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Through the years i collected a lot of elecronic parts from old devices and I have arduino UNO so i want to make small 3D printer.

I have:

  • 5 stepper motors from DVD drives- i will probably need three for three axis
  • 1 stepper motor (28BYJ) unipolar but can be modified to bipolar and If i need stronger stepper motor I will disassamble old fax machine
  • ​Arduino uno

I want to make printer with arduino but l only have arduino uno so I was wondering ​what shield can l use with arduino uno if l can use arduino uno for basic 3d printer

If i need to buy arduino mega what shield should l buy?

And l need to buy extruder

Are there any other parts that i need?

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Your best bet is using a mega with the ramps shield. I’d also go for nema17 stepper motors as the are the “standard” used in most 3d printers. You’ll also be needing lots of other parts like belts , gears, smooth rods for axis, bearings for the rods , hotend, hotbed, end-stops. The list is pretty large. I’d recommend fallowing a guide as the system is already up and running. Rather then you designing your first from scratch .

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None of the parts you’ve listed are usable. Start from scratch.

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For the Mega it is best to use RAMPS 1.4 shield.

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Hello there. You have a basic idea but scaling the electronics down to an Uno will be rather difficult. If you have a mega laying around, just go ahead and buy a RAMPS board. They are rather inexpensive and the Marlin frimware for the Mega is open source and is designed for the Mega. The RAMPS board is also ready for the voltage and currents needed for the hot end and a heated build plate if you want. Depending on how large your printer is and what ideas you have for your build, you can get away with 4 steppers. One for each axis and then one for the extruder. As for the extruder, it really is up to you how you want to proceed, but a lot of people, myself included, will steer you in the direction of E3D. And finally, something you really need to think about is the frame. The more solid the frame, the better quality output you will get. Take your time and think on these things, let us know if you need any help along the way.

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Thanks for your reply it helped me a lot. I will buy mega and ramps

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Thanks for your reply, I will find similar project and use mega with ramps

I dont need belts I am using small stepper motors from DVD drives like this:

http://images.elektroda.net/85_1309460292.jpg

So it will be pretty small

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Check out Tom’s series here - very helpful Building the cheapest possible Prusa i3 MK2 clone: [01] Electronics and Extruder! - YouTube

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im afraid I would have to agree with most of the comments on this thread. It would be, I think too much of a leap to reinvent the FDM 3d printer. Altough theoretically pheasable you would really struggle to match the output of the individual devices you have harvested from your past exploits. you can buy the nemas and boards cheap, and you will have enough troubles proving the efficacy of your new components let alone second hand ones. this is what takes the time, 100% reliable stocks are hard to find and if you buy the hardware to check each item the cost can be prohibitive. Toms series of different types of build of printers is an excellent starting point and does allow you certain design decisions. I would also take a look at openbuild site for framework builds and running gear. they provide excellent BOM listings and frame configurations. Good luck, you have embarked on a very challenging but ultimately rewarding project. Cheers StevetheBuddistXXX

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I’d say find a $100 DIY kit, then after it’s working, you could print some (but not all) of the parts for your special mini printer. You still need hardware (and a Mega2560 + Ramps), so you should be able to get that stuff, rails, mounts, and other electronics (hot end!) in a cheap kit. After you get printing and basic knowledge, you can search out things like this: cd rom stepper motor linear rail system by tibuck - Thingiverse on Thingiverse and make something, maybe with an UNO!