Proof of concept: A servo motor, a little platform with an opposing wheel, and two TPU tyres with a tiny groove down the middle will very capably grab a length of solder and push/pull it.
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The fully assembled solder feeder, now attached to the front of my #SolderingStation. It replaces the simple little stand I previously used to just bend the end of my solder wire over - that's still attached next to it in case I ever want it again.
I think the trick with this filament is to print with super low layer height, and enable ironing - the top of this thing looks like machined delrin or something.
Last step is finishing the feeder pen itself.
This is a failed print (the other half of the pen lost bed adhesion and became plastic spaghetti), but enough of it worked to confirm I now have the negative space cutout for the feeder pen's electronics correct enough to spend time refining the outside shape.
It started with a roughly cylindrical cross-section, but that immediately made it tougher to print - and it already is a technical print because of the thin walls and large hollows everywhere. Pen v2 will have a simpler form. #3DPrinting
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This is a failed print (the other half of the pen lost bed adhesion and became plastic spaghetti), but enough of it worked to confirm I now have the negative space cutout for the feeder pen's electronics correct enough to spend time refining the outside shape.
It started with a roughly cylindrical cross-section, but that immediately made it tougher to print - and it already is a technical print because of the thin walls and large hollows everywhere. Pen v2 will have a simpler form. #3DPrinting
Went for the smarter option of "look at the internals, then design an enclosure around them" rather than "try and stuff everything into an arbitrary tiny shape" and ended up with this extremely functional part. Still need to make the button insert, but this thing absolutely works - press the button, more solder wire appears.
Could I actually be close to - dramatic gasp - finishing a project!? Better yet, as an infrastructure project, this'll make it easier to finish *other* projects as well.
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Went for the smarter option of "look at the internals, then design an enclosure around them" rather than "try and stuff everything into an arbitrary tiny shape" and ended up with this extremely functional part. Still need to make the button insert, but this thing absolutely works - press the button, more solder wire appears.
Could I actually be close to - dramatic gasp - finishing a project!? Better yet, as an infrastructure project, this'll make it easier to finish *other* projects as well.
I am now extremely bored of making sub-millimetre adjustments to this tiny button part, but I am pleased to report: it works! Press the button, solder comes out; press the other button, solder goes back in.
The tube is held rigidly and almost completely straight - there is one bend near the nozzle because it has to be off-centre to run underneath the PCB, but I think that might actually help to keep it straight as it deploys.
The solder feeder pen has reached v1.0. #3DPrinting #Arduino #maker
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I am now extremely bored of making sub-millimetre adjustments to this tiny button part, but I am pleased to report: it works! Press the button, solder comes out; press the other button, solder goes back in.
The tube is held rigidly and almost completely straight - there is one bend near the nozzle because it has to be off-centre to run underneath the PCB, but I think that might actually help to keep it straight as it deploys.
The solder feeder pen has reached v1.0. #3DPrinting #Arduino #maker
Hocus pocus, abracadear; I would very much like the sponge that came with my soldering iron to re-appear
I guess this is a sign it's another thing I should make myself and attach to my soldering station?
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Hocus pocus, abracadear; I would very much like the sponge that came with my soldering iron to re-appear
I guess this is a sign it's another thing I should make myself and attach to my soldering station?
I usually try not to toot my own horn too much, but I will do so when I'm proud of making something good - and my solder feeder fucking slaps.
This is the first real test done in anger, and there are definite changes to make. It needs a narrower nozzle to get closer to the workpiece, a longer one to straighten the wire better, and a more comfortable handle.
But I will never go back to just feeding solder in by hand. This is 1000% better in every way.
#3DPrinting #Electronics #Arduino #maker
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I usually try not to toot my own horn too much, but I will do so when I'm proud of making something good - and my solder feeder fucking slaps.
This is the first real test done in anger, and there are definite changes to make. It needs a narrower nozzle to get closer to the workpiece, a longer one to straighten the wire better, and a more comfortable handle.
But I will never go back to just feeding solder in by hand. This is 1000% better in every way.
#3DPrinting #Electronics #Arduino #maker
@timixretroplays hmm, maybe I should adjust mine with a pen too...
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