PollyMobiles Rebuild

[pollyp]

Just out of interest, what are the running costs of a 3D printer like?
I used to be a 3D Cad draughtsman and have been interested in giving this a go for a while.

just updated my cost spreadsheet:
upfront capital, the makibox A6 kit first costed me £255 (would be cheaper if I'd known to just buy the board, motors & heated bed separately),
adding the cost of filaments, acetone, bearings, rods, E3D nozzle, making the frame, polycarb sheet it totals £472

each 1kg spool cost £10 and est running cost over 30 prints, each print would cost from £22

 

[SirChris]

Would make a cool ambient light in the room if that makes sense

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[pollyp]

Case defo smarts it up. Gets some neons in there.. Serious.

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Would make a cool ambient light in the room if that makes sense

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and a disco ball, n flamer heating kit, n lazer guiding n bells whistle notification too
yea I like the sharp look of the ribbed sheet giving it a modern look.

...actually looking back at it, it looks like those ribbed effect glass u used to see back in the days on doors, cutlery doors, bathrooms, office privacy windows.

I'm gonna put those bright LED strips along the frame to light up the bed surface n make it easier to visually level the bed & see how it's printing.
may need to cut a "peekaboo" hole to look at the print while it's sealed cos that ribbed polycarb roof sheet is like looking out through those distorted bathroom window glass.
lighting up the room is a byproduct, but it's friggin noisy enough too so defo won't be sleeping in the same room.

now that it's enclosed, it could prob be relocated to the colder garage.

 

[SirChris]

Oh how cool. Thought about a WiFi duino shield and USB sender. Could have it wireless

 

[pollyp]

Oh how cool. Thought about a WiFi duino shield and USB sender. Could have it wireless

hows that work, plug a sender on laptop, plug receiver on printer and link up?

 

[SirChris]

Pretty much, however would take a bit of programming.

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[SirChris]

Might be able to get usb WiFi extenders out the box however

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[pollyp]

sounds tricky. I'll stick to easy trusty usb cable for now.

 

[pollyp]

prints smoother with the enclosure but first 3mm warped abit, maybe cos I didn't apply ABS juice onto glass so it lifted slightly to disturb the few layers, or the bed was too hot

refine the finish till they fit

fit screws to secure the knob

trimmed the screw so it doesn't obstruct installation

fits nicely

imo I don't like this lock design cos the weak plastic clip is easy to be popped out if you slam the glovebox closed, so gonna redesign it soon.

 

[SirChris]

Ur a Clever ****er Paul

 

[pollyp]

Ur a Clever ####er Paul

thx chris

 

[pollyp]

the vibrations from the solid mounted stepper motors tend to resonate through the steel frame like a speaker so to isolate it I needed some 3mm o-rings, which was difficult to source locally on a weekend without buying a whole assorted boxset.

instead while browsing through wilkinsons, found this £1 pack of kids foam shape that had bout the right size thin foam circles I could use as foam washers

fitted the foam betwwen the screw/frame and motor/frame on the XYZ motors

and it's helped muffle half the noise

 

[pollyp]

reprinted another catch can top last night for 6hrs with the fine 0.25mm tip and hot enclosure, the result is a very clean accurate print with zero cracks or peeling

break off all the support structures

and after smoothing in acetone it looks silky smooth, no gaps in the layers and gas tight

the bores inside are also smooth & sealed

and all the joining lines are rounded

removed the old top, melted abit

captured abit of vapour after a trip to manchester

think it's leaking cos this cardboard seal gets saturated in oil & leaks. need to replace with a rubber seal

fit new catch can top

 

[pollyp]

the tomtom satnav rubbish mount also broke so modelled & printed this to test I got the tolerance correct before finishing the rest of the mount

disassembled the printer, attempted to straighten the slightly wonky frame but some bits began to buckle so only did abit.
welded a top reel support,
drilled afew screw holes for the panels and painted black

I like stealth black reassembled with neater wiring

screwed the panels on rather than messy tape, looks much neater

fitted spool, levelled the bed and now printing the new satnav mount

 

