MendelMax Build Guide

Rev 2.2 6th November 2012

Contents
General Instructions ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................3 Chapter 1 - Base Frame ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................4 Chapter 2 Y Axis ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................9 Chapter 3 Upper Frame .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Chapter 4 X Axis ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 29 Chapter 5 Z Axis ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 40 Chapter 6 Finishing Off the X Axis..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 55 Chapter 7 Print Bed........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 60 Chapter 8 J-Head Hot End Assembly ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 64 Chapter 9 - Extruder ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 70 Chapter 10 - Endstop ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 89 Chapter 11 - Wiring ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 93 Chapter 12 Firmware & Software ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 110

General Instructions
Take note of the +/- 12V polarity when wiring up the Sanguinololu controller board. Reversing the polarity will cause the electrolytic capacitors to explode and damaging the Stepstick Stepper drivers Do not connect/disconnect the stepper motors from Sanguinololu controller board when powered on. Doing so will damage the Stepstick stepper drivers. Do not over tighten the LM8UU holders. The wall of the holders may crack if overtightened. The T-Slot nuts can be inserted/removed from the top. Just drop in and align it with the screw hole. The t-slot nut will rotate 90degree on its when screwed in.

Be gentle when inserting the smooth rods through the LM8UU/SCV8UU linear bearings. Make sure the centers are aligned when inserting. Misalignment may cause the tip of smooth rod to knock the tiny balls out from the bearing housing. Certain printed parts may require some cleaning, deburring and drilling out. Do not attempt to force screws through plastic parts if the hole is too small. Drill it out with a matching drill bit size to enlarge the hole. The printed parts may crack if excessive force is applied to it. Repair the cracked parts with superglue and let it cure for 15mins. It will hold up well or even better than before. The Z Top Vertex and Z Motor Mount have nut traps which will take in the M5 square nuts. Push the M5 square nuts into the nut traps :

Chapter 1

Base FrameFrame Chapter 1 - Base

Left : Parts required to assemble the base frame, Right: Assembled base frame Parts required :

4 x 300mm Aluminium Extrusion 4 x 420mm Aluminium Extrusion 2 x Lower Vertex Left 2 x Lower Vertex Right

8 x M6 10mm Cap Screw 8 x M6 washer 16 x M5 10mm Cap Screw 16 x M5 Washer 24 x T-Slot Nut

Step-by-Step Screw the lower vertex to the aluminium frame with a M6 10mm cap screw as shown below :

Repeat the same for all four sides :

Add on the 300mm extrusion with M6 cap screw as shown :

Insert the t-slot nut as shown and slide it into position such that it align with the screw hole on the vertex :

Secure it with M5 cap screw. Repeat the same for all four sides and the end result is shown on the right picture below :

Now, grab the 420mm extrusion and assemble it according to the pictures shown below :

Repeat the same for all four sides :

Add on the upper 420mm extrusion to achieve the following results :

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Y Axis

Y Axis

Parts required :

2 x Compact Y-Rod Holder 2 x 415mm Smooth Rod 4 x M5 16mm cap screw 4 x M5 Washer 4 x M5 T-Slot Nut

4 x M3 20mm cap screw 4 x M3 nut 4 x SCV8UU Linear Bearing

Step-by-Step Push M3 nuts into the nut traps on both Y-Rod Holder ends. Insert the 20mm M3 screw at both ends. Do not tighten.

Insert 16mm M5 cap screw with washer into all the 4 holes and attach T-Slot nuts at the other end. Do not tighten

Insert both the 415mm smooth rod into one of Y-Rod holder. Slide in the SCV8UU linear bearing (two pieces on each rod). Insert the other Y-Rod holder at the other end. Tighten one end of the Y-Axis assembly to the aluminium extrusion.

Push the Y-Rod holder on other end so that it flushes with the aluminium extrusion and tighten it

Assemble the Y-Idler as shown below.

