Plants too tall - Y-Axis Wheel Guards

Hardware
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My zucchini / courgettes have grown too tall for my Farmbot Genesis XL 1.5 and as a result, the leafs get stuck in the wheels of the Y-Axis.

To solve this issue, I have designed and 3D printed some wheel guards to protect the Y-Axis carriage. The result is not perfect (I still cringe when I see the leaves getting ripped by the Z-Axis) but I haven’t had any Y-Axis stall since I’ve installed the wheel guards.

The model is available for free at: Farmbot - Wheel Guard by ClosedCircuit - Thingiverse

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Wheel guards in action:

12 Likes
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Nice. It’s these little improvements towards reliability that make the difference. I’m already impressed reading the Genesis 1.5 documentation and understanding how many little and big things they’ve done in recent iterations. This type of community support is the difference in going mainstream. Thanks @ClosedCircuit.

Jack

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Many thanks for kind reply @jrwaters. Much appreciated!

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Very cool! Thanks for sharing!!!

I’m puzzling what this mod is:

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That looks like some printed TPU dampers. Have you had some issues without them?

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Good spot. It’s one of my attempts at reducing the noise generated by the Z-Axis. It was discussed in a separate thread here: Z Axis - Managed to reduce noise a bit

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I too have been having this issue. Thanks for sharing this solution!

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This is great! I’ve been wanting to design something like this for the X-axis as my cucumber plants often cross over the X-axis.

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Dear Closed Circuit… I love your solution (I have the same problem!). So kind of you to post your model/plans for free. Unfortunately, I do not have a 3d printer. Is there anyway I could pay you for a set of these? Let me know. Thanks!

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Hi @socalrob,

Unfortunately, my experience with international mail is not good at the moment (COVID-related delays and lost parcels). Where are you based?

I’d be happy to print and send a set if you are in or near Switzerland. If not, you would be much better off asking someone closer to you to print these. There are also online 3D printing services available in most countries nowadays. Send them the STL file and ask them for a quote for printing these in PETG.

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@socalrob Maybe check https://www.prusaprinters.org/world if there is a Prusa printer owner close to you who offers “print on demand”. Or google for a fablab in your region. :wink:

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Hi @ClosedCircuit
I’m sorry I didn’t realize that you were in Switzerland!!!
Thank you for your response…very kind.
I will go with @masze and your idea and find someone who can print on demand.

This is a great solution you created. I think this would be a valuable accessory item that Farmbot should consider adding. This has to be an ongoing issue for most users as so many plants grow taller than the Y Axis (Squash, Tomato, Peppers and even Cucumber). Is this something you would consider @roryaronson ?

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Yep, I’m always looking at ways to improve the hardware and this is a great idea :slight_smile:

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Cool idea, will this also work on the x-axis, too?

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@fafi I don’t know - I haven’t tried. The reason I did it for the Z axis is because a lot of vibrations passed from the lead screw to the plate.

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@ClosedCircuit sorry, I was in a hurry an pressed the wrong reply button. I meant the Wheel Guards. Would they fit for the x-axis, too? I’ve the same problem on the x-axis that sometimes a leaf comes under my rolls and your solution is very nice.

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@fafi - Unfortunately, the wheel guards for the Z Axis won’t work on the X axis. The end stops would require a different design. Sorry…