hello,
is there a parts list of required components to build a kit totally from scratch? part numbers for the motors and diagrams of the motor brackets would be really helpful for instance.
poor student here without the $350 to buy a kit even if they were available and impatient not wanting to wait until the kit is available again.
crap. I didnt search the wiki just the source on the website. thank you!
That OK, thereâs an overwhelming amount of info to sort through.
After having looked through all the required parts is there a solution to sourcing the proper motor/encoders? Is it doable to source all the parts except possibly the shield to myself to save money?
Look through the forum, much has been written on the subject.
Unfortunantly the âcorrectâ motors are not available in the US in small
quantities.
From what Iâve seen people posting, building one without the kit is probably
going to be more expensive than the kit is (and/or you end up with motors that
are not going to work as well.
David Lang
I was leaning towards that conclusion as well. I guess I will wait for the kits to be availible.
It gives you time to source the other materials (plywood, etc), brush up on your favorite tool chain or learn Fusion 360, and (re)build your shop. We failed the latter in MoosevilleâŠ
That what happens when you let a Moose use a power tool⊠
Fusion 360? I struggle with sketchup!
Better than giving him a muffin 
Long term tool junkie, more power tools than room to put them. As of today still have all my fingers (not to mention appendages), canât predict if that will continue to be true. Even Mr. Wandel has been known to nick himself with a power saw.
The floor removers didnât show up again today, guess Iâll have to dump the concrete bits in the yard and hope I can borrow a frontloader to haul them off. Way past time to fix the sheared camshaft gear in the Bobcat.
Assembling the sled pantograph was a break from watching Fusion 360 for beginners videos. Note itâs for beginners with search-fu since it omits stuff like how to pan and rotate that you need to look up. Any CAD program has a big learning curve afaik, F360âs not any worse than going back to Sketchup after a long break. Just be where nobody can hear you scream when it just wonât do what you want.
I crashed F360 once, but only lost a few holes since it autosaves regularly. Havenât tried the slicer or even gotten to creating gcode, still learning basics. PencilCAD is still easier, might just take the ZenBot off the drafting table and stay with dead trees
I tried making a hardtop for a miata in sketchup and it took hours and had the most basic of barely recognizable digital representation of the general shape. I sorta learned how to do a section plane but not enough to make it useful. MY project is to make a buck to use to form aluminum hardtop for the car. I wanted a cnc router to make each of the stations on the buck rapidly. the learning curve is insane for these programs. I could by hand draw a nice well done proper isometric blueprint of the thing I want to make in a 3d program in a few minutes but in a stupid computer program it takes hours and hours!
I sound like a grumpy old man but I am only in my thirties. I blame trying to learn 3d programs.
I help teach CNC to woodworkers at a local community college. The coolest thing about CNC is that it has a giant hole on one side you can throw wood in. Then, in a loud clear voice you say, âmake me a 3/4 violin for my daughterâ and out pops a beautiful instrumentâŠ
No, it ainât so. In fact, we often start by saying that if you canât draw it on a computer, it canât cut it. And even if you can draw it, it probably canât cut it.
Accurately modeling in parametric (actual measurements, not just make it look nice) 3d is the hardest thing you can do in CAD. Anyone can learn how, but it is a major skill like learning to weld, learning web page design, or learning to do automotive body work. Sorry to say, but building your CNC machine is the easy part. Learning how to make use of it can take a major investment of time.
how about using 2d programs like inkscape, illustrator, coraldraw.
You need some imagination and sometimes more than one try but this is far easyer to lern.
We use it to program our lasercuter in the fablab.
Is that the one you throw money into and watch it disappear?
Not wanting to restart that argument, but CADâs like Jobs vs Gates. The initial startup might be easier but going from novice to accomplished user still takes a considerable time investment and you get a lot more (j/g maybe falls down here) in the end from the full featured software. You can patch the hole in the wall and the forehead bruises eventually fadeâŠ
A lot of 3D printers end up in the backs of closets because people donât realize the workâs just starting when you get the machine. No different than that first hammer and saw. Great rewards take lots of effort.
Can I sign up for your CC?
There are also a lot of different CAD programs, what makes sense to one person
may not make sense to another person.
when doing 3D modeling, ondhape, fusion360 and sketchup are all rather different
with different learning curves (and the learning curves depend on what prior
software you have used)
@vonmoldy : you could give FreeCAD a try, I found it the most intuitive packages out there when I got started.
Once you get a bit familiar with FreeCAD then you have a real tool that can do about everything. And it can run on more that just Apple / ”soft so as a bonus you never get chained to your OS.
people have posted before about the above Chinese web sites but those are inquiries only, everyone has been turned down and told minimum order of 50 or 100 , I forget. unless things have changed which is unlikelyl
@Zootalaws that xenophobia comment is over the top, particularly if youâve been reading here a while.
GearBest, etc, might be the biggest retailers but be aware any warranty, including DOA, is effectively nill. They wonât even honor their own written policies. I recently purchased a small diode laser from GB that arrived with a mis-soldered USB connector that fell off. After several weeks to get their attention, and several videos of the non-functional device, I was offered a choice of shipping it back at my expense (asymmetric shipping made that as much as the purchase price), a replacement at a slight discount, or a credit of 1/4 of the purchase price. The written policy is refund/replace with them paying shipping for DOAs.
Before you yell xenophobic again (which would be hilarious, one of my kids lived there for a summer while studying at MIT, and might be doing a repeat teaching gig in Singapore in a few months) I buy quite a few items direct from China from a lot of the usual suspects, and this wasnât the first issue (some resolved, some not). Just donât expect any support or warranty from the retailers, and weigh that in the price.