Hey all
Due to government surplus auctions and poor money mgmt, the shop now has (2) Workhorses & a TAZ 6 and hope to use them to make a single LULZ-Franken-Upgrade (w/some spare parts leftover). The forum has a lot of related input, but in separate threads, so I figure the best way to fit in around here is to start another one Any tips, tricks, hacks are greatly appreciated!
My goal is to have a workhorse frame, running 1.75mm, on a new board, with toolhead quick change, BL Touch, & magnetic springbed. Oh and a throw an OctoPrint on there as well…why not.
What I’ve gathered so far:
Hermit Crab 2, standard [no CAN bus]
Biqu H2 Extruder
Extruder mounting brackets, printed
BTT Octopus board
Asst. Cables, bulkheads, etc.
Mag spring bed
…
What’s been done:
Removed one of the Workhorse electronics cans from frame & gutted it 2.
Rearranged the can’s guts to accomodate the new BTT board [installed, but not fully term’d yet] & have the access cover on hinges [installed]
Added bulkheads for ethernet, etc. [RJ-45, usb-C, usb-A, SD Mirco]
Printed and fitted H2v1 toolhead mount & cooling bracket [will have to reprint the one that fits a BLT
Swapped the bed to the magnetic one
Realized this a project that may take two men a lifetime…and I’m workin on it solo [plz send help]
…
Help needed [kinda ranked?]:
Getting the Hermit Crab attached to the guide rods
[Using with Workhorse frame, but could be convinced to use the TAZ6 if its better]
Any wiring/pin-out diagrams, board schematics, or related pics would be invaluable
Man, I didn’t mean to post that already. But I guess it gives the general gist…
I may compile some of the pictures from related threads and just repost them here for convenience, unless that would be frowned upon. Will attach pics of progress when I remember.
Anyways, glad to see FOSS & forums are still alive and kickin
I have the older hermit crab. You have two (or unlimited since open source) options: Go with linear rail and mount the Hermit Crab to it, or make an adapter plate to use the linear rods.
I’m not sure if the Hermit Crab v2 has the same mounting points, but I used this for testing with the v1. Rod-X carriage for Hermit Crab.stl (759.0 KB)
It’s just the regular X carriage x_carriage_taz6_v0.3.stl (477.9 KB)
with new holes to hold threaded inserts in the right spots, and unused holes filled in. Pretty simple project.
Linear rail is more involved, as you need the z gantry supports and everything modified, but I’ve been happy with the result.
Just realized that if you’re doing the workhorse, it has a different X axis carriage and mount, so you’ll have to do that part yourself. Pretty easy though with the files available on download.lulzbot.com
Yeah, a lot of this project is pulling from yours so thanks for contributing!
Any input on which model of gantry frames is better suited? I went with the Workhorse because it seemed to have more aluminum supports and dual z-guide rods. However, the T6 has the z-axis screw rods with beefier looking bearing assemblies. Also T6 has a wider distance between x-guide rods, which /seems/ sturdier but who knows.
I slapped linear x- and y-rail on an Ender and results were noticeably worthwhile. Not wanting to add any more to this project [quite yet], but really like the idea of getting x-rail. I see a couple of models over on Printables.
As long as the tool plate ends up mounted to the carriage secure, vertical, and centered, then any offset from between the two can be worked out in the gcode…correct? As in, if washers were installed between plate/cairrage moving the nozzle slightly ‘forward’? I can make it work with what I have if thats the case.
I’d go with the workhorse for the belted Z. The lead screws on the Taz 6 are about the only part that is hard to get a replacement for, and the faster Z travel is welcome at times.
Offsets can be compensated in GCODE, but I’d definitely go with firmware that supports BLTouch. You’ll quickly tire of having to clean the nozzle to perfection every time it levels.
Any tips, tricks, hacks are greatly appreciated!