Parts required :

Y-Idler Printed Parts 2 x M5 10mm cap screw 3 x M5 16mm cap screw 2 x M5 washer

1 x M8 45mm cap screw 1 x M8 nut 2 x M8 washer 2 x 608z bearing

Insert two M5 10mm cap screw with washer to the left and right side. Attach T-Slot nut on the the other side.

Tighten the Y-Idler to the base frame as shown below.

Prepare the Y motor mount for assembly. 2 x M5 10mm and 2x T-Slot nut

Attach the Y Motor mount to the base frame.

Get the pulley with belt retainer. Push a M3 nut into the nut trap.

Push in Belt retainer

Tighten the 8mm set screw on the pulley. Attach the motor to the Y Motor mount with two M3 10mm cap screws

Get the 1300mm length T5 belt and pass it around the pulley & idler. Join them together with the belt as shown below with two M3 20mm screw and nut. Make sure the belt is joint at the bottom, not the top.

Chapter 3

Upper Upper Frame Chapter 3 Frame

Parts required :

4 x Lower Upper Vertex 4 x 340mm Aluminium Extrusion 12 x M5 10mm cap screw 12 x M5 washer 4 x M5 10mm countersunk head

4 x M6 10mm machined head 16 x T-Slot nut

Insert the M6 10mm screw through the bottom hole of the vertex and tighten it to the 420mm aluminium extrusion. Repeat the same for all four vertex.

Prepare to insert the M5 screws to secure the vertex with the aluminium extrusion.

Insert two t-slot nuts as shown below and align them with the screw hole. Tighten it with two M5 10mm screw and washers. Repeat the same for all four vertex.

Align the vertex to the corner of bottom frame. Insert two T-Slot nuts and align them with the screw hole as shown below.

Tighten the vertex with a M5 10mm screw and a M5 10mm countersunk head screw. Repeat the same for all four vertex.

All four vertex in position :

Get hold of the 420mm extrusions with two holes drilled at both ends. Slide in the M6 12mm screws 2 screws per extrusion.

Insert the allen key through the drilled hole and lightly tighten the M6 12mm screw to the diagonal extrusion.

The left and right extrusions should be spaced 260mm apart and they must be parallel from top to bottom. Use a ruler to measure the spacing at top and bottom. Make adjustments if necessary. Once the spacing is correct, tighten the M6 12mm screw at the top to secure them in position.

Slide the Z Top Vertex into position as shown below. Repeat the same for the other side.

Parts required :

2 x Z Top Vertex 4 x M5 10mm cap screw 4 x T Slot Nuts

Insert two T-Slot nut and align them with the M5 screw hole. Lightly tighten the Z Top Vertex with two M5 10mm screw and washers. Do not tighten as you may need to make adjustments later.

Parts required :

4 x Top Vertex 16 x M5 10mm cap screw 16 x M5 washer 16 x T Slot nut

Prepare the Top Vertex by inserting the M5 10mm screw and washer into each screw hole. Thread in the T-Slot nut at the other side.

Tighten the Top Vertex to all four corners of the upper frame as shown below.

Chapter 4X Axis Chapter 4

X Axis

Parts required :

2 x X End 4 x M3 20mm cap screw 4 x M3 nut 4 x M8 nut 4 x LM8UU Linear Bearing

Push the 4 M3 nuts into the nut traps located at the outer side of linear bearing slots.

Push the 4 LM8UU into position as shown below.

Insert the M3 20mm screws and tighten. Do not overtighten as the LM8UU holder walls may crack.

Thread the M8 nut to the tip of the M8 threaded rod. Dab a tiny bit of quick dry glue on the M8 nuts surface and push it into the Z-Axis Hex nut slot at the bottom.

Make sure the M8 nut sits flat on the surface and let it cure in position for 2 minutes. Unscrew the thread rod after that.

Again, dab a tiny bit of quick dry glue on another M8 nut and insert it into the Z-Axis Hex nut slot from the top. Let it cure for 2 minutes before unscrewing the threaded rod. Some instructions call for a spring to be put in between the bottom and top M8 nut but we find that the fixing it in place with the quick dry glue works better. Repeat the same for both X-Ends.

