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Driving a print head — Parallax Forums

Driving a print head

Graham StablerGraham Stabler Posts: 2,510
edited 2006-08-18 18:19 in Propeller 1
I noticed this competition by Parallax:

www.parallax.com/html_pages/products/hpinkjetcontest/inkjetcontest.asp

It uses a serial based print head driver of their own creation based on an SX chip. As far as I can tell the competition is over though it doesn't look like a winner has been announced.

Anyway check out the technical doc:

www.parallax.com/dl/docs/prod/robo/InkjetKitDocs-v1.0.pdf

In particular note pages 33, 5 and 6.

Then look at the video at the bottom of this page called "SX Handheld Printer".

Now I think that is fantastic but it strikes me that the propeller is just made for this sort of application given the built in font and availability of keyboard and screen. Syncronizing with machine motion is also quite simple for proper printing.

Just a heads up, I've got too many projects to even think about an arm mounted spray poetry system smile.gif

Graham

Post Edited (Graham Stabler) : 10/15/2006 8:40:19 PM GMT

Comments

  • Graham StablerGraham Stabler Posts: 2,510
    edited 2006-08-18 09:25
    I forgot my other point. Driving the print head is just a matter of pulses to a darlington array that switches short pulses of 24v to each of the nozzles.

    Graham
  • Kaos KiddKaos Kidd Posts: 614
    edited 2006-08-18 15:02
    I have often thought of a plotter type printer bed with one of thoes on top... and not ink, but rather etch resis ink...
    .... tould be a novel approch to etching a pcb... direct from pcb layout software to board...

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

    Propeller + Hardware - extra bits for the bit bucket =· 1 Coffeeless KaosKidd

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  • Graham StablerGraham Stabler Posts: 2,510
    edited 2006-08-18 15:18
    Take a look at this then:

    http://techref.massmind.org/techref/pcb/etch/directinkjetresist.htm

    using converted epson printers (because they have pipes leading to nozzles.

    I'm interested in a starch based rapid prototype printer myself.

    Graham
  • Kaos KiddKaos Kidd Posts: 614
    edited 2006-08-18 15:53
    WOW... I never knew someone had done that... and the pricing is good... [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

    Propeller + Hardware - extra bits for the bit bucket =· 1 Coffeeless KaosKidd

    ·
  • Graham StablerGraham Stabler Posts: 2,510
    edited 2006-08-18 18:19
    I only found that yesterday and when I saw the Parallax site it was spooky [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    Graham
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