tang that is part of the terminal.  That tang was part of reason I was getting such a high reject rate at first.  I don't know if my Chinese crimper dies are on the wide side of the Quality Control limits, or if my crimp terminals tang position is on the narrow side of the Quality Control limits, but for some reason my crimper was smashing that tang flat.  With no tang, there is noting to hold the crimped terminal in the plastic connector body.  My current work around is to bend the tang up about 30° to 45°.  This gives me the fraction of a mm clearance that I need between the crimper die and the tang when crimping a termination.

Yes, I know that you can crimp the terminals with something other than the specified crimper, I used to do it with just a small needle nosed plier.  You just need to crimp the wire and the insulation separately.   The problem is I shake enough already, I don't need to give myself MORE chances to screw something up.  The correct tool crimps both the insulation and the wire in one action, eazie-peazie.

Besides, I'm a tool junkie.  There, I said it, but I ain't proud of it - at least not too much.  Maybe I need to find my local TA (Tools Anonymous) and go to a meeting?  You know, the kind of meeting where you stand up and say "Hi, I'm Don and I'm a tool junkie".

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on February 16, 2018, 09:49:44 PM
Haven't had too much time to work on this lately.  I got done killing evicting all the rats and cleaning up their nest, that's the 1st photo.

My Mom's not doing too well, she's 94 and broke her right hip the day after Christmas, so I've had a few other higher priority things to work on.  However I did get a little more work done on the soldering rig.  I took a screen shot of the 3D PDF, that the second photo.  If you want to view the 3D PDF I am attaching that too, that way you can manipulate the view to see any angle you want.

The solder drive is currently a pair of 3D printer Bowden extruder drive gears.  Although that may change to just one gear with the solder being pressed between the gear and a bearing.

Ii doesn't show it in detail yet, but the iron will be advanced/retracted by a 3D printed rack and pinion set-up.  I finally found a site that takes you through gear design in all the excruciating detail that you can stand.

More to come,
Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on March 01, 2018, 03:18:50 PM
No progress to report, my Mom passed away on the 20th so my brothers and I have been a little busy for the last week or so.  She had everything pretty well planned out and we knew what her wishes were, so most of the heavy lifting had already been done.  It seemed like there was still an awful lot of leg work that needed to be done.  We'll pretty much wrap things up tomorrow - so by Monday things will start to feel a little more "normal".

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on March 14, 2018, 05:13:39 PM
Well, this is embarrassing, I was printing ellipses when I should have been printing circles.  I knew that my X and Z axis' were off by about 2% and that my Y axis was off by about 6%.  I also knew that Slic3r would allow me to either scale X, Y, and Z uniformly, or to scale only one axis at a time.  So I came up with a clever plan M'Lords.  I would scale the X axis to 98%, then scale the Y axis to 94%, and then scale the Z axis to 98%.  I ASSUMED that this would then give me a dimensionally accurate part and merrily started printing some of the required parts for this soldering jig.  Ummmm.... not so much.  I spent many hours last weekend printing 20mm cubes and varying the scaling factor before I tumbled onto this fact, Slic3r allows you to scale a single axis, but when you do this it always starts with the original model.  The selected object on the screen may look like it is being re-scaled multiple times, but that is not what is actually happening. 

Well, NUTS!!!  I was going to have to get into the Arduino code to modify the steps/mm settings of the axis.  I have been trying to avoid this since I don't have the files for my version of Marlin.  I didn't want to break my printer any worse than it already was.

Then I discovered the M92 command, at least I think it's M92, I'll have to double check that when I get home tonight.  Anywhooo, I was already doing several other things in the startup section of the g-code file, so I added a line that gets included in every g-code file that Slic3r generates which sets my steps/mm.  Now it's job done, I'm currently printing 20mm cubes with dimensions of 20.030mm x 20.030mm x 19.968mm.  I can probably tweak the steps/mm settings to get a little closer if I REALLY want to.

I know, I know, without pictures this is worthless - cut me some slack.  I left the memory stick containing the pictures hanging out of my computer at home.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on April 11, 2018, 10:26:00 PM
Finally getting back to this little project, life got in the road - the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and all that.

I've done some more design work, printed some prototype parts and I am doing some re-design.  I got both the front and rear soldering iron clamps printed along the solder roll holder.  I had to scrap them and re-design the clamps, I realized that there was no easy way to get the soldering iron into/out of the clamps other than prying the clamps open and threading the cord through both clamps.  I've also got the first version of the solder feeder printed.  I'm going to have to also scrap it because it won't work with the latest version of the soldering iron clamps, it does a great job of feeding the solder though.  The solder feeder is based on a 12mm, 20 tooth 3D printer extruder drive gear with a 5mm bore.

There's a lot to consider when designing the parts for 3D printing, especially when that part has multiple tabs at 90° that are all load bearing.  A part that looks good on the screen might just blow apart when you try putting a 3mm nut into a press fit pocket - DAMHIK.  I should have a usable part within a couple of days and I'll get a family photo when I've got something that works. Or at least parts that don't break when I  try bolting them together.

The rack and pinion for the soldering iron advance/retract is designed, at least the Mk. I version is designed.  I'm hoping to get it printed within the next couple of days to see if it will actually work.  I'm kind of anxious about that particular bit of hardware since it will be the first time I've done any work with gears, let alone 3D printed gears.

Pretty soon I might even be able to answer my own question as to whether or not you can 3D print usable dies for a tube bender, since I need to put a 45° bend in the solder guide tube.  I'm designing the solder guide around 3/32"OD K&S aluminum tubing with a 0.014" wall.  This will give me around a 1/16" ID which should allow plenty of wiggle room for 0.030" solder.

If I remember it, I'll get an updated version of the 3D PDF file when I get home tonight.  (I'm an old fart and my rememberer doesn't always work that well, but my forgeterer works just fine.)

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: zeeprogrammer on April 11, 2018, 10:51:59 PM
Still watching and glad you're continuing to make progress.  :ThumbsUp:

Sorry to hear about your mom.
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on April 12, 2018, 04:41:46 PM
Okay, I got's pictures and stuff, see attachments.

The first attachment is the latest 3D PDF file, we've already gone over how to open it up.

The second attachment is a picture of some of the parts that didn't make the cut for one reason or another.  In the first row, next to the ruler, is what I am calling the Pinion Mount.  If you look closely you can see where the tab popped off when I tried to insert the 3mm nut.  In the second row, from left to right, are the Front Soldering Iron Clamp, the Solder Feed Assembly, and the Rear Soldering Iron Clamp.  The feed assembly, while it worked just fine, did not clear the re-designed soldering iron clamps.

The third attachment, second picture, is a shot of the Pinion - hot off the presses as it were.  I've got to work with Slic3r on my first printed layer.  It's smooshing too much and I get a lot of flash that has to be cleaned off the part.

