Tag: MakerBot

How much for that doppleganger in the window?

Suppose you had a one MakerBot and just had to have a second.  How much would the rest of that MakerBot cost assuming you were willing to design and print every possible printable part? 1  Perhaps it would be in line with the $575 laserless MakerBot Cupcake CNC kit.  Then again, perhaps it would be the cost of the $750 MakerBot Cupcake CNC Basic kit less the $50.00 lasercut plastruder parts and $200.00 lasercut body parts, which would clock in at $500.00. 2

Are you really just $500.00 away from a second MakerBot?  That’s about half the cost of a Deluxe kit!  This brings to mind an even MORE interesting question.

What would you have done if MakerBot offered this deal:  Buy one Cupcake CNC Deluxe kit and get a Cupcake CNC Basic kit half off?

Well, if you already own a MakerBot, it’s like they gave you this deal anyhow!

  1. Including a printable Y stage. [↩]
  2. Admittedly, this assumes zero value to the lasercut external parts.  So, let’s pretend you have a box of the appropriate dimensions. [↩]

C is for Catalyst

I purchased the MakerBot Deluxe Cupcake CNC kit – which came with plenty of tools and TONS of plastic.  The Deluxe kit came with things that you’ll need to operate your MakerBot such as the USB2TTL cable, power supply, and ethernet cables.

However, the wrenches and hex keys could be reused to build another ‘bot.  Parts printed up on a MakerBot could be used to print several very useful, and sometimes expensive, parts for another MakerBot.  The plastruder toolhead is $125.00 without the circuit board.  If you could print up the dinos, printstruder, idler wheel, and insulating retainer ring, you’re replacing all of the lasercut acrylic parts ($50.00 at MakerBot).  A persistent person could even replace all of the plastic spacers, wooden or plastic pulleys, the various wooden holders (Z rod caps, Z stage guides, X end rod caps), and probably even the  entire Y stage with printed parts. 1

Heck, if you had all of those parts you would basically just need a box in which to install them all.

Hmmm.  Anyone feel like designing a printable Y stage?

  1. In fairness, the Y stage would have to be printed up in several pieces due to size limitations. [↩]

Patience grasshopper

Patience grasshopper, patience
Patience grasshopper, patience

Recent posