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Mission accomplished "license to thrill"

[DIY DTG] 
1M views 5K replies 321 participants last post by  Laser212 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
R1900BUILD-Mission accomplished "license to thrill"

It is now official she is the T-DOZER:) here is the video of her knocking out some shirts. again i did a video from the power up sequence all the way thru printing two shirts, at the start up you can see the pf motor does not move (by evidencing no movement of the platen)

the printer is 100% error free as seen. i still have not mounted my power button pad (epson original) or additional two buttons (my modifications) i just could not hold back showing the video of what she can do, before i completed the final details:D keep in mind all thru-out the video the printer is not secured yet and either are the base covers..she is smooth;)

I'm still using the cardboard platen template, the final platen is plexi and weighs in at 1.3 pds. i believe i have accomplished the goals i set prior to the build. small foot print, light weight delivery system, portable, etc-etc.

I'm using 100% epson firmware with only some wiring modifications (rerouting) at the board as explained previously. everything required to do this build was purchased at lowes home improvement store with the exception of the plastic base (which can be substituted) and the printer itself of course..

I'm still using trial versions of the rip.. i tried multi-rip gp first and now i'm on my second brand of a trial version. i wish i could have done a shirt of each at the same time but the driver configurations don't agree with each other including the epson driver (you can only use one at a time on the computer without complications by my experience) so I'm testing individually..

i can tell you the rip is mandatory in my opinion, (its the business end of the deal):D and there are some very cool features and settings to play with ...im still learning..

i finally learned to adjust the settings in the rip for the table adjustment, the videos show it printing in 1400x1400. now i can print in 720x720 with the same quality as far as proportion and by my calculation it prints twice as fast..;) the 1400x1400 is still the best quality image all around as far as details etc and im sure that i will print with that setting most often..

well i hope you enjoy the show as much as i did..;)

P.S i added the video of the printer printing at 720x720 res dual cmyk.. i calculate start of print at the :59 sec point in the video and the end of print at 1:37 so i came up with 38second print on an 11x11 detailed graphic...a major feat using the stock epson firmware with its jerky motion in the 720 res mode with the r1900 imho, watch the very bottom of the shirt bounce during the print steps, and then check out the detailed print...

regards
jeff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc3OrrsnMHs





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWNmlNKiQ7A
 
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#133 · (Edited)
I also got to check out the pre treat machine we are working on this afternoon (i am having my brother head this portion of the project up) we work together on alot of projects- i supplied the base and component design for the app

.. so we had some very good results from the system with testing.. we are using industrial spray nozzles and testing the different patterns and distances. we used an on demand pump for the application aswell with and without a timer with great results from both ways..

we also built a manifold system for the pump (multiple spray bays from one pump) in the event you need to do multiple shirts at once cuts time but requires extra space for additional bays... im guessing he should have this down to a science within a month give or take.. with this pump you can even operate it (the spray start) from a key ring remote control while doing other tasks..:D

this has been our back room project shortly after i got the printer going.. we will most likely produce these aswell in fact it will probably be our main concentration for a separate venture with my brother running the operation aspects of it...

its completely enclosed to keep treatment confined with a clear top viewing area during treatment application...;) its a cool little rig for sure..this is actually fits right into what i normally do for work so i have a ton of experience with liquid delivery systems from plastic containment-pumping systems.. i have built several hydroponic systems for large indoor-outdoor vegtable-fruit farmers... this involves a timed water feed delivery system with variations of nozzles pumps etc;)

i have recieved alot of insight on the application process and its still flowing in..thank you guys for that info.. so the biggest thing i hear from experienced users is most are doing this with a hand held sprayer..and there is a certain waste factor treating spots of the shirt not needed.. i also hear that getting the spray uniform and even everytime is a task... so those are the major things we are concentrating on by setting up multiple nozzles for different areas of the shirt to reduce waste spray and getting a uniform application every time.. this system will also be 100% plastic..liquid+enviornmental conditions usually dont mix well over time with metal treatment enclosures.:p I would LOVE to make this for a commercial printer manufacturer if anyone has an interest or wants a prototype designed let me know and of course with complete confidential non dis closure agreement....or possibly a distributor interest..

to be continued....
 