The last attachment is a family shot of all the parts in all their glory.  I know that it's a crappy picture but it was late and I was tired - deal with it.  Everything goes together, not well, but it goes together.  The rack and pinion work better than I hoped they would, it's the knob that I'm having trouble with.  I've got to work on my tolerances when I'm printing, I tend to not allow enough.  I end up with an interference fit where I'm aiming for a sliding fit.  I also don't usually allow enough for the way the slicer determines the top of the part.  For instance I usually print a 0.3mm first layer with 0.2mm layers.  If the part is 10mm thick, usually the slicer says 9.9mm is good enough, but sometimes it goes to 10.1mm - still trying to wrap my head around that one.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on April 14, 2018, 04:48:45 AM
Good news/Bad news:

The good news is that I played around with the clearances, then reprinted both the Solder Drive Mount and the Solder Drive Knob.  I got a reasonable fit, one that I could mostly live with.

The bad news is that the stinkin' thing don't fit.  One of the walls of the Solder Drive Mount only had minimal thickness, 1-1.5mm-ish, so I beefed it up to about 2.5-3mm.  Yup, I beefed it up right into the soldering iron.  Now that I know where to look I can see the problem on the 3D model.  Oh well, Kay-Sarah-Sarah and all that.  I've got to move the Solder Drive Mount a couple of mm away from the soldering iron, which will move the solder centerline.  The bottom line is that I've got to re-design and re-print at least 3 parts.

I've got to re-design the top half of the front soldering iron clamp because it's got a hole printed through it for the solder guide tube, on the solder centerline.  I've got to change the Solder Drive Mount because it's too thin to properly support the Solder Drive Knob - lets it flop around under pressure.  I'll make a pocket for the mounting nut at the same time.  Finally since I'm changing the thickness of the Solder Drive Mount, I've got to modify the shoulder on the Solder Drive Knob.

Right now, it's late and I'm pissed irritated, I'm gonna watch a little TV then go to bed.  No pictures tonight, when I get this straightened out I'll take a Family shot of what I've got printed, including the soldering iron and solder roll.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on April 19, 2018, 07:11:11 PM
Well, I've got a couple of pictures to share.  The first attachment is the family shot of everything bolted together.  Looks nice, doesn't work - at least not the solder feed, but it looks nice.  It's sitting on my printer build platform which is 8" x 8" so that will give you a size reference.  The second attachment is the current Mk. IV version of the solder feed drive.  It also looks nice and it also doesn't work properly.  I tried something new, I tried to export a 3D PDF of just the layers of the 3D model that had the new roller design on it.  What I got was EVERYTHING, including the original design.   Can't tell where the old version stops and the new version starts so I'm not going to attach that.  I'm on the Solder Feed Drive Mk. IV, and I'm still not happy with it.

Mk. I - This version interfered with the soldering iron, it had to go.

Mk. II - This version didn't interfere with the soldering any more.  However, I found out that I didn't have enough support and the knob would flex in the mount allowing the drive gear to slip on the solder, so this version had to go.

Mk. III - In this version I redesigned the shaft of the knob and the mounting bracket that it fits into.  That eliminated the flexing of the knob.  But the drive no longer works reliably, the drive gear did not put enough pressure on the solder to pull the solder off the roll.  I also have determined that my parts fit issues have been in part due to over-extrusion.  I had increased my extrusion rate to try and compensate for a gap between filaments in thin walls, under 2mm.  I have since switched to the Prusa version of Slic3r which seems to handle thin walls better, or maybe it's just that I've been designing my own stuff and I avoid walls under 2mm thick.  I've also decreased my extrusion rate by about 6%.  This helped on the smooshing, flash, and extra plastic that I was getting on the first layer.  I think the overall fit and appearance of the parts has improved too.  Any how, on to the Mk. IV.

Mk.IV - The current version has an adjustable roller that I thought would allow me to put enough pressure between the roller and the drive gear to keep the solder from slipping, but it turned out not to work quite right.  It feeds a short piece of solder just fine, but it won't pull the solder off the roll.  I think the roller mounting bracket is flexing enough to allow the solder to slip.  Apparently I didn't learn my lesson with the MK. III.  I even re-designed the mounting brackets to put more beef into the roller mount.  However I'm not sure that even my new design would work.  Oh well - on to Mk V?

While I was driving into work this morning I had a brain fart.  My daily commute is about an hour each way so it gives me some time to think.  I like the idea of an adjustable roller and I want to keep it, so I'm thinking maybe I should mount the roller on an adjustable lever.  I can use a bolt to clamp the lever down and adjust the pressure.  I'll probably get less flex than I am now.  The big problem is that I'm already trying to put 10 pounds in a 5 pound sack and this is just trying to put more junk into an already limited volume.  I'll need to pivot the end of the lever somewhere.  I can't go back towards the solder roll because that will just make feeding the solder MORE difficult.  Going to the front with the pivot is about my only option, but that will make printing the solder drive mounting bracket more difficult.  Not impossible but it means printing with support where I don't use support on the current design.

'Til next time,
Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on April 20, 2018, 09:27:39 PM
I think we've got a winner!

The Mk. V solder feed drive looks like it could just work.  I haven't tried to pull solder off the roll with it yet, but I've got a good feeling about this one.  It just feels solid, if you know what I mean.  I designed a roller on an adjustable lever arm, like I described in my last post.  Over the weekend I'll bolt everything back together on the soldering iron and try pulling solder off the roll.  I'll post some pictures and let you know how it worked on Monday.

I've found that I need to loosen the tension or the roller when I thread the solder through the feeder.  That's no big deal, because it's pretty much standard industry practice to release the pressure on the rollers when re-threading a machine.

Now that I'm pretty sure I've got a working solder drive, the next hurdle will be to build the tube bender so I can make the bend in the solder feed tube.  After that I can see if the Mk.V will push the solder around the 45°-ish bend in the tube and through the 3" - 4" length of the tube , otherwise it'll be on to Mk. VI.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: b.lindsey on April 21, 2018, 01:14:56 PM
Was just checking in on your progress Don and that is quite a rig you have come up with. I like how you have used the 3D printing in this project too. It seems like you are getting close now, just keep after it :)

Bill
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: zeeprogrammer on April 21, 2018, 02:06:23 PM
Looks like you're making great progress.

I see you're driving the solder using the same/similar method used to drive the plastic in the 3D printer.
For the 3D printer, the mechanism not only has to pull the plastic from the roll but needs force to extrude.
In this case, you only need to pull the solder off the roll.
I don't think it matters, but if you're unhappy with the serrations in the solder caused by the toothed wheel, you could probably get away with smooth hard rubber pinch rollers.

Apologies if you've already considered this.
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on April 22, 2018, 06:06:26 AM
No pictures yet, computer software issues at home - going to have to fire the IT department.

