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    <title><![CDATA[Henry Snoek&#039;s Blog]]></title>
    <link href="https://www.henrysnoek.com/atom.xml" rel="self"/>
    <link href="https://www.henrysnoek.com/"/>
    <updated>2020-10-24T11:27:36+00:00</updated>
    <id>https://www.henrysnoek.com/</id>
            <author>
            <name><![CDATA[Henry Snoek]]></name>                    </author>
        <generator uri="http://sculpin.io/">Sculpin</generator>
            <entry>
            <title type="html"><![CDATA[Anet A8 - AM8 Aluminium Frame Build]]></title>
            <link href="https://www.henrysnoek.com/blog/2019/08/17/am8-aluminium-frame-build/"/>
            <updated>2019-08-17T00:00:00+00:00</updated>
            <id>https://www.henrysnoek.com/blog/2019/08/17/am8-aluminium-frame-build/</id>
            <content type="html"><![CDATA[<p>The acrylic frame that came with my Anet A8 is not the most solid construction.
Adding a <a href="/blog/2018/05/06/a-year-with-the-anet-a8-3d-printer/">spool holder on top</a> of it doesn't make things better.</p>

<p>One of the bigger upgrades I could do is the AM8 metal frame build.
This upgrade will make a sturdy frame while re-using as many components as possible.
<!-- more --></p>

<h3 id="parts-needed">Parts needed</h3>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2657605">Reinforced AM8 frame parts</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2263216">Other AM8 frame parts</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dold-mechatronik.de/AM8-Aluprofile-und-12-Winkel-20x20">Aluminium 20x20 profile and corners set</a></li>
</ul>

<p>Check the <a href="https://cdn.thingiverse.com/assets/a3/bd/fb/22/18/BOM.pdf">BOM</a> for screws, nuts and other materials you might need.</p>

<p>For connecting bolts to the extrusion I used M5 T nuts.</p>

<h3 id="missing-z-axis-corner-bracket">Missing Z-axis corner bracket</h3>

<p>The 2020 aluprofile set from dold-mechatronik is convenient though be aware the the corner brackets won't fit on the Z-axis connection.
For this I printed a few <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3140856">Z corner brackets</a>.</p>

<h3 id="bowden-extruder-parts">Bowden extruder parts</h3>

<p>A while ago I have changed the standard extruder with a bowden extruder. I find it a lot easier to change the filament this way.
Luckily there's also a <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2383009">bowden extruder mount for the AM8</a>. It re-uses most parts of the original extruder.
Only the <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2501601">extruder button</a> is 3D printed.</p>

<h3 id="optional-parts">Optional parts</h3>

<p>I didn't print the case for the LCD as I don't need it; I'm using a Raspberry Pi with <a href="https://octoprint.org/">OctoPrint</a> and <a href="https://printoid.net/">Printoid</a>.
This way I can control and monitor prints from my smartphone. I can even watch the print in progress as the Pi Zero has a camera attached to it.</p>

<p><strong>Update:</strong> it's not recommended to use a Raspberry Pi Zero W with OctoPrint. Severe performance issues were observed, caused by the WiFi interface when bandwidth is utilized (e.g. the webcam is streamed), negatively impacting printing quality. More info in <a href="https://github.com/guysoft/OctoPi/issues/318#issuecomment-284762963">this github issue</a>.</p>

<p>Some other parts that have been upgraded/added during this build;</p>

<ul>
<li>Z-axis couplers; plum shaft</li>
<li>mainboard: Anet A8 board version 1.7; added fuse and 24 volt support</li>
<li>12v to 5v step down converter; power Pi Zero from power supply</li>
<li>8mm braided cable sleeve</li>
</ul>

<p>All 3d printed parts are listed in a <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/snoek09/collections/am8">AM8 Thingiverse collection</a>.</p>

