3d printing

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on AIO Robotics Zeus 3D Printer, Scanner, and Editor Allows You to Print and Copy 3D Objects Without a PC

AIO Robotics Zeus 3D Printer, Scanner, and Editor Allows You to Print and Copy 3D Objects Without a PC

The 3D printer maket is brutal. Many people have tried to designed their own 3D printer, and launch them through crowdfunding campaigns, but the rate is failure is very high, and some cases, scams are also reported. When I covered BlackSmith Genesis 3D Printer, Scanner and Copier in 2015,  I was hopeful it would become successful, as it solves one the main problem with 3D printing: the high skill sets required to operate the device as it would just operate as a 3D copier. Place the object inside the 3D printer, press copy, and a few minutes or hours later, you get a copy of the object without having to learn about 3D design or G-code format. But today, I noticed the website account at expired, and the 3D copier was nowhere to be found, so it looks like another failure. Around the same time in 2015, another company called […]

Posted on by Karl Johnson - 13 Comments on Creality CR-10 3D Printer Review – Part 1: Unboxing, Setup, and First Prints

Creality CR-10 3D Printer Review – Part 1: Unboxing, Setup, and First Prints

Today we are going to take a first look at the Creality CR-10 3D printer. This is a multipart series with the first part being unboxing and initial setup. I have no experience with 3D printing, and when I found out I would be doing this review I was ecstatic. It took a while to get shipped because of the wild popularity at Gearbest. I believe supply has caught up with demand. While waiting I read as much as I could about 3D printing. and I am glad I did. Creality CR-10 3D Printer Specifications 300 x 300 x 400mm build volume Nozzle diameter: 0.4mm Memory card offline print: SD card Prints up to 80mm/s (but slower is better) File format: G-code, JPG, OBJ, STL (I have only done g-code) 1.75mm Software – Cura; octoprint compatible CR-10 3D Printer Unboxing and Setup I had the CR-10 assembled and printing in […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 30 Comments on Anet A8 DIY 3D Printer Could Be a Worthwhile First 3D Printer for $147

Anet A8 DIY 3D Printer Could Be a Worthwhile First 3D Printer for $147

You probably have wished getting started with 3D printer, as I did, but you may have been put off with the high cost associated with 3D printers even the cheaper ones for several hundred dollars, especially if you are unsure whether you’re going to use it often. But there’s now a very affordable 3D printer kit based on Prusa i3 printer that sells on GearBest for $146.99 including shipping with A8PRINT coupon. Anet A8 3D printer specifications: Print Area: 220 x 220 x 240mm Print speed – 100 mm/s Nozzle diameter – 0.4 mm Layer thickness – 0.1 – 0.3 mm XY-axis positioning accuracy – 0.012 mm Z-axis positioning accuracy – 0.004 mm Supported materials – ABS, PLA, TPU, Luminescent, Nylon PVA, PP, Wood??? Material diameter – 1.75mm Frame material – Acrylic plate Platform board: Aluminum Base 2004 LCD screen for configuration SD card for offline print Supported file formats – […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Learn the Basics of Humanoid Robots with InMoov Finger Starter Kit

Learn the Basics of Humanoid Robots with InMoov Finger Starter Kit

In a not so distant future, most humans will live off their government provided basic income, relaxing and drinking their robot brewed, drone delivered beer or soda, opened and served by their humanoid robot maid. Well, maybe… In the meantime, it might be interesting to learn how to make humanoid robots such as InMoov, but since it’s quite complicated, it might be better to start small… with a single finger. That’s exactly what InMoov Finger Starter Kit offers you to do in order to understand the basics principles of the complete robot. The kit includes: 1x 3D printed base support in ABS 3D printed finger parts in ABS 1 meter braided 200 LB tendon 1x 5cm filament for peg/pin use to assemble finger joints 1x wheel horn adapter (Servo Pulley) 4x screws to fix the servo to the base support. You’ll also need to provide your own Arduino Uno (or […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments on $99 OLO 3D Printer Works with Your Smartphone (Crowdfunding)

$99 OLO 3D Printer Works with Your Smartphone (Crowdfunding)