#134 · (Edited)
I have been playing around with different configurations with the new belt design, and discovered completly on accident a new possibility for the drive system... very simple if it works as we think it will..

its humorus from our standpoint as we have put so much thought and effort into most that we have done with the diydtg project including some pretty elaborate design programs.. and mock-trial runs..

we will do some testing with this new idea the begining of next week and i will let you guys know if this will work.. basically we ran into a little snag in choosing a part for the drive we were working on so i decided to sleep on it..may sound crazy but i went to bed thinking of this and dreamed a pretty cool alternative..woke up and wrote it down..lol:) i have alot of these little writings ;)some are bad some are good but i like this one.. this also depends if we can get another modification to the rip...i have an email in to those regards aswell. i think they can do this..

anyway it would allow all the tangibles to be put into one side of the unit, easy access-clean design, dead stop registration without extending the original base foot print (30 inches) with a 26 inch belt.....however it would include no belts, no tentioners etc platen could be fixed or removable...anyway im going to cnc some parts tommoro after work to accomodate the idea so we can test our theory:p

if it works it will be the simplest functioning diydtg design for sure (as far as transport system)...its already simple regarding the other aspects... we are profectionists we want to produce one that will just go and go without hardware adjustments belt tentioning etc

P.S we are going to be getting rid of the original base the white one..its a prototype and its rough in look with some test errors and miles on it and is not 100% to our specs with alot of ink on it..lol but it works well for the full conveyor belt design for someone that wants a good start. if theres someone local to chicago that isnt mechanical enough to build there own they are welcome to have it free if they pick it up..i will not ship it..
 
#135 ·
From one engineer to another....Top notch work. I haven't read through all the details yet, but I love the belt design and working with the firmware.

Enjoy it while you can, because as soon as you get it fine-tuned, you'll be doing nothing but printing shirts, heh.

With regard to your pre-treatment system, the only suggestion I have is to use staggered directional (flat) high-pressure/low volume nozzles for most effective application of solution.

Great job. One of the best threads I have read on TSF, might consider submitting it to Makezine.
 
#137 · (Edited)
From one engineer to another....Top notch work. I haven't read through all the details yet, but I love the belt design and working with the firmware.

Enjoy it while you can, because as soon as you get it fine-tuned, you'll be doing nothing but printing shirts, heh.

With regard to your pre-treatment system, the only suggestion I have is to use staggered directional (flat) high-pressure/low volume nozzles for most effective application of solution.

Great job. One of the best threads I have read on TSF, might consider submitting it to Makezine.
thanks for the kind words and ;) on the nozzel app for the pre treat ...
 
#139 ·
Jeff, To solve the mismatch in speeds, I came up with something you might be able to integrate in yours. Leaving the pf shaft/gear/motor/sensor intact on the printer frame. There are several inches on that side you can't print on anyway (where the spit station is.) leaving about 3" of the shaft inboard of the printer frame and placing a timing pulley there that leads to the front (or rear) timing pulley shaft. Probably need a pillow block bearing and a support for that end of the shaft, but it beats the heck out of most designs I've seen. I had to have a reducing gear in there anyways and that led to this realization. My timing gear will be larger on the original partial shaft and smaller on the new shaft. Basically, you could then have just that one belt as the connection between base and platen... leaving opportunities for several different base designs that are interchangeable (or room for improvements).

I'll take a pic tomorrow of what I mean.
 
#140 · (Edited)
Jeff, To solve the mismatch in speeds, I came up with something you might be able to integrate in yours. Leaving the pf shaft/gear/motor/sensor intact on the printer frame. There are several inches on that side you can't print on anyway (where the spit station is.) leaving about 3" of the shaft inboard of the printer frame and placing a timing pulley there that leads to the front (or rear) timing pulley shaft. Probably need a pillow block bearing and a support for that end of the shaft, but it beats the heck out of most designs I've seen. I had to have a reducing gear in there anyways and that led to this realization. My timing gear will be larger on the original partial shaft and smaller on the new shaft. Basically, you could then have just that one belt as the connection between base and platen... leaving opportunities for several different base designs that are interchangeable (or room for improvements).

