<h3>&quot;Yes&quot; you can, but &quot;No&quot; it is not a good idea.</h3>
<p>A colleague of me is building a Anet A8 clone from salvaged rods from a bunch of printers he had. The rods are 9 mm in diameter for which you cannot find affordable linear bearings. We printed bearing blocks from PLA with integrated glide surfaces to solve that.</p>
<p>Furthermore, practically nothing of interested can be obtained from a 2D printer/scanner. The steppers are too weak, the belts too flimsy, and the electronics are not useable. Only on optical sensor (used as an endstop), but these literally only cost about $0.40 (then you get the whole module including the cable). Also, linear rods of good quality are best obtained locally from a local (web) supplier, there are mixed experienced with those found on cheap internet auction sites.</p>
<p>Considering the amount of parts that can be salvaged from a 2D printer/scanner, and the part you actually need to order to complete the build, you better spend a few extra bucks and order all parts.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-29T12:50:34.677Z
2018-11-29T12:50:34.677Z
2020-06-18T08:29:41.667Z
0scar
<p><em>I'm in the process of making a printer out of DVD/CD drives. I haven't progressed particularly far (I have the stepper drivers and obtained three (non-identical) CD/DVD drives last night for 100 baht), but I can state what I know to date, and then update as I go along.</em></p>

<p><strong>Note: I'm not using any recycled printer parts, so this answer skirts <em>that</em> issue entirely.</strong></p>

<hr>

<p>Firstly, there are a number of resources out there, which I have attempted to consolidate here, <a href="https://gr33nonline.wordpress.com/2018/10/23/something-from-nothing/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Something for nothing</a>. </p>

<p>The principle recycled printer that most searches seem to throw up is the E-waste printer by Miquel Lloveras, <a href="https://twitter.com/mikel_llc" rel="nofollow noreferrer">@mikel_llc</a>, see <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?ALLSTEPS" rel="nofollow noreferrer">EWaste 60$ 3DPrinter by mikelllc in 3D-Printing</a>. However, the blueprints are missing and the Instructable's guide is a bit sketchy at best. I am currently in communication with the designer on Twitter, and  hopefully will obtain more details at a later date.</p>

<p>A far better Instructables guide is <a href="https://www.instructables.com/id/Complete-newbie-step-by-step-3D-printer-with-all-p/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Complete Newbie Step by Step, 3D Printer With All Parts Lists</a>. Very in-depth and informative indeed.</p>

<p>However, IMHO, the best guides that I found (and decided to follow) have been by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZDA1kA3y3EIg25BpcHSpwQ" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Tinkernut</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJcjk44Wjpxf6yX5_XtCqAA" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Electronic Grenade</a>. In particular:</p>

<ul>
<li>Electronic Grenade based on Tinkernut's printer, this really does seem to be the easiest printer to make, although it does employ the use of a 3D pen in place of a "real" extruder/hotend

<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1il-3_FJtA8" rel="nofollow noreferrer">How I Built A 3d Printer From Cd Drives</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p8BP7B7Pmw" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Make a 3D Printer From Cd Drives || Part 1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSEPcFAYovI" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Make a 3D Printer From Cd Drives || Part 2</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li>Tinkernut's videos for 3D Printer and the CNC machine that it is based off:

<ul>
<li>Playlist: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?annotation_id=annotation_1027946027&amp;feature=iv&amp;list=PLlg8lN4r9qWiAOUi3TW3CUr0LOI3S0zpZ&amp;src_vid=anIy6eb1fW0" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Arduino CD-Rom 3D printer &amp; CNC</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anIy6eb1fW0" rel="nofollow noreferrer">How To Make A Cheap 3D Printer</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFo5MKSrM-k" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Hack old CD-ROMs into a CNC Machine - Part 1: The Hardware</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xMfkTrx_0U" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Hack old CD-ROM's into a CNC Machine - Part 2: The Software</a></li>
</ul></li>
</ul>

<p>These printers require no laser cut frames, and apart from the three CD/DVD drives, you only seem to need:</p>

<ul>
<li>1 x Arduino Uno</li>
<li>3 x A3967 stepper drivers</li>
<li>18 x Brass Motherboard standoffs and nuts</li>
<li>1 x Resistor (16 kΩ or 22 kΩ) or 50-100 kΩ trim pot</li>
<li>1 x Transistor 2n2222 or 2n3904</li>
<li>1 x PC power supply </li>
<li>1 x 3D Pen (which may or may not require pulling apart and hacking a bit - it is up to you)</li>
</ul>