[pollyp]

after verifying the shape of the satnav mount fits, the next print is to test it can hook onto the locking clip, plus feature a flat round base for the separate mount to glue onto

slips on nicely

but the lip was too short

a bigger issue is the fragile upper section which could easily snap off

disassembled the suction cup, modelled existing parts

and remodel the new suction cup mount, removed the weak upper section of the satnav mount

printed overnight with gr8 result

removed the support structure

the suction parts still fit

bond the mount together with acetone

smoothed it all together

the cam handle had digged abit through the soft smoothed surface but the suction cup still works

finished satnav mount

 

[pollyp]

clearing up the garage, gave these old grooved diamond black GTIR discs a wirebrush n put on buy sell

and the old janspeed catback

two scrap engines definately binning, grabbed all the useful bolts of course

two sets of 1.3 cams for the buy sell. interesting to know that both inlet & exh cams are exactly the same and only difference is the sprocket locating pin that's 72deg offset

one of my fav past time, destructively disassemble old parts to learn bout the inner gubbins before binning em

Inside a Micra fuel pump

cut the outer crimp off

and pulled out the DC rotor which has been moulded to be streamlined for the fuel to flow past. the +ve displacement pump flows as arrowed

fuel flows past the gap inbetween the outer permenant magnets and out the centre of the back port. there's a sprung pressure relief valve incase of blockage

the rotating assembly of the pump. interesting to note the streamlined rotor spins on brass bushing around the static axle

rotor with a coupler lugs at the front

pump impeller like a lego tyre

fits in the pump housing

and there's a separate plastic coupler to isolate the motor vibration from the impeller

notice the two tiny bleed holes. perhaps to bleed any trapped air out?

Inside a boost solenoid

here's the old volvo solenoid I used for the DIY boost controller

cut it open in half

and the simple internal valve mech. there was a spring inbetween the valve & stator but it popped away

the moving valve has a two sided rubber bung in the middle, metal outer casing for the electromagnet and vented plastic spokes inbetween for air to bleed past.

very simple how it works.

when the solenoids ON, it pulls the valve towards the electromagnet which blocks off the compressor line and exposes the WG line to ambient air and keeping the WG sprung shut

when the boost controller/switch detects its reached target pressure, it turns the actuator voltage off, allowing the return spring to push the valve closed the other way like this so that boost pressure from the compressor can now reach the WG to regain boost control

 

[pollyp]

redesigning the glove box lock. measured & model the holes

new housing & knob

housing inserted from inside the glovebox

twist to lock

and the screw both locks the housing and the handle

printed

clean up prints

smoothed to strengthen the skin

assembled like this

installed on the glovebox. it works but needs minor refinement later and printer needs recalibrating

 

[pollyp]

recalibrated the printers axis and printed this pyramid with 5mm steps to verify it's accuracy across a range of travel

something i always fancied doing and twas inevitable was to print a K11.
imported a model model from sketchup into 3dsmax and had to spend several hours refining every surface till it closely matches the scematic & photos (tis also a great way of understanding the detailed shape & curves that defines the micra)

printed a small test piece without wheels

it's so cute. forgot to add the front bumper mouth in this one

added the missing bumper mouth & handles/indicators & printed it bigger scale with wheels over 5hrs

removed supports

the lower part of the wheels that had alot of challenging overhang with minimal support structure didn't print right so I'll need to print the wheels separately but all the detailing of the grills & handles turned out great

 

[pollyp]

remodelled the chassis into a 5dr, added a raised bonnet, panel shut lines to highlight the contours

added a rear spoiler & boot handle. starting to look like mine now

plus my rota grids

printed the body

ooh the detailing appears fab, extra hours of refining all the edges was worth it

even the spoiler worked out

raised bonnet

printed the wheels, trying to recreate the rotas at this tiny scale is a challenge for the printer

glued to the body

and eey look at that a vast improvement from the previous print

close resemblance, only forgot the big exhaust

 

[karlj]

Just needs paint

 

[pollyp]

Just needs paint

yup got some spare grey paint.
or may just leave it blank as a miniature model for something like this,

please excuse the crudeness of this model

 

[pollyp]

guy pm'd me on fb if I could make some granada wheels for his scale models

modelled the wheels one night, includes vent holes

but when I tried printing, the thin walled ABS tended to shrink alot n buckle and the middle shaft broke off

so tried a thicker wall but still buckles

the detailed face printed fine but the bed had shifted offset

had to split it so the detailed face bit is printed close to the bed while the thicker solid base retains it's structure.

