3D Printer part 8: Z-axis motor and limit switch

At the end of my last post in this series, we had started the z-axis assembly and had paused ahead of adding the second z-axis bearing.  This post looks at adding the z-axis bearing, motor and limit switch, covering issues 28 to 31 of 3D Create and Print by Eaglemoss Technology.  If you’ve skipped a part of this series you can start from the beginning, including details of the Vector 3 printer I’m building on my 3D printer page.

Depending on whether you attached the z-axis shafts from issue 27 or put them to one side as I did, you may have to start by unscrewing the fixing bases and removing the shafts leaving only the top fixing bases attached to the frame.  The instructions below assume that you’ve done this. Continue reading 3D Printer part 8: Z-axis motor and limit switch

The Rabbit who wants to fall asleep – review

Cover of The Rabbit who wants to fall asleep
The Rabbit who wants to fall asleep

Since my daughter was born in 2011, I can count the number of uninterrupted nights’ sleep I’ve had on a very small number of fingers.  She has never subscribed to the 11-16 hours sleep a day that toddlers are supposed to need and has never wanted to miss a thing, stubbornly staying awake until past what I’d consider to be my bedtime, waking up during the night and then again pretty early.  As a result I’ve got used to celebrating if she falls asleep before 11pm 1 and if I get a block of sleep lasting 6 hours or more.

We’ve tried pretty much everything we can think of2 to get her to sleep and, while she’s been well behaved (other than being awake when I’d like a bit of me time),  it’s been frustrating all round.  I’d said on multiple occasions that it would be great if I could hire Derren Brown for an evening just to hypnotise her3 and then I heard about a book that could put any child to sleep… Continue reading The Rabbit who wants to fall asleep – review

Studying Maths – decisions on level 2

M208 text book for maths level 2
M208 – people of a certain age will look at these text books and think blockbusters…

At the weekend I signed up for my next maths modules with the Open University.  I’ve got three distinctions in the level 1 modules and, aside from my severe annoyance with being forced to do a level 1 module I’m not interested in as “punishment” for skipping the easy start module1,  I was desperate to do the next module.  However, I dragged my heels this time. Continue reading Studying Maths – decisions on level 2