RepRap Bounties

RepRap Bounties I set up a page on the wiki at http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRap_Bounties with some info about RepRap bounties. Any questions/suggestions please feel free to comment. https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,258967#msg-258967 Sat, 11 Jul 2026 00:52:01 -0400 Phorum 5.2.23 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,889111#msg-889111 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,889111#msg-889111 VDX General Sat, 16 Apr 2022 04:14:51 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,889110#msg-889110 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,889110#msg-889110 Bushfu007 General Sat, 16 Apr 2022 03:06:12 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,889088#msg-889088 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,889088#msg-889088 VDX General Wed, 13 Apr 2022 06:24:53 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,889087#msg-889087 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,889087#msg-889087 fazaliuyt General Wed, 13 Apr 2022 05:52:22 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,389108#msg-389108 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,389108#msg-389108 Traumflug General Wed, 30 Jul 2014 04:32:37 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,388752#msg-388752 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,388752#msg-388752
Is there any limitation against hardware (electronics or even mechanical) projects that make them impossible or more difficult to target in that bounty system ?]]> sammy66 General Tue, 29 Jul 2014 08:02:16 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,278833#msg-278833 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,278833#msg-278833

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Senake
Would it be worth starting a crowd fund on Kickstarter or Indiegogo to get together an initial pot of cash?

It does not make sense to raise money with Kickstarter and then send that money to Bountysource. Bountysource is an alternative to Kickstarter, not a step "further down the chain". The idea is that the bounty itself is publicized, and if people want to fund it, they send money directly to Bountysource.

Another problem with a "pot of cash" is that RepRap wouldn't know what to do with a pot of cash even if it had one. Who would decide how to parcel it out? Bounties allow a distributed decision-making process, which fits well with the distributed nature of RepRap.

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Senake
For that reason, I would be happy to help with this - putting together a video, doing a bit of pr etc.

The only way bounties will work is if enough people know about them. There are already funded bounties and requests for funds starting to show up in the new Bounties forum. If you could publicize this it would be really helpful! :)]]> MattMoses General Wed, 11 Dec 2013 22:49:13 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,278828#msg-278828 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,278828#msg-278828

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jb92563
If I was a developer I would not want to do a lot of work only to find that another developer has thrown something together quickly just to claim the bounty early and make all my time a waste even though I had a better solution.

Communication will be important. You can tell people that you are working on a bounty by commenting on it in the git page (among other ways, of course). See this link for an example of what it looks like.

The backers vote on whether a given effort is suitable to receive the bounty or not, so if there are multiple developers fighting over one bounty (which should not be normal), there is a way for the backers to decide. There is a dispute resolution process too, but that is only for conflicts that cannot be resolved through voting.]]> MattMoses General Wed, 11 Dec 2013 22:22:51 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,278825#msg-278825 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,278825#msg-278825
As per my Compopoly approach, to maximise collaboration without losing the motivation of competition, the bounty could be split based on the value of each incremental innovation. Approved development expenses should probably be paid out of the bounty first before the rest is split up between the innovators.

@bobc & @tramflug
Well done for setting this up. Is much being done to market this bounty facility in the 3D printing media?

Would it be worth starting a crowd fund on Kickstarter or Indiegogo to get together an initial pot of cash? Rewards offered could be the bounty products produced by the community for copy shops and eBay sellers. I have some ideas for a better low cost home based 3D printer and would like to collaborate with those in the community who also want to get a best of breed product out there. For that reason, I would be happy to help with this - putting together a video, doing a bit of pr etc.

Please let me know if you think this is a good idea.

Thanks

Senake]]> Senake General Wed, 11 Dec 2013 21:35:55 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,278810#msg-278810 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,278810#msg-278810
If I was a developer I would not want to do a lot of work only to find that another developer has thrown something together quickly just to claim the bounty early and make all
my time a waste even though I had a better solution.]]> jb92563 General Wed, 11 Dec 2013 20:04:00 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,277918#msg-277918 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,277918#msg-277918

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MattMoses
Hi T3P3, there were the beginnings of a discussion about this in this thread. Personally, I think 10% is a little high (Kickstarter takes 5%) but I wouldn't mind paying the 10% for small projects, if that helped establish bounties as a model for open source hardware development. Perhaps as Bountysource gets competition the 10% figure may come down.

I don't know if the fees are really that high. If I understand the FAQ correctly, Bountysource will pay all payment processing. As I understand Kickstarter, the 5% all goes to Kickstarter. Amazon or whoever the payment processor is (in the UK it's Kickstarter themselves) will charge a payment processing fee of between 3-5%. It seems that Bountysource is using PayPal and Google Wallet, I would expect the fees to be similar for any debit and credit card based payments. (Payments via local banking transfers may have lower fees sometimes where that's possible).