I'll take a pic tomorrow of what I mean.

I get what your saying...here is some pics i posted with an original wood design a few months back, in the 1100-1900 platen designs. there is a pencil diagram on one of the pics..i think this is what your describing...

i have something similar to the original in the works;) there are a few issues with this on my design with location to other parts in the base, also it is a is a larger foot print this way aswell im trying to stay away from that... there are certain aspects that will work with belt and conveyor with this, there are also some limitations to the design itself..

also a big thing to consider any connection from a belt to a platen limits you to sheet mode with the 1900... this is why when its in roll mode if you move the belt or conveyor it will reset it self to the location it was moved from...this has something to do with the roll cut feature where it will move the paper out 4 inches approx to let you cut it at print end:) then it will move back. this is to keep from wasting the 4 inches approx of paper?:);):D

thats why this is a tough build with the 1900 from design to designing around its functions sensors etc..but i have this babys..number;) i stared and played with this thing a rock solid three months full time..:rolleyes:


Attached Thumbnails
 
#141 · (Edited)
sort of but not really. The biggest advantage to what I am talking about is leaving it all in the printer (PF motor, PF roller/encoding wheel, PF sensor) in their original mounting holes, just cutting the shaft and putting a timing pulley of the proper size on the cut off end of it (and a bearing for support).

The wife called, I just got a 1900 delivered today... so I'll be able to see if this will work tomorrow. I'm about to sit down and do the math for all the pulleys to make sure the final belt speed will be equal the original shaft speed so I can just make one trip to the bearing/pulley/belt store. I am definitely trying your dual belt idea first. I think that is where it's at for these, gives you a place to put sensors underneath to be tripped by the bottom of the platten. Also, though I like your rollers pictured, I am going to try with some stationary slippery plastic of a much larger radius or maybe solid along the whole rail since the inside of the belt is "bumpy"

I think the holy grail for this would be the ability to slightly take it apart and clear all the wires/sensors from the cutting path and remove the mainboard/ps, put it back together and physically cut the entire printer on a bandsaw in 2 places, leaving a clean cut to the entire thing, and all outer plastic in place. I don't know if I'll have enough courage to do it that way, but I'm going to start out with that as the goal.

For me, the final size is less important that the ability for it to be portable. One of the biggest things I don't want is wires and circuit boards out in the open. I just had a request to go to a hockey tourney this winter and print shirts on demand... I was stuck in the old mindset and thinking about how many shirts and transfers I'd have to preprint and how much of a pita it would be to get a vinyl cutter and heat press and all that then I realized that really what I needed to do was make sure my next DTG is portable, and that it has the ability to print on sleeves also.
 
#142 ·
sort of but not really. The biggest advantage to what I am talking about is leaving it all in the printer (PF motor, PF roller/encoding wheel, PF sensor) in their original mounting holes, just cutting the shaft and putting a timing pulley of the proper size on the cut off end of it (and a bearing for support).

The wife called, I just got a 1900 delivered today... so I'll be able to see if this will work tomorrow. I'm about to sit down and do the math for all the pulleys to make sure the final belt speed will be equal the original shaft speed so I can just make one trip to the bearing/pulley/belt store. I am definitely trying your dual belt idea first. I think that is where it's at for these, gives you a place to put sensors underneath to be tripped by the bottom of the platten. Also, though I like your rollers pictured, I am going to try with some stationary slippery plastic of a much larger radius or maybe solid along the whole rail since the inside of the belt is "bumpy"

yeah that is what i pictured you saying...


take a look at my pencil diagram on the pic there.. its says right next to the encoder that it is in its original location?:confused:

but heres the problem with that, like i said your limited to sheet mode as explained earlier . your rear design is longer.. theres not enough space for the larger pulley not even the smallest i could find would work without machining the shaft... when the print head goes to spit it will hit the top of the pulley clearance is limited there and you also have the spit mess to deal with on the belt!