However when I bolted the Mk. V up to the rest of the parts it passed the first test - it pulls solder off from a full 1/2 pound roll of solder.  That's the biggest roll I wanted to handle so it's on to the next hurdle, seeing if the Mk. V will push the solder down the guide tube and around the corner.  Gotta' get the tube bender built, but that's my other build and I'm workin' on it.

Zee - The solder drive gear is an E3D Mk. VII extruder drive gear, I figured "Why re-invent the wheel?"  Plus now I've got a couple of spares if my printer extruder drive gear craps out.  The Parts department loves it when they can share spare parts between multiple pieces of equipment.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: GailinNM on April 22, 2018, 05:55:23 PM
 :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:
Great progress Don.
I have been following along since the beginning of the thread. I am working on a similar but different project to suit my particular difficulties.

I had a stroke about 6 years ago so my hands don't always do what I tell them , but that is still improving.  While in rehab they gave me a tablet and told me to draw the letter "A".  Try to keep it on the paper. It took a few days.   But the biggest problem is I started to lose my vision about 20 years ago.  As of  the end of last year I was declared legally blind.  So all soldering is done under a microscope or video magnifier.  Workholding and positioning is very important. That is the thrust of my current efforts.

I will be here for the duration  Good luck on the project and successful outcome.

Gail in NM

Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on April 23, 2018, 08:48:25 PM
The soldering iron Family photo that I told you I'd get is attached.

I'm really starting to think that I can actually get this thing built.  Six months ago I, because of the dimensional issues I had when printing I wasn't so sure I could do it - at least not with this printer.

I think I'm finally getting the X and Y axis dimensional issues beaten into submission.  I'm just going the have to accept the fact that you can't print a partial layer, so +/- half a layer of the actual dimension is about as close as I can expect the Z axis to get.

The tube bender build is progressing nicely so now I'm going to have to give some serious thought as to what goes in front of the soldering iron.  An X-Y positioning table of some sort with clamps to hold the work steady at the very least.

Whatever it is it will involve 3D printed parts and probably a goodly amount of that brown non-homogeneous organic material that Jo dis-likes so much.  If for no other reason than it makes such a lovely thermal break.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on September 06, 2018, 07:17:00 PM
It's been a while, April 23rd was the last time I posted to this topic.  I haven't forgotten about this, but I have had a few other things going on.

A couple of days ago I was modifying my 3D printer, changing the filament cooling fan from an axial fan to a radial blower, and I needed to make up a couple of JST style 2 pin crimp connectors.  It's REALLY hard to thread those itty-bitty 28AWG wires into the crimp terminal when the fine motor control on your hands doesn't want to cooperate all the time.

I need something to hold the crimping pliers steady while I thread the wire into the crimp terminal.  I happened to be looking at this soldering iron rig at the time and I had one of those AHA moments.  I've got most of this designed already.  A clamp to hold the pliers, a little X-Y-Z table using the rack and pinion that I already know works, a board to hold it all, and I'm in business.

A few hours design time tonight stealing the rack and pinion that I've already designed and tested, and tomorrow I should have something to show for my work.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: zeeprogrammer on September 06, 2018, 08:18:04 PM
 :ThumbsUp: Looking forward to seeing it.
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: Admiral_dk on September 06, 2018, 10:05:26 PM
I really hope you succeed with this project  :cheers:

Best wishes

Per
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on September 10, 2018, 09:22:04 PM
I got side-tracked on a couple of other 3D printing projects.  One of the side brackets that hold my desk lamp in position broke when I tried to move the light, the thing's probably over 20 years old by now.  I probably should just pitch it and get a different one, but it's like an old friend now so I keep it around.

I modeled new side brackets, printed them, and now the light's back in business.  They got a little screwed up, the round-over on the ribs got a little ugly.  I'll use them for now, even if they are blue.  I'll redesign them so they'll print better and print them in black so they match the rest of the light.

I also started printing test parts for an RC project that has been on the back burner for some time, an RC Bruder Cat tracked skid-steer loader.  Making parts for my RC projects was one of the reasons that I got a 3D printer in the first place.

I'll get back to this in a couple of days and get a small X-Y-Z table designed that I can then steal for use on the soldering iron project.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on September 14, 2018, 07:32:07 PM
Started work on the X-Y-Z table for the crimper last night.  It took me a while to figure out how I could import a component into a new design and then modify it in the new design without effecting the original component.  I've already got the rack and pinion designed and tested for the soldering iron, no need to re-invent the wheel if I could use that as a starting point.

The plan is to pre-load the terminal in the crimper, set the crimper into a fixed socket, insert the wire into the terminal, and squeeze the crimper handles to finish the crimp.  Then it's just a matter of lather, rinse, and repeat to crimp more terminals.

In my mind's eye I can "see" how I want the table to work.  I need to be able to clamp the wire to the table, some how.  I need to be able to move the wire in the "X" direction to insert the stripped portion in the terminal, less than 25mm.  I need to be able to move the wire in the "Y" and "Z" directions to center it in the terminal, probably a max of 10-15mm in each direction.  My crimper dies have openings for 2 different sizes of terminal, so I need to be able to get to either one with the crimper in one location.  I'm gonna make the wire go to the terminal, not the terminal go to the wire.

Now it's just a matter of making that happen in a printable design.  I figure I'll work my way up through one axis at a time.  Applying the lessons learned from the previous axis to the current one.  I also don't like post-processing the parts, I try to avoid any extra work.  So I print without supports and avoid overhangs like the plague.  That's probably one of the reasons my designs look so square and chunky.  That and the fact that both Designspark and I suck at blending surfaces.  Flat horizontal and flat vertical surfaces seem to print the best, at least for me and my printer.  I also don't use a brim unless it's absolutely needed to ensure print bed adhesion, and I use "elephant's foot compensation"  - shrinks the first layer a preset amount - for minimal part cleanup.  Once I get the design for the crimper out of my head and into the computer, then I can shamelessly steal that design for use with the soldering iron.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on September 18, 2018, 07:43:48 PM
Got an FYI for you if you use Designspark Mechanical for your 3D software.

I was working on the X-Y-Z table design and I've discovered a method that will turn the Designspark software into a gibbering idiot.  I was trying to come up with my own design for a sacrificial support piece.  When Slicer generates support it's sometimes a little hit-or-miss where it puts that support, so I was trying to add a part that I had designed.  I was trying to extrude a surface from a rather thin part along it's long axis, think cooling fins.  The part was about 0.4mm or 2 filament widths wide and the surface that I was trying to extrude was at a 45° angle to the direction it was being extruded.

Locked that sucker right up, my PC wouldn't even respond to the 3 fingered salute - Control-Alt-Delete for you non-geek types.  I had to power down the computer and start over.  When I started over naturally the file was not recovered - that would be too easy.  So I had to re-do the design from the last point that I saved it, and I'm terrible at remembering to save often. 

I did this exact same thing about 4-5 times before I realized that it was locking up at the same point every time and that I was causing it.  I'm a slow learner sometimes.  I don't know if it was because the part was so thin, or what.  I've extruded angled surfaces on thicker parts before with no problems.

