Maintained? Working?

[paulkilroy]

I didn’t see a read me file here, so I was wondering if the code for the esp32 is maintained and working? It looks very well laid out and I’d like to use it to improve the design of one I got off of AliExpress.

Thanks

[Pontifex42]

Well, yes, the code was working well and did not need any update. Main issue to me was to bring this inkscape stuff running. I used the project for an exhibition some month ago, there it was still working.
If you try to adopt it to another hardware, just ask, maybe I can help.
What design from AliExpress do you mean? Is there a ready-made hardware? Can you provide a link?

[paulkilroy]

Thanks for replying on Christmas.. I wanted to make something very simple with a web page running on an esp32 that you could upload geode to do a drawing. So many projects are client / server with a lot of complication that I’m sure was needed in the early Arduino days but can be simplified today. My plan was to use makelangelo or Inkscape to convert an image to gcode. For hardware I was going to use the sled and stepper motor mounts from this project on GitHub and use gt2 belt/pullys rather than string https://github.com/maker101io/mXY-board-xy-plotter-drawing-machine?search=1 but change the processor to a simple esp32 with a built in display from heltec. https://heltec.org/project/wifi-kit32-v3/ I was going to skip the rotary input and just go with a webpage to upload a file or change any settings and then display the printing status / progress bar on the integrated oled. So just the esp32 and the motor controllers that come with the stepper motors are the only circuits, shouldn’t even need to solder I think. Here’s the Ali express one I bought, their design for the stepper motors holders looks a lot like yours but the sled is very poorly designed and tips over a lot. https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrsiOpN Your design reads only from the SDCard, right? also, it looks like your design lifts the pen off the paper and not lifting the whole sled like most others. How did that work? Do you like the design? I’m good on the coding side but if I can steal from others that’s always good. I just stink at 3d modeling so trying to pull from the best designs out there.

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On Wed, Dec 25, 2024 at 11:22 AM Pontifex42 ***@***.***> wrote: Well, yes, the code was working well and did not need any update. Main issue to me was to bring this inkscape stuff running. I used the project for an exhibition some month ago, there it was still working. If you try to adopt it to another hardware, just ask, maybe I can help. What design from AliExpress do you mean? Is there a ready-made hardware? Can you provide a link? — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#1 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AMVBG45L6NOMZ4MP4RTGXML2HLZXNAVCNFSM6AAAAABUDPQKWOVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDKNRRHE3TAMJUGA> . You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[paulkilroy]

Thanks again for the response. I'm curious, what paper and pen/marker did you use? I'm getting a lot of drag on mine that seems to be making the lines wobbly.

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On Wed, Dec 25, 2024 at 12:22 PM Pontifex42 ***@***.***> wrote: Well, yes, the code was working well and did not need any update. Main issue to me was to bring this inkscape stuff running. I used the project for an exhibition some month ago, there it was still working. If you try to adopt it to another hardware, just ask, maybe I can help. What design from AliExpress do you mean? Is there a ready-made hardware? Can you provide a link? — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#1 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AMVBG45L6NOMZ4MP4RTGXML2HLZXNAVCNFSM6AAAAABUDPQKWOVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDKNRRHE3TAMJUGA> . You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[Pontifex42]

I used the walldrawer on a whiteboard with usual whiteboard pens. On paper, I found "Liquid Ink Rollerball Pens" work best.
A Webpage to upload files and to control it sounds great. For my special purposes, I preferred a fully standalone design, even the power supply is with LiIo batteries. No WiFi, no phone connection, no USB connection, no PC connected.
So all files have to be on a SD card. Of course, the files are gcode, generated using that old Incskape 0.92, many selfmade plotter do it this way.
Would be easy to modify the implementation with webpage or FTP to modifie the file storage.
Belts may make the construction more reliable, the strings are a bit fiddeling sometimes.
Nowadays, many DevBoards have integrated Displays, could have used one of those. I love to design PCBs, as the motor drivers and power supply needed a PCB anyway, I did it with a simple monochrome OLED.
If you prefer to wirestrap instead of soldering, you need to consider many things to make the construction reliable. As a demonstration project, this went to some exhibition and every transportation destroys lots of your wiring. Consider to drawn it in a giant blob of hot glue:-D
You can remove any display and input controller from the board, of course. Just connecting it to an arbitrary WiFi may be complicated if you do not want to hardcode the credentials. My Sovol SV08 does it the easy way: reads a file from SD with the credentials. Data is stored then in the ESP for good, deleting is not possible, only overwriting with another working (!) WiFi connection.
Yes, I just lift the pen. It is not my design, I have stolen everything from this item:
https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005006318968920.html
Your aliexpress-link is not working, maybe you found the same offer.
I am not very satisfied with this construction, because you want to use the plotter on an exact vertical surface. It is not easy to balance the sledge so it slides smooth and exactly flat on the vertical surface, and lifting the pen brings it out of balance. But hey, finally, I made it. There is alwas a way.
Have fun with your project as I had. Would construct many things different today, have three more years of expierience now. But main ideas like power supply and so on would survive. I could impress many people with it and some found their way to this arduino/3D-Print/Electronics hobby.