this was one of my first thoughts aswell!:p
 
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#144 ·
that was quick. A 3.120" pitch dia wheel on the pf shaft going to a 0.764" pitch dia wheel driving one of the belt pulley shafts. The 5/16" belt pulley shafts (2) having four 1.248" pitch dia wheels. It ends up VERY close to one to one as far as the speed of the surface of the pf shaft and the speed of the pitch diameter line of the belt. I'm guessing close enough to be corrected out by the stock pf alignment. This doesn't make the belt any faster than stock paper speed through the printer. If you want to speed it up, buy a couple different sizes of slightly larger wheels to put in place of the .764 wheel to find your magic spot. They are cheap enough to buy a couple different size if you wanted to speed it up some and run ekprint.

i will use the ek adjustment regardless of the set up diameters...its much easier, but i agree calculate it as close as possible, i cant say enough about the ek rip, its quite a tool!!!!

i emailed them last night with another request, got the email back this morn from them..they will be on it a.s.a.p now thats service!!
 
#146 · (Edited)
these are better numbers, the other was in error a mix of two different series of gears.

using XL series timing belts:

on 5/16" belt shafts, a .955" pitch dia pulley with 15 teeth gives you 3 times belt distance traveled compared to paper riding directly on the shaft. So the step up is 3 to 1. You'd need 4 of these on your rails.

on one of the belt shafts an extension sticking out holding a 12 tooth .764" pitch dia pulley that is belted to a 2.292" pitch dia pulley with 36 teeth directly on the pf shaft. This steps down the ratio 3 to 1.

so this should work without a if there is room for about a 2.5" (with belt) pulley on the pf shaft.

if there is room for it ( a 1 inch all around by 3/8" thick circular clearance right next to the frame by the pf motor) 1 revolution of the 5/16" shaft on a stock printer would move the paper .98175".
The belt moving the platten on this system would move 1.00007", so about 1.8 hundredths of an inch faster per inch. The bands are less than an inch wide, I'm thinking about a half inch, so each band would be off by less than one hundredth of an inch which might not even produce an error that is perceptable.
 
#147 ·
these are better numbers, the other was in error a mix of two different series of gears.

using XL series timing belts:

on 5/16" belt shafts, a .955" pitch dia pulley with 15 teeth gives you 3 times belt distance traveled compared to paper riding directly on the shaft. So the step up is 3 to 1. You'd need 4 of these on your rails.

on one of the belt shafts an extension sticking out holding a 12 tooth .764" pitch dia pulley that is belted to a 2.292" pitch dia pulley with 36 teeth directly on the pf shaft. This steps down the ratio 3 to 1.

so this should work without a if there is room for about a 2.5" (with belt) pulley on the pf shaft.

if there is room for it ( a 1 inch all around by 3/8" thick circular clearance right next to the frame by the pf motor) 1 revolution of the 5/16" shaft on a stock printer would move the paper .98175".
The belt moving the platten on this system would move 1.00007", so about 1.8 hundredths of an inch faster per inch. The bands are less than an inch wide, I'm thinking about a half inch, so each band would be off by less than one hundredth of an inch which might not even produce an error that is perceptable.
your a number cruncher for sure...:D

you know your stuff... i need to run my new deal buy ya so you can crunch these aswell...

i have an awesome idea thats never been seen on a dtg that i know of as far as a drive unit... its super simple...and one hundred percent accurate and fits the whole equation perfect;) this is it its the real deal..

id like to talk to you pm about this or phone would be better.. if you have time tommorro eve central time let me know..

you are going to love this for sure..i need to get the numbers right the first time and have someone familar with the process brainstorming..
 
#149 ·
they don't have an XL series that small, the 12 tooth .764 ptich dia is the smallest. If you put one of those on there:
one rotation of the pf shaft would make one rotation of the roller shaft. Leaving all others the same, the belt would travel 3 times as fast as a stock paper in the printer. That is quite fast. So, in that case you'd probably want to use the same small ones on that shaft. You'd have one rotation of the pf shaft causing one rotation of the belt shafts causing Pi*.764 of movement.