You've been warned,
Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on September 26, 2018, 03:19:24 PM
Well, I WAS going to show the progress that I made on designing the X-Y-Z table for the crimper, but is seems that some dummy sent me the wrong PDF file last night.  What I got, the attachment, is a simplified model of just the crimper jaws and the holder that the crimper will sit in.  I didn't model the rest of the crimper because there was really no reason to, so I saved myself some time.

I've got the rough design for the table done.  I used the rack and pinion from the soldering iron as the basis for the table positioning.  It won't be stable enough to use for any truly accurate positioning, but it will be good enough to put a wire in a terminal for crimping.  I still have to come up with a way to clamp onto the wire, but that should be fairly easy.  I did leave a place where I can put that clamp though.

I've got to get this thing built, I've got some cables that I will need to build for another project and this should make it easier to build those cables. 

The plan for using this monstrosity will be as follows:
1 - Pre-load the terminal in the crimper.
2 - Place the crimper in its' holder.
3 - Load the wire in the wire clamp.
4 - Use the X-Y-Z table to position the wire in the terminal.
5 - Crimp the terminal.
6 - Lather, rinse, repeat until done.

It'll make more sense tomorrow when you can actually see the drawing.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: Admiral_dk on September 26, 2018, 08:52:44 PM
I don't know why but I thought that having something holding the fiddly bits while "operating the handle" would be that way to go ...  :thinking:
It never occurred to me that holding the tool instead would be the solution .... except if the tool was foot operated  :noidea:
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on September 26, 2018, 10:11:48 PM
Admiral_dk:

I have a tremor in BOTH hands, so I'm trying to hold everything steady without using my hands to do it.  Right now I rest my hands on a steady surface to try and minimize the tremor.  But that only works so-so, especially when you're working with some of the itty-bitty signal wires used now.  That's why soldering is almost impossible.

Taking decent pictures can be an adventure too since I don't have a tripod, camera always seems to move for some reason.  It usually takes me 2-3 tries to get a keeper.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ShopShoe on September 27, 2018, 03:34:17 PM
FWIW,

May not work for your photography, but some YouTubers are using NOGA indicator holders to hold their cameras.

Just a thought,

--ShopShoe

P.S.: Manfrotto (Who make tripods) also make a lot of different brackets, adapters, arms, etc. that one can adapt for all types of camera holding.
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: Admiral_dk on September 27, 2018, 04:51:03 PM
Quote
I have a tremor in BOTH hands, so I'm trying to hold everything steady without using my hands to do it.

Yes I get it - you got much higher motivation than me (or at least for now). My problems so far is when trying to place 0603 SMT components on a prototype PCB's ….

Best wishes

Per
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on September 27, 2018, 07:39:56 PM
OK, this time I've got the right PDF.  I've attached a screen-print of the 3D PDF, and the PDF itself.

If you look at the PDF, ignore the rack and pinion floating off in space.  Apparently when Designspark generates a 3D PDF, it includes EVERY component, even if they are turned off in the structure tree.  I erased the extra at bits out of the screen-print.

I'll probably have to support the connection between the X-axis rack and the Y-axis rack.  Right now they will just be bolted together, even though I don't show the bolts.  I've got a feeling that connection is the weak point that will allow the Y and Z axis to flop around.  Just giving that connection something to slide on should make a big difference.  I'll finish up the design and start printing parts tonight.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: Admiral_dk on September 27, 2018, 09:17:10 PM
Thank you for the 3D pdf - that really helped "getting the whole picture", when you can "turn" the model and see it from different angles  :ThumbsUp:

I can't guaranty that this version will be the perfect one - but it certainly makes sense to try it, as it appears to give you a fine control over the wire and the crimper  :ThumbsUp:

One question - will the crimper it self hold the connector part to be crimped onto the wire ? ... I know that some of the do ... and will your design allow you to place it in the crimper too ?
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on September 27, 2018, 10:26:56 PM
Per:

The crimper has a ratcheting mechanism on it as the jaws close.  I've found that 3 clicks locks the terminal in position, but isn't crimping it shut yet.  The blue block in the PDF has a pocket that the crimper slips into holding it in location side to side and fore/aft while the wire is being inserted - I hope.

At least it looks like it will work on the model, we'll see about real life.  I may need to modify the blue block to keep the crimper more stable, time will tell.

By changing out the blue block I should be able to use this same set-up with my crimper for the black Dupont connectors.  That's one of the reasons that I've got so much travel in the X-Y-Z directions, to allow for using this with multiple crimpers.  The Dupont crimper has 3 or 4 crimping positions in the jaws for the various terminal sizes due to different pitches of the connectors.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on September 28, 2018, 03:07:53 PM
I was able to actually USE my soldering iron rig last night.  Not in the manner that I originally intended, but I was able to use it none the less.

I needed to put together a battery adapter cable for an RC project I'm working on and I was thinking about crimping it together with butt splices - EEEEEWWWWW....  Then I saw the soldering iron sitting there in its' holder - Hmmmm....

I used the soldering iron rig, that I've got partially completed, to hold the soldering iron steady.  I clamped the wires in position to solder using an El'Cheapo special 3rd hand clamp.  You know the kind I'm talking about, 2 alligator clips mounted on an adjustable bar.  I then slid the wires to the soldering iron and used my ever-so-steady hands to apply the solder to the heated joint.

10-15 minutes worth of set up/head-scratching time, and a couple of minutes soldering time later and I'm heat shrinking the insulation over the successfully completed solder joints in the battery adapter cable.  I can sorta solder again.

I can see the light at the end of this shaking hands tunnel and it ain't no stinkin' train.

Don

Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on September 28, 2018, 03:24:32 PM
Almost forgot, I printed out a couple of parts for the crimping jig last night, the crimper holder and the X-axis rack mounting block.  Family photo is attached.

The crimper fits in its' holder, almost as if the holder was designed for it, imagine that!  I'm going to have to add an additional support somewhere under the handle though, the crimper will NEVER remain steady enough to complete the crimp as things are now.  It's blocked up in the picture by an Exacto knife handle.  I guess I'll have to model at least part of the crimper handles after all.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: Admiral_dk on September 28, 2018, 08:08:56 PM
Glad to hear that you had some useful success   :ThumbsUp: that always feels good :cheers:
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: Mosey on September 29, 2018, 01:59:14 PM
Awhile back reference was made to JST Connectors. It is my understanding this means "Japanese Standard Terminal, and does not specify one particular size of terminal, rather a whole set of them. Am I correct?
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: Bluechip on September 29, 2018, 02:09:55 PM
I know them as 'Japan Solderless Terminals' . ( Manufacturer )

Dave

CPC-Farnell search for 'JST'

https://cpc.farnell.com/w/search/prl/results?brand=jst-japan-solderless-terminals
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: zeeprogrammer on September 29, 2018, 04:13:24 PM
Congrats Don. That's some fine progress.  :ThumbsUp:
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: Mosey on September 29, 2018, 10:35:40 PM
I know them as 'Japan Solderless Terminals' . ( Manufacturer )

Dave

CPC-Farnell search for 'JST'

https://cpc.farnell.com/w/search/prl/results?brand=jst-japan-solderless-terminals
I'm corrected, TY.
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: Mosey on October 01, 2018, 01:24:23 PM
BTW, I noticed the crimping tool at that source for only 300Euros. Better get a couple at that price. Or go to the local auto parts store and get one for $12.00.
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on October 02, 2018, 02:46:28 PM
Awhile back reference was made to JST Connectors. It is my understanding this means "Japanese Standard Terminal, and does not specify one particular size of terminal, rather a whole set of them. Am I correct?

