Super-Simple Up Feed Mechanism with Adjustable Spring V2

thingiverse

A Customizable Up Feed Mechanism with Adjustable Spring for Increased Filament Control. Print Settings Printer Brand: Up! Printer: Up Plus Rafts: Yes Supports: Doesn't Matter Resolution: Fine Infill: Solid Post-Printing Instructions You will need two essential parts for this mechanism: 1) A pen clip from a Pilot Precise V7 Rolling Ball Pen (or the equivalent). I acquired a package of these pens from Staples at an affordable price. Other pen clips may also work, provided that the clip is made with a bent piece of steel about 0.5mm thick and 5-6mm wide. 2) An M3 screw, at least 12mm long, to provide the spring adjustment mechanism. The assembly photos should be (mostly) self-explanatory. Here are the detailed step-by-step assembly instructions: 1) Print both STL files with the highest fill settings for maximum strength. 2) Remove the clip from the pen. You can repurpose the pen for other uses—they're excellent pens. 3) Using pliers, make two precise bends in the pen clip as illustrated in the photo. The first bend should be away from the "bump" at the end of the clip and about 7mm from the top of the bump. The second bend should be approximately 17mm from the first. You can be a millimeter or two off and it will still work. 4) Leave about 10mm of the end of the clip, and cut off the excess. 5) Position the clip at a diagonal between the three retainer pegs on the feed mechanism as shown in Assembly Step 1. Be gentle when handling the clip to avoid knocking any of the pegs off. 6) Rotate the clip so it is horizontal between the three retainer pegs as shown in Assembly Step 2. At this point, it should be securely held by the feed mechanism but slide back and forth easily. 7) Screw the M3 bolt as shown in Assembly Step 3. This will provide tension when filament is loaded, keeping the clip from sliding out. 8) Attach the Connector Holder as shown in Assembly Step 4. 9) Attach the connector PCB from the printer to the Connector Holder using the original screws from the connector PCB, as shown in Assembly Step 5. 10) Attach the entire assembly to the filament feed stepper as shown in Assembly Step 6, again using the original screws from the Up. Re-mount the feed mechanism to the printer and you're ready to go. You can adjust the tension screw to compensate for variations in filament diameter—but I've found it works perfectly fine left at a fairly tight setting all the time. The polished steel of the pen clip provides minimal friction against ABS. Note that this design does not provide a place to mount the extruder cover. I haven't used the cover since Day 1, and I find it mostly just gets in the way.