Adjusting the x axis would mean taking the two x rails loose--which is difficult because the mounting screws are hidden inside the electronics enclosure. I think that shimming would be a much easier option. However, I'd put the shims between the bottom of the blue exoframe base and the bearing cars on the right side of the tool. You can remove the 8 screws holding those bearing cars againstby Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
Has your Y limit switch worked in the past and just started having problems last night? We have shims in the shop that I could send out--you would place these under the limit switch to space it correctly to trigger on the metal bracket. Alternately it may just be easier to shim the switch with something like masking tape. The need for precision in the placement of these switches is one of the reaby Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
Also let me add that in certain cases, when the tool has run too far into the negative on one axis, the software will only allow movement in the positive direction (in an attempt to get the tool back within its limits). If you find that your tool is not physically over its limits but is still only allowing movement in one direction, try zeroing that axis--this usually resolves the problem.by Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
Glad to hear it! This reminds me, as I'm sitting here making revisions to the handibot 2.0 design, that I should try to use asymmetric hole patterns wherever possible so that there are less chances for mistakes in assembly/disassembly. Brianby Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
Dave, Handibot 2.0 will have international versions as well; just like version 1.1by Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
Richard, I'm glad that you're excited about the design changes for the new version of Handibot! Lately I've been busy trying to wrap up work on the rotary axis and organize the production of that kit (as you may see from the backorder status in the store, I still have some work to do!) I've been making some design changes to HB 2 based on internal and customer feedback oby Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
John, The base plate upgrade should not have affected the limit switches. To get an idea of what might be happening; try triggering each switch manually by depressing the small black trigger on each switch. Inputs should light up on your shopbot control panel when each switch is pressed. If any of those switches are missing that button (possibly damaged during the mod) let me know and we caby Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
I'm extremely pleased to announce that we're finally ready to put this product up for sale! It's changed quite a bit from what was shown at Maker Faire last year but I think that we've made it even more versatile and robust than before. I've made a video of a demo project that I did with the tool and have a small write-up on the blog: Please get in touch if you'by Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
Very nice! I tried making something like this out of Legos one time (tried to cut holes in a plastic sheet that could fit the pegs)...and I must say, this works SO much better!by Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
Thierry, The lead screws on the handibot have a teflon coating and should not be greased. If this coating were to wear off, the silver color of the screws would start to show through the black teflon coating. However, even on the old tools that we have running constantly here in the shop, the teflon coating is still effective. The rails can take a light oil (like 3-in-One oil). You'by Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
Very cool! How is the battery holder working out? I eventually added a tab on the bottom half of the shell that engages the bottom of the battery clip--this eliminated the need for super glue to hold the clip in place. Perhaps the slimmer 0.8" thick design is something we should try here in the shop!by Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
Thanks for posting this guide Mark. It covers something that I kind of glossed over in the laser sight demo video but get a lot of questions about.by Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
Thanks for posting a link to the video Mark! I went into a little more detail about Maker Faire and our work on Handibot 2.0 in this month's development report on the blog:by Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
William, I've always thought that it was a little too clever to try to use the frame screws on the handibot to hold that tube in place--Joe, our assembly guy, has mastered the art of drilling those holes and placing the tube perfectly. I'm updating the document now to remind people to check for any shift in their vacuum tube while putting their handibot back together after the upgby Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
Mark makes a good point about moving the tool zero to the center of both axes. Because you're usually moving the handibot to the part of your material that you want to cut, it makes a lot of sense to have 3-4" on either side of your mark to complete the cut rather that trying to find the lower left hand corner of each feature.by Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
To get an exact match to these notches, you might want to adjust your X and Y zero offsets. These settings can be found under "Shopbot Setup" in the "Tools" menu of the control software. Clicking next three times in the dialog box will bring you to a window with the two offset values for your axes. Adjusting these values will determine where the tool sets its zero point afterby Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
One other, slightly more tricky way to diagnose this is to take the bearings loose one by one (by removing the four screws holding them in place) and sliding them around. You may find that they all move easily and this should mean that there is an alignment problem, which should be fixable. Or you might find that the bearings bind when you try to move them around on their own, which could mean thby Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
We'd definitely like to offer all of the upgrades as kits for users of 1.0 Handibots. The faceplate is the easiest to install, followed by the backing plates (which will be coming up next once we've got a solid document for how to perform the mod). The limit switches are the trickiest as they require 4 new aluminum parts (to add pockets for the magnets and switches); users will also neeby Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
Daniel, Have you had a chance to call in to our tech support team? They'll be able to walk you through a couple of troubleshooting steps that may help with your problem. Hopefully we can find a quick fix but if not, they should be able to help us narrow down the source of the problem. You can reach us at 919-680-4800 or (Toll Free) 1-888-680-4466. Brianby Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
Mark, I'm also excited about the crawler! Ted and I have been trying to knock out these projects and catch up with the schedule that we projected at the start of the year. One of the things that has come up as we've been wrapping up our designs and manufacturing procedures is the need for good documentation standards. One of the fun things about handibot right now is that everyone oby Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
Thanks for the kind words Tim. We're excited to finally be able to implement some of these changes that we've been thinking about for so long. Handibot production was ramping up today as we're trying to fulfill all of the new orders that have come in while we were transitioning between model types (you never get a lull when you actually need it!) I've been racing to keep pby Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
Dave, That additive/subtractive crawler sounds interesting! One of the things we've tried looking into in the past is a series additive then subtractive tool. By this I mean that the tool would squirt some fast curing material onto a substrate--it would build up the rough shape of the part rapidly without much concern for the "bead" size of the print head. It would then switchby Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
Here at Handibot HQ in Durham, we've once again been buried under a pile of soggy snow that's keeping us out of the shop for at least another day. However, in between storms we've been managing to gear up for the release of handibot 1.1; which, you'll recall, includes a redesigned front for easy access to the router, backing plates to help align the y-axis, and new limit switcby Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum
Just be sure to turn off your router before you hit go! I dyed the inside of my handibot red when I was testing my attempt at a plotter pen...This is a really clever way to solve the problem of the collet being too small to fit any readily available marker; nice!by Brian Owen, ShopBot - Handibot Forum