June 8, 2012

A trash-picked plotter is resurrected! 

I found a Roland brand model whatever whatever plotter sign cutter thing in a Brooklyn trash pile a couple years ago. It had been thoroughly rained in and had damaged electronics to boot… Plus software probably wasn’t available or only ran in DOS or some crap, so I tore it down, had a look, and put it in a box for a LONG time. Well, I finally got to it again, and now it runs G-code with (mostly) all new electronics, stepper drivers, and I even managed to reverse engineer the user control panel to allow use of all of the buttons and even the jog wheel. Now all I have to do is implement the paper sensors and figure out how to pack this all new rat’s nest of wires and boards in to the base of the thing and I ought to be all set. 

Recycling at its finest.