Mosey:

That's right.  The pitch that seems to be most widely used is the 2.54mm pitch, or 0.1".  That's one of the reasons that it took me 3 tries to get a crimper that would properly crimp the 2.54mm pitch terminals without requiring multiple crimps or mangling the terminal.

My crimper is a Chinese clone at $39.95.  If I was doing this professionally maybe I could justify the cost of the real live 300Euro crimper, but not for strictly hobby purposes.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: Bluechip on October 02, 2018, 03:37:36 PM
BTW, I noticed the crimping tool at that source for only 300Euros. Better get a couple at that price. Or go to the local auto parts store and get one for $12.00.

Don makes a valid point.

Depends on how much use it's going to get. If you only do 100 terminations a year in your shed then the £12 item is the one to go for. You might have to return the first two to get one that works ( sort of ) OK but then you're in business. If, as I did, you're doing 300+ crimps a day then the reason for the price difference will not escape your attention. At the end of the working day you will probably still have the use of your hand  ;D

Been there, done it. Yes, I DO have some 'professional' crimping tools and some 'budget' end  items.

I had one budget tool from a reputable source that was faulty. After crimping it was possible to pull the wire out with not too much effort. It's replacement was just the same. The third one DID actually do the job. Not the sort of thing to discover 200 miles from base at 3AM on a Sunday morning  :cussing:

The old saying 'You get what you pay for' is usually true.

Dave
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on October 02, 2018, 05:30:55 PM
Bluechip:

I know what you mean about those little surprises when you're far from home.  I was working on a project about 300 miles from home in an industrial system where we had to make up a bunch of custom Ethernet cables.  Not a single one of those cables would work.

Turns out the installer had borrowed a crimper from a friend that told him it should work for what he needed to do.  On close examination, really close examination using 10X magnification, we found that the crimper had shaved a tiny curl of plastic and left that curl of plastic on top of one of the contact pins in the connector.  It was late in the project and we wanted to get it over with, so after a little minor surgery to remove the curls of plastic everything was talking just fine.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on October 02, 2018, 06:50:03 PM
OK, the trip down memory lane has been fun but back to the topic at hand - a fix for the shakes, crimper version.

I got a few things printed out over the weekend, but yesterday was busy and I didn't get a chance to post any pictures.  The attachments are a couple of views of what this crimping station will sort of look like when it's set up for operation.  I probably should have tried a shot or two without the flash, then maybe things wouldn't have washed out so badly.

Anyway, what you are seeing is about my third or fourth attempt with minor tweaks between each attempt.  In the process I found out a couple of things:

1) I was right when I suspected that things might "sag" a bit.  That's why the 90° bracket that the X and Y racks are bolted to now has a "foot" under it and didn't in the original design.

2) My Z axis really flopped around when the X axis was moved.  Hence the sliding foot under the Z axis.  Because of this I could probably eliminate the foot under the X-Y connecting bracket but it was already printed, so....

3) What little playing that I did with this thing, moving the various axis around, I have discovered that while the rack and pinion allows very rapid movement, a 3D printed rack and pinion really sucks for the small movement required for the final positioning. 

With this in mind I think I will re-design the Y and Z axis scrapping the rack and pinion and going to a feed screw.  Those axis will only need to be set up once for each crimping position so speed of movement is the secondary consideration, accurate positioning is primary. (Axii?? Not sure what the plural of axis is.)  In all reality, the Y and Z axis only need a few mm of travel, 10-15mm max.  The Dupont style crimper might require more travel since it has more crimping positions on the jaws, but it's still within the length of the 3mm bolts that I have in stock and will use for the feed screws.

The X axis will also get re-designed, keeping the rack and pinion for rapid movement.  But it will also get a feed screw for the final fine tuning of position.

If I do this right, I will be able to keep the majority of what I have designed and built and just change/add a couple of parts to each axis.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on October 04, 2018, 07:43:30 PM
I crimped up a set of servo cables last night, they use 3 pin Dupont connectors.  I couldn't use the crimping station as it's not finished yet.  I did realize something of importance.  The way the crimper is oriented in the cradle, fixed handle down, I will not be able to verify that the wire is fully inserted into the terminal, the open part of the terminal will be facing down.

It looks like I've got a few options here, the first option is it's dental mirror time.  The problem with this option is that everything is going to be in shadow and thus harder to see. 

The second option would be to measure how deep the wire needs to go into the terminal and then measure to determine when the wire is fully inserted into the terminal.

The third option would be to rotate the crimper 180° back into it's normal hand-held position.  This would probably be the "best" option as it gets the terminal back into a position where it's easier to see what's going on with the wire.  The problem here is that I REALLY have no idea how to support the crimper in this position, everything on the bottom side of the crimper moves.  That's why I flipped it over in the first place.

Forth, I could install a CCTV camera and monitor the position of the wire/terminal - but now I'm just being silly?

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: Admiral_dk on October 04, 2018, 09:57:31 PM
Quote
If you look at the cross section drawing, you will see the rotor arm receives sparks from two different sources.

Well that depends on your eyes - how well are they doing ...?....
I can still see very small things when I remove my glasses - especially when light and contrast is good, but in other situations, when working on very small SMD components I do sometimes wish for just your fourth option ....
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on October 05, 2018, 04:08:20 PM
I reach for the Opti-visor any time that I need to do ANY small-ish work anymore.  It's HELL to get older isn't it?

If I get this and/or the soldering station working well enough, MAYBE I'll be able to work on SMD.  Right now that's just a pipe dream.  Any time I see electronics offered in kit form my first thought is "Yeah right, like that'll happen!"  And I used to love electronics kits.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: Admiral_dk on October 05, 2018, 08:24:58 PM
Well I do prefer to get old - I just wish we wouldn't be granted so many "old age medals" (problems and wrinkles) - the alternative is permanent  :zap:
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on October 11, 2018, 02:24:03 PM
While we're sort of on the subject of JST terminals, anybody know if there is a tool for extracting the terminals from an already built block?  If there is have you got a link to it?

