Universal military aircraft homecockpit project

[Viper1970]

Some news from the front.

I know it's not directly related with the HOTAS, but without a good working printer those parts are also worth nothing. So I try do get the best out of it and here it is necessary to get the most precise retraction process to prevent filament flowing out of the nozzle and making the parts ugly and inaccurately.

I hope it is worth it, cause the printer was working fine before (before the trouble with the new Creality filament), but only at prints without detached parts, like screwing bolts etc. At such sections I always had the tendency to get stringing or filament noses, especially with the high temps I use to get real strong parts. Increasing the retraction to prevent this also had the side effect to have underextrusion at the beginning of the print on next section the head traveled to. I hope the direct drive is the solution to this problem.

I don't want to use very high speeds, so the weight of the head shouldn't be a problem and as the Ender 3 Pro is already a "bed mover" , that has a lot of weight on the y-axis in original state, so the added weight at the head should not be a big deal also. The speed limits of this system are already set in it's original conditions, equal if the head is light or not. For higher speeds a core x-y is needed. That's my opinion here, I know there are others out there.

For sure higher speeds would be nice to cut down the endless HOTAS prints in time, but a difference between 50mm/s or 65mm/s is not a big deal here. The head does not reach full speed most of the time at such prints to have a real benefit of such an increasement in speed and this is also the reason I personlly see no disadvantage to change to a direct drive on an Ender 3 Pro in this case.

The only drawback in my case (cause the printer is mounted in a cabinet shelf) is the limitation in the z-height which is the fact that prevents me from mounting the spool on top of the printer and being able to guide the filament in front of the frame instead of through the frame (another solution from the side, but in front of the frame is sadly also not possible cause of the space I have). So I will only have arround 200mm instead of the real useable 235-240mm in original state (250mm is a naive statement from Creality, which stresses the bowden a little bit on top of the frame in my opinion), cause I already made an 30mm z-axis extension which is also used as bearing-mount for the dual axis system I constructed two years ago. This graduates the loss in height with my direct drive head a bit.

Here are some photos of the convertion work at the moment. The head is printed up side down with support blockers, beginning at 15mm height of the part to keep the cooling ducts open, but even though support the first part of it, where the component fan is integrated. Those small supports can be easily removed this way and the rest does not need any support.

All parts can be easily disambled with screws to be able to dismount the dual gear drive and the stepper in case of any failure. Only thing what could still be a problem is the connection of the extruder knurled wheel to the steppers axis, cause the dual drive makes the remaining part of the axis very short to fit this wheel on it. I hope I'm able to get this done. At the moment I could not test it, because the stepper motor is still in use to print the parts for the convertion.

Edited March 13, 2022 by Viper1970

[Viper1970]

Printed the spool holder with bearings for the cabinet. Only some minor parts and the filament guide with the filter are missing. After those parts are printed I'm ready for the conversion to direct drive. I hope that this is working like a charm, so that I'm back on the track again and can print all the HOTAS parts for the next months.

 

[Viper1970]

I'm still at the fu..... printer convertion!

The dual drive I bought for it is a total sh... !

They used a fully threated screw for the bearings . Had to make an own screw for it with a 3mm diameter and an 3mm long M3 tread at the end. I used a very long partially threated 4mm cylinder head screw for this and made the rest with my lathe. I also had put some small washers to the top and the bottom of the gear, to prevent the mechanics from abrasion.

Additionally I made an extension fitting inside the 608 bearing on top of the second gear and is pressed with super glue to this gear. On this extension I will put my extruder-wheel.

The filament holder and the guide with the intergrated filter is already mounted in the cabinet. The bowden is in a very adverse position at the moment, cause it's not meant for the old system, but I still have to print some parts for the convertion to direct drive.

And think what? After I planned, constructed and made all those parts, Creality has anounced the direct drive they use at their Ender 3 S1 as a electrical compatible Sprite Extruder Pro Upgrade Kit for the older Ender 3 versions also. I just have seen it and it will be available for order at 06.05 .

Maybe I will use this later, cause it doesn't cut the z-heigth as much as my own construction. But first I will take a look at my own special system. I rarely used more than 150mm in height and I still have arround 200mm.

PS:

At the photo the dual gear is mounted with a nut for testing, cause the stepper is still in use at the moment .

 

Edited March 17, 2022 by Viper1970

[Roger01]

Hello! I'm really impressed with all the work you've done! I've already done some 3D and printed stuff like a mini cockpit for the JF-17 but as soon as it curves (like a joystick) I can't 3D model it. Also, is it possible to have your 3D or stl file of the AH-64D collective please? Even if it's just the shape without the holes for the buttons, that I can take care of Thanks for moving forward and congratulations again!

[Viper1970]

You got a PM

[Viper1970]

So, all parts for the direct drive convertion are ready now. I hope I can get this damned thing running like I would over the weekend. After the printer is ready again, I will only do the HOTAS prints the next weeks/month. I must step on it now to get all printed until the summer arrives, to be able to do the paintworks then.