<p><img src="/images/am8-build/am8-build.jpg" alt="Anet A8 - AM8 build" title="" class="img-fluid" /></p>
]]></content>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title type="html"><![CDATA[Upgrading the Anet A8 firmware to Marlin 1.1.9]]></title>
            <link href="https://www.henrysnoek.com/blog/2018/08/11/anet-a8-firmware-upgrade/"/>
            <updated>2018-08-11T00:00:00+00:00</updated>
            <id>https://www.henrysnoek.com/blog/2018/08/11/anet-a8-firmware-upgrade/</id>
            <content type="html"><![CDATA[<p>The firmware of the Anet A8 3D printer is based on Marlin. This is an outdated version though.
One of the most important features it's missing, is a security check on the heating elements.
In my post about <a href="/blog/2018/05/06/a-year-with-the-anet-a8-3d-printer/">Anet A8 upgrades</a> you can
read what can happen to the heat bed connector.</p>

<p><!-- more -->
With this upgrade the Anet A8 will be safer to use. It will stop heating the heat bed and extruder element
after it reaches a certain temperature. Also if you want to use auto-levelling of the heat bed using a sensor
you need to upgrade to Marlin. This also requires some small changes to the Marlin code which will not be discussed here.</p>

<h3 id="what-you-need">What you need</h3>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software">Arduino IDE software</a></li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/SkyNet3D/anet-board">Anet A8 board definition for Arduino</a></li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/archive/1.1.9.zip">Marlin firmware</a></li>
</ul>

<p>Instructions and screenshots below are from Ubuntu Linux.
Depending on your operating system the location of the Arduino files will be slightly different.</p>

<h3 id="move-anet-a8-board-definition-files">Move Anet A8 board definition files</h3>

<p>The board definition files enable the Arduino IDE to compile firmware (in this case Marlin) for Anet 3D printers.</p>

<p>Copy the <code>anet</code> folder to the <code>Aruindo\hardware</code> folder. Create the <code>hardware</code> folder if it doesn't exist.</p>

<p><img src="/images/marlin/board-definition-files.png" alt="Anet A8 board defination files" title="" class="img-fluid" /></p>

<h3 id="copy-marlin-example-configuration">Copy Marlin example configuration</h3>

<p>Unzip the Marlin firmware and go to the <code>Marlin\example-configurations\Anet\A8</code> folder:</p>

<p><img src="/images/marlin/marlin-a8-configuration-source.png" alt="Marlin A8 configuration files source" title="" class="img-fluid" /></p>

<p>Copy the 2 configuration files to the <code>Marlin</code> folder:</p>

<p><img src="/images/marlin/marlin-a8-configuration-destination.png" alt="Marlin A8 configuration files destination" title="" class="img-fluid" /></p>

<p>Open the Marlin.ino file in Arduino IDE:</p>

<p><img src="/images/marlin/arduino-ide-open-marlin-ino.png" alt="Arduino IDE - Open Marlin.ino" title="" class="img-fluid" /></p>

<p>Connect your printer to your computer using USB.
Make sure that Anet V1.0 is selected as Board:</p>

<p><img src="/images/marlin/arduino-ide-select-board.png" alt="Arduino IDE - Select Anet Board" title="" class="img-fluid" /></p>

<p>Port should be set to USB:</p>

<p><img src="/images/marlin/arduino-ide-select-port.png" alt="Arduino IDE - Select USB Port" title="" class="img-fluid" /></p>

<p>Upload the firmware by clicking the upload button:</p>

<p><img src="/images/marlin/arduino-ide-upload.png" alt="Arduino IDE - Upload button" title="" class="img-fluid" /></p>

<p>When the update is done the printer will restart and your printer menu will look like this:</p>

<p><img src="/images/marlin/updated-menu.jpg" alt="Updated printer menu" title="" class="img-fluid" /></p>
]]></content>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title type="html"><![CDATA[A Year with the Anet A8 3D Printer]]></title>
            <link href="https://www.henrysnoek.com/blog/2018/05/06/a-year-with-the-anet-a8-3d-printer/"/>
            <updated>2018-05-06T00:00:00+00:00</updated>
            <id>https://www.henrysnoek.com/blog/2018/05/06/a-year-with-the-anet-a8-3d-printer/</id>
            <content type="html"><![CDATA[<p>Last year, after using 3D Hubs several times, I decided to take the jump; getting myself a 3D printer.
I decided to buy an Anet A8 for 2 reasons:</p>

