Sunday, December 19, 2010

Quick Temperature Hack

One frustration with Reprap for me has been the fragile nature of the beast. Seems like I get one item fixed another item breaks on me. Such was the case with my thermistor.

I had rebuilt my hot end, and had my thermistor taped to the nozzle and it generally worked. Thought I had gotten up and running again, then the thermistor failed on me. It was my last one and I had a supply on order.

The problem I realized was getting readings off the nozzle itself.
The wires would get twisted among other issues I had with it. A better way had to be found with the materials at hand.

I attempted to take two washers and make a temp reading washer. It just didn't work right.

Failure



Then it hit me, the trusty Paperclip. The more I played with the idea the more ideal this became for a quick temperature hack or more.

The Trusty PaperClip




It can be reused, it’s modular
Can be turned to adjust the wires
The nozzle can be changed with no issues


Working Parts

All you need to do is pick the right size paperclip for your hot end.

Bonus!!! Need to see if your temp is working? Turn on your software and put your two fingers on the end of the paperclip and you will shortly find out if it’s working or not.



How it works


The small end of the Paperclip acts like a nut and can be screwed down to any level needed. Just make sure you use plenty of tape.


Wires Wrapped

Make sure the wires are fully wrapped as you don’t need any contact or shorts.

Finish Wrap

Finish wrapping the glass bead so you have one complete, taped up device.

Placement

Lock in the glass bead leaving the small space at the Paperclip top, to be used as a locking means.

Finished.

Finish off the device by taping down the locked in glass bead. You’re all done.

TEST
You are ready to test.