Multistruder Kickstarter Fulfillment Blog

I am going to be posting some updates on my youtube.

here is my update video 

• work at school and the machine shop has been kicking my ass. I am dropping hours at work to give me more time twords my green engineers projects mainly this project.
• So these past 2 weeks i have been dealing with midterms but now i am in the clear for a month.
• i have got 90% of the spooler module printed (in various colors). Which includes the winder. drive and driven cones, and just printed the bar to attach the pulley.
• The last parts to go onto the spooler module are the pulley and the adapter to be able to mount and adjust when installing on the stand of the multistruder
• I will now be coming up with daily plans for the weekend on what is to be accomplished each day. I will write down on my day white board the next 3 weekends and extra 1 day of what will be accomplished each day.
• An idea of that is i need to finish the spooler.
• Then start working on the dimensional control module (first finding where my prototype is).
• Then assembling.
• then working on beta of code
• then final installment of the code
• Maker faire
• Individual assembly testing and ship
• repeat
• i will post this shcedule bellow and also the pictures of the machine and its parts that are on my desk.

Check pictures bellow.

• Finishing up printing the remaining parts and assembling in the new office
• Bought leveling platform for Trinus
• Finally feeling like i am situated back home
• Bought 2 new spools of filament to finish the parts
• I am now working part time at a machine shop so i have access to tools again. Tools way better than those at tech shop.
• Going to try to buy another printer to have at the my part time job at shop so i can print parts aswell. So i can also make use of my time at the shop as i am going to be spending about 30 hours a week here.
• Also situated back at school so going to start hitting the groove with the parts. 
• Really excited to get these parts finished and sent out as well as being unveiled at this years maker fair in San Mateo
• Major Update: also i have been filming some footage and audio for my youtube channel to keep you guys informed in a audio format as it is way quicker than this typed format.
• So one of the audios that i filmed is talking about the multistruder and the future of the multistruder.
• that should be hitting youtube soon. so check that out by heading to the main page of my website and go to external links tab.

• Got everything working. in code and physically
• have been putting everything together in code. I have a few more things to bring into code.
• Hopefully this weekend i can add the modules to a pre build multistruder downstairs.
• The priority is the spooler and the dimensional control. The RPM sensor is last.
• I start school again tomorrow. I will only be taking 6-9 credits this semester. so only part time to almost full time.

• Welcome to the new year
• my vacationing with family is now over and i am back to development mode
• I have not got re situated back into the garage
• i have also started to store stuff in the new shed that my family and i build for motorycles
• cleaning up room to use that for more development
• added some more stuff to the rpm gauge code
• going to try to have a new stable feature added each week
• So this week hoping to finish off the rpm metering code
• and finish the servo code
• going back to school on the 22nd
• so hoping to work on putting it together next week
• this next semester i plan on being on part time
• also this project is going to be a school project this semester and i hope to assemble a larger team to work on it

• As of yesterday i am now off of school for the winter. Till like mid January
• Finalized the 3D Models
• Now need to work on the software. Put together a beta. assemble prototype.then assembly
• Going to be putting together a workshop in my garage since i lost my shop at tech shop.
• Also going to be getting a metal router that i might be able to use for this project as well

• Been working from home
• Got my printer to work again and it is doing some perfect  prints
• Unfortunately it prints really slow (40mm/s)
• So far i have finalized the drive cone it slips on motor perfectly
• This week i hope on finalizing the servo rack and pinon
• Then i start working on software
• then assembly
• I did check out a few locations to move the shop to but nothing has panned out yet. All i need to finish this project i currently have available to me. Other projects not so much.

• Techshop went bankrupt yesterday and all locations are now permanently closed
• Thus i have lost my office location for storage close to my machines
• Also my access to heavy duty tools is now lost
• This should not effect this project as much because all i mainly need is a hand drill and a 3d printer to finish this project
• However my printer has stop working so i need to get it started again
• more to come on normal update day next week Sunday.
• http://www.techshop.ws/techshop.pdf
• above link has pdf talking about closure.