<ul>
<li>it's cheap</li>
<li>lots of upgrades available</li>
</ul>

<p><!-- more -->
I paid 160 EUR for the printer. It's possible to get it for a lower price as there are occasional promotion sales on sites like <a href="https://www.banggood.com/Anet-A8-3D-Printer-DIY-Kit-1_75mm-0_4mm-Support-ABS-PLA-HIPS-p-1130694.html?p=E8231110898371201705">Banggood.com</a></p>

<h3 id="assembly">Assembly</h3>

<p>The assembly went quite smooth, the hardest part was removing all the protective tape from the acrylic parts.
There's just one thing to be aware of; the instructions for the installation of the H frame on the heated bed are wrong.
This has to be mounted the opposite way so the belt below is straight.</p>

<p>I was very impressed with the first prints. I only had to tighten the belts a bit to get a very nice 
<a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/make:370493">XYZ calibration cube</a></p>

<h3 id="printing-bed-surface">Printing bed surface</h3>

<p>The printer has some yellow tape on the hotbed. This was coming off fast after removing the first few prints from the bed.
I needed a better solution for this so I got a <a href="https://www.velleman.eu/products/view/?id=417314">215 x 215 x 3 mm glass plate</a>
The glass plate causes a smooth side when printing which I think is really nice. When the bed is leveled properly it sticks
very well. In case of smaller prints with less contact to the bed I also print a raft so the print won't get loose while printing.
Please note I only print with PLA filament.</p>

<h3 id="upgrades">Upgrades</h3>

<p>The Anet A8 is a clone of the Prusa i3. There are lots of modifications on thingiverse to make it look even more like a Prusa i3.
One of the nicest modifications I did was the spool holder that goes on top of the frame. This saves some space and causes
the filament to go in a straight line to the extruder. The printer could now fit on a IKEA Lack side table instead of taking up
all my desk space.</p>

<h4 id="bed-leveling">Bed leveling</h4>

<p>One of the things that was very time consuming with this printer was leveling the bed. Adding wing nut bed level screw knobs
and spring bushings made it a lot easier to level the bed. I had to drill out the holes on the heat bed a bit 
as these were threaded.</p>

<h4 id="noise-reduction">Noise reduction</h4>

<p>With the printer on the small side table it made quite some noise while printing. I printed 6 vibration dampers to reduce this noise.
Also I changed the cooling fan speed to 50% in my slicer software, <a href="https://www.simplify3d.com/">Simplify3D</a>.</p>

<h4 id="hotbed-connector">Hotbed connector</h4>

<p>Another known problem with this printer is the hotbed connector. I noticed the hotbed was not heating up properly and saw the plastic
connector got burned on both sides. I fixed this by soldering the red and black wire directly to the hotbed. To prevent issues with this
in the future I added a cable strain relief.</p>

<h4 id="mosfet">MOSFET</h4>

<p>One of the last thing I installed was a <a href="https://www.banggood.com/3D-Printer-Parts-General-Add-on-Heated-Bed-Power-Expansion-Module-High-Power-For-Chitu-Motherboard-p-1086965.html?p=E8231110898371201705">MOSFET</a>. I've added it to move some of the current from the mainboard. Older versions of the mainboard
had different connectors which could melt if not properly connected. The hotbed is now powered through the MOSFET which removes some
stress for the main board.</p>

<h4 id="all-other-upgrades">All other upgrades</h4>

<p>Some other modifications I printed which I think are nice but not really needed;</p>

<ul>
<li>semi circular fan duct</li>
<li>filament guide</li>
<li>main board cover</li>
<li>extruder button</li>
<li>cooling fan cover</li>
</ul>

<p>The list of all the upgrades I've printed: <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/snoek09/collections/anet-a8-upgrades">https://www.thingiverse.com/snoek09/collections/anet-a8-upgrades</a></p>

<p><img src="/images/anet-a8/anet-a8.jpg" alt="Anet A8 with 3D printed upgrades" title="" class="img-fluid" /></p>

<p><img src="/images/anet-a8/spool-holder.jpg" alt="Spool holder" title="" class="img-fluid" /></p>

<p><img src="/images/anet-a8/heated-bed.jpg" alt="Heated bed upgrades" title="" class="img-fluid" /></p>