Assemble the X-End Idler as shown in the pictures below.

Parts required : 1 x M8 25mm Hex Screw 1 x M8 nut 1 x M8 flat washer 1 x M8 BIG washer 1 x 608z Bearing

Kits shipped after 5th October The X-Idler now has two 608z bearing instead of one. The big M8 washer has been removed to avoid the T5 belt rubbing against it.

2 x 608z No more big M8 washer

Assemble the X-Carriage as shown below. Parts required : 1 x X-Carriage 4 x M3 20mm cap screw 4 x M3 nut 4 x LM8UU Linear Bearing

Push 4 LM8UU into the LM8UU holders. Push 4 M3 nuts into the nut traps. Becareful not to force the LM8UU into the holder. Deburr if there is excess plastics blocking the LM8UU slot.

Insert the M3 20mm cap screws and tighten them. Do not overtighten. The LM8UU holder wall may crack if overtightened.

Parts required : 2 x X-End 1 x X-Carriage 4 x M3 20mm 4 x M3 nut 2 x 435mm Smooth Rod

Push the 4 M3 nuts into the nut traps on X End as shown below.

Push the smooth rod into the X End as shown below. Take note of the X Carriage orientation.

Insert the M3 20mm cap screw from the the X End spacing may be necessary

bottom but do not tighten. Some adjustment on later.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Z Axis

Z Axis

Parts required : 2 x Z Motor Mount 2 x Stepper Motor 8 x M3 10mm cap screw 8 x M3 washer

Insert the stepper motor into motor mount and secure it in place with the M3 10mm screws and washers.

Continue assembling the Z Motor Mount.

Parts required : 2 x Partially assembledZ Motor Mount 4 x Motor mount support 2 x 5x8mm Shaft Coupler 4 x M5 10mm cap screw 4 x M5 washer 4 x T-Slot Nut

Insert the shaft coupler to the motor shaft and secure it in place by tightening the set screw with allen key. Do the same for both stepper motors.

Put the motor mount supports into place as shown below. Secure them to the motor mount with M5 10mm screws and washers.

Prepare the Z Motor Mount for mounting to the base frame by inserting the M5 10mm cap screw to the screw holes on the support and thread in the T-Slot nuts on the other side.

Do the same for the screw holes on the Z Motor Mount.

Attach the assembled Z Motor Mount to the base frame as shown below and secure it in place by tightening the 4 M5 screws. Repeat the same for both Z Motor Mount.

Parts required : The base frame The assembled X Axis 2 x M8 300mm Threaded Rod 2 x 360mm Smooth Rod 4 x Z Rod Clasp

Thread the M8 threaded rods through both X Ends. Leave them at halfway mark as shown below.

Position the X-Axis assembly in to the center of the frame and push both the M8 threaded rods into the shaft coupler. Take note of the orientation. The Y Motor Mount should be facing you while the X Motor Mount should be on your left. X Idler on the right and the X Carriage belt clamp facing away from you.

Go ahead and tighten the set screws on the shaft couplers.

Slide gently the 360mm Smooth Rod into the LM8UUs at X-End. Make sure the smooth rod is aligned with the center hole of LM8UU before sliding in. Knocking the side walls of LM8UU with the tip of smooth rod may cause the tiny balls in the bearing to break loose and drop out.

Secure smooth rod in place by tightening the Z Rod Clasps at Z Motor Mount and Z Top Vertex

Adjust the Z Motor Mount and Z Top Vertex to ensure verticality of the smooth rod. Ensure the M8 threaded rods are parallel with the smooth rods. Loosen the M3 screws on the Z Motor Mount to shift the stepper motors left/right to adjust the verticality of the M8 threaded rods.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Finishing Off the X Axis

Finishing Off the X Axis

Parts required : 1 x Stepper Motor 1000mm T5 Belt 1 x T5 Pulley with Belt Retainer 2 x X-Carriage Belt Clamp 3 x M3 10mm cap screw 3 x M3 20mm cap screw 1 x M3 8mm set screw 5 x M3 nut 4 x M3 washer

Push a M3 nut into the nut trap and insert the 8mm set screw. Push the pulley into the stepper motors shaft. Make sure you insert it with the set screw being on top. The base of the pulley will act as a belt retainer. Tighten the set screw to make sure that the pulley doesnt slip when rotating.