• A lot of progress this week
• The assignment for using a portion of this project for class has been approved. Hall effect sensor for speed is project for class using parts from my project
• I have found a printer at tech shop to use now that does great prints pretty quickly (afinia h600/up)
• Bellow is what i got done this week:
• Finalized drive cone and how it attaches to the motor and spins spool
• Got cork sheet to increase friction between the spool and the drive cone
• Printed prototypes of pulley, pulley bracket, pulley bar, servo rack and pinion and mounting bracket for servo
• finalized the pulley, pulley bracket and the pulley bar.
• Rough assembly of the servo rack and pinion and bracket finished. just needs a few tweaks.
• got motor attached to dimensional control bracket. 
• Also got to check the hall effect sensors and the permanent magnets to electronically work with each other. So now just need to add the logic behind it.
• Also i purposed this project to be put into a competition so i can show ti off and also get some teammates to work on ti with me to speed it up.
• Winter vacation to start here soon. 5 weeks or so. so after family vacation back to full time to hopefully have everything finalized by the end of the year and to start assembly.

• Finished Assembling the Dimensional Control Module
• It still need a few tweaks but that will happen slowly over the next few weeks
• Tomorrow i am going to submit a proposal to have the designing of code and getting the sensors working be a project for a class
• Hopefully that clears so i can spend a class lab time working on the sensors and outside of class work on the mounting
• if that goes though then i will have a extra day 5+ hours added to my development dedicated directly to getting sensors and code working.
• tomorrow i get the parts to start working on the spooler module and finding and buying the hardware and materials for that.

• Going to try to make updates weekly again.
• Printed a new version of the dimensional control bracket
• bought parts to put together the bracket and all pieces to mount the rollers and the strain gauge.
• Then put bracket together wrote down changes that were used to make amendments to dimensional control bracket
• So as far as my list we are at 4/12 steps.

• I have made a list of the things that are left to do. and i have been getting things done in order. image will be posted bellow.
• I shiped out 1 unit for a backer that wanted his unit early before the modules to play with
• I reinforced the hell out of the box to ensure that it was going to make it to Germany in one piece.
• We will see how it fairs.
• 3 out of the 10 things have been checked off from the list and i now have dedicated days per week to the project now.
• as i have money coming in from contract work else were.
• What you will see from number 1 and 2 from the table is that i finished a way of mounting both the expansion modules to the frame and fixed the mounting bracket onto the modules.
• Then yesterday i got most of the supplies to assemble the modules.
• these early steps are the easiest and as they go down the list the time required gets more.

This week

• I tapped all the couplers
• mounted all motors to their corresponding brackets with thrust bearings and couplers installed
• filled down the hard edges of the auger so they are now ready to install.
• Continued to work on the primary testing machine.
• more work to come. I am sick this week.

• This week i have cut the augers down to appropriate profile.
• Also i have ordered and recieved the screws that i need to put together the units.
• Today i plan on tapping all the holes on the couplers for the motors.
• Hopefully soon finish the unit that someone requested early and get it out. and see how it fairs shipping overseas. Then i will adjust further shipments international accordingly.

• i am finally settled in in office.
• mostly everything is transferred however some things got lost in shuffle
• so i am repurchasing everything that i could not find
• i started assembling units.
• also looking for help from a intern to assemble.
• soon you will see a picture of them all assembled.

• Today i secured The Green Engineers first work space
• It is the basement(lower floor) of tech shop san jose
• it is a 8'x12' "maker cage"
• So finally i can ge the stuff out of my parents place("storage") and into the place that i work on it
• No more lost tools and parts because someone moved them
• finally going to have one place to store everything
• this will speed up all work
• So now i will begin bringing everything that is involved with The Green Engineers into the "shop"
• and for the next little while every time that i go to tech shop i will be dropping stuff off and "furnishing it"
• super excited as this is a big move for The Green Engineers
• This should bring great efficiency to working on projects in a more timely manner

check bellow for images of the currently as of today empty maker cage. Now The Green Engineers HQ.

another big update on multistruder coming soon.

Hey guys if you would like me to send your basic unit to you while i finish work on the modules let me know and i can send them out to you asap. then i can send the modules out to you when they are finished. First come first serve. Otherwise hang tight and i will get them both to you at the same time.