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on October 15, 2018, 10:26:43 PM
I found this guy on ebay.    https://www.ebay.com/itm/JST-CONNECTOR-TERMINAL-PIN-EXTRACTOR-REMOVER-2-50-3-96mm-PITCH-ANY-PINS/183086617100?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/JST-CONNECTOR-TERMINAL-PIN-EXTRACTOR-REMOVER-2-50-3-96mm-PITCH-ANY-PINS/183086617100?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649)

For $8.00 I'm not out too much if it doesn't work very well.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on October 18, 2018, 07:04:10 PM
I've got the "Y" and "Z" axis modified with a feed screw for fine adjustment.  I used an M3 button head screw 35mm long, it gives me about a 20mm range of adjustment.  I'm using a sliding clamp for coarse adjustment,  I'm still working on the "X" axis.  I'm trying to keep the rack and pinion on this axis because it needs to move in and out with every terminal crimped.  The "Y" and "Z" axis SHOULD only have to be moved when a different type of terminal is crimped.  I think I have something figured out that will allow me to use the rack for coarse adjustment and also use a feed screw for fine adjustment.  I printed out some parts last night, tonight I'll get the rest printed and see if my idea worked.  I'll take some pictures when I've got something that works.

I managed to  lose my 3D CAD work for the "Y" and "Z" axis fine adjustment that I did over the weekend.  I was routinely saving my work while doing it, but the version of DesignSpark that I am using, version 2.1, has this nasty habit.  Unless you specifically tell it to save in the RSDOC format the 3D CAD requires, it will save in whatever format was used last.  Since I was saving STL files to print the parts, my CAD work was saved in STL format.  DesignSpark WILL import an STL file, but I don't know what it uses to scale the objects from STL to CAD.  An object that measured 8mm in real life, indicated it was 382mm when imported from STL.  Between the scaling issues and the number of facets that I would have to correct, I just gave up on that idea and re-created my CAD work.  3D CAD goes SOOO much faster when you can measure an actual size part that you know works and then just draw that.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: Admiral_dk on October 18, 2018, 09:37:20 PM
Quote
I managed to  lose my 3D CAD work for the "Y" and "Z" axis fine adjustment that I did over the weekend.

Oh man I bet you felt like  :Mad:  :cussing: or even  :killcomputer:

This is absolutely not a nice feature of that software pack  :Doh:

Glad to hear that you have progress none the less  :ThumbsUp:
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on October 19, 2018, 09:57:37 PM
Admiral_dk:

Pretty much all of the above.

However on a brighter note, the last time that I fired up DesignSpark I got a notice that the BETA version of 4.0 is available for download.  There must have been a couple of upgrades that I didn't pay any attention to since I'm running version 2.1.

I was reading through the release notes for ver. 4.0 and found out that one of the Core changes that was made was the generation of a recovery file.  Guess what I downloaded, all 1.1+ gigabytes of it.  I haven't extracted it yet since I haven't found out if version 2.1 and version 4.0 can exist at the same time.  I'd like to check out ver. 4.0 without overwriting or uninstalling ver. 2.1.  I'd REALLY rather not start burning the bridge behind me while I'm still on it, you know what I mean?

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: Admiral_dk on October 21, 2018, 08:14:22 PM
You could try WMware vSphere Hypervisor (Christ, last time I used WMware was 5 years ago - one product - now it's galore), a free virtual computer running on your existing computer => whatever catastrophes you have there, will not influence the "real hardware / software"  ;)
That way you can run a test of the new version without actually installing it on the real computer and you will still have access to the real files - though you can't delete them (or as long as they are in protected mode).
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on March 22, 2019, 06:15:10 PM
OK, 5 months is enough of a vacation, it's time for me to pull my head out of my a** and actually do something.  I have this life-long habit of not working on something until I actually need it.  I've had over 60 years of practice, so I'm pretty good at it too. (Procrastinating that is.)

When last we talked, sort of, I had made the fine adjustment screws for all the axis - they even worked!  At least they mostly worked.  I did get the fine adjustment required, things just flopped around too much.  I've been thinking on this for a while, I haven't done anything constructive yet, but I've been thinking on it.

It's my own fault,  I tried to get sneaky and make the rack do double duty.  I was trying to use it as both the rack half of the rack and pinion, AND - I was  trying to use it as the guide/support bar.

It mostly worked as the rack, but not so much as the guide/support bar.  I had to open up the tolerance between the parts so that I could get relatively easy movement.  However when I do this I've also got enough tolerance that things have a tendency to flop around.  I'm trying to build a "Fix for the shakes", not just add another layer to the shakes I've already got.

It's time for a major re-design.  Or maybe it's another major re-design - I've lost track.  I'm not scrapping everything, this idea is too close to actually working for me to do that.   I am however going to scrap the rack and pinion idea.  I'm thinking 8mm rods.  It's what most 3D printers run on, and as our cousins across the pond say - "they're cheap as chips".  I've even got LM8UU linear bearings as spare parts for my printer that I can use while I get some more on order.

My current thinking is to manually move the axis  to a rough position, clamp it down and use the screw for fine adjustment.  There's only one axis that will require movement with every crimp, to load the wire and then to remove the crimped wire/terminal.  I might keep the rack and pinion for this action.  But, it would have a fixed stop at the crimper end of the travel, and I would still keep the screw for fine adjustment.

I can foresee a lot of 3D CAD work in my near future. Future updates WILL NOT take another 5 months, maybe Monday-ish??

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on March 25, 2019, 06:45:07 PM
Well CRAP!!!

Another weekend gone and nothing to SHOW for it.  Mind you, I got a lot done, I just haven't got anything I can show you because some silly bugger left home this morning without those files in hand.  I've got some printed parts, but no matter how close I hold the parts to the monitor, this stupid PC can't see them.

I took the idea of using 8mm rails for 3D printers and ran with it.  I mostly scrapped the original design, I think I was able to re-use 5 parts without modification, the fixed and movable wire clamp jaws, the pinion and its' adjusting knob, and the holding bracket for the terminal crimper.  I started the re-design Friday night and finished it late Saturday afternoon.

In the process I came up with a method for making this thing multi-task, I made the Z-axis/wire holder bolt on to the X-Y assembly.  That way I can use the X-Y assembly with my soldering rig, which is what started this whole thread in the first place. (Kind of a circle of life thing?)  The unit that I wound up with, has 300mm long X-axis rails giving me a useful X travel of about 150mm, 130mm Y-axis rails with a useful Y travel of about 70-80mm, and about 100mm Z-axis rails with a useful Z travel of about 50mm-ish.  The base that this thing will be bolted to will be about 200mm x 400mm, that's about 8" x 16" for us non-metrificated red-necks.  To para-phrase the bus driver from "High Spirits", - It's genius, pure genius - just you wait and see.

