newcomer, where to start?

I've been hearing about the RepRap project for a while now, and have done a little reading here and there. I've been amazed and impressed by the project, but didn't really have the time or money to get too excited about it. A couple days ago, I somehow began researching more in depth, and boy is there a lot of information out there! I've been wading through the wiki, mendel-parts.com, and Google, and I must admit, I'm pretty lost. I've read about RepStraps, but have no idea which one to build, or where to start. I only have access to relatively rudimentary tools, up to a table saw and possibly a drill press. Maybe I should just buy a kit, but do I get a Mendel or an Orca? Should I wait until around September, when Orcas will supposedly have LCDs and SD card support (which sounds great)?

Speaking of that, I'm not even sure what software other RepRaps/Straps/etc use. I assume they hook up to a computer via USB, but I haven't seen much discussion on this. Is there somewhere I should start reading that can help me be better informed, like a compendium of useful links, or a beginner's guide? Or should I just keep digging through the wiki? Thanks for any help!

Mendel Prusa, RAMPS 1.2, DIY Lab Bench Power Supply, Vitamins, Sprinter firmware, Heated bed from Ultimachine, ABS, Wildseyed Simple Hot End (that's me). Search these terms out. It probably the simplest path to success at the moment.

This is pretty much all you need to know. If you need a head start, I've got three mostly built Prusa frames, Greg's Extruders, and RAMPS too.

Hmm, so you think building a Prusa is more worthwhile than buying a Mendel/Orca kit straight up? Let's pretend I have the money for a kit, and consider that time spent sourcing, driving to, buying, and assembling materials count as money spent. About how long did all this take for you to do the first time, and what do you think all the materials ended up costing? Thanks for your help!

Oh another point to consider: Orca does 1.75mm, which sounds lovely.

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Hmm, so you think building a Prusa is more worthwhile than buying a Mendel/Orca kit straight up?

You learn a lot more and you pay less money.

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About how long did all this take for you to do the first time, and what do you think all the materials ended up costing?

Expect about $350 to $500 and a few weeks of work. If money is really tight, built a WolfStrap, it's still the cheapest design and just as good for learning anf having fun.

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Oh another point to consider: Orca does 1.75mm, which sounds lovely.

Filament diameter doesn't really matter. This 1.75 mm thing is more a thing of fashion than a mechanical requirement. What matters is the size of the nozzle. I'd recommend a 0.5 mm one for starters, as smaller ones are more difficult to operate.

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Generation 7 Electronics	Teacup Firmware	RepRap DIY

Totally agree with Traumflug: +1 for doing it yourself because you learn a hell of a lot really quickly and you appreciate the end result once you get that first successful print!

I was surprised at how quick it was to source the parts, I was expecting months, but in reality it was about 3 weeks by the time I had everything. Putting it together took a little under a month part time I reckon.

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garyhodgson.com/reprap | reprap.development-tracker.info | thingtracker.net

Great, thanks for the input, guys. I love DIY, both the learning aspect as well as the eventual satisfaction from a finished product (not to mention saving money). I'll probably end up going with a Prusa, since money's not too tight and there seems to be plenty of information available. However, despite my possession of an "engineer's brain" (according to my father, who is an engineer), I'm somewhat of a noob when it comes to tinkering with complicated machinery and electronics--I am a biologist. I have pretty limited soldering experience and stuff like that.

With that said, I'm not afraid of researching and learning new things. Aside from the wiki, are there any specific sites/blogs that you would recommend to help get me started on my way to sourcing/assembling Prusa parts? Thanks again for all the help!

Sorry for the blatant self promotion, but these should help with the assembling part...

prusa-mendel-visual-instructions
wades-geared-extruder-visual-instructions

And for sourcing: I found the wiki page useful: http://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa_Buyers_Guide

The forum is also a great help if you get stuck, and I hear IRC is also a good source of support.

Good luck!

Edit: oh, I also highly recommend going for the RAMPS electronics - The kit is straightforward to solder and so far (touch wood) it's been working without a hitch.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/16/2011 02:39PM by garyhodgson.

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garyhodgson.com/reprap | reprap.development-tracker.info | thingtracker.net

I have no problem with self-promotion assuming you're offering a good product (which you obviously are), especially if it's free like this! I was indeed going to go with RAMPS (1.2 or 1.3? or is 1.3 still in the works?) since it seems more straightforward for someone like me. I definitely don't think I'm up for etching circuits or whatever you call it.

Thanks for the links and quick reply. Everyone feel free to continue suggesting any other sites you found useful in your RepRap learning/sourcing/construction.



