Simple Filament Run Out Sensor

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SIMPLE FILAMENT RUN OUT SENSOR 14.12.18 Update - already! I did a 2020 mount for this sensor. It suits my set up, using a titan-like extruder, it may suit yours too... or be the basis for your own version. Don't you hate it when you've checked-in on a looong print only to find the dumb machine ran out of filament about 3/4 of the way through but just kept on doing it's thing? Most printer firmwares have the option to pause / give out a warning if your filament is running low but few printers come with the necessary sensor. There's plenty to be had, both here on thingyverse and commercially, so why another..? I think this version is about as simple, cheap, and easy to print and set up as you're going to find. You will need: -The most basic of soldering skills -A printout of the runout_sensor_parts.stl -A 5mm tact switch -Super glue, or similar -Some suitable wire ...you can probably rob both of the latter from some old device it you are feeling really cheap. (tweet!) You will also need some way to activate run out sensing in your firmware, and to know where to hook the sensor up to your driver board - google will be your friend if the printer manual doesn't help. The build: -Please read to the end before starting -Take the little box with four holes in the bottom and push in the tact switch (legs first) in until it's in as far as it will go with the four legs poking out of the holes -Solder two lengths of suitable wire to two of the tact switch legs, long enough to reach your driver board from the planned mounting position. Each tact switch has four legs in two connected pairs, be sure you've soldered to two non-connected legs! (google again if not sure) -Take the larger box with a hole that looks suspiciously like some 1.75mm filament will thread through it and thread a bit of filament through it -Now press your little box + tact switch thingamy in to the larger box, tact switch first, such that your two wires line up with the cut-out in the base of the large box -now comes the fun bit- -Get ready with the super glue -Continue to push the little box + tact switch home until you feel / hear the switch actuate -Holding steady pull out the filament and then re-insert it. Did you feel / hear the tact switch actuate each time? No? fiddle a bit until you've got the positioning right... -Take your super glue and dribble a bit down the gaps between the large and small boxes. Don't go bananas, enough to do the job is fine. Tact switches really, really don't like glue! -Keep holding the parts in place until the glue has dried, hence the use of a fast-acting glue -It's now time to recheck you can feel / hear the switch actuate when you insert / remove the filament from it's hole. No dice? Bad luck start again. :-( You now need to mount your switch... -It needs to be placed along the line your filament takes BEFORE it enters the extruder. After the extruder is absolutely no good and you also want to avoid adding any unnecessary strain / kinks to the path your filament takes How you mount the sensor is, I'm afraid, up to you as there's lots of different printers out there but I can at least make a suggestion: -Search thingyverse for a filament guide that's suitable for your model of printer, print that out and mount it just before your extruder -With your new sensor in hand you should be able to line that up with your filament path in such a way that it can be glued to the filament guide you just printed - neatest option may be to lop-off the end of the guide and replace that with your sensor It's then a matter of, neatly, running the wires to the driver board and making the necessary changes to your firmware so the printer is 'aware' of the sensor. (google) Note: The firmware will need to be told whether to act on 'closed' or 'open' circuit. A tact switch is 'closed' when pressed and so will be 'closed' when there's filament present and 'open' when its run out. Hurrah! One fewer things to be paranoid about. PS Yes, this is intended to be used with 1.75mm filament. Don't despair if you're using 3mm filament. Opening out the filament hole in your favorite 3D package, or just drilling it out, should do the job... with a bit of luck.

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