Water Feature #1, Flower Watering Fountain.

cults3d

My wonderful wife adores fountains and flowers, so when I built her this one, do I have to send flowers anymore? This is one of the 3D printed fountains I designed and constructed using Sketchup 8 (free version), ReplicatorG, and a Replicator 2 out of PLA (did I mention my wife loves fountains?). This fountain cycles on and off at around a 30% duty cycle (30% on, 70% off), simulating watering a "flower" causing it to "grow". A video of the prototype is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn2RyhlZhEE, and I've included it in the download. Builder Beware: This is a hydraulic/electrical/mechanical system printed with PLA and will be quite finicky. Some parts need as little friction as possible (e.g., the cup, cork, and magnet frame), while others must not move (e.g., the latch strip, motor mount). Once "tuned", parts that must not move may benefit from a small amount of cyanoacrylate and/or silicon glue. If unfamiliar with reed switches, studying them online may help. This project is not for beginners. There are small parts that require sanding, drilling, and/or honing, as well as careful alignment and "tuning". We've found that parts printed in certain colors fit well, but identical parts printed in different colors are too tight or loose. Be patient with these parts, and be ready to sand/drill/hone as necessary to make them fit. This project is built with PLA, and we have no means of printing an ABS version. Study "Fountain_Assembly.skp" (hereinafter "Fountain Assembly") included in the download before and during construction. However, that being said, the prototype has run non-stop for over 200 hours now using a bench top power supply. Gather your tools and supplies, purchase fountain-specific parts, and build your own Water Feature #1, Flower Watering Fountain. If you need me to upload the .skp files, let me know and I'll send them.