The 3D printer I’ve been using to print kits for MERG was getting a bit unreliable (it has done over 4600 hours of printing) so I got agreement to buy a new one. A kit is £220 less than an assembled one, and it sounded like a fun project (think Lego with a few more bits).

The parts were nicely packaged in various cardboard boxes:

You’ll note the Gummy Bears – these are used as a “reward” for completing each section of the assembly!

First job was finding all the little packets of screws, nuts and fixings, then assembling the extruded aluminium supports to the steel frame:

The electronics box was next – note the cable ties that will be used later to secure all the wires:

Next was the motor that will drive the Y axis bed:

Many of the components are 3D printed, and have slots into which square nuts are placed to provide a strong fixing:

The X axis was next; note the linear bearings on the rods:

Next was finishing the basics of the X axis and mounting it on the Z axis:

The cables from the extruder and X axis motor are wrapped around a nylon core and routed to the electronics box:

Next was the extruder gearbox, which was a bit fiddly to assemble and mount on the X axis:

The power cables were added and the wiring in the electronics box tidied up:

Then the heatbed and Y axis needs assembling:

The Y axis, like the X axis, is driven via a toothed rubber belt. I was impressed with the fixing of this belt in a 3D printed part. You can just see a screw at the bottom that “locks” the belt into the fixing:

This is the completed Y axis drive:

The WiFi module is mounted in a plastic case outside the metal electronics box. You can just see the WiFi symbol on the left. There is also an Ethernet connector:

The heatbed was then installed on the Y axis:

The NFC module and a cover was added to the electronics box:

And that’s it. The software in the unit automatically tests each part and does internal calibration:

And pleasingly, it all worked!

Once connected to the network, various software can transfer files to the printer via the network, and control the printer from a web page:

This is one set of the MERG parts printed on the new (top) and old printer:

And this is a video of the printer printing a “Temperature Tower”. This is used to see how the filament prints at different temperatures:

When starting a wood-working project, I’ve often struggled to move 8’x4′ (2440mm x 1220mm) sheets of wood from the front garden into the garage. Over the years, I’ve tried various things with mixed success.

So I re-purposed some wheels from a dead compost shredder:

They’re bolted onto a steel frame along with an aluminium carrier for the wood. This fits under one end of the sheet, allowing me to move the sheet from the other end without lifting it:

I’ve been using a modified Hozelock garden fan sprayer to water the garden from our ‘well’ for years – this works well to deliver a large volume of fairly low pressure water.

It’s been gradually falling apart for a while, and finally broke at the connector end. I’ve since patched it up, but it’s only a matter of time before it breaks again.

Unfortunately, fan sprayers of this type do not seem to be made any more, so yet again, I fired up the 3D design software and designed a replacement. The first attempt had a number of problems, but the 2nd version works really well:

The inlet end is threaded to accept the existing connector and sealing washer. And if this one should break, it’s just a case of printing another one!

Now it’s a bit cooler, I’ve been able to spend time in the garage building a box to keep the Weather Station electronics in:

This has a magnetically attached lid to keep the dust and insects out:

See A Weather Station and Weather Station Upgrade for the original description of this project.