face printed fine

solid base with less buckling

glued together

he also wanted these tyres

so modelled

printed

the diagonal grooves came out but the two grooves along the grain didn't have much support

tolerance fitted the wheels together.
one set of wheels complete

 

[andy]

the pic of the granny looks real

 

[pollyp]

the pic of the granny looks real

thats just a ref photo of a real one to work from

 

[andy]

thats just a ref photo of a real one to work from

 

[pollyp]

just scrapped the two engines & gearbox for barely £29, meh better than nothing

 

[SirChris]

You watch I did the same... I now need the parts lol

 

[pollyp]

You watch I did the same... I now need the parts lol

lol I took as much of the useful valuable bits as I can but yea there'll be a time where u wish you had a spare sumthing on hand. gotta "let it go" someday

 

[SirChris]

It's all gone my end now

 

[pollyp]

It's all gone my end now

re-evaluating our inventory supplies

 

[pollyp]

updated the long blog index list

 

[pollyp]

sister likes Simons cat so for her bday wanted to make a little model for her inspired by "Mirror Mirror"


.
sketched some elevations to help plan the profile shapes

crafted the shape in CAD over several days

printed this massive dual figure model, took 9hrs

popped off the bed without snapping anything

removed the supports

smoothed the surfaces

painted the black features with a pen

printed the remaining mirror frame & base

and hey presto a real interpretation of Simons cats Mirror Mirror sister luvs it

 

[pollyp]

Tyre sizes for accurate speedometer on K11 Micra

Since the speedometer gauge requires a specific rpm of the speedo cable (or electronic speedo pickup on facelifts) for each mph reading, the ideal outer rolling diameter of the front tyres for accurate readings should be approx 576mm dia

Afew things to note:

• The amount of tyre sidewall deformation under the cars weight from either under-inflated tyres or soft tyre construction or excess weight could result in slightly smaller rolling diameter
• This list assumes the wheel width is closely equal to the tread width to maintain a square straight tyre sidewall thats perpendicular to the tread, so this excludes stretched tyre fitment

To reach close to 576mm outer diameter the required tyre profiles are listed below:

155/80/13
165/70/13
175/70/13
185/65/13

155/70/14
165/65/14
175/60/14
185/60/14

155/60/15
165/60/15
175/55/15
185/50/15
195/50/15

165/50/16
175/45/16
185/45/16
195/40/16

165/40/17
175/40/17

165/35/18

 

[Agent_Sm1th]

Not sure I get you with this one Paul. Do you mean in an ideal world, as those are quite a way off manufacturer fitted sizes. ie my recommended size from factory is 165/60/14.

 

[karlj]

The manufacturer recommended tyre size is based on the speedo over reading, all cars are designed this way so you less likely to be speeding by a couple of mph i.e your speedo says you're doing 30 but you're actually doing 27

 

[pollyp]

Not sure I get you with this one Paul. Do you mean in an ideal world, as those are quite a way off manufacturer fitted sizes. ie my recommended size from factory is 165/60/14.

Just as Karl says the manufacturers recommended tyre size tends to overspeed the speedo abit, perhaps intentionally to reduce accidental speeding or by law?

Yes the list are calculated ideal targets to aim for to get 100% reading.
So ie for 165mm width & 14" wheel, the sidewall profile should be nearest and under 67%.
Since tyre manufacturers only size profiles in per 5% increments and the nearest available sizes are 165/65/14 and 165/70/14, you choose 165/65/14 so that it reads closer to 100% but not over it.

 

[pollyp]

I've updated the list with commercially available tire sizes now

 

[pollyp]

chogy was thinking of selling his SLX for £500 no tax no mot, gonna check it tomorrow.
I just checked insurance quotes online and wtfh is wrong with insurance!?

currently paid £450 yr fully comp at sky for kasandra.

now if I brought this 1996 SLX and insured it seperately with just exhaust mod and 2cars at home it's least another £700!

if I only insure the single standard SLX with exh mod and sorn kasandra its least £720!!

if I just insure the single SLX with zero mods, the price jumped off a cliff to £300-500

bloody hell this is extorsional and could be a real breaker :/

I'm gonna ring Sky and see how much extra it'll be to add another stock car with kasandra.
if it's an extra £300+ then I definately can't economically afford to insure 2 cars.