So small .764 pulleys on all locations gives 2.4 inches of belt travel for .98 inches of stock paper travel.

still fast. this is why I ended up increasing the size of the pf pulley. if you doubled the tooth count to 24 of that pf pulley, you'd have 1.2 inches of final travel. if you made it 18 teeth, about 1.8 inches of travel for every 1 inch. 15 teeth, somewhere between there (around 1.5 inches). I'd say that was a safe but aggressive bet (a 50% increase in speed)

You may want to try a .955 15T XL on the pf shaft, and .764 12T XL's in all other locations for that 50% increase.

In my case I want to be able to keep it at stock speed (as close to 1 to 1 as possible) because I have multirip... for now. The smallest gear sizes of all offered on that site were used to produce my calcs to get 1 to 1 movement. There are alot of options if you don't need to keep it 1 to 1.
 
#150 ·
O.K. Tore into it today. ( looks like someone stuck a grenade in my printer ) Jeff is correct, you can't fit a gear or pulley onto that shaft of any size. But you can fit it on the front most paper roller. That shaft is stepped down to compensate for rubber rings. it spins 0.814814 times for every one time the PF shaft turns.
So using that shaft as our origin... the new numbers for XL series timing belts are:
30T on that front shaft belted to a 12T on the conveyor shaft.
15T (x4) on all the conveyor ends
I'll be trying a 63" belt (x2) for the platen conveyors and a 36" for the drive belt (just a guess, both will be easy to change later)


(also jeff, there is a .637 10T and a .7 11T but they are smaller bore holes... but there is room to machine them larger for this low horsepower application.)
This gear arrangement actually is better... in the end the difference between the original paper feeder and the platen speed is only .0003" per inch of travel (and it should fit in the printer which is a plus :) ). Unfortunately my guy didn't have all the components in stock and the stock shaft holes were not 5/16", so I placed an order and had the ones that were off machined with the proper 5/16" bores.
 
#151 · (Edited)
O.K. Tore into it today. ( looks like someone stuck a grenade in my printer ) Jeff is correct, you can't fit a gear or pulley onto that shaft of any size. But you can fit it on the front most paper roller. That shaft is stepped down to compensate for rubber rings. it spins 0.814814 times for every one time the PF shaft turns.
So using that shaft as our origin... the new numbers for XL series timing belts are:
30T on that front shaft belted to a 12T on the conveyor shaft.
15T (x4) on all the conveyor ends
I'll be trying a 63" belt (x2) for the platen conveyors and a 36" for the drive belt (just a guess, both will be easy to change later)


(also jeff, there is a .637 10T and a .7 11T but they are smaller bore holes... but there is room to machine them larger for this low horsepower application.)
This gear arrangement actually is better... in the end the difference between the original paper feeder and the platen speed is only .0003" per inch of travel (and it should fit in the printer which is a plus :) ). Unfortunately my guy didn't have all the components in stock and the stock shaft holes were not 5/16", so I placed an order and had the ones that were off machined with the proper 5/16" bores.
very cool... just got home 7:00 pm here central..

i will try and give you a call in about an hour.. we will compare notes:p

i have my new base fully cnc ready with exception of a few internal components(brackets) its a portable version in black polyurethane i even cnc the t-dozer tracks in it..lol i will try and post a pic later ..she likes her new duds and is on here way to sublime t shirt printing..;)
 
#152 · (Edited)
Heres the pics...:)

If you think this is cool, wait till you see the cover etc...;)

this is fully cnc fabbed out of lazer cut flat stock so its tolerances are near perfect if not so... there are no external welds all internal:D the access panels are on the side now rather than the top.. i still have some internals to add and mount the access panels... i have put my table undermount on hold.. have alot of interest in the printer and I wanted to do a fully portable unit because i think most will want this over a stationary model, and it will be ready to demo anywhere for interested parties in the event this project becomes something more than the diy.. she will be ready to rock:p we are getting serious now..

i just had to add the tracks, lol. thats how it got its name t dozer... had to go with black..my favorite colors black and white..lol that includes most things i own or wear aswell..

oh!!! also the white base is spoken for someone emailed today and is picking it up tommorro..
 