I fired up the printer Saturday night, and it's been running pretty much non-stop since then printing batches of parts.  The Y-axis and Z-axis parts are completely printed.  I printed the X-axis bearing holder last night, that was about a 9 hour print.  The X-axis rail holder and rail clamp will be done printing when I get home, either that or I'll have a HELLUVA mess to clean up when I get home.  That just leaves the misc. X-axis parts to print, which should take another 2-3 hours, and then the printing should be complete.

I ordered a pair of chromed 8mm hardened rails 600mm long with assorted bearings and brackets, they're supposed to arrive by Friday.  Those 2 rails will give me enough 8mm rail stock for all the rails this thing will need with enough left over to use for the soldering iron holder.

Tomorrow I WILL remember the 3D PDF file.  And, I'll get a family shot of the parts that I've got printed.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on March 26, 2019, 07:02:00 PM
Last night I finished printing the parts required for this X-Y table thingamabob. At least I think this is all of them.

The first attachment is the 3D PDF of what this monstrosity will look like.  The second attachment is a screen-print of that PDF.  The last attachment is a family photo of the printed parts to date.  Until the rails get here about all I can do is finish installing the brass threaded inserts and get everything bolted together.  The rails have shipped, and FedEx is claiming that they'll be delivered by Friday.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: Admiral_dk on March 26, 2019, 07:40:57 PM
Glad to hear that you are moving again and hope that you get more success this time around.
Think of it this way - you are more less the trailblazer, so you will also encounter ALL the bumps on the road.

Best wishes

Per
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on March 26, 2019, 09:45:42 PM
I'm reasonably confident that this version will work as advertised.  I'm using the same guide rails and linear bearings as used on a 3D printer.  So I've got no concerns about getting smooth and stable movement out of any of the three axis.  The biggest concern that I see now will be the 2 part clamp that supports the Z-axis rails.  If that doesn't work the way I want it to, it will be a simple matter to print a new 1 piece part and just press the Z-axis rails into it.  I may just do that anyway to avoid the issue.

Slightly off topic, but does anybody know what the accepted plural of axis would be?
Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: MJM460 on March 27, 2019, 01:25:58 AM
Hi Don, good to see more progress.

I am going to stick my neck out and guess one axis, three or five might still be axis, as in a five axis milling machine.  I was going to say three axes, but when I write it, it looks more murderous of the language.  I will be interested to see what others say.  Sorting out some of those irregular forms is nearly as bad as dealing with the shakes, but at the risk of scorn from the English majors, I will say less essential to resolve.

MJM460

Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on March 27, 2019, 03:01:43 PM
Well, Google is your friend.  The plural of axis as far as math is concerned, and probably CNC, is axes - but it's pronounced ax-eez.

Live and learn I guess.

Back to the subject at hand.  Last night the more I thought about it, the less confident I became in the Z-axis clamp being able to handle its' mission.  I think that tonight I will reprint the Z-axis rail holder/clamp as a one piece part with press in rails.  I can even thicken up that area of the part to give the rails a little more support, it's currently only 6mm thick.   I've found that with my printer when making parts with an interference fit, a tolerance of +0.0 to +0.2mm gives me a nice solid press in fit.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on April 02, 2019, 04:43:17 PM
I am becoming less than impressed with FedEx, at least FedEx "SMARTPOST".  The tracking information for my shipment of a quantity of 2 rails, 4 bearings, and 4 brackets is like reading the instructions for a Chinese Fire Drill.

See for yourself, this is listed from the most recent to the earliest entry:

Apr 1, 2019
20:37pm PDT
Shipment information sent to U.S. Postal Service
50395

Apr 1, 2019
20:06pm PDT
Departed FedEx location
FEDEX SMARTPOST OLATHE, KS 66062

Mar 29, 2019
20:29pm PDT
Arrived at FedEx location
FEDEX SMARTPOST OLATHE, KS 66062

Mar 28, 2019
18:52pm PDT
In transit
BRAMAN, OK 74632

Mar 28, 2019
06:39am PDT
In transit
MORIARTY, NM 87035

Mar 27, 2019
18:13pm PDT
In transit
BARSTOW, CA 92311

Mar 26, 2019
22:25pm PDT
Departed FedEx location
FEDEX SMARTPOST LOS ANGELES, CA 90022

Mar 26, 2019
14:26pm PDT
Arrived at FedEx location
FEDEX SMARTPOST LOS ANGELES, CA 90022

Mar 22, 2019
17:21pm PDT
Shipment information sent to FedEx
91710

Mar 22, 2019
18:40pm PDT
Tracking number provided


This package was "shipped" on March 22nd, took a week to get from California to Kansas, sat in Olathe for a few days, and now it looks like the U.S. Postal Service has it?  How is that a FedEx delivery?  Oh, I just know caught that it's FEDEX SMARTPOST.  I think the Pony Express could have delivered it by now.

Don


















 
 
 

 
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: crueby on April 02, 2019, 06:20:55 PM
Yeah, they send it partway by fedex and rest by post office - UPS has the same thing too. I love it when they bring it all the way to the local depot, then over to my post office, who brings it two days later, when they brought another package to my house the same day they gave the other one to the post office, a block away...
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on April 03, 2019, 04:15:04 PM
Well, when last I checked, this morning as of 5:14AM the package has arrived at my post office.  It doesn't say it's out for delivery yet, so either the tracking hasn't been updated or I won't see the package until tomorrow.

Meanwhile the new printer, that I ordered a week AFTER I ordered these rails, was waiting for me on my doorstep last night when I got home from work.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on April 04, 2019, 06:49:40 PM
Color me surprised, the 8mm rails DID show up yesterday.

It'll be a few days before I get back to this project though, too busy playing with setting up the new printer.  My 20mm cube isn't exactly cubic right now, and I'm also playing with feed rates and temperatures.

Just for grins and giggles one of the first things I printed was a 20mm cube using the g-code optimized to my old machine and started playing with the feed-rate and temperature.  I need to print at 230° C on my old machine for it to be happy, this one is happy printing at 205° C.  I was able to crank the feed rate up to 200%.  I wasn't happy with the surface detail, but from the reading I've done that might be more of a cooling issue than a speed issue.

Until I figure out what I'm going to do about the cooling, I'll just run smaller parts at a slower speed to give things a chance to cool off a little more before the next layer is added.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on January 07, 2020, 08:36:39 PM
I thought that I updated this thread yesterday, I know I typed it and previewed it, I must have forgotten to actually post it before I closed everything out.  It's been 8-9 months since I last updated this thread, in that time there's been no physical progress on this project beyond what was previously posted.  I've got this bad habit of starting a project, getting it completed enough to use it - sort of, and then going on to something else.  Time for that to change, I need this thing working - all of it.

The new printer mentioned in my April 4, 2019 post has become my work-horse printer, it's SOOOO much faster and quieter than my Prusa I3 clone.