<p>Software wise, these printers use:</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://russemotto.com/xloader/XLoader.zip" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Xloader</a></li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/zapmaker/GrblHoming/releases/download/v3.6.1/GrblController-3.6.1.7z" rel="nofollow noreferrer">GrblController-3.6.1.7z</a></li>
<li><a href="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/grbl/grbl-builds/master/builds/grbl_v0_8c_atmega328p_16mhz_9600.hex" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Grbl v0.8c Atmega328p 16mhz 9600baud</a></li>
</ul>

<p>Obviously, with a little tinkering and calibration, you could use the standard Arduino Mega2560 and RAMPS1.4 setup, and your preferred firmware (i.e. Marlin, Repetitier, etc.).</p>

<p>Here is the A3967 stepper driver</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/8dXP8.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="A3967 stepper driver"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/8dXP8.png" alt="A3967 stepper driver" title="A3967 stepper driver"></a></p>

<h3>A note on the motors</h3>

<ul>
<li>Apparently, some CD/DVD drives use DC motors rather than stepper motors, possibly in conjunction with endstops. While it is possible to use these types of drives, it seems much easier to employ the stepper motor type only.</li>
<li>It is possible that some of the CD/DVD drives which employ steppers also have endstops, and it is a good idea to salvage these endstops, when pulling the unit apart. However, in the Tinkernut and Electronic Grenade models these aren't required, although they could be added later, I guess.</li>
<li>To make life easy on yourself, try to get identical CD/DVD drives. Whilst a number of brands share common design/components and you may get lucky when using/opening different brands of drive and find the same parts, if you actually hunt around and get three or four drives of exactly the same make and model, things will be simpler (not amazingly so, but simpler and more consistent, nevertheless)</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-29T01:37:48.957Z
Hmmm, I got a bit over excited there, and then carried away down a myopic tunnel, when I saw the mention of CD drive in the question, and completely missed the bit about the printer... :-( However, hopefully some parts of this answer may come in useful.
Greenonline
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-29T09:32:39.890Z
With a little rephrasing you might be good. Something like "You need stepper drivers".
Trish
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-29T01:28:11.107Z
2018-11-29T10:46:57.933Z
2018-11-29T10:46:57.933Z
Greenonline
<p>You need not a "modern" inkjet printer, but an antique flatbed 2-D printer.  These were the state-of-the art in the 1980s, and drove the print head (a felt pen clamped into a mount) in X &amp; Y over the printable area.<br>
You'd still need to hang the whole thing on some Z-drive, of course. </p>

<p>See info at the <a href="http://www.hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?hw=82" rel="nofollow noreferrer">HP museum</a>,  or buy one on <a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-7470A-Desktop-Pen-Plotter-2-pen-A-size-HPIB-GPIB-/113379622891" rel="nofollow noreferrer">eBay</a> (Disclaimer: I just searched for that. I do not know the seller) .</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-29T16:11:15.827Z
Weren't those called plotters, and not printers..?  I remember using them to print out OrCAD schematics
Greenonline
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-30T14:46:34.360Z
@Greenonline yes, they have names like  "Pen Plotter"
Carl Witthoft
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-29T16:05:20.463Z
2018-11-29T16:05:20.463Z
Carl Witthoft
<h1>No, Printers are not good sources</h1>
<p>Common printers contain at best one stepper motor <strong>in the scanner</strong>, and it is usually too weak for use as an X or Y stepper, but for a very slow printer they might be useable, especially if you could source 2 or 4 of the same type.</p>
<p>The main motors in the printer are almost universally DC motors that get their turning signal as a voltage from the main board, which again uses positional information from an encoder strip/disk. Using both of these to make a 3D printer is usually not feasible.</p>
<p>However, they usually have good rails (sadly often of non-standard diameter) and might be salvaged for a decent optical sensor. See also <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPhPP42CgY8" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Thomas Sanladerer's video</a> about this.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-29T06:53:08.317Z
However, the rails are frequently non-standard size diameter. It is hard to find bearings for them. My colleague is building a 3D printer from scavenged normal printer parts (using the rails) as we speak. We ended up printing Igus style bearings for his rails diameter.
0scar
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-28T23:56:02.840Z
2018-11-29T09:33:41.890Z
2020-06-18T08:29:41.667Z
Trish
<p>I thought as a fun project to make my own 3D printer out of a normal printer parts + some parts out of old CD-ROM drives that are lying around. The printer of my choice is an HP PSC 1315 one.
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/aNHM2m.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/aNHM2m.jpg" alt="HP PSC 1315 All-in-One Inkjet Printer"></a></p>