• Hey guys sorry again for the radio silence.
• The reason why i have been gone is i have picked up a summer job to get some more funds for my project
• So here is a deal i am thinking about the fastest way of getting these out to you.
• This weekend i will be coming up with a solution.
• What i was thinking was to ship out the base model to you guys.
• Then shipping out the modules and me just bite the financial bullet of shipping 2 boxes.
• Also i dont think the entire thing will fit in that box safely. It would probably fit just not safely.

• Sorry for the radio silence 
• I am out of school and currently on vacation in hawaii till the 10th of this next month
• because i am out of school i am back on full time on the project
• i will be assembling the units first thing when i get out

• Have been swamped with school projects, tests, hw, and finals. so i will not have prototype by maker fiare
• also i might not even be able to attend or show at maker faire as i have a very critical final on the 22nd the day after maker faire
• i just got in the hall effect sensors and the rare earth magnets
• so i will need to implement that code into the program as well
• summer is coming up on 5/25/2017
• then i will be be back to the green engineers stuff
• however i will need to take a summer class and might do a internship to get some money to get a small place to organize my stuff
• again thanks for your patience

check bellow for pictures

• Started to fall behind in school a little bit so had to devote some more time to it.
• So haven't devoted much time int o project but i am going back into now.
• going to have a new printer in less than 10 days.
• i am building a 18" x 18" x 18" build volume printer out of the car case of my old kossel.
• Maker faire is coming up in 2 weeks.
• i actually have a final that monday after maker fair and i is a difficult class so i am not sure i am going to be able to make it.
• I will do what i can to make it to the faire and hopefully have a mock up there of the multistruder
• most of the 3d prints are ready to go
• i need to print another roller and glue the bearings into the pulley and both of the dimensional control rollers
• then assemble one

• Got in 30 metal bearings.
• Have been finalizing all of the rotating 3d printed pieces to use these bearings
• been getting some gorgeous prints off of my personal kossel 3d printer at home if printing very slowly.
• have updated the pulley and the dimensional control rollers to use the bearings so far
• I have purchased the hall effect sensors and some rare earth magnets to monitor rpm to check speed and also enhance the auto extrude algorithm.
• Trying to get a prototype built to premiere at Maker Faire Bay Area this year. event is may 20th
• Bellow you will see my prints that are using the new metal bearings bellow

check out pictures bellow

• Ordered the hall effect sensors and the magnets for rpm speed detection to better increase the percision of the automatic algorithm
• tech shop is back open
• going back to start printing the pieces after a final double check of the models.
• will also buy some more filament. Im going to try 3dxtech brand i think.
• bearings have not come in yet
• maker faire bay area is coming up and i will be a presenter there again this year. hopefully i will have the first one built and running before then. maker faire is in mid may
• alot more coming soon now that tech shop is back open. As my printer is just not reliable right now.

• TechShop is still closed. They failed an inspection so new reopen date is 4/5/2017 (tomorrow) instead of 4/1/2017
• Bearings for dimensional control rollers,pulley have been purchased. I am going to try to get those to work with the spooler
• A lot of models edited im getting closer
• As stated in last blog the beta version of the software is finished so waiting to install on first unit
• Most of the rest of the printing will be completed at TechShop on the replicator 2 because as of right now it is more reliable than my printer at home.
• Now i am trying to source some rubber or cork to rap around the piece that drives the spool on the spooler module.
• I am also going to source some hall effect sensor.
• More pictures when i finalize more of the models and begin printing. or when i get in some of the stuff i purchased.

• On spring break. back to school on Monday
• redesigned a lot of the 3d models and printed alot of prototypes
• tech shop san jose is closed down for move to 2x bigger location re opening on april 1st 
• some models will need to be printed at techshop over night because of long print times
• software beta finished and ready to be installed
• decided to buy metal ball bearings from china so those are on the way and redesigning the models to accommodate those new bearings.
• now i need to buy some metal springs and thrust bearings and i think we are good to go.

check out pictures bellow.