3D printers for the home usually cost between few hundred dollars to several thousands depending on the model, but OLO 3D Inc. has created a $99 3D printer that prints objects using your smartphone screen and photopolymers (aka daylight resins) that harden with light. The printer itself is divided into two main zones: the bottom printing chamber where you’ll pour the liquid resin, and the top with the motor and four AA batteries that power the device. You’ll first need to install OLO 3D Android or iOS app in your phone, load a 3D object either from a library, created with 3D software, or scanned with apps such as Autodesk 123D Catch, set your phone in airplane mode with WiFi disabled, connect it to the power adapter, place it in a bed at the bottom of OLO printer, and tap on print. Now place the printer bed and printing chamber, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on ZeroPi is an Arduino & Raspberry Pi Compatible Motor Control Board (Crowdfunding)

ZeroPi is an Arduino & Raspberry Pi Compatible Motor Control Board (Crowdfunding)

Pi boards keep on coming… As soon as I finished writing about Roseapple Pi board, yet another one popped out on my twitter feed… But that one is of a different kind, as it won’t run Linux, but instead the board is powered by an Atmel SAMD21 Cortex M0+ micro-controller, and can support lots of electric motors including up to 11 micro servos and 8 DC motors – or 4 stepper motors – simultaneously. ZeroPi board specifications: MCU – Atmel SAMD21J18 ARM Cortex M0+ @ 48 MHz with 32 SRAM and 256KB flash I/O pins via 33-pin header, 4-pin temperature sensor, and 10-pin Raspberry Pi header 35 GPIOs 4x 12-bit ADC channels 1x 10-bit DAC 2x UART 2-channel temperature sensor interface DC current per I/O pin- 7mA DC / Stepper Motor control – 4x 4-channel SLOT interface compatible with common parts such as DRV8825 or A4988 Stepper motor driver and […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments on Freaks3D is a Low Cost Portable 3D Printer (Crowdfunding)

Freaks3D is a Low Cost Portable 3D Printer (Crowdfunding)

ElecFreaks is a design house based in Shenzhen that caters to makers and startups, and started selling Arduino shields and accessories, as well as  Raspberry Pi add-on boards, before moving to robotics kits, 3D printers, and other tools in demand by electronics hobbyists. The company has now designed Freaks3D portable 3D printer, and launched an Indiegogo campaign to fund production. Freaks3D printer specifications: Technology – Fused Deposition Modeling Build Volume – 130 x 150 x 100 mm (LxWxH) Nozzle Size – Standard 400 microns Resolution – Layer: 100 microns; XY: 50 microns Filament diameter – 1.75mm Filament Material – PLA or TPU 3D Files Transfer – USB via PC, or SD card Misc – LCD Display, one button operation, printing bed does not require heating Power Supply – 12V / 8A power adapter, or 12V / 5A power bank (Not included) Dimensions –  290 x 320 x 325 mm Weight […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Gesto is a Wearable Gesture Motion Solution for Makers (Crowdfunding)

Gesto is a Wearable Gesture Motion Solution for Makers (Crowdfunding)

A while ago I wrote about an open source prosthetic arm controlled by signals generated by your arm’s muscles. It used an Arduino board, a bio-feedback shield by Olimex, and inMoov Hand for the arm and hand. It worked, but lacked accuracy. Gesto is a solution based on boards powered by Atmel MCUs that looks somewhat similar, but with higher accuracy (over 100 gestures have been tested), and the project has now been launched on Crowdsupply. Two kits are available: Gesto Stella EMG circuit – ADS1294 MCU – Atmel ATmega1284p 2x EMG cables connector Through holes with GND, PWR, MOSI, MISO, CLK and SC Dimensions – 35 x 20 mm Includes 16 disposable electrodes and relevant cables Gesto Caelum EMG circuit – ADS1294 MCU – Atmel ATmega1284p Sensors – 3-axis accelerometer (MMA8652FC) Connectivity – Bluetooth (RN42-HID) 2x EMG cables connector USB – Micro USB connector Programming – ICSP connector Power […]