Upgrade kit arrived yesterday (Short version, have already upgraded to new board etc). Started to upgrade. No problem until I got to joining the new arm. Nuts and bolts don’t want to seat deeply enough for the screw to reach thread, therefore can’t screw halves together using supplied screws.
Head of screw is too big to fit in hole.
Options:
Drill out hole to fit head of screw. Not easy as I don’t have access to a drill press OR
use a longer screw. I only have Phillips head screws.
Also suggest release tension prior to disassembly, it makes it much easier to pull halves apart.
I know exactly what you are talking about, for sure don’t drill them out.
To get the nuts to fit in the same space as before without them protruding on the inside we had to make the holes that they go into tighter. It makes a big difference in reducing friction once everything is together, but it makes assembly harder.
The trick is to put the nuts all the way in using a bolt before putting the two arm halves together. Basically when you just have one arm half start the nut in place, and then use a bolt from the other side to tighten the nut into it’s recess. Once the nut is all the way at the bottom you can take the bolt back out and the nut will be fixed in place.
I will make a full write up on it and a video, but unfortunately the parts for me to show it with shipped at the same time as the rest of the kits and so they won’t be here until next week
Edit: If anyone can understand what I’m trying to describe and wants to post pictures, that would be awesome
It’s not just the nuts, the head of the screw does not go in far enough to reach the nut even when the nut is seated as above. I think we need a longer screw.
Update:
Success!! We don’t need longer screws, just need to seat screw and nut 1st.
In addition to putting the nuts all the way in (as described by Bar above) it also requires forcing the head of the screws to be the all the way in on the other half of the arm, by applying a nut on the inner surface of the arm (do these first, before anything else) which I did using a 5.5 mm spanner on the nut. This is necessary to ensure bolt is straight and it is at its full depth, or it is impossible to later align on arm assembly.
I videoed the procedure and will upload either photos or video when I have edit out the rubbish.
I have only done a retract and extend so far, but it appears to be a lot smoother in operation.
Great work! I’m sorry you had to figure it out on your own, I will try to get a video out today showing how I did it, but it was basically exactly what you described
Hi Bar,
Thanks for all the work you have put into this machine. The video is good for a Q&D. The only thing I missed was the loc-tight screws and I am not pulling the arms apart to fix, unless the motor works loose.
Am I the first to put the upgrade together, after yourself?
Regards,
Ian
I think that you are the first to put a full one together ever! I have tested all the parts individually as samples, but my full box with the production parts is still on the way
add a note that when you are putting the motor on the arm, there is a little
play and you want to make sure it’s not too tight against the idler (or did the
idler get a little smaller so it’s no longer a problem??)
That is a great reminder! Thank you, I would have forgotten to measure that. I think that we have a little bit more play now so it should be less of an issue, but still worth mentioning
Hello!
I just put the arms together, that worked OK!
I used mostly the old nuts, they have a slightly different measurement/design that worked better for me.
The screwdriver came in handy - it fits perfect for the old screws!
As I mounted all arms on the sled I noticed some more gap than in the previous version.
I cut 2 “shims” from plexi-glass to reduce wiggle. Overall about 3-4mm in thickness.
Im excited about calibrating right now, will update infos…
I noticed way less noise during movement, no squeaking or unhealthy sounds!
Calibration failed once because of a lost connection - no idea yet what was causing that.