Attach the stepper motor to the X End Motor Mount and secure it in place with 3 M3 10mm screws.

Loop the T5 belt around the pulley and idler and bring both open end to the X Carriage at the center.

Secure one end of the belt to the X-Carriage as shown in the picture on the left. Use 2 M3 20mm screws with washers and nut. Pull the other end of the belt and secure it to the X-Carriage as well. Make sure that the belt is in tension and not sloppy. It is very important to have sufficient tension on the T5 belts as a sloppy belt will result in bad prints.

Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Print Bed

Print Bed

Parts required : 9mm MDF Print Platform MK2 Heat Bed 8 x M3 35mm cap screw 8 x M3 nut 16 x M3 washer 4 x Spacer Hex Nut T5 Transmission Clamp

Place the MDF print platform on top of the SCV8UU bearings flat surface. Align the screw holes and insert the M3 35mm cap screw with washer from the top. The M3 35mm screw should go in through the MDF platform from the top and out from SCV8UUs screw hole at the bottom. Secure the MDF platform in place by tightening the M3 nuts at the bottom.

M3 35mm cap screws

T5 Transmission Clamp

The T5 transmission clamp must be installed such that the T5 belt is clamped to one of the SCV8UUs bottom. Refer to the picture on the right.

Secure the spacer hex nut onto the platform as shown below. Mount the MK2 heat bed on top of the spacer and tighten the retaining nut.

Top

Bottom

Kits shipped after 5th Oct does not come with PCB spacers anymore. They have been replaced with 4pcs of springs and 4pcs of M3 20mm screws. Install the heat bed spring loaded as shown below. This allow the print bed to be leveled by adjusting the M3 20mm screws. Install them at all four corners as shown in the picture below :

Chapter 8

J-HeadJ-Head HotEnd Assembly Hot End Assembly Chapter 8

Parts required : J-Head Hot End Aluminium Mounting Plate Heat Resistor Thermistor PTFE transparent sleeve (transparent tubes) PTFE insulated wire (Red & Black) Ferrule (2 Grey, 2 Blue)

Insert the heat resistor in to the J-Heads brass nozzle body and bend the resistors legs upward. Also insert the aluminium mounting plate. It is a snug fit so use some force.

Aluminium mounting plate Insulated Wire

Heat Resistor Insulated Wire

Cut the fiberglass sleeve to the length of heat resistors leg. Insert the cut piece through the heat resistors leg followed by the ferrule. Then strip one end of the PTFE insulated wire exposing about 5mm of the core. Insert the stripped end into the ferrule to make contact with the resistors leg. Crimp the ferrule using a plier and make sure there is no loose connection. Repeat the same for the other leg. Note (1st Jan 2013) : Fiberglass sleeve is no longer used. Newer kits have been replaced with PTFE transparent tubes. They come in 2 sizes. The smaller ones are for the thermistor legs. Bigger ones are for the heat resistor.

Heat Resistor Ferrule (grey) Insulated Wire PTFE insulated wire Insulated Wire Insulated Wire

Fiberglass sleeve

Now assemble the thermistor based on the same steps as above.

Insert the thermistor glass bead into the J-Head brass nozzle body

Secure the heat resistor and thermistor in place by wrapping the lead wire with Kapton tape. Kapton tape is able to withstand the heat and remain tightly wrapped after many hours in operation. Normal cellophane tape must not be used. The thermistor glass bead must remain in hot ends brass nozzle body all the time. If it falls out during print operation, the controller will register lower temperature and turn on the heat resistor continuously. This will cause the PEEK body to reach melting point (>260C) and fail catastrophically.