insurance sucks

 

[andy]

Legalised theft in my book,

 

[Huggy444]

Even I can insure a modified micra for cheaper than that! Only 400 for a lowered, exhaust, intake etc

 

[pollyp]

Even I can insure a modified micra for cheaper than that! Only 400 for a lowered, exhaust, intake etc

just doesn't make sense. if those quotes r anywhere close to the real price, it costs twice more to insure a 1996 standard SLX with just an exhaust than kasandra with insane mods?
all this ncb stuff seems bollucks

 

[pollyp]

oh ffs wtfh, I just rang my insurer adrian flux for a quote on the stock SLX with exhaust.
cos kasandras policy is already running, the turquoise SLX will require a new policy quote.
gave em all the details and to my shock they quoted TPFT £478!! which is £3 more than my fully comp cover on kasandra. watt the phok.

ok rang sky and simply hilariously they quoted me their cheapest is urm over £1K hahahaaaaaa

I mean really, whats the point. even with 9yr NCB on 12yr clean license, it costs me upto twice as much to insure a newer 1996 SLX with just a backbox than my older 1994 SLX with friggen every mod in the list!

so yea basically its a no-go for buying this nice standard SLX. dammit this missed oppurtunity saddens me again.
mind blown given up blaaa.

 

[Skinner_87]

Thats weird Paul, i know fully comp is usually cheaper for us on the IOM as insurers prefer that over TPFT.

I have a policy with my GF for her micra with me on it and thats only £280 per year! crackers and she hasnt passed her test yet!

 

[pollyp]

it's all abit insurance roulette poker gambly

 

[pollyp]

tried my luck again with trying to insure Chogys SLX only to get knocked down again.

last night ran afew quotes through comparison sites and figured that with 9ncb, work as food prep in takeaway, 7000 annual miles social off-peak use (since I live next to takeaway), completely stock micra, Octogon insurer quoted £370 and Direct choice at £400. an OK realistic price.
chogy says he can sell with stock exhaust & wheels for round £450, looking more achievable.

so rang Octogon, no answer. googling em in forums says they're a really dodgy poor service insurer so gave it a miss.
rang direct choice, verify details with guy. cos NCB can't be shared, if I transfer it from kasandra (imagine kasandras premium with 0 ncb haha) over to the blue micra he quoted £667.
if I kept the NCB with kasandra, the blue micra with zero ncb would be over £1k ey? is GoCompare cheating?
all other companys now closed for new years but once again dissappointed.

my situation pretty sucks. cos ncb can't be shared, my options are either:

- insure kasandra with 9yr ncb for £475 kept at home & drivable PLUS blue micra with 0 ncb at £1k for new job elsewhere,
- or only insure the blue micra with 9ncb at £670 for new job outside and never use kasandra again SORNd & rusting at home (parents won't like it)
- insure & risk parking a £8k turbo kasandra on street somewhere as a daily commute to my new job! (no way)
- wasteful cost & time converting kasandra all the way back to standard form before finding new work? (no point)

seems I'm stuck with kasandra forever

 

[wehey]

Just put some kak old steel wheels on Kasandra and drive her daily.
No one will know she is worth 8K

 

[pollyp]

The appearance ain't a prob, she's abit subtle. It's the high risk of losing over 8k stuff if she was damaged or nicked out in the open street.

Being realistic, I may have to compromise SORNing kasandra into storage for awhile while insuring & driving a boring standard car for work till I can financially support both cars.

 

[pollyp]

More I look into it, more it seems unfeasible to insure a highly modded kasandra with any other car.

Read some insurers support multi-car but only permit very limited amount mods.

 

[Fujiwara-Ben]

Have you tried to insure any other cars apart from Micra's? I've found that Micra's can be quite expensive to insure compared to other cars. For example when i bought my Volvo (just to use as a daily) it was actually cheaper to insure than my K10!

 

[karlj]

Have you tried to insure any other cars apart from Micra's? I've found that Micra's can be quite expensive to insure compared to other cars. For example when i bought my Volvo (just to use as a daily) it was actually cheaper to insure than my K10!

I've found the same, the micra is a high risk car