Join the Ben Heck team every week for amazing hacks! Watch them build and mod community-inspired projects using electronics! | Super Glue Gun | |
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The team gets back to work on the Super Glue Gun. Previously they worked on controlling the heating element with a triac and controlling the motor while extruding the glue through it. The team gets help from a community member who returns a previous super glue gun build to Ben. |
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The Motor on the previous glue gun build is smaller than some of the other motors they tried. It uses a SN754410E Quadruple Half-H Driver. The Mains go straight to the heater core. The 12V adapter goes to a 5V stepdown for the microcontroller. The glue gun has a temperature sensor on it so if it’s not warm enough the motor will not extrude. The motor driver is driven at 12 V. Ben demonstrates the control the glue gun gives him by writing in cursive with the glue gun. A design flaw of the previous glue gun is that the heat from the motor is causing the glue that held the motor in place to fall off.
Ben rigs up an extrusion test. He 3D prints a part to test the motor with a larger bearing. After testing the extrusion its determined that the glue gun needs a tougher base plate. Adding a plate prevents the idler-wheel from being pushed out with the force, keeping all the force on the glue stick, allowing it to extrude. Unlike the original glue gun, this glue gun isn’t spring loaded meaning it’s easier to build. Finally, they refine the form using foamcore and are able to get the glue gun to extrude glue using a fairly small DC gear motor.