<p>But I have these questions:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Does this printer users stepper motors or is using a combination of DC ones and some sort of position sensor?</p></li>
<li><p>What kind of electronics and firmware I can use for this type of builds?</p></li>
</ol>

<diy-3d-printer><printer-building><e-waste>
3D printer out of normal printer (HP PSC 1315)
Dimitrios Desyllas
# 3D printer out of normal printer (HP PSC 1315)

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-11-28)

I thought as a fun project to make my own 3D printer out of a normal printer parts + some parts out of old CD-ROM drives that are lying around. The printer of my choice is an HP PSC 1315 one.
[![HP PSC 1315 All-in-One Inkjet Printer](https://i.sstatic.net/aNHM2m.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/aNHM2m.jpg)

But I have these questions:

1. Does this printer users stepper motors or is using a combination of DC ones and some sort of position sensor?
2. What kind of electronics and firmware I can use for this type of builds?

**Tags:** diy-3d-printer, printer-building, e-waste

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-11-28. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

# No, Printers are not good sources

Common printers contain at best one stepper motor **in the scanner**, and it is usually too weak for use as an X or Y stepper, but for a very slow printer they might be useable, especially if you could source 2 or 4 of the same type.

The main motors in the printer are almost universally DC motors that get their turning signal as a voltage from the main board, which again uses positional information from an encoder strip/disk. Using both of these to make a 3D printer is usually not feasible.

However, they usually have good rails (sadly often of non-standard diameter) and might be salvaged for a decent optical sensor. See also [Thomas Sanladerer's video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPhPP42CgY8) about this.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: However, the rails are frequently non-standard size diameter. It is hard to find bearings for them. My colleague is building a 3D printer from scavenged normal printer parts (using the rails) as we speak. We ended up printing Igus style bearings for his rails diameter.  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-11-29. Score: 4

### "Yes" you can, but "No" it is not a good idea.

A colleague of me is building a Anet A8 clone from salvaged rods from a bunch of printers he had. The rods are 9 mm in diameter for which you cannot find affordable linear bearings. We printed bearing blocks from PLA with integrated glide surfaces to solve that.

Furthermore, practically nothing of interested can be obtained from a 2D printer/scanner. The steppers are too weak, the belts too flimsy, and the electronics are not useable. Only on optical sensor (used as an endstop), but these literally only cost about $0.40 (then you get the whole module including the cable). Also, linear rods of good quality are best obtained locally from a local (web) supplier, there are mixed experienced with those found on cheap internet auction sites.

Considering the amount of parts that can be salvaged from a 2D printer/scanner, and the part you actually need to order to complete the build, you better spend a few extra bucks and order all parts.


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-11-29. Score: 1

*I'm in the process of making a printer out of DVD/CD drives. I haven't progressed particularly far (I have the stepper drivers and obtained three (non-identical) CD/DVD drives last night for 100 baht), but I can state what I know to date, and then update as I go along.*

**Note: I'm not using any recycled printer parts, so this answer skirts *that* issue entirely.**

---

Firstly, there are a number of resources out there, which I have attempted to consolidate here, [Something for nothing](https://gr33nonline.wordpress.com/2018/10/23/something-from-nothing/).

The principle recycled printer that most searches seem to throw up is the E-waste printer by Miquel Lloveras, [@mikel\_llc](https://twitter.com/mikel_llc), see [EWaste 60$ 3DPrinter by mikelllc in 3D-Printing](http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?ALLSTEPS). However, the blueprints are missing and the Instructable's guide is a bit sketchy at best. I am currently in communication with the designer on Twitter, and hopefully will obtain more details at a later date.

A far better Instructables guide is [Complete Newbie Step by Step, 3D Printer With All Parts Lists](https://www.instructables.com/id/Complete-newbie-step-by-step-3D-printer-with-all-p/). Very in-depth and informative indeed.