#153 ·
Great job, German! Man, I'm struggling to keep up with you guys. German, did you mention that EK rip somehow allows the user to adjust according to the pulleys he or she may be using? I may just have to wait and see how your designs turn out and then beg for the plans... I'm afraid I'm having trouble following all the belt and pulley technical jargons.:)
 
#154 · (Edited)
Great job, German! Man, I'm struggling to keep up with you guys. German, did you mention that EK rip somehow allows the user to adjust according to the pulleys he or she may be using? I may just have to wait and see how your designs turn out and then beg for the plans... I'm afraid I'm having trouble following all the belt and pulley technical jargons.:)
the numbers are a pain to calculate but most suppliers will do so for you... i have trouble with this also.. i generally calculate it by size instead...

regardless you will need a pulley of somesort (UNLESS YOU GO WITH THE CONVEYOR BELT WITH THE BELT DIRECTLY OVER THE 5/16THS DRIVE ROD)..

Additionally- yes ek will correct for your larger pulleys etc for this aswell, with there table feed adjustment feature..

im just ingesting more knowledge from essen he seems well versed on these calculations.. i usually have a friend of mine whos engineer calculate mine or do it by size in fractions or caliper measurements to fractions.. so im just getting it close to factory settings and correcting with the ek table feed adjustment, if needed;)

in fact i have corrected a .901ish stand alone (1to1) with ek just testing it... ek rocks for sure.
 
#158 · (Edited)
we ran some more test on old woody (thats what we call our wood test base) we are testing the self closing slides..:D we dont have our new drive in place so we are using a belt for the testing on a timing pulley connected to the platen...


well the cool news is these self closing percision sliders work like a dream...;) its like you pushed a button and it returns it to the start position.. just awesome... it is using a ???? so that it will not turn the drive or a belt in reverse (returning the platen) just like a free wheel bike!!! this thing works like a commercial printer with these self closers- complete mechanical conversions and no electronics to fuss with..lol AND GET THIS TWO MOVING PARTS OUTSIDE OF ORIGINAL PRINTER DESIGN...IT IS DIRECT DRIVE. NO BELTS TENTIONERS ETC..100% TOOTH TO TOOTH ACCURACY. testing is never a pretty picture but it gets the job done.. additionally i had to have some alterations to the rip- in roll mode the print stops and doesnt eject the platen out to clear the printer.. with a removable platen this is no issue but once you go to a fixed base or platen this becomes one..ek rips largest platen is 19" so you need approx three or more inches to clear the printer for shirt loading they took care of this as usual (ie your 19 platen or print area needs to be approx 22, so it will eject like it does in sheet mode..;)) there are a couple options with the platen itself also, you can still make the platen removable from the base or drive unit if you want..sorta like ONE commercial printer that i just love, or you can simply have a fixed platen.. i beleive i will keep it fixed unless i see a major time increase with it removable.

also i beleive multi-rips platen sizes are configurable?:confused: which is a major bonus if thats what you are using.. if not ek has the solution..

cant wait till i get the new drive and this thing on the new base, this is one of the most impressive-amazing complete mechanical designs that i have ever been apart of. the forums here have been an amazing source of knowledge and its birth place but i dont think it will be the t-dozer's last destination:) just remember you seen it here first....;)
 
