Adding Filament Runout Detection to an Anycubic Kossel with Marlin 1.1.8 and BIQU 3D Filament Detection Module

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I have several Anycubic Kossel 3D Printers that work great for the price ($180-320 depending on the model).  One issue I’ve run into is when a reel of filament gets low, I can’t reliably print with it for fear of running out mid-print and wasting the plastic.  With some changes to the Marlin firmware (version 1.1.8 as of this writing) and adding a sensor for less than $5, I was able to fix this!  The inspiration came from a Thingiverse model by Nenex that mounts this cheap sensor to the 2020 extrusions that make up most of the Anycubic Kossel’s body.

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Posted in Random Technology

Fixing a Cheap 3d Printer Power Supply with a Blown NTC Thermister

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My older style Anycubic Kossel Pulley didn’t come with a heated bed or a power supply large enough to run it.  Although the newer Kossels Anycubic is making (as of early 2018) come with both, I had to purchase these separately and piece it together.  I spent all of $20 on eBay for the 360W supply and it worked great, until two months later when I smelled some smoke and the printer shut off mid-print.  Opening up the case, I found a NTC 5D-15 thermistor that was ashy and split in two.  This is how I fixed it.

 

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Posted in Random Technology

HAProxy in pfSense as a Reverse Proxy

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I run a virtualized Nextcloud server on my home server and it has its own domain that is forwarded to my home IP.  While playing with Nextcloud, I ran across OnlyOffice and setup another virtual server running the OnlyOffice Document Server.  The problem that I ran into is that pfSense redirected incoming traffic to my home IP only to the Nextcloud server and I didn’t have a method for forwarding traffic to the OnlyOffice server on its own subdomain.  Basically I wanted:

myserver.com -> Nextcloud 10.1.10.10

onlyoffice.myserver.com -> OnlyOffice 10.1.10.11

haproxy_pfsense (1).png

Since I’m not really an expert on this, I didn’t know that a reverse proxy is what I needed to make this happen.  After digging a little I found that pfSense has HAProxy and that can take the incoming traffic to the home IP and analyze if it was intended for myserver.com or onlyoffice.myserver.com and forward it to the correct server on my network.

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Posted in pfSense

AC-225 Welder Amperage Control with SCRs

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In an attempt to make my AC-225 decent at TIG welding, I added an amperage control circuit.  This allows me to plug in my homemade foot pedal and fine tune the arc as I’m welding.  Like most of my AC-225 modifications, most of the credit goes to Gregory Hildstrom for all the work he put into making this circuit and the other modifications he wrote about.  The other person who deserves much credit is Mike W who posted the original diagram.

AC-225 now with foot control!

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Posted in Welding

Quick and Easy DIY AR-15 Upper Receiver Vise Block

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I needed to install an AR-15 barrel on a new upper and didn’t want to pay $25 for a vise block.  Instead I used some scrap 2x4s and a few screws to make my own.

In the vise and ready to go

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Posted in Shooting

Replacing 1st Generation Trooper Front Wheel Bearings and Grease Seals

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Now to be honest, I don’t think I needed to replace my wheel bearings.  They could probably have just been cleaned and regreased, but the cost was around $70 for both front bearings and the grease seals, and since I was already doing a brake job and replacing the auto locking hubs, it wasn’t much more work.  Also, my Trooper is from 1991 and I think the bearings were never repacked since the factory.  The service manual says they need it every 30,000 miles, and I was about 180,000 miles overdue!

It’s always important to be comfortable when working on your car!

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Posted in Isuzu

Swapping 1st Generation Isuzu Trooper Auto Locking Hubs for WARN Manual Hubs

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I upgraded to manual locking hubs after wanting to do it for several years.  Now, “upgrading” to something that makes you get out of your car to use 4 wheel drive seems a little crazy to most people, but I see it as an upgrade since they are considered stronger than the stock automatic hubs and there is no question if they fully engaged or if something is wrong.  Listening for the “click” and not being sure you heard it is a little unnerving.  Also, I am only engaging 4-high and 4-low when I am going somewhere off road, so getting out and turning the hubs isn’t that big of a deal.

Stock photo of the new hubs

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Posted in Isuzu

18 Quart Tub Garage Storage Rack

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As a part of my ongoing quest to organize the garage, I built a storage rack/cabinet that holds 10 18-quart Sterilite tubs.  They are just the right size to hold one type of material: small electronics, sandpaper, home wiring, etc.  Since I tend to do a variety of jobs, this will help me keep each project type better separated.

As floor space is at a premium, I wanted to mount it high on the wall to keep it out of the way.  If this isn’t an issue for you, it could easily be mounted on castors and used as a cart.

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Posted in Home Projects