However one disdvantage over Kickstarter wiith the way Bountysource works is since they are taking the money themselves, keeping it and then transferring it to an account they keep for the person who received the bounty. So the fees will be incurred even if the bounty is later cancelled or fails. Also, for those receiving bounties, depending on how they eventually cashout from Bountysource they may incur additional fees. But that's somewhat unavoidable given the need for Bountysource to ensure they have the bounties and the long time periods that may be involved. So it's not likely to change with new competition IMO. (Kickstarter is basically direct between the backer and project creator so there aren't two sets of fees involved. And they only process after the project succeeds/completes.)]]> Nil Einne General Tue, 10 Dec 2013 00:27:47 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,277728#msg-277728 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,277728#msg-277728
Thanks - and I meant considering initiating it and backing it.

Cheers

Tony]]> T3P3 General Mon, 09 Dec 2013 13:29:27 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,277717#msg-277717 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,277717#msg-277717 in this thread. Personally, I think 10% is a little high (Kickstarter takes 5%) but I wouldn't mind paying the 10% for small projects, if that helped establish bounties as a model for open source hardware development. Perhaps as Bountysource gets competition the 10% figure may come down.

When you say you are "considering using this" does that mean you want to initiate the project and have others back it and develop it? Or do you want to develop it and have others back it? All options are good, of course, I'm just curious what plan you are considering.]]> MattMoses General Mon, 09 Dec 2013 13:12:03 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,277394#msg-277394 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,277394#msg-277394
A question about using bounty source itself - what do people feel about the 10% going to bountysource: fair payment for the admin overhead or a bit steep?

I am considering using this to get Delta printer support ported to RepRap Firmware for the Duet.

Tony

[www.blog.think3dprint3d.com]]]> T3P3 General Sun, 08 Dec 2013 17:55:02 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,270268#msg-270268 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,270268#msg-270268 VDX General Thu, 21 Nov 2013 14:48:44 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,270032#msg-270032 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,270032#msg-270032 Greg Frost General Thu, 21 Nov 2013 03:00:56 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,269922#msg-269922 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,269922#msg-269922 VDX General Wed, 20 Nov 2013 18:28:46 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,269910#msg-269910 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,269910#msg-269910

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Greg Frost
To keep all the bounties in one place and expire them when done, couldn't we have a forum category and sticky a post with each bounty?

Yes! It would be somewhat redundant with the Github tracker, but on the other hand it would allow bounties that are not on the "meta tracker" to be tracked also. With a dedicated forum category, anyone could announce bounties for things on the meta-tracker in addition to, say, slic3r bounties, marlin bounties, or teacup bounties. I think a dedicated subforum is a good idea. I'm too much of a newb admin to create one however... I will look into it or maybe someone more expert will beat me to it ;).

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A2
Are there any RepRap bounties right now?

Yes! Bobc has opened a $50USD bounty on a configuration tool for RepRap firmware. More info here.

Bobc's meta-tracker is still a prototype. I don't know if he wants to be in charge of the "official" RepRap meta tracker... I don't know if anyone else is willing to do it (Traumflug? Adrian? Anyone else?)... Thoughts anyone?

Who has ideas for bounties? Could we get a list going? I think if more people knew this was an option, there would be a lot of interest. For example, the other day in this thread crispy1 said

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crispy1
In the case of a well-designed printer, which I think mine is, the limiting factor appears to be control over the extruded filament. Not necessarily the peak speed at which you can extrude, but the ability to precisely start and stop the flow, and modulate it around corners (the flow must be slowed as the printer decelerates to go round a corner, for example). In my case, this is somewhat exacerbated by using a bowden instead of direct drive, but the problem is still present for direct drive extruders.

In theory it is possible to compensate for these issues with firmware. This is what Sailfish does with JKN-Advance and other features. I've asked for those features to be ported to Marlin or some other RepRap firmware, but no one seems interested in undertaking this.

Would anyone be interested in contributing a few bucks to a bounty that addresses that??]]> MattMoses General Wed, 20 Nov 2013 18:06:35 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,269874#msg-269874 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,269874#msg-269874 Knowing when a bounty is open or closed would be very helpful.

Are there any RepRap bounties right now?]]> A2 General Wed, 20 Nov 2013 16:53:11 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,269870#msg-269870 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,269870#msg-269870 Greg Frost General Wed, 20 Nov 2013 16:46:40 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,264826#msg-264826 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,264826#msg-264826 Traumflug General Sun, 10 Nov 2013 03:23:29 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,264807#msg-264807 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,264807#msg-264807

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A2
Any videos to help explain how it works?