[Viper1970]

The direct drive head is ready now.

I still have to attach a plug to its cable at the end, to be able to easy remove it at anytime if something goes wrong with the head. I don't want to dissamble the whole printer every time to remove the plug from the mainboard if I want to work at the head.

The bottom design with the fan ducts is nearly the same as my old head had. It worked  for over two years and never anything melted, although I had the fear that this could happen with PLA and the hotend nearby. So I used hot temperature paint (car exhaust paint) and brushed it. I did the same with the new head and this works .

 

Edited March 19, 2022 by Viper1970

[No1sonuk]

That's huge!

Are you going to fit a second z axis drive to support the weight at the other end of the X axis arm?

[Viper1970]

Yes it's really big, but I already have a dual z-axis. That was the first mod I did as I got the printer three years ago.

If the new Creality Sprite Extruder Pro Kit were available before I started with the convertion, I for sure had taken this one. Its much more compact, I wouldn't loose as much z-height and it looks also better . I was always fancied about this extruder, but it was only available for the Ender 3 S1. Now, short after I started with the convertion and already did all parts, they anounced this new kit for converting all other Ender 3 models also to a Sprite Pro direct drive extruder. 

The printer is up and running again and the results look very good, although I had not done any fine tuning yet. I only adjusted the e-steps in the machine settings and the retraction in Cura. I also have to use a bit different flow rate now. Before it was set to 95% and now I have to use 85%. But it looks like the prints are a little bit better as before at sharp corners. Overall I'm very satisfied with the results.

But there are still some things that aren't perfect and I have to adjust or even completely rework. That's nothing what has to do with the direct drive directly, but the filament guide respectively the positioning of the filament-spool isn't optimal and also is the cable management to the head. Things look sometimes good during the planing and are truely a kind of BS if it comes to the reality .

Edit:

Here is a pic of it just printing an calibrition cube. Don't look at the filament guide and the cable management . It's just provisional arrangement. The position of the spool will surely change again and the cables will also be better placed. I have a little space problem, cause the printer is in that cabinet. That's also the reason I rather had prefered that compact Creality extruder if it was available sooner, so that I'm not loosing as much z-height as now (Only 195mm are possible at the moment). But tfrom the functional aspect and the print quality I'm really satisfied with the mod I did.

Edited March 20, 2022 by Viper1970

[Viper1970]

Work at the printer completely finished. All is adjusted and running fine, now the work at the HOTAS can continue .

 

[Viper1970]

What a f..... day! No one would believe what happened today. A typical Viper-day.

As I still have the old mainboard version 1.1.4 in my Ender, I wanted to upgrade the firmware to the last available 1.9.X version at least, to be able to have more options for fine-tuning in the config of the machine. So I fiddeled arround with getting a bootloader installed and flashing the FW nearly the whole day, because I only have Arduino Megas here and not a single UNO which is used in all those Youtube videos descriping how the bootloader should be installed. So it took a bit longer .

While fiddeling arround with the two boards at the keyboard of my laptop in the workshop, suddenly a loud bang appeared and I found my self sitting on the floor. The lawn chair I was sitting at had broken. As I do not have much space in my workshop and this is a very special small lawn chair, I did a quick repair. While repairing the chair my phone was ringing. It was my dad, telling me that he just had a crash with my car, I borrowed him . It's not dramatic, but this will be a lot of additional things to manage instead of working on my pit. Could it get even more worse? Oh, yes it can!

After successfully installing the FW at least and doing an also successful short test with the board still not screwed in the printer, I wanted to put all together again. So I screwed the board inside the printer not knowing that something was wrong. I switched the printer on again to start a test print and suddenly it began to smell a bit strong. Guess what! The main ground-cable was jammed between the board and the case and a solderpoint of the Y-axis stepper driver directly gouged into that cable, making a short.

So the Y-axis was toast. The rest of the board does still work very well with the new firmware, but that does not help much. Now I have ordered a new "silent-board" with the TMC2225 drivers at Amazon. I hope it will be delivered tomorrow, so I can start printing my HOTAS.

 

P.S: The board now. I removed the all the heatsinks, cause maybe  I can use them later at another project. The rest will travel inside the trash .

Edited March 22, 2022 by Viper1970

[rel4y]

Aww man, Im sorry! Some days are just worth erasing from memory...

[No1sonuk]

On the plus side, you'll be concerned the printer's not working because it'll be so quiet. 

[Viper1970]

Hi rel4y,

yes you are so right! But this is also one of those days you can laugh at a few weeks later. I already had to smile even now while I was writing about it. Actually it's too funny to be true, but believe me in this moment I've cursed so hard, I did not even know that I know such violent expressions.

@No1sonuk

I already wanted to integrate that board, but after all HOTAS parts are printed. Fate probably had other plans .

