sprior wrote:camera tripod mounts

I wouldn't screw anything heavier than a webcam onto a printed 1/4-20 bolt, but your mileage will certainly vary!

sprior wrote:worked at IBM Pok

A long time ago, in a universe far, far away. Served my time in the Fishkill Factory, too...

an stl you would be willing to share for that? the two halves i guess. Here ya go: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/78548584/Broom%20Handle%20Screw%20-%20Horizontal%20-%200.4x0.2%20mm.stl https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/78548584/Broom%20Handle%20Screw%20-%20horizontal%20bottom%20-%20F6%20mod...

what standard threads you can reasonably print on an M2 From what I've read, 1/4-20 is about as small as you can expect. A 0.20 mm layer thickness gives only 6.3 layers per turn, so each layer occupies a 60° angle: the "thread" won't be very smooth. Of course, you can reduce the layer thickness to ...

the switches were not printing well Have you tried printing the bases as separate parts, with sockets / alignment pins for the switches & knobs, then gluing them together? A hole with a glue gutter works well: http://softsolder.com/2013/11/12/improved-alignment-pin-hole-for-split-3d-prints/ You cou...

winding around the gear Back in the day, several folks made dual-sided drives that gripped the filament on both sides, rather than mashing it against a smooth bearing. Stacking the two drive splines: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:27654 probably isn't any better than a single spline, but somewher...

How would it work? Those likely have an oscillator inside that's detuned by the presence of a ferromagnetic target. The gibberish that passes for specifications says: Response Frequency : 100Hz Detect Object : Iron Detecting Distance : 5mm/ 0.2'' A possibly related datasheet ( http://www.chinahwe.n...

you could detect contact electrically with the nozzle Remember that the nozzle may be covered with a thin layer of insulating plastic that prevents dependable electrical contact. Depending on electrical continuity may work most of the time, but when it fails, the nozzle will attempt to punch a hole...

whatever works

A pair of silicone rubber baby buggy bumpers atop the original Z-axis stepper worked pretty well:
http://softsolder.com/2013/04/06/makerg ... g-bushing/

The upgraded stepper didn't let the bed fall freely, so it didn't need the bumpers.