surplus printers ????

[turmite]

Again, I don't know if this is the right area to post this, but here goes. This coming Monday I get 5 or 6 free printers. One for sure is a laser and maybe two. The balance are inkjets. What parts to I need to salvage from these. Folowing is a list I have planned and if there are other suggestions let me know.

1. Motors
2. Bearings
3. Useable rods ( rails I think)
4 ???????

Mike

[Chagrin]

Take the timing belts and pulleys too.

[sol]

Keep the Printed Circuit boards; they frequently have IR-LED / photocell combos (for limit switches), micro switches, transformer coils and relays. These nickel and dime parts add up surprisingly quickly when purchased retail, but admittedly, if money is not an issue it may not be worth the trouble.
The way I have come to view these things is how much room does it take to store the junk and will I really go to the trouble to fabricate a new system based on salvaged parts rather than parts from Mouser and Radio-Shack. Retail parts sold individually are such a rip that it is hard to throw away these recycled components; but clutter breeds....

[turmite]

sol, money is always a problem for me. I don't have the time to build boards from scratch but with all the info available on the opensource forum here on the zone I may try some boards this time. These motors are going to be used to build a small router using a dremel or something lie it for a spindle. I want to take it back to the school that is throwing all these goodies away and show them what can be done with junk! I am also hoping to get their shop classes interested in cnc.

Mike

[cliffhiker]

Another potential source of goodies are dot matrix printers. These often have the sla series of drivers.

In addition, I suspect the rails and carriage that carriy the print head may make very good rails. Matter of fact, I'm building a Z-axis right now using a pair of rails & carriages from a pair of scrapped oki 320 series. So far they seem to be nice & solid with virtually no play. I also have a set of massive 19" rails & carriages from a scrapped pair of oki 393 printers. Look like they might make a great x-axis.

Though I can easily afford to buy proper parts, I take it as a challenge to see what can be recycled.... besides the more I save on this project.... the more other projects and toys I can afford....

[High Seas]

I'll add to :
Quote: the rails and carriage that carriy the print head may make very good rails. Quote

INDEED! My next system -- an ongoing development - is using several rails from scrapped printers.
If you grind/sand down the print head carriage - you can join a coulple of them together to support a smallish x axis moving table. Just the ticket for a small desktop system. I'm also considering replicating the belt drive for the Y axis - but using a bigger steper than the ones from the printer.

I'll post some pick-ies in a few (gotta find the camera!)
Cheers - Jim

[turmite]

Thanks for the info guys. I picked up the printers yesterday and had a total of 7. One laser and one small dot. The balance are inkjet. I am curious about the "drivers" you mentioned cliffhanger. Could these be used as well. I don't know why but I just assumed ( now there is the opening for a new smile, one with long ears like a jackass) I would need to buy or build new drivers. How can I tell if they are any good and what would be the distinguising features so I could recognise them. Will the look something like a gecko or a rutex??

Mike

[cliffhiker]

The drivers are usually the SLA series in the oki's but may be others and are largish chips usually standing up.. usually you can google the part number to get specs and may be useful for higher drive currents. They will not do the translating.. you'll still need to do something there. I haven't used them, just noted their presence.

Instead I built a simple 5804 based 3 channel controller (drives up to 1.25 amp/phase) since I have an extensive junk box & only needed purchase the chips. My first system is not terribly ambitious and more a proof of concept & for fun. I can't locate the schematics or pcb image I used, but a simple single channel schematic is here: http://www.electronics-lab.com/proje...004/index.html
also check out the Allegro data sheet for the 5804

The xylotex board also frequently mentioned is a very good & inexpensive at $150.

[High Seas]

turmite - Here are a couple of pick-ies - If I get them loaded - hehe
Printyers - as you have no doubt observed have a variety of drive mechanisms and linear rail bits that can be useful.
Some have metal (brass?) bearings others only plastic:

[High Seas]

.... and with a bit of judicious (careful) grinding and sanding, you can use a couple of the printhead rails - from several machines to make your axes. Here is my setup I'm working on for a desktop system:

[High Seas]

I'll try again

[High Seas]

The system I'm building is using many recycled parts - except for the controller a Xylotex -- in a recycled IBM PS1 box and a a Twinfly 24 Volt Power Supply (new). "Recycled" - well - left over rod/ball screws laying around from previous projects, some MDF out of the scrap heap, L/O plastics, hardware, and heaps of printer bits, etc.
I plan on driving everything with the PACSCI Powermax IIs got last year for the first project - Bipolar and wouldn't work with the Unipolar Drive/controller I had - DOOOOOH (more experience!)

I'll make the Y and Z axis using the toothbelts and spring setups from several of the printers. I was lucky and scored about a dozen printers from a second-hand shop that were trashing them.

RECOMMENDED : Get similar or the same brands - but still no gaurantees the pices you get will match up - seems like little standardization -- must be to save costs I suppose.
Got a heap of power supplys, transformers, cables, etc - now I gotta figure out what works and what doesn't.
Cheers - Jim