Bobc put up a prototype RepRap bounty tracker on GitHub and Bountysource. I worked through the process of creating a bounty for a simple hardware project, documenting it, and claiming the bounty. The whole system really works quite smoothly, and I think there could be real potential for using this to fund small RepRap hardware (and software) projects.

Please check out all the details here: RepRap Bounties]]> MattMoses General Sun, 10 Nov 2013 01:27:09 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,261418#msg-261418 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,261418#msg-261418 -------------------------------------------------------
> Just a quick math-typo...
>
> 'Bountysource administer all the details, for that
> they take a 10% fee. If you pledge $110, the
> developer will receive $100.'
>
> 10% of $110 is $11 so the dev will get $99 ;)

My wording may have been loose, but the numbers were right.

If you pledge $100 to the developer, you WILL be charged $110 by Bountysource.]]> bobc General Thu, 31 Oct 2013 05:01:09 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,261409#msg-261409 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,261409#msg-261409
'Bountysource administer all the details, for that they take a 10% fee. If you pledge $110, the developer will receive $100.'

10% of $110 is $11 so the dev will get $99 ;)

I applaud this initiative!]]> Hazel1919 General Thu, 31 Oct 2013 04:35:48 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,260054#msg-260054 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,260054#msg-260054

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Is there any limitation against hardware

I see none as long as there's a project on Github.

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No way to find it on the RepRap Wiki page

I see no problem to put these links into each specific wiki project page, along with a nice looking clickbutton-picture.

Regarding the sheer appearance, yes, start something like a reprap.org design contest. The only problem is to make wiki experts doing a design for wiki non-users. :)]]> Traumflug General Mon, 28 Oct 2013 11:31:39 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,260044#msg-260044 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,260044#msg-260044
Hell, I'll put a bounty up if someone can setup a RepRap page on WIKIA and make a reasonable layout. RepRap Wiki could sure use the tab and drop down features to organize the information.]]> gyronictonic General Mon, 28 Oct 2013 11:02:15 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,260041#msg-260041 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,260041#msg-260041
Is there any limitation against hardware (electronics or even mechanical) projects that make them impossible or more difficult to target in that bounty system ?]]> DeuxVis General Mon, 28 Oct 2013 10:44:34 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,259231#msg-259231 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,259231#msg-259231 -------------------------------------------------------
> I set up a page on the wiki at
> [reprap.org] with some
> info about RepRap bounties. Any
> questions/suggestions please feel free to comment.

Thank you bobc for the wiki.]]> Xabbax General Sat, 26 Oct 2013 08:22:45 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,259202#msg-259202 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,259202#msg-259202

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but won't this get awkward

In its current state it's undoubtly awkward. Bounty lists don't show up in the wiki directly, there's no distinction between fundable bugs and other ones, bug reports typically have a different language than what attracts funding, you have to hop between at least three sites, it's limited to Github, etc, etc.

But the more important point is: it's a start! @bobc backed his discussions with actual code. That's great!]]> Traumflug General Sat, 26 Oct 2013 06:27:16 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,259100#msg-259100 Re: RepRap Bounties https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,258967,259100#msg-259100

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MattMoses
What if I just get some cool idea and I say "that's a cool idea, I'd pay $X if someone figured it out and posted the plans" but I don't want to mess with managing a github project? Or maybe for some reason I don't want the files to live on github but instead the wiki, or (heaven forbid!) Thingiverse? Or maybe I want to open a bounty on an existing project that is not on git...

I see what you're saying, but I think the idea is that the issue has to be posted somewhere public, and the solution has to be somewhere public, but they don't have to live together. For example, you come up with cool idea X. Make a github project, and contains only a README explaining idea X. Open an issue saying "Make project X" and go open a bounty on Bountysource, referring to Issue 1 on your project Cool Idea X. Then, when they make it (and post it on their own github page, so you don't have to worry about being a developer), you close the issue and they get their money. I guess you could make it a requirement of the bounty that it's hosted in a particular place if you feel that's appropriate.

As far as your concern about managing a project, that's not necessary. If you get your end product, you got what you need and if other people want to change it or alter it, then they can fork it on github, or remix it on Thingiverse, or whatever, you are not bound to manage or maintain subsequent work on the project. The extend of the "project" you're managing is a README and an issue on github, which you can probably delete when it's complete, or ignore if no one is claiming it.

Though, I think that's the idea of the metaproject, you can open an issue there with your idea, and close it when someone has delivered. From there, where it goes depends on you and the bounty hunter. While it does require a minimum of git knowledge, it really is an elegant solution, and I can't imagine that a totally git-less system would require any less of a learning curve.]]> TopherMan General Fri, 25 Oct 2013 21:13:28 -0400