MakerBot Industries

Ok I followed your sugestion and i see how you get it in but it asks for a URL version? This total t trhows me off where do i convert my pcture into a URL version. Sorry for being stupid but i have never done this before?

Yes - You need to get an online account somewhere or post to your gmail/googledocs or something. The picture needs to be uploaded to a different server somewhere. The URL (example: http:\\www.<soemwhere>.com\mypicture.jpg) would be the link to the picture on another server.

That is why I suggested Flikr since it seems that is the defacto standard for most in 3D printer world…

Summary: 1. get a picture account online. 2. Upload your picture. 3. Use the 'insert image wizard' in the post for this group. 4. cut'n'paste the URL location of your picture when told to. 5. Finish what ever they request or you wish to do. 6. Hopefully it worked and you go learn something else. :-)

Thanks for your help here is the picture showing the printed part with the Mill-Max connectors designed to operate at up to 150 degrees C. The picture shows the bottom only but the top is the same part.

Yes the part is rated at 7 amp at 10 degree temerature rise. They also need to rember that the speck is based on ambiant temperatures and over time that whole area gets quite warm. The only heat transfer is through the wire so that pin probubly get quite hot at times. The parts i sugested are rated at 150 degrees and could probably juste stuffed in the igesting molex housing but would sure not be as cool as making your own connector which is way cool!

Ok, the 7 amp rating is suspect no matter what. There seems to a lot of this max spec rating taken as an actual usable rating with some expected lifespan going around in the botcave. Look, it's the same results for the MOSFETs on the extruder controller version 2.2 which were rated at 14 Amps, but begin to fail at 4.5 Amps in a very exciting way.

Experience and field testing is showing no way can that connector handle the amperage reliably. Most connectors "age" anyway (surface of the contacts corrode) so it might have been able to handle 7 amps in a lab-but no way if it's been unplugged more than once or exposed to air and high temps don't help. A good engineer knows you take the continuous realistic rating and divide by 2 to get an acceptable lifespan in the field. That's just the life of connectors.

I measured the actual current on my TOM and with the extruder running and the HBP on the current in the pwoer pins is right at about 4.7 amps.

So yes the connector is rated at this current yes but that is not where the problem is the problem is when it gets hot at 100 to 120 degress durning long runs the actual femal pin that connects to the male pin on the board gets hot and loses it spring! So as you know when this happens the resitance at that very piont goes up and cause the connetor to melt. The part i am assuming is like a Molex part which is rated at 7 amps but only at 75 degress C max. So the problem they have is not current but heat. Also the problem can be exagerated if the pin moves but i honestly dont think it is the main contributor! Again the issue is heat! I will put up on Thingiverse my connector which will handle 150 degress. If some want to try it or make there own they can do it.

Mine works quite well, i added this new connector along with a easy lever i made over Memorial break from work.