In this week’s weekly update weekly update (not yet posted, writing it now) we talk about what changes we can make to improve the Maslow4 hardware. We would love suggestions for ideas of what else we can do to keep making Maslow better.
We will of course offer all of the updated parts as affordably as possible and preferably first as an upgrade option to existing machines.
Here are the changes that I have in mind so far:
Replace RJ45 connectors to encoders with JST-XH - This has made a huge difference for us in testing to generally improve reliability and fix random issues with encoder connectivity
Fix floating pin on encoder boards - Fixes the somewhat rare but significant issue of the encoders reading backwards
Replace hex bolts with star drive bolts to eliminate stripping - The hex drive just isn’t the best drive option
Redesign cooling fan so that it can use the same length of bolt as everything else - This is more about it being annoying for us to have to include four bolts which are slightly longer in the kit
Add upper and lower bearings to the idler gear - It seems like this diler gear is the biggest cause of some arms being stiffer than others, adding bearings will eliminate a wear point and improve consistency and reliability.
Add updated belt guards to keep the belts out of the gears - This will be a new injection molded part
Keep in mind that this is going to be Maslow4.1 not Maslow5 so we’re looking for incremental changes that we can make to the existing design rather than things which could be incorporated into a complete redesign.
I’ve had a few bolts push through the plastic (due to over-tightening) particularly on the top/bottom pieces which sandwich the arms together. Making that plastic a bit thicker (or including washers–what I did) may be nice!
There has been a lot of discussion around appropriate anchor height, and anchor/belt angles recently. A new set of anchors with heights designed to equalize belt angles could be beneficial, if this can’t be solved in code.
it looks like the jst cables are longer and more flexible than the ethernet cables, so longer wires on the motors would be good with the next motor order. (the idea is to support spindles where the board is either higher up, or off to the side rather than clipped to the top of the router)
when you say ‘star drive bolts’ do you mean torx head bolts?
There has been mention that going to 16mm long bolts instead of 12mm long bolts allows better engagement of the nylon in the nylock nuts.
you should consider changing the anchors to allow the nylock nuts to be used there. I think the fix will end up with the anchors not being symmetrical
change the top post clamps to be more forgiving to longer rods, something along the lines of this that clamps around the rod rather than against the end of the rod Onshape
test options to allow the arms to move closer to horizontal/vertical. I don’t know if this is bigger notches in the upper/lower clamps to allow the motors to move in closer or having a larger idler to allow the arms to be longer so that the motors are further out??? possibly making the top and bottom different so there isn’t a arm out around the lead screws on the top clamp?? (although, this is potentially a DIY change)
I forgot to mention that the linear rods will be more precisely cut (cut with a lathe instead of a saw) so they should all be exactly the right length with rounded edges.
I forgot to mention that the linear rods will be more precisely cut (cut with a lathe instead of a saw) so they should all be exactly the right length with rounded edges.
I still think this would be an improvement, but probably not something to do
until you need to update the injection mold.
Focus on making the router easily removable/swappable, this means:
Add a sleeve that goes down the inside of all the arms and the end clamps, in turn this means
Make the internal diameter of the arms and clamps slightly bigger to accommodate the sleeve, so you can still specify the Dewalt router. But now of course you can specify anything that can fit in the sleeve, although it may need a shim.
Have a better clamping mechanism, the clamp wedges are a pain if they’re undone too much, and you can’t get the nut to reengage with the bolt
But if we’ve got a sleeve then there’s lots of opportunities for better clamping
Use some variant of my idea for the “router be gone” so that the PCB isn’t mounted onto the router, but is independently supported.
Ideally make this mount so that it can be swivelled out of the way without undoing any cable, then loosening the clamps, and finally easily sliding the router out and swapping it (or just changing the bit). i.e. a sub one minute job.
Indirectly related to hardware - Taxes / customs / duties etc. - can the machine be partially assembled in some 3rd country and as a result have a cheaper landed cost in the US?
What I’m really thinking of here is defining various sub-assemblies of the M4, that are practical to buy as individual parts, and having these assembled (or whatever) somewhere/somehow to meet the legislative requirements
Focus on making the router easily removable/swappable, this means:
Add a sleeve that goes down the inside of all the arms and the end clamps, in turn this means
Make the internal diameter of the arms and clamps slightly bigger to accommodate the sleeve, so you can still specify the Dewalt router. But now of course you can specify anything that can fit in the sleeve, although it may need a shim.
Have a better clamping mechanism, the clamp wedges are a pain if they’re undone too much, and you can’t get the nut to reengage with the bolt
But if we’ve got a sleeve then there’s lots of opportunities for better clamping
Use some variant of my idea for the “router be gone” so that the PCB isn’t mounted onto the router, but is independently supported.
Ideally make this mount so that it can be swivelled out of the way without undoing any cable, then loosening the clamps, and finally easily sliding the router out and swapping it (or just changing the bit). i.e. a sub one minute job.
or have the cables long enough that the electronics can be mounted to the side,
on top of one of the pillars instead of being central.
A mount to hang the unit would be super handy. I’ll prob end up designing & 3D printing one.
Also the top brace broke on mine where the bolts go through — the surface they tighten down on is really thin, so thickening this up should help. I can be more specific if needed.
The ability to shut the router off programmatically would be really handy. Like if theres an error or the job is done. It’d provide more peace of mind leaving the Maslow running.
The ability to shut the router off programmatically would be really handy.
Like if theres an error or the job is done. It’d provide more peace of mind
leaving the Maslow running.
While this would clearly be safer, there is a concern about the liability of
having a machine that could turn the router on automatically.
But I think this is mostly a software thing (like Z axis touch sensor) that can
be added on to all machines leter.
I’m by no means an electronic expert, but isn’t it possible using a relay and a physical switch to only turn it off? I was looking at a similar setup for the fuel pump as an anti theft device on my muscle car.
I¢m by no means an electronic expert, but isn¢t it possible using a relay and a physical switch to only turn it off? I was looking at a similar setup for the fuel pump as an anti theft device on my muscle car.
it’s possible, but not at all standard to have something that can only be turned
off by the software but cannot be turned on. an example of how to do this is
visible here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCmDc2_VuGI
you can get the effect with a pair of relays, one setup as a self latching relay
and the other to turn it off.
That’d be super cool. I had the Maslow crash and drop a foot or two with the router running which was pretty sketchy. While unconventional, it would be a nice safety feature.
to support different routers/spindles, I would enlarge the opening in the sled. With the kobalt router, the locking button is significantly further down than with the dewalt, so you lose about 16mm of Z axis by not being able to move the router all the way down.
make it so that you can put an insert into the bottom of the sled to close it off (similar to how the router bases let you add in a bushing) if you are concerned about the airflow. Otherwise allow the full diameter (or a smidge more) of the router to go through the bottom of the sled. This will also make bit changes easier.
I also agree with Lee above that if you are going to do new injection molds for the arms (to allow for bearings on the idler) that allowing for larger diameter (and swappable) spindles would be a good idea.
I think I tried that but lifts the head screw too much.
I swopped all of mine from button head to cap head but there’s 2 of the motor mount screws that needed to be button due to clearance of cog