Kapton tape

Chapter -9 Chapter 9 Extruder

Extruder

Parts required : 1 x Stepper Motor 1 x Extruder Body 1 x Extruder Idler 1 x Extruder Herringbone Gear (Big) 1 x Extruder Herringbone Gear (Small) 3 x 608z bearing 1 x M8 Hobbed Bolt 6 x M8 Washer 1 x M8 Nut 3 x M3 10mm cap screw 1 x M3 35mm cap screw 1 x M3 Nut 1 x M3 8mm set screw 1 x M8 Pin for Idler

Trim off the excess plastic from the extruders body. Those excess plastics are just overhang support needed during the printing process.

BEFORE

AFTER

Push a 608z bearing into the rear bearing slot on the Extruders body.

608z bearing

Push another 608z bearing into the front bearing slot. Then insert the M8 Hobbed Bolt and Washer.

M8 Washer

M8 Hobbed Bolt 608z bearing

Make sure that the hobbed groove is aligned with the filament hole. Remove the M8 washer from bolts head or add more M8 washers to adjust the position of hobbed groove if necessary. Insert 5 M8 washers to the hobbed bolt as shown below :

Aligned with filament hole

5 x M8 washers

Push a M8 nut into the nut trap on the Big Herringbone Gears front.

M8 Nut

Insert the Big Herringbone gear through the hobbed bolt and screw it in hand tight. Make sure that the gear can rotate freely without much resistance.

Push a M3 nut into the nut trap on the bottom of the Small Herringbone Gear. Insert the M3 8mm set screw and thread in to mate with the M3 nut.

Push the Small Herringbone Gear through the Stepper Motors shaft. Tighten the M3 8mm set screw to fix the Herringbone gear in position and prevent slipping.

Mount the stepper motor to the Extruders body with 3 x M3 10mm cap screws. Make sure the small and big gear mesh well together

Mesh!

Push the 608z bearing with the M8 pin dowel into the idler bearing slot. Also push a M3 nut into the nut trap on idlers hinge.

M3 nut

608z bearing

M8 pin dowel

Attach the idler to the extruder body at the hinge. Thread in the M3 35mm cap screw through one of the opening on Big Herringbone gear.

M3 35mm

Prepare the M4 fasteners as shown below :

Parts required : 2 x M4 55mm 2 x M4 washer 6 x M4 nut 2 x Compression Spring

Push two M4 nut into the nut trap on top of the extruders body. Trim off excess plastics if the nut trap is too narrow for the nut to be inserted.

M4 nut

Push two M4 nut into the nut trap on the extruders base.

M4 nut M4 nut

M4 nut

A fully assembled extruder :

Insert the assembled hot end from the top of X-Carriage.

Prepare to mount the Extruder on top with two M4 20mm cap screws

M4 20mm

M4 20mm

Seat the extruder on top and tighten the M4 screws.

Chapter -10 Chapter 10 Endstop

Endstop

Parts required : 3 x Printed Endstop Holders 3 x Microswitch 6 x M2 20mm cap screw 6 x M2 washer 6 x M2 nut 3 x M3 20mm cap screw 3 x M3 nut

Insert the M2 cap screws through the screw holes on the microswitch and through the end stop holders.

Secure the microswitch to the end stop holders by tightening the M2 nut on the other side. Insert washers before tightening.

Solder the blue and yellow wire from the endstop wire harness to the microswitches. Repeat the same for all 3 endstops. Blue wire should go to the COM terminal Yellow wire should go to the NC terminal

Mount the 3 endstops in the following locations. Secure them in place with a M3 20mm cap screw and nut.

Y Axis Endstop

Z Axis Endstop

X Axis Endstop

Chapter -11 Chapter 11 Wiring

Wiring

The Power Supply is set to 220V by default. Reconfigure to 110V if you are located in one the following countries : Canada, United States, Japan, Taiwan

Kits shipped after 26th October 2012 comes with a 360Watt Power Supply unit which has a slightly different terminal layout. The AC terminals are now located on the right side. The DC ve terminals are now on the left and +ve on the right.