<p><img src="/images/anet-a8/cable-strain-relief.jpg" alt="Cable strain relief" title="" class="img-fluid" /></p>
]]></content>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title type="html"><![CDATA[Setting up Kotlin in Android Studio]]></title>
            <link href="https://www.henrysnoek.com/blog/2017/03/05/convert-to-kotlin/"/>
            <updated>2017-03-05T00:00:00+00:00</updated>
            <id>https://www.henrysnoek.com/blog/2017/03/05/convert-to-kotlin/</id>
            <content type="html"><![CDATA[<p><a href="/blog/2017/02/22/revisiting-android-development/">Last time</a> I made a simple
<a href="https://github.com/snoek09/SpotifyAndroidSdkExample">Android app using the Spotify SDK</a>.
Now, it's time to convert this to <a href="http://kotlinlang.org">Kotlin</a> code.
Kotlin is a statically-typed programming language that runs on the Java Virtual Machine.</p>

<!-- more -->

<h3 id="install-kotlin-plugin">Install Kotlin plugin</h3>

<p>In Android Studio first download the Kotlin plugin.
To use the plugin you can automatically configure or update your build configuration.
In this example it will be configured manually:</p>

<ul>
<li>In <code>build.gradle</code> add the different version string and classpath for the plugin.
These values will vary depending on the version you're using:</li>
</ul>

<pre><code>buildscript {
    ext.support_version = '25.2.0'
    ext.kotlin_version = '1.1.0'
    repositories {
        jcenter()
    }
    dependencies {
        classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:2.3.0'
        classpath "org.jetbrains.kotlin:kotlin-gradle-plugin:$kotlin_version"
    }
}

allprojects {
    repositories {
        jcenter()
    }
}
</code></pre>

<ul>
<li>Add the new dependency in <code>app/build.gradle</code>:</li>
</ul>

<pre><code>...
    compile "com.android.support:appcompat-v7:$support_version"
    compile "org.jetbrains.kotlin:kotlin-stdlib:$kotlin_version"
...
</code></pre>

<h3 id="convert-to-kotlin">Convert to Kotlin</h3>

<p>After syncing the new build configuration you should now be able to convert Java
to Kotlin code. In the <code>Code</code> menu select <code>Convert Java File to Kotlin File</code>.
Or use this short-cut on Linux: <code>Ctrl+Alt+Shift+K</code>.</p>

<p>All changes made for the example app are viewable in this
<a href="https://github.com/snoek09/SpotifyAndroidSdkExample/pull/1/files">pull request</a>.</p>
]]></content>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title type="html"><![CDATA[Revisiting Android Development]]></title>
            <link href="https://www.henrysnoek.com/blog/2017/02/22/revisiting-android-development/"/>
            <updated>2017-02-22T00:00:00+00:00</updated>
            <id>https://www.henrysnoek.com/blog/2017/02/22/revisiting-android-development/</id>
            <content type="html"><![CDATA[<p>In the summer of 2012 I worked on the Ziggo TV Android app. That's almost 5 years ago.
Recently I've taken some first steps to get back into developing a new Android app.
I'm glad to see some nice changes in Android development:</p>

<!-- more -->

<h3 id="android-studio">Android Studio</h3>

<p>Back then I did all my development in Eclipse. Android Studio would be available a year later.
In the meantime I've been getting used to Jetbrains' PhpStorm since I use this in my day job.
The transation to Android Studio has been pretty seamless so far.</p>

<h3 id="gradle">Gradle</h3>

<p>Ant has been replaced by Gradle as a build system. This could make it easier to mix multiple languages in a project.</p>

<h3 id="kotlin">Kotlin</h3>

<p>Kotlin looks very promising as this could make writing app code more fun.
I just didn't enjoy writing Java code that much. I do have to say back then I wrote a lot of Perl code before that. The verbosity of Java was a bit too much for me.</p>

<h3 id="next-steps">Next steps</h3>

<p>The coming weeks I'll have a look at what's currently possible with Android and Kotlin.
A first example app using the Spotify Android SDK is available here:
<a href="https://github.com/snoek09/SpotifyAndroidSdkExample">https://github.com/snoek09/SpotifyAndroidSdkExample</a></p>
]]></content>
        </entry>
    </feed>