Getting Back into Maslow

No Judgement
1

Hi all,

I was one of the original users of the maslow 4 back in Spring ‘24. After using it extensively for a few months, life hit and I haven’t taken it out of the box in 18 months. I’m hoping to get it back up and running/cutting soon and had a few questions:

  1. I haven’t purchased the 4.1 upgrade kit, is it worth upgrading or necessary for newer firmware?
  2. The firmware is very outdated, is there any special considerations to upgrade the firmware to the most recent version or can I upgrade straight from (I think) v 0.77? I see I need a USB cable, but do I need to upgrade to an intermediate firmware first?
  3. I have historically used Fusion 360 for CAD/CAM, but I understand Abundance is an option now, is there a significant benefit to switching over to Abundance?
  4. Are there any other tips/tricks I should be aware of or forums posts I should read through?

Thanks in advance for the help, I’m excited to hop back into this community!

2
  1. I haven’t purchased the 4.1 upgrade kit, is it worth upgrading or necessary for newer firmware?
    Not required, but recommended. It so\seems to have solved some problems with static electricity effects
  2. The firmware is very outdated, is there any special considerations to upgrade the firmware to the most recent version or can I upgrade straight from (I think) v 0.77? I see I need a USB cable, but do I need to upgrade to an intermediate firmware first?
    You need to do a full install via USB, as it modifies the file structures to take advantage of the all available space. You may have press the reset button on the controller board while powering on
  3. I have historically used Fusion 360 for CAD/CAM, but I understand Abundance is an option now, is there a significant benefit to switching over to Abundance?
    It’s still being developed, it’s free, nothing stopping you from trying it and deciding for yourself.
  4. Are there any other tips/tricks I should be aware of or forums posts I should read through?
    If you upgrade to 4.1 I would recommend you ensure the spools rotate in the arms easily. before assembly. This may require sanding.
3

jemmer798 wrote:

  1. I haven¢t purchased the 4.1 upgrade kit, is it worth upgrading

if you aren’t having problems with your encoder cables (i.e. hot melt glue is
keeping the connections good) there probably isn’t a pressing need to upgrade

or necessary for newer firmware?

not needed for newer firmware

  1. The firmware is very outdated, is there any special considerations to
    upgrade the firmware to the most recent version or can I upgrade straight from
    (I think) v 0.77? I see I need a USB cable, but do I need to upgrade to an
    intermediate firmware first?

no, any time you do a full install, (the usb upgrade mechanism) it doesn’t care
what was on there before.

record the anchor coordinates from your maslow.yaml file before you upgrade. you
will need to enter them in a different point in the file

  1. I have historically used Fusion 360 for CAD/CAM, but I understand Abundance
    is an option now, is there a significant benefit to switching over to
    Abundance?

Abundance is at the early development stage, it’s not something to rush to.

David Lang

4

Thank you all, excited to dive back into this!