Take note of these changes and wire them accordingly.

+12V

-12V

The AC Power Cord is not included in the kit because different countries require different AC plugs. Get one from the local store. Strip the outer insulation to expose the Live, Neutral and Earth wire. Strip the insulation of the Live, Neutral and Earth wire to expose 5mm of the copper.

Working with AC Power Supply is dangerous. Make sure you know what you are doing. Get help from an electrician if you are unsure.

Strip both ends of the black and red 22AWG wire, exposing 5mm of the copper. Connect one end to the Power Supply. Red wire goes to the +V terminal on the most right Black wire goes to he COM terminal on the 4th terminal from left.

Read the warning instruction on the controllers power terminal. Peel off the warning instruction and connect the Red wire to the left terminal marked with a + sign. Connect the Black wire to the right terminal marked with a - sign.

Insulator

Copper

General crimp terminal instructions : 1. Bend the crimp terminal back and forth several times to break it off from the reel 2. Crimp the exposed wire copper at the lower part 3. Crimp the wire insulator at the upper part

Attach crimp terminals to one end of the orange wires. Insert both wires into the 4-Pin Polarized connector housing. One to the most left and the other to the most right.

Solder the other end of the orange wire to terminal 7 & 8 on the relay. It doesnt matter which wire goes to which terminal.

Solder the black 22AWG wire (Relay->PSU) to terminal 6 on the relay.

Connect the black wire to the 2nd COM terminal on power supply.

Solder one of the fiberglass insulated wire to Terminal 4 on the relay.

Solder the other end of the fiberglass insulated wire to the MK2 Heat Bed. Either terminal will do as polarity doesnt matter here.

Solder the second fiberglass insulated wire to the heat bed and connect it to the +V terminal of power supply

The above picture shows the partially completed wiring. The remaining is straightforward. Just wire them up based on the wiring diagram at the beginning of this chapter.

When wiring the Z-Axis stepper motor, you can either wire them in parallel or in series. Parallel wiring means your join the two pairs of black, green, blue and red together and plug them into the Sanguinololu board. Series wiring means you wire them as shown above. Description :

Black (Motor 1) -> Green (Motor 2) Green (Motor 1) -> Sanguinololu Blue (Motor 2) -> Sanguinololu Black (Motor 1) -> Sanguinololu What is the difference between wiring in Parallel and in Series? There are some writing on the internet regarding the advantages of wiring in series. For my Bot farm printers, I wire them in Series and they work just fine thus far.

Chapter 12Firmware & Software Chapter 12

Firmware & Software

Download the firmware & software package from http://www.blomker.com/Firmware&Software.zip The Sanguinololu controller board has been programmed with a default Marlin firmware for pre-shipping test and verification. You are expected to reprogram the Sanguinololu controller board with a calibrated firmware before attempting to operate the printer. Go through the following 4 steps to achieve this.

Install USB driver to communicate with printer

Install Pronterface to test basic functionality before reprogramming the controller

You can skip this step. The controller comes with a calibrated firmware. But the reprogramming steps are described in case you wish to tweak it in future.

Calibrate Marlin firmware and re-program controller

Install Slic3r to slice .stl files and generate Gcode for printing

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Unpack the Firmware&Software.zip file Make sure that you have disconnected the Sanguinololu USB connector from your PC. Click into the Install Driver directory and run CDM20802_Setup.exe Now plug in the Sanguinololu USB connector to your PC and wait for the board to recognised Windows will now install the USB driver and assign a new COM Port to the Sanguinololu Check the COM port number assignment by Right Clicking on My Computers and then click on Properties Go to the Hardware tab and click on Device Manager. Browse to Ports (COM & LPT) to see the assigned COM Port. Take note of the COM Port for establishing connection with the printer later.

