Nozzle/electronics resource questions

I've been waiting for Mendel-parts.org to reopen, but it's getting to be a week past the date listed on their front page, and I need to get my mendel done ASAP as it's my senior project for highschool, and the due date is very soon.

Problem is, I can't find another source to buy the v4 nozzle at. I can't find any .5mm drillbits, and it's unlikely I'll be able to make the nozzle on my highschool's lathes, otherwise I'd gladly make it myself. Is there another online store that sells the v4 nozzle/PTFE thermal barrier/PEEK block?

And about the electronics....I've been hoping to get mendel part's gen6 electronics, as they seem to be the most fool-proof and the only single-board solution.

I've seen the other electronics (Techzone, RAMPS, etc.) but I'm unsure of the advantages of one over the other. Could somebody please inform me about the pros and cons of the electronics, and which would be the "best" to purchase (And where?).

Thanks for all your help guys, I'm nearly done with my build. So close...

I picked up a set of tiny drill bits (.5mm included) at harbor freight a while back. These aren't the ones I got, and they don't go down to .5mm, but they're close and they're cheap [www.harborfreight.com]

If you're pressed for time gen6 might be best simply because they are "ready to print." I've been working on putting a repsnapper-tonokip-RAMPS toolchain together and it's getting a bit frustrating. I can't actually say whether or not gen6 is any easier, tho. On the other hand, RAMPS is pretty straight forward (a build is here [printthat.wordpress.com]) and more flexible since parts can be changed out.

If you want to go outside-the-box you could just use Makerbot electronics.

I'm also in a similar situation with my build, but I dont need to complete it by a certain time. It is mechanically 100% and I am at the stage of buying electronics and finding it hard to find the right solution. mendel-parts has updated it's blog this morning, spoiler - it's still closed for another week, with backlog, but at least we know whats going on now. Check out their webpage for more details.
As for the RAMPS option, there seems to be a shortage of Polou drivers at the moment, so a quick solution there will also be hard to find.

Have you tried looking at other hot ends? I have seen quite a few people going for the arcol hot end. I have purchased a different type from reprap-fab.org, but as I dont have my electronics yet, I cannot test it, and so cannot tell you if it's good or not just yet.

Good luck with sourcing the parts and the senior project!

Also as for the 0.5mm, I have bought them before from my local hardware store (Germany), in the Dremel/Proxxon accessory aisle. Maybe that could be worth trying.

Ah, good to know it should only be another week...probably just going to go with the gen6 electronics then.

As for the hot end, I have already milled 2 heater blocks for the v4 hotend, and it appears to be the lightest, so I'd rather wait for mendel-parts or some other place to sell them if I can.

I wish my hardware store had such unusual drill bits. Unfortunately, I'm in America. Metric drill bits are impossible to find, let alone bits that small. Thanks for the help anyways though.

Amazon and Small Parts sell 0.5 mm drill bits.

I think Mendel-Parts gen 6 board only does 1/8 steps while the RAMPS electronics can do 1/16 steps.

I would recommend RAMPS for sure, it's what I am running and I like it a lot. The only issue is that the Pololu stepper drivers appear to be in short supply, I haven't been able to find any for a while. Also, check out [makergear.com] for hot end parts.

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Small bits aren't impossible to find, they're just specialty items. And if you're pressed for time you don't have to worry about getting a metric bit. 1/64th and 1/32 are both in the ball park. If you're REALLY pressed for time you can just use a 1/16th (1.6mm). All it will mean is that your bot lacks the resolution of a "standard" hobby 3d printer. But you can get the resolution simply by getting the "proper" hot end at some point in the future. A 1.5mm nozzle should print something like a 2mm line, which is still pretty small. Just tell your slicing program about the new dimensions and everything will be good to go.

I do sympathize about the Pololu stepper driver boards. I got mine from robotshop, but they seem to be out of stock like everyone else [www.robotshop.com]

The Pololu A4983 carriers are backordered but you can still place an order at pololu.com. The web site states that they expect them in early March. I just placed an order for 4 of them today.

micromark.com has all sorts of drill bits. IIRC, you want a #88 drill bit for 0.5mm.

Remember when drilling with bits that small that they snap really easily. Or so I've heard. Somebody advised me to "just hold the bit in your fingers and spin the workpiece." On the theory that when the bit binds, it just spins in your fingers and no harm done. It's worked for me so far - six nozzles later I've used only the one bit from my pack of five or six I got from Micro Mark.

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I'm building it with Baling Wire

AHHH! Best supplier of the drill bits I've seen yet! Thank you!

Looks like it's a number 76 drill bit, seems to be the closest (0.020). According to Google, 0.5mm is 0.0196.

And they come in 6-packs. The ones on mcmaster were around 15-25$ and that was only for a single bit!

I bought these in the US. Drill Bits .3mm - 1.5mm they worked like a charm on my MakerGear.com blanks.
I used a dremel. don't forget to get the correct chuck. the normal one will not hold the small a bit. I recommend this one Dremel adjustable chuck