Tindie Weblog | USB Energy Blocker for 3D Printing

Typically the easy concepts are the most effective or most helpful. The USB VBlock is a USB adaptor that means that you can join or disconnect the facility rails whereas sustaining the info line connectivity.

There are quite a few conditions the place this may be helpful. It may be utilized in conditions the place a tool may be prone to drawing an excessive amount of energy out of your pc or the place there’s a potential for energy to move again from the hooked up gadget by chance. I can consider a few 3D printers in my assortment that, when un-powered, in case you transfer the axis the display screen flashes with the again rush of present from the stepper motors.  The challenge creator mentions that that they had a printer the place the printer display screen would all the time keep lively, drawing energy from the pc USB, when when the printer was powered off. An analogous use case can be a GRBL-controlled CNC machine the place the machine axis steppers and spindles are on the next voltage provide which may 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 sublime resolution.

One other facet is that you might have a microcontroller challenge 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 come in useful for a lot of completely different initiatives! 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.