Tindie Weblog | USB Energy Blocker for 3D Printing

Typically the easy concepts are the very best or most helpful. The USB VBlock is a USB adaptor that permits you to join or disconnect the ability rails whereas sustaining the info line connectivity.

There are quite a few conditions the place this could be helpful. It may be utilized in conditions the place a tool could be prone to drawing an excessive amount of energy out of your laptop or the place there’s a potential for energy to circulate again from the hooked up gadget by chance. I can consider a few 3D printers in my assortment that, when un-powered, if you happen to transfer the axis the display flashes with the again rush of present from the stepper motors.  The venture creator mentions that they’d a printer the place the printer display would all the time keep lively, drawing energy from the pc USB, when when the printer was powered off. The same use case could be a GRBL-controlled CNC machine the place the machine axis steppers and spindles are on a better voltage provide which will be switched off, however the USB provide to the GRBL board stays powered. In fact, you would simply unplug it however having this switchable USB adaptor is a chic resolution.

One other side is that you will have a microcontroller venture working on a separate energy provide however you continue to require knowledge connectivity over USB for serial or different monitoring. Having this gadget in your assortment offers you extra choices, and will turn out to be useful for a lot of completely different tasks! The USB VBlock is provided totally assembled and coated with some warmth shrink. Within the picture above a case has been added utilizing a design that’s out there so that you can obtain and print over on Printables.