InkJet printer

KaosKidd · 2013-04-15 14:01

Has anyone done anything with ink jet printers and the propeller chip?
Something like this: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1908026860/inkshield-an-open-source-inkjet-shield-for-arduino

If so, maybe some hints or pointers? My new project involves printing and something like this would be the perfect answer.

Fred

D.P · 2013-04-15 15:30

KaosKidd wrote: »

Has anyone done anything with ink jet printers and the propeller chip?
Something like this: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1908026860/inkshield-an-open-source-inkjet-shield-for-arduino

If so, maybe some hints or pointers? My new project involves printing and something like this would be the perfect answer.

Fred

I've met Nick at a few Maker events, really nice guy. The entire project is open so based on your experience this should not be too difficult to port over to a prop. Nick told me it was a beast to get the interrupt timing just right to actually make the nozzle work well. Using the propeller you should not have this problem i.e. no interrupts to worry about. Good luck.

Duane Degn · 2013-04-15 19:21

Does it need to be ink jet or do you just want a printer for the Propeller?

If you're just after a printer, SparkFun sells a small thermal printer that works well with microcontrollers.

KaosKidd · 2013-04-16 05:42

Duane Degn wrote: »

Does it need to be ink jet or do you just want a printer for the Propeller?

If you're just after a printer, SparkFun sells a small thermal printer that works well with microcontrollers.

The project I'm working is a Robotic Disk Burner.
I've got the PC software finished (mostly), and the P1 using the serial object to receive commands to grab / eject the disk, now I need to set up for printing on the disks. I'm working on better sensors for handling mis-loads and the such right now.

I'm considering getting ones of Nick's kits, and using the external header connection to interface with the P1. I haven't yet sent him an email, but that's the general Idea. I was kind of hoping some of the better brains here (everyone here is better then I) might have played with the idea before hand. I have no idea what is involved with driving the head, I'm i the "information gathering stage" right now and need more information.

Thanks for the replies.
Fred

Publison · 2013-04-16 07:46

Matt Gilliland, (at Parallax), wrote a book on Inkjet Applications. It has BS2 and SX example code:

http://www.parallax.com/dl/docs/prod/robo/inkjetkitdocs-v1.0.pdf

There was some talk about it here:

http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/125253-Inkjet-Applications-book-price-O

Amazon has a couple for $70.00 !?!?

http://www.amazon.com/Inkjet-Applications-Matt-Gilliland/dp/0972015930

Do a Google search for "Inkjet Matt Gilliland"

Matt Gilliland · 2013-04-16 10:26

Hi Fred -
Email me (matt.gilliland@parallax.com) with your mailing address

-MattG

KaosKidd · 2013-04-16 12:19

Matt Gilliland wrote: »

Hi Fred -
Email me (matt.gilliland@parallax.com) with your mailing address
-MattG

Done!

Fred

KaosKidd · 2013-04-16 12:22

Publison wrote: »

Matt Gilliland, (at Parallax), wrote a book on Inkjet Applications. It has BS2 and SX example code:

http://www.parallax.com/dl/docs/prod/robo/inkjetkitdocs-v1.0.pdf

There was some talk about it here:

http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/125253-Inkjet-Applications-book-price-O

Amazon has a couple for $70.00 !?!?

http://www.amazon.com/Inkjet-Applications-Matt-Gilliland/dp/0972015930

Do a Google search for "Inkjet Matt Gilliland"

This kit would have fit the bill 100%... too bad it's discontinued! However, reading the docs on the kit provided great insight as to how to go about solving the problem.
More reading, more looking and maybe some shopping. I love the idea that a single prop can handle this full project.

Fred

frank freedman · 2013-04-18 21:34

check some of idbruce's threads, seems I recall he had some barcode printing stuff he was doing

KaosKidd · 2013-04-23 06:44

Thanks everyone for the replies.
In my search for print heads and the stuff, I came across this:
http://www.transactsupplies.com/store/HP-Carriage-Assembly-HP-Q2347A-p-18918.html
Now It appears as if I'm gonna run out of pins before I'm done!

Fred

KaosKidd · 2013-04-29 08:15

I've come to discover that I need to use a second propeller for the InkJet print part of my project, mostly due to space and speed issues. Ok, no problem.

FORGET THIS IDEA: What I'd like to do is use the serial programming pins on both propellers and connect them together, before the USB chip; thus enabling both propellers to be "controlled" via the one USB connection using some sort of ID in the sent string:
"0 : DROP DISK" would be a command for the first propeller, "1 : PRINT A" would be for the second propeller. and both would output back and be displayed. I was planning on using the serial object (which works perfectly for one) for the communications part. This would be the perfect solution, but I'm not sure if electronically it's feasible or desirable.
Additionally, I'd love to see it so all three can "talk" to each other (PC via the USB chip, and both propellers (via their serial pins used for programming). Is this better? Worse?
Comments, suggestions, and the like please!

Better Idea: I'll just run a second instance of PST in a second cog and pass through commands as needed... this will also provide for validation of the commands...

As for InkJet control (the reason for the sub), I'm moving along and will have some basic code to share soon; I have lots of questions about that, but in due time...
Thanks one and all for ALL of the help..
Special thanks to Parallax and Matt for the book...

Fred

kwinn · 2013-04-29 10:14

Connecting prop1, prop2, and the PC requires a bus and the software to share that bus on all 3 of them. It is simpler to use 2 other pins on prop1 to communicate with prop2. That way you can use one of the standard serial objects, and only need software on prop1 to pass on messages between prop2 and the PC.

That is of course if you have 2 pins available.

KaosKidd · 2013-04-29 13:35

kwinn wrote: »

Connecting prop1, prop2, and the PC requires a bus and the software to share that bus on all 3 of them. It is simpler to use 2 other pins on prop1 to communicate with prop2. That way you can use one of the standard serial objects, and only need software on prop1 to pass on messages between prop2 and the PC.

That is of course if you have 2 pins available.

Yeah, I thought of that after I posted it originally, and edited it to that. As far as the two pins go, I'll suffer their loss else where...

Other news: I found these stepper motors which I liked: http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/1207/pictures, and these simple controller boards : http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/2131
One's for the belt, the other for the head moton. I still need to get the darlington array's to power it, as well as a solution that will take 12v and make it 24v (or so, I forget the specs for the print head at the moment)...

It's coming together... just not fast enough... but then I've so much to learn in SPIN it's not funny...

My new book arrived today... so much reading about JetInk printing it's not funny! This and the movie UnStoppable on blueray arrived from netflix tongiht... not sure which one is gonna win..

Fred

KaosKidd · 2013-05-06 08:20

Well, Matt's book is awesome; chuck full of information that is inaccessible elsewhere! So my project continues.
I found this cool little product that will tend to the power requirements of the inkjet: www.pololu.com. They have some other cool stuff and I didn't think they were over priced. So now I'm designing the hardware to reduce the pin count needed to drive the inkjet. I really don't want to go to a second prop check if I can avoid it, so I'm looking at ways to conserve IP pins and code.

So here is the First iteration of my Inkjet driver board. All and any comments are welcome!