#160 ·
well the cool news is these self closing percision sliders work like a dream...;) its like you pushed a button and it returns it to the start position.. just awesome... it is using a ???? so that it will not turn the drive or a belt in reverse (returning the platen) just like a free wheel bike!!! this thing works like a commercial printer with these self closers- complete mechanical conversions and no electronics to fuss with..lol AND GET THIS TWO MOVING PARTS OUTSIDE OF ORIGINAL PRINTER DESIGN...IT IS DIRECT DRIVE. NO BELTS TENTIONERS ETC..100% TOOTH TO TOOTH ACCURACY. testing is never a pretty picture but it gets the job done.. additionally i had to have some alterations to the rip- in roll mode the print stops and doesnt eject the platen out to clear the printer.. with a removable platen this is no issue but once you go to a fixed base or platen this becomes one..ek rips largest platen is 19" so you need approx three or more inches to clear the printer for shirt loading they took care of this as usual (ie your 19 platen or print area needs to be approx 22, so it will eject like it does in sheet mode..;)) there are a couple options with the platen itself also, you can still make the platen removable from the base or drive unit if you want..sorta like ONE commercial printer that i just love, or you can simply have a fixed platen.. i beleive i will keep it fixed unless i see a major time increase with it removable.
That just sounds absolutely remarkable! I can't wait to see a video.
 
#159 · (Edited)
here are the spray nozzles for the pre treat every ones been asking about, they come in different spray patterns, distances, sizes etc.. your set up is plumbed with these in specific locations coupled to a capable pump pluged to a timer or manually shut on and off with a mechanical pressure regulator ..and bam-same results every time...

brand is teejet- they are industrial nozzels and the company has been around along time... http://www.teejet.com/english/home.aspx

 
#161 · (Edited)
OK, im having trouble finding a 72 diametral pitch for a 22" rack--> (teethed metal track)

this is needed to match the spur gear--> (teethed flangless pulley) only one will work with the 5/16ths shaft being reduced to .25 quarter inch or .125 eighth inch -to keep the speed within adjustable range for this set up...

maybe this is why i have never seen this on a dtg?:rolleyes:

if anyone has any leads on this let me know, i have scoured the net and been on the phone 3hrs looking for this part:mad:

i could always have it machined, but i would like to keep it to off the self parts.. i could also use a speed reducer but i do not want to overcomplicate matters either.

if i cant find one going to have to go back to the single belt...it will work the same, just hate the fact i may have to tention it a few times a year..:rolleyes:

help:D
 
#162 · (Edited)
also i wanted to throw this out there!!!! i am getting some conflicting imformation regarding pulley sizes and ratios...

heres what i have been told regarding running a belt with pulleys on the printer from the 5/16ths drive rod..

ok... i have been told all we are doing is transferring power from the drive rod pulley to the idler rod pulley (and using it as a tow rope for the platen).. so if we per say added an 1/2 pulley to the 5/16ths drive rod and you drew a center line thru the pulley and the drive rod, as it turned it would be in the same location at the same time!!! ok then to get a 1 to 1 ratio you would add a 1/2 pulley to the rear idler pulley aswell on a 5/16ths rod..these will turn at axactly the same rate speed together..now remember we are only transfering power to the rear rod to gain the distance to move the platen (belt attached to platen)..

ok now lets say we put a 1/4 pulley on the rear rod..this would make the rear pulley make twice the rotations compared to the front pulley however they are still traveling at the same speed!!!

i think the ratios only come into play if we were powering a wheel in the rear-smaller pulley faster wheel larger pulley slower wheel!:confused: the smaller pulley would rotate twice as fast as the front!!

but in our case we are only transferring power!!!

now this is how its been explained to me, and i have been told other wise aswell!! like i said previously i have ran two .90ish pulleys together with no issue (i had to correct some banding in the 720 res but i had to do this aswell running a conveyor directly off the 5/16ths rod?) this is due to the jerky motion/firmware of the epson r1900... no issue whatsoever in any other res..

a one to one ratio would be between to separate sources the drive and the idler, you cant calculate the drive and the drive pulley into the equation? as im told..

so im really baffled by the differences of information but as my testing has shown me- no error to print running alike pulleys im assumming this is the correct one?:confused: i also used the website calculator adding to alike pulleys which gave me the one to one, but like i explained earlier i dont think it even has to be 1to 1 since we are just transferring power a less size pulley would rotate more but not at a greater speed!

i will try and get some other input from another engineer tommoro! maybe i can get two like answers/explanations somewhere:rolleyes:

feel free to chime in with any info or theorys you might have we will get to the bottom of this...

here is the link at the bottom..belt calc-if you change the tooth count (pitch) of the pulleys you do not get a 1 to 1 ratio?

http://www.sdp-si.com/Cd/default.htm
 
#166 · (Edited)
Best wishes bob, hate to see you go;) it will not be and it hasn't been the same without you..

thanks for keeping me motivated when i was going crazy with this thing...

