The real reason for taking pics.
I finally finished designing and 3D printing a new spray bar and pipe work.
3D printers are very finickity. It has taken a long time to tame. When you think you have beaten it, it turns around and bites you on the ass.
Anyway the pics:
came home with this bag o bits on the last day of work until 3rd January.
Tipped them out and started to clean up the biggest bit (shiny one in the middle) that I managed to print on the last day at work. That one piece took 5hrs 27mins to print.
The number of times I have printed some of these bit and the print has failed for various reasons.
- Blocked nozzle, had to replace it as it was beyond cleaning out.
- Broken extruder head, had to get a new one as it had cracked in half between heater block and heatsink.
- PLA filament took on too much moisture from the air, had to buy a filament dryer box .
- Bowden extruder stopped working several times, had to strip it down and clean all the slivers of PLA that had built up.
- Filament stopped and started feeding, Bowden tube had sharp edges where it was cut to length. Had to chamfer the inner diamiter of the tube.
- Several other mishaps on the way.
I finally seemed to be able to diagnose all the issues that can occur with 3D printers!!!!!!!!!!!!
All the bits laid out (note 1 taken before I cleaned the big bit. 2 taken after).
Now to figure out how long all the bits of tube need to be to put it together.
Install it on Day483.
looks so much better.
The long vertical spray bar is in the substrate right to the bottom glass. The short horizonal spray bar is higher and shorter than the old one.
I noticed just how much more flow I get now. So much that I had to take out one of the two medium sponges. The head was pumping all its water out of its chamber and not enough was getting through the filter media. I now have 3 coarse, 1 medium and 1 fine.
Time will tell if this will improve the growth of the ALTERNANTHERA REINECKII MINI. I have been putting the TNC complete dose right on top of it after water change and I seems to be responding.
Also I noticed that this week the filament algae had grown a lot less. Could this be down to the slight reduction in outside air temp this past week?
Maybe I will try dropping the temp by a degree and see (once it gets warm again).
Sorry I have gone back to doggerel writing again. I will stop now.
PS have a nice festive season and a great new year.