[Viper1970]

Printer is up again and running. The new board is amazing! You really didn't notice that the printer is running. The only sound you can hear now, comes from the fans. I have compiled a special firmware which exactly meets the requirements of my printer, based on the latest of TH3D Marlin 2.X Fork. Now it's really perfect.

I will add a filament sensor and an automated bed leveling, too at a later time. First I want to do some HOTAS prints to get further with the project.

Edited March 23, 2022 by Viper1970

[Viper1970]

So, doing the first big parts with the revised version of the printer. Until now I have only done some smaller prints, but the quality improved a lot with the direct drive and maybe also a bit with the new board.

This print is a 33 hours print now with a 0.12mm layer height. Those parts are for my little 1610 CNC, I also want to mod a bit to be more precise and fixing some design flaws, like missing adjustment wheels for all axis, a box for the circuit, endstop switches and so on.

If this print runs absolutely flawless and the parts are looking equal or better as my other HOTAS parts, I will start to print all the still missing parts in one go. There is a thermal runaway protection activated now, so that nothing speaks against 24/7 printing, if the results are good. I have 10kg filament here now .

The  only little thing still missing is the filament sensor. I will add this after the CNC parts are printed. Those parts I want to have before starting with the HOTAS, so I can assemble the CNC while all the grips are printing. Maybe I will also need this little mill very soon at my project.

 

 

Just perfect, even in the infill. Nozzle is still a 0.5er. I set it to LH 0.12mm, speed is 55mm/s (but adjusted to 125% on the machine at the moment - to save some time ), temp is 205° (since the change to a new 40W hotend I can set all temps a good bit lower now), infill is 60° (cubic), and I adjusted the fill rate in Cura to 98% for all print sections, with exception of the infill, which is set to 95%.

The first layer and the brim is printed only with 80% fillrate. I also set combing inside the infill and added a z-hop of 0.16mm. Those settings prevent the nozzle from scratching the surface while travels. This is the only thing which is a bit tricky with the new dual drive head, cause of it's weight. You notice immediately when a little overextrusion takes place, cause you can clearly hear it .

 

 

Update: Not a single string between the different parts! Stringing was always a problem with the bowden drive, if I've printed more parts together or parts with many detached section. Now I can print one complete grip with two half-shells and the back-shell in one session, without loosing quality, if all parts fit the print-bed.

 

Edited March 26, 2022 by Viper1970

[Viper1970]

The little CNC is also a bit further now. I use some oddments of Plexiglas I had lying arround to make a protection against spills flying arround and also extended the range of the z-axis a bit.

In its original state even the half of the z-axis movement wasn't useable. I also made my own mounts for the homing-switches, cause I couldn't find anything fitting my needs on Thingiverse. There will be still changed some further things to make a real useable machine out of it.





 

Edited March 27, 2022 by Viper1970

[rel4y]

Do you ever sleep?

[Rick50]

Cool project!!

[Viper1970]

3 hours ago, rel4y said:

Do you ever sleep?

Very rarely! Even if I go to bed at 3 o'clock in the morning or later, I'm up again at 8 o'clock. I can't sleep very well, due to my illness, but this gives me some more time to plan and construct new things  (and forget my health problems - I'm a technical enthusiast since my childhood and this is what I'm living for ). Sometimes I'm really sleepy, but even if this is the case I can not sleep good or even much longer.

After a few years, you get used to it and make the most of the time. There's nothing else you can do, so make the best of it.

@Rick50

Thank you !

Edited March 27, 2022 by Viper1970

[Viper1970]

The last free space in my small 10m² workshop is reserved for the little chinese CNC if it's finished .

Now there is really no more place for anything else .

 

Edited March 27, 2022 by Viper1970

[agrasyuk]

I really like that little shop of yours. 

[Viper1970]

19 hours ago, agrasyuk said:

I really like that little shop of yours. 

Thanks .

But there is really very little space in it. Sometimes while I'm working the whole floor is also full with material .

[Viper1970]

Not much happened today. I made a case for the display unit of the CNC and printed it. It's screwed with M3 screws into the Plexiglas. I have cutted four threads into it for the mount. I also screwed all the Plexiglas parts to the machine using very tiny Spax drilled into the printed inlays of the aluminium profiles.

There is still alot missing I'm just printing, like a drag chain for the mills head, an LED lightning also at the head, the rear wall with the power unit and so on.

 

Edited March 30, 2022 by Viper1970

[Viper1970]

The small CNC is again such an eternal construction site that keeps me from the actual project. But without suitable tools or machines, such a project is also difficult to realize, unless you can just buy everything.

But I don't have the financial means for that and even my newer machines (the two 3D-printers and the CNC - the mill and the lathe I've bought many years ago) didn't cost half of an Apache HOCAS, if you would buy it.

But I hope that part is finished soon now and things are running, so I can use them for the real project. But who knows what will happen again. Those cheap machines have always their little problems and professional tools do cost so much, that you can really buy already finished HOTAS systems.

 

Edited March 30, 2022 by Viper1970