Builders/Links and Blogs/Individual Pages/Lake
My background: I'm a retired computer programmer who has never done any mechanic work. The last time I held a soldering gun was in the 1950s. I decided to build a RepRap because retirement is boring! This page is designed to note the things that I ran into as I began to build my machine. It isn't finished yet. My goal is not to repeat what is on other pages, but to note:
- How I made the choices I made
- Where (and why) I bought parts where I did
- Questions answered by my mentor
- What progress I am making and how I am solving problems.
I chose to build a Prusa because that is the model recommended for first-timers on the Main Page. As a retiree over here, my funds are limited, so I thought that I could buy parts as I could afford them and put the machine together at my leisure. I don't have all of my parts yet, but I have been able to source them. I learned years ago that if I bought auto parts and made my own car, it would be far more expensive than just buying a car. Well, the same is true for a RepRap also. I'll spend about $1,200 for the parts of this machine. I saw an ad on the RepRap main page for a Mendel kit for a total of $800. Oh, well. At least I'm able to buy exactly what I want. Basically, I want a machine that will not have to be tinkered with in order to keep it working. So, I've chosen to buy top of the line parts where I have a choice.
Mentor
I don't remember just what I did at first, but I think I said something on the Finnish RepRap User Group forum and on one other RepRap forum that I don't remember. Anyhow, I got an email from Anthony Aragues in the States who offered to mentor me in my effort. At the time, I didn't know that I needed a mentor or what a mentor could do, but I sure found out. Had it not been for Anthony, I would not be building this machine, for he has been an encouragement, too. If you are just thinking about building your first RepRap, I'd recommend that you find a mentor before starting out. It would be better to have a mentor that you don't need, than to need one and not be able to find someone. One of my motivations in writing this page is to tell you all what Anthony has told me (and will tell me), so that mentors will not have to repeat information so much. In the rest of this article, I'll refer to "my mentor", so you won't have to come back here to see who Anthony is.
Parts
I live in Tammisaari, Finland, so I thought I'd try to get parts locally, or, at least, within the country. I found an Arduino MEGA 2560 at Paeae. At this time, I had no idea how specialized some of the parts are. I went to the local Rautia store (sort of a Finnish "Home Depot" with the hardware list. (It's fun being an English speaker in a store where Swedish and Finnish are the main languages. How are you supposed to know the names of parts in those languages?) The bottom line was that, while Rautia had some of the parts, they lacked many of them. It would be quite expensive for me to go into Helsinki to look for parts, so I decided to go the mail order route.
Plastic Parts (RP)
My mentor offered to provide me with a set of plastic parts. In return, when this machine is completed, I've agreed to send him a set of RP parts for a Prusa Mendel. Of course, I'll be happy to do that for others, too. I reimbursed him for the shipping costs from near Atlanta, Georgia to Finland. That was $31.00
Vitamins
The term "Vitamins" as used on the RepRap site are the non-RP parts. I don't want to give you the impression that I think that the choices I made are the best ones for everyone. These are just my choices.
Hardware Kit
I am, even now, unqualified to select the best hardware, for I don't know how everything goes together. I decided to get a hardware kit from Thingfarm in the UK. (If you're in America or Canada and want to do business with these folks, they are at Thingfarm.) My money starts out in a bank account in the States, so it's easiest for me to buy things in USD. Something I appreciated in the UK Thingfarm is that they have buttons that give their prices and allow you to order in $, € or £. It was cheaper to buy a whole Prusa hardware kit than to buy parts that would go into a kit. My mentor had suggested getting hardware from McMaster Carr in Cleveland, Ohio. I don't remember why I didn't go with them, but it had something to do with shipping limitations or shipping cost.
--Alan Lake 15:26, 30 May 2011 (UTC)