EDIT: What do you guys think of purchasing partial Prusa kits from eBay? I've found quite a few offered on there, ranging from just the printed parts (including Wade's) to almost everything. The most awesome one I've come across so far includes:

-all printed parts
-all the nuts, washers, bolts, belts, springs, bearings, & bushings
-5mm clear acrylic sheets (still has protective blue film on)
-all printer parts for a Wade's extruder and the bearings, washers, nuts, springs and bolt (not yet hobbed [I'm not quite sure what that means yet])

Apparently it was all printed on the seller's Makerbot Thing-O-Matic, made of ABS. He claims all that's left to purchase are the electronics, rods, and hot end. I guess I'd also need a heated bed and power supply, but I guess he's counting those as "electronics." Can you think of anything else I'd need (aside from some PLA and ABS, of course)? The whole kit is very reasonably priced as far as I can tell, though there might be better deals out there. Please share your thoughts.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/16/2011 05:15PM by stropharia.

I got my plastic parts on eBay, and with only a few exceptions they worked great. The only parts that did not work out were kinda critical (Wades small gear teeth broke, and Z couplings broke). It's a crap shoot unless you get them from someone with good rep like Nophead (I'm not endorsing him, just sayin').

As for my parts, I don't do eBay, but try and sell them locally in Southern California, so that I can support my customers better. I would try finding some folks local so you can at least get a look at some of the parts. Don't expect them to be absolutely perfect. Functionality is the most important thing, but ask if they have a limited replacement policy for failed parts. You can always print replacements for uglies once you get good at it.

I'm frankly amazed how good my latest prints look compared to my first. It's very rewarding.

Cool, good to hear some personal experiences. I'll be sure to purchase from reputable sellers only; I saw Nophead and others' names on the wiki, but don't know how to contact them (some have eBay pages, but I couldn't find Nophead's).

I've googled around for local distributors, but it seems the US deep south isn't as interested in 3D printing as the rest of the world And yes, I know that printed parts are often ugly, but I'm the type to care more about functionality, so no worries. I'll hopefully keep this thread updated once I begin my build. It may have to wait a few months as I gather funds. Thanks again for everyone's help!

nophead posts his active EBay sales on his homepage.

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Bob Morrison
Wörth am Rhein, Germany
"Luke, use the source!"
BLOG - PHOTOS - Thingiverse

I've built my prusa from a kit purchased on eBay from a seller called elderfarrer or something. The ABS parts were great quality and everything went together smoothly. The kit came with oilite bushings, which were a little touchy getting setup, but now run great. The kit came with a standard x carriage and I bought an arcol.hu hot end, so I kinda had to hack something together to mount it, but I can print (although they're squiggly blobby parts until I figure out all of the settings). I'm using ultimachine RAMPS 1.3 and mechanical endstops, which required some messing about with firmware, but so far everything has been pretty straightforward.

I've posted my setup at my reprap user page, and eventually I'll post my configuration files since I seem to have a "easy" (thus probably common) setup: [www.reprap.org]

jcabrer Wrote:
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> As for my parts, I don't do eBay, but try and sell
> them locally in Southern California

I'll have to keep that in mind when I eventually break a plastic part and need a fast replacement

I have ordered parts from all over the place in about two days on line ...after weeks of reading every thing i could fined about Rep Rap's
i don't recommend doing it my way. but i found an ordered a complete hardware kit from NY on eBay and the day after saw one for half the price.
i ordered printed parts from Canada and Canada Post went on strike the next day i could have ordered from the UK for more money and
it might have been faster. six of one half dozen of another you pays your money and takes your chances.
i ordered 5 motors from Utili Machine with connections with out problem i decided to pay a bit more than some i have seen as i figure
going cheep on hard working parts will bite me in the rear end in the end i still must track down the Electronics parts and such but i ordered
one of the empty boards off eBay 10 bucks with shipping. i have not posted any build logs or made web entry's yet as i have nothing in hand yet .
excuse number one "Waiting on parts!" in Colorado USA.

i read that XP might not be good for editing i wonder if it is the Editing software or program i plan to use Notepad ++.
i hope that will work if not i might be a bit out of sorts.

I got my parts as a kit from ebay, wish I had gone with a more trusted supplier. Almost every hole and receptacle for a nut was the wrong size, and I ended up with a bunch of missing vitamins, and some extras of different sizes, I had to just mix and match by the end, which was disappointing. Not sure how you miscount a fixed number of washers, ect. But in the end it did work out, aside from me having to constantly reach for the abs cement when the z axis stuff breaks every time it binds, which is often, I need to figure that one out next. But I just dont like the z axis design on the prusa, the orca is much nicer.
Ended up ordering the ramps 1.3 kit, complete, since I have no electrical skill whatsoever, and grabbed the opto endstops. My hot end was a bunch of MK3 parts from makerbot I believe, couldn't find any other hot end that I could make with my tools (no drill press).

The prusa assembly instructions are a godsend though, and very well made.