However, IMHO, the best guides that I found (and decided to follow) have been by [Tinkernut](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZDA1kA3y3EIg25BpcHSpwQ) and [Electronic Grenade](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJcjk44Wjpxf6yX5_XtCqAA). In particular:

* Electronic Grenade based on Tinkernut's printer, this really does seem to be the easiest printer to make, although it does employ the use of a 3D pen in place of a "real" extruder/hotend
  + [How I Built A 3d Printer From Cd Drives](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1il-3_FJtA8)
  + [Make a 3D Printer From Cd Drives || Part 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p8BP7B7Pmw)
  + [Make a 3D Printer From Cd Drives || Part 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSEPcFAYovI)
* Tinkernut's videos for 3D Printer and the CNC machine that it is based off:
  + Playlist: [Arduino CD-Rom 3D printer & CNC](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?annotation_id=annotation_1027946027&feature=iv&list=PLlg8lN4r9qWiAOUi3TW3CUr0LOI3S0zpZ&src_vid=anIy6eb1fW0)
  + [How To Make A Cheap 3D Printer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anIy6eb1fW0)
  + [Hack old CD-ROMs into a CNC Machine - Part 1: The Hardware](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFo5MKSrM-k)
  + [Hack old CD-ROM's into a CNC Machine - Part 2: The Software](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xMfkTrx_0U)

These printers require no laser cut frames, and apart from the three CD/DVD drives, you only seem to need:

* 1 x Arduino Uno
* 3 x A3967 stepper drivers
* 18 x Brass Motherboard standoffs and nuts
* 1 x Resistor (16 kΩ or 22 kΩ) or 50-100 kΩ trim pot
* 1 x Transistor 2n2222 or 2n3904
* 1 x PC power supply
* 1 x 3D Pen (which may or may not require pulling apart and hacking a bit - it is up to you)

Software wise, these printers use:

* [Xloader](https://russemotto.com/xloader/XLoader.zip)
* [GrblController-3.6.1.7z](https://github.com/zapmaker/GrblHoming/releases/download/v3.6.1/GrblController-3.6.1.7z)
* [Grbl v0.8c Atmega328p 16mhz 9600baud](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/grbl/grbl-builds/master/builds/grbl_v0_8c_atmega328p_16mhz_9600.hex)

Obviously, with a little tinkering and calibration, you could use the standard Arduino Mega2560 and RAMPS1.4 setup, and your preferred firmware (i.e. Marlin, Repetitier, etc.).

Here is the A3967 stepper driver

[![A3967 stepper driver](https://i.sstatic.net/8dXP8.png "A3967 stepper driver")](https://i.sstatic.net/8dXP8.png "A3967 stepper driver")

### A note on the motors

* Apparently, some CD/DVD drives use DC motors rather than stepper motors, possibly in conjunction with endstops. While it is possible to use these types of drives, it seems much easier to employ the stepper motor type only.
* It is possible that some of the CD/DVD drives which employ steppers also have endstops, and it is a good idea to salvage these endstops, when pulling the unit apart. However, in the Tinkernut and Electronic Grenade models these aren't required, although they could be added later, I guess.
* To make life easy on yourself, try to get identical CD/DVD drives. Whilst a number of brands share common design/components and you may get lucky when using/opening different brands of drive and find the same parts, if you actually hunt around and get three or four drives of exactly the same make and model, things will be simpler (not amazingly so, but simpler and more consistent, nevertheless)

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Hmmm, I got a bit over excited there, and then carried away down a myopic tunnel, when I saw the mention of CD drive in the question, and completely missed the bit about the printer... :-( However, hopefully some parts of this answer may come in useful.  
> **username_3**: With a little rephrasing you might be good. Something like "You need stepper drivers".  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2018-11-29. Score: 0

You need not a "modern" inkjet printer, but an antique flatbed 2-D printer. These were the state-of-the art in the 1980s, and drove the print head (a felt pen clamped into a mount) in X & Y over the printable area.  
You'd still need to hang the whole thing on some Z-drive, of course.

See info at the [HP museum](http://www.hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?hw=82), or buy one on [eBay](https://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-7470A-Desktop-Pen-Plotter-2-pen-A-size-HPIB-GPIB-/113379622891) (Disclaimer: I just searched for that. I do not know the seller) .

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Weren't those called plotters, and not printers..?  I remember using them to print out OrCAD schematics  
> **username_4**: @Greenonline yes, they have names like  "Pen Plotter"  

---

