FrankenCarriage

This is an initial version of my idea for a replacement Cupcake xy carriage assembly. It's designed to duplicate the functionality of a ABP, but incorporating the conveyor belt directly into the y stage. I wanted an ABP but didn't want to replace my existing electronics and HBP with new parts (at $185). I decided that the ideal setup would be to use existing Makerbot parts to create it. Instead of having the stepper move the platform and use a different motor to drive the conveyor belt, this is designed to have the y axis stepper move the CONVEYOR BELT during the build, with the HBP moving only in the x axis underneath it. When done, the end.gcode can just move the y axis to +200 to drop the piece off the front of the belt.

It has ball bearing movements and the carriage is about 15mm shorter than a normal Cupcake, providing for taller builds.

It steals parts from a Mendel (eight 624 bearings and a modified version of the 180 and 360 sleds), and it has been designed to cannib