I've currently got an RC conversion project that I'm working on which will require a number of cables made up using both Dupont and JST style connectors, so I need the crimper.  How many cables you ask?  Don't know, more than a few, but slightly less than a boat-load.  I've got 4 sets of head-lights/tail-lights/turn-signals that will need connectors.  Then there's the 8 out-rigger motors and the 4 drive-wheel motors.  And let's not forget the 4 motors on the rotating turret, those have to go through the slip-ring which will probably also need a connector or four.

This project will also require some a bunch of soldering.  I've got a couple of printed circuit boards to make, mainly cable interface boards, and the interface board to the Arduino Nano.  Even if they are just perf-boards with parts added to them, they still need to be soldered.  There's several (4 to be exact) 6 position 2 pole rotary switches that will need to be made up, 2 for the transmitter and 2 for the receiver.

I've discovered that I can sometimes successfully decode the gobbledy-gook in the product descriptions used by a lot of the Chinese 3D printer lead-screw manufacturers.  I have even ordered lead-screws from one manufacturer, and lead-screw nuts from a different manufacturer - and they WORKED when put together.  In their defense, if I were to try translating some of the stuff that I work on into Chinese using the available translators, they would probably be scratching their collective heads wondering what idiot wrote this garbage?  It was because of these lead-screw adventures that I realized I could scrap the rack and pinion positioning and replace it with a lead-screw.  On the plus side this will probably give me another 20mm-40mm, or more, of usable space in the X and Y axis.

I've got one important project in the queue before this one.  My oldest brother is a bit of a gun-totin' red-neck, so I got him a "Red-neck Plunger" as a gag gift.  I'm making a presentation case for it, every fine weapon deserves a presentation case right?  He'll love it, his sense of humor is almost as warped as mine is.

Updates to follow, won't be 8-9 months this time - I hope.
Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on May 12, 2023, 04:47:40 PM
I'm going to un-zombify this thread at least a little.  There has not been much action on this front.  Among other things I was trying to figure out a way be able to solder like a normal human being.  I NEVER was able to design something to do that.

HOWEVER, last night I was working on my 750W sewing machine motor conversion on my drill press.  I got the motor installed and successfully worked through some of the tweaks required to keep the stupid thing from slamming on the brakes when it stops.  The one thing about the servo control that I REALLY don't like is the speed control.  It's designed for an industrial sewing machine, so it's set-up as a treadle connection.  They used a Hall effect sensor so the speed control is over a very small range of movement.  Using on-line information from others, I decided on converting this to a speed pot with a run/stop switch. 

OK, last night I was able to try putting together my perf-board speed control conglomeration...  It didn't work.  The board that is, I wasn't getting ANY voltage from the wiper of the pot.  That, I think is due to a couple of problems.  First I think I screwed up the switch while trying to solder the leads onto it.  My shaking hand couldn't apply the solder, I kept missing.  I had the soldering iron on the switch WAY too long.  Second, I think I probably screwed up the perf-board connections too.  I was working from a sketch, yeah - my drawing, barely legible.  This perf-board is individual solder pads on both sides of the board and I think I confused which edge of the board I should have been counting pads from.

My neurologist and I disagree as to what's doing OK regarding my tremor.  He's of the opinion that if I can still feed myself I'm doing OK.  I set the bar a little higher, I'd like to be able to at least read my own writing - that can be a real challenge at times.

I did have an epiphany though last night while working on this control board, or maybe I was just channeling a Gibbs/DiNozzo moment?  You know, where Tony gets smacked up-side the head?  (With me being the smackee, not the smacker.)  A tutorial on TIG welding from the Fabrication Series flashed through my head, and I remembered him harping on arm/wrist placement.  That you need to get comfortable with your arms resting on something solid.  I got to wondering if TIG techniques would apply to soldering...  THEY DO, THEY DO!!!!  I was able to make good looking joints on a perf-board with a 0.1" pitch, that's 2.54mm for you Imperially challenged folk.  I WON"T be doing any surface mount PC building, but I CAN build a through-hole board.  Even it it is only one joint per set-up, one joint at a time is better than none ever.

I started out the night trying to use one of the 3rd hand rigs, you know - the alligator clips on swivel joints.  That didn't work for me in it's normal position - too high.  And my hands kept shaking because my arms weren't steady enough.  When I WAS able to make a joint it was crappy looking and had the heat on the joint WAY too long.  I wound up working with the board at about a 45° angle, slightly above the workbench top, with my arms resting on the workbench.  I've got to figure out a better way to hold the board.  I was still using the 3rd hand to hold it and it was a ROYAL PITA to set up.  (Plus, you know, alligator clips?)

By the time I got done and got the board installed on the drill press it was about 10:00 PM.  So when it didn't work I didn't do much trouble-shooting, just took a few voltage readings.  I've got 5V coming into the board, and 5V on one side of the switch - Nada on the other side, in either switch position.  I've got 0V on the signal lead, that could be me screwing up the board connections when going from solder side of the board to component side.  I don't remember checking to see if I had any voltage on the wiper of the pot, I'll have to check that tonight.

For any of you other guys out there with tremors in your hands, try watching some tutorials on TIG welding and see what they recommend about hand/arm placement.  Might not work for you, but then again it might - in this application it did for me.

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: Kim on May 12, 2023, 06:16:56 PM
Don,
It's sad to hear the struggle you continue to have with your shaky hands.  I can see that would be very hard to accept when you're someone who's enjoyed doing things with your hands your whole life.

I'm glad to hear you've been able to find a method that helps you though. And thanks for sharing it here to help others too.  Your perseverance is commendable!  :cheers:

I hope you continued success in your endeavors.  And more specifically, I hope you figure out what's going on with that switch!  :thinking:

Kim
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on May 12, 2023, 07:10:26 PM
Kim:

I'm pretty sure that I melted the guts of the switch during my initial soldering attempt.  I had the heat on it for WAY too long when I was trying to get it soldered.  I wondered at the time if something bad had happened, guess it did.

Not a problem though, I've got more switches.  I've got enough of the various parts and perf-board that I can build several more attempts before I have to re-order any parts.

Plus I feel a lot better now about some of my other projects that will involve soldering teeny-tiny parts. 

Don
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: Admiral_dk on May 13, 2023, 09:06:34 AM
So glad to hear that you found a way to make progress  :pinkelephant:

And can only agree, that even small progress is MUCH better than no progress  :ThumbsUp:

Per            :cheers:
Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ShopShoe on May 13, 2023, 01:31:01 PM
Don,

I'm lucky that my shakes aren't too bad, and only occasionally.

One thing you wrote jumped out at me:   "I've got to figure out a better way to hold the board."

I can testify that the Panavise circuit board holders do work well. I have two of these set up, one with the Low-Profile base. I also like the self-centering vise head.

https://www.panavise.com

Usual disclaimer, I'm only a customer and not related to that company.

ShopShoe


Title: Re: A fix for the shakes.
Post by: ddmckee54 on May 15, 2023, 09:37:34 PM
ShopShoe:

Thanks for the Panavise link, I may have to get some of that stuff headed my way.

Don
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