7. Go back to the Firmware&Software directory and click into Install Pronterface folder 8. Install the 1-4 in that order

9. Now click into RUN_Pronterface folder and double click on Pronterface.py. The following window will appear :

10. Go ahead and type in the correct COM Port with baud rate set to 115,200. Click on Connect and Marlins initialization messages will appear on the right pane. 11. Move the print head around by clicking on +X, -X, +Y, -Y, +Z, -Z. This is just to verify the board is working before attempting to re-program it. 12. Now your printer is working and you are ready to print. Go ahead and prepare a .gcode file in Slic3r and load it into Pronterface for printing.

What values to use for Slic3r? It depends on the source of filament. The following always work for me when using 3mm ABS filaments from www.repraper.com : o o o o o o o o o o Layer height = 0.2mm Enable Cooling = yes Nozzle diameter = 0.35mm Filament diameter = 2.95mm Temperature = 255C First layer temperature = 255C Bed Temperature = 95C First layer bed temperature = 95C Extrusion Multiplier = 0.85 (Increase this if there is not enough plastic extrusion. Decrease if there is too much plastic) The others left as default value

Or go ahead and use the config_ABS.ini file which is included in the Slic3r folder. It is for ABS print.

Re-programming the Firmware

1. Go to the Firmware&Software folder and click into Firmware Re-programming folder. From there click into the ATMEGA1294P folder and run the Arduino.exe which is located inside arduino-023 folder 2. Click NO if asked to upgrade the software 3. Go to File->Open and browse to ../Firmware&Software/3. Firmware Re-programming/ATMEGA1284P/Marlin/Marlin.pde Double click on Marlin.pde to load the firmware

4. There are a lot of discussion about calibrating RepRap firmware on the internet but following are some basics : o The following line in Configuration.h determine the steps per unit. Its value can be determined by using the RepRap calculator (http://calculator.josefprusa.cz/) #define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT {64, 64, 1280,390} // for MendelMax, 10 Tooth pulley, 1/16 microstepping, T5 Belt The default values are correct for the MendelMax kit which comes with 10tooth pulley, T5 Belt and every Sanguinololu stepper driver configured to 1/16 microstepping. Please double check if your stepper drivers have been configured to 1/16 microstepping by pulling out the Stepstick driver and check the jumpers. Refer to the following table to determine the jumper settings.

Jumper 1 Open Short Open Short Short

Jumper 2 Open Open Short Short Short

Jumper 3 Open Open Open Open Short

Microstep 1 1/2 1/4 1/8 1/16

Make sure that the power supply has been turned off before attempting to remove the Stepstick drivers. Failing to do so will damage the stepper drivers!

The following parameters in Configuration.h determine the X,Y,Z Axis direction #define INVERT_X_DIR false #define INVERT_Y_DIR false #define INVERT_Z_DIR false #define INVERT_E0_DIR true The default Marlin firmware has very high acceleration. This can cause layer shifting problem when printing small area as the moment of inertia is too high for such acceleration values. I have downtuned it to the following values : #define DEFAULT_MAX_ACCELERATION {200,200,50,300}

5. Once you are done with verification of the values, go to Tools->Board and select Sanguino. Next, go to Tools->Serial Port and select the correct COM Port for the board

6. Next, go to Sketch and click on Verify/Compile. Wait for the Done Compiling message to appear at the bottom.

7. Next, you are now ready to upload the new firmware to the board. Go to File then click on Upload to I/O Board. Wait for the Upload Successful message to appear the bottom. Done!

8. Reset the controller board for the new firmware to re-initialize. Go back to Pronterface and re-establish connection. Now you need just go to www.thingiverse.com, download something in .stl and slice it in Slic3r. Load the .gcode file in Pronterface and print!

9. Lastly, make sure that you have a piece of glass sitting on top of the heat bed to provide a flat print area. Level your print bed before attempting to print. Rule of thumb is to have the hot end nozzle paper thin above the print bed when in home position. Adjust the Z Endstop vertically up or down to achieve this. Having a screw adjustable device like the one shown below does help a lot in fine adjustment of the Z Axis height. This is from Thingiverse (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:12488)

APPENDIX