Hope your not leaving due to the frustration this project has been, (WE) did it.. need anything let me know..i have the same phone # in chicago aswell.
I'm sure you will have no problem getting rid of the two 1900"s

blessings...:)
 
#165 · (Edited)
spent the afternoon with two engineers...i beleive i have found the conclusion to this finally... my above post was half correct half incorrect...:confused:

heres how it works.. if you increase the pulley on the pf shaft (drive shaft or pinion shaft correctly stated) it raises the surface speed of the belt by the calculation of the difference between the original 5/16ths shaft and the new pulley pitch..you figure this out by the pie equation and the shaft aand pulley sizes and subtract the difference... (there is where i was wrong or my theory was wrong)

ok the idler pulley that is added to the rear does nothing you can not compensate for the difference in size of the drive shaft by going lower or higher with that timing gear... it will just make its revolutions more or less depending on the size!! BUT THE BELT SURFACE SPEED DOES NOT CHANGE!! this is where i was correct..

so to correct the speed to the original 5/16ths drive completely mechanical you would need a third belt coming of the rear idler (smaller gear off the idler gear to the front) going the distance of the needed platen movement to another pulley of the same specs gearing to original drive speed...

so i asked how did my printer work with my larger gear to an idler gear 1 to 1? the only answer they could come up with is the encoder somehow compensated for the increased speed that it knows where it is supposed to be and when?, with a combination of keeping my pitch to as low as possible to original..basically luck.lol

so i was told to use a shaft reducer from the original 5/16ths bore to a 1/4 or 1/8th shaft with the new gearing pitch to be as close to 5/16ths (.3125)as possible, and this is available just have to check which size shaft would be better to the application.. im told this is the easiest way to complete the task without a third belt!!!

additionally i told them of the software correction (ek rips feed and gap adjust).. i was given specific questions to ask them on how the feature works.. they said if it is done by converting the image i should go with the above.. however if its being done by controling the firmware itself encoder speed etc.. that i should go with the original 5/16ths drive rod the closest pitch diameter pulley to fit it and correct it with the software that this is the best solution... so i have the email in to them regarding the above..

phew that was a mouthful... i will post which direction im going when i get an answer..:D

also regarding the direct drive..powering a rack (teethed metal track) directly from one gear can be done aswell by reducing the shaft the same way.. however the rack and pinion gear (spur gear is more costly) with same results as belt.. this will be a game time decision when i get a reply from ek...
 
#169 ·
The inks are 3/4 full cymk 4oz bottles and one full k... The printers are both used and have not been torn down yet.

One of the printers came with a set of ink cartridges but one is empty and I could not get it to print a test print. The other printer has no cartridges whatsoever. They have been used with standard ink not DTG and SHOULD be fine with cleaning. Each is provided with a set of refillable empty cartridges. The price is right and no warranty is implied.

I hope that helps... The information is on the website.

Thanks Jeff,

Bob ?;O)
 
#171 ·
Re: R1900BUILD-Mission accomplished "license to thrill"

Are you going post a DIY guide to build the R1900 DTG printer? If yes hopefully simple to the point where the average idiot can build it or at least attempt too.
all the info is pretty much here in one form or another:)

Im not going to do step by step instruction manual if thats what your asking? you have prolly just dropped in the discussion of the timing arrangment regarding the belt, dont let that discourge you its easy ... everything is very simple if your a little mechanically inclined... thats the real savings in this project is building it yourself or having a friend etc help if your lacking the skills..

i have no issue with helping anyone or answering specific questions regarding the build however.. but my time is pretty much over run as is..

i do have a few things in motion regarding the printers but its just talk at this point! we will see what the future holds...
 
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