Filament length counter (Printrbot simple metal)

thingiverse

12/31/2019 UPDATE: Well... I don't even have this printer anymore. I don't have the drive to keep working on this (obviously) But I am going to just keep this here for the idea. Lots of people seem to like it. 8/29/2017 UPDATE: All I can say is WOW! I haven't logged into thingiverse in such a long time, and I am genuinely surprised how much attention this design is still getting! I graduated from college, got a job, moved out, and gone through some life changes, took a hiatus from "making", and now I am back! I plan on reviving this project from the fiery depths of my project bucket, and finally getting something that is easily obtainable for all! I hereby announce the beginning design phases of a printable mechanical counter compatible with this design! More updates to come! I designed a filament counter to display the number of meters of filament used. (it displays the 1/10'ths place, hence the white-out decimal point) It utilizes the core of a Veeder-Root 742946-201 non-resetable rotary counter. I doubt you would be able to find another one of these out there in the wild, and the nearest sibling costs $100+, so I will work on a printable counter eventually. Maybe someone else will get to it before me, who knows.http://www.ebay.com/itm/DANAHER-VEEDER-ROOT-0742845-001-MECHANICAL-RESET-COUNTER-5-DIGIT-XLNT-/150854138839?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item231f9b7bd7 ######################################################### ######################################################### I AM WORKING ON A VERSION 2 that utilizes a $4 electromechanical counter available on ebay, and utilizes a 5v pulse signal. The counter is en-route to me from china, so it might take a bit to get working on it. ######################################################### ######################################################### If you happen to have a compatible counter, great! You need 1 of each part. The orientation might be weird when importing the STL files, but just use your head. I designed the "baseplate" in such a way that it could be mounted easily to other printers with the design of a custom mounting bracket. This one comes with a simple zip-tie bracket for the aluminum handle of a Printrbot simple metal This requires some rubber bands, bolts, and hole reaming to finish. I used 1/4 inch shoulder bolts that I had lying around. You also need to cut and glue a rubber band around the counter gear. Mine has been silently counting along flawlessly since I first printed it! EDIT: I accidentally uploaded a .slprt file instead of the STL. I renamed the counter wheel and the counter output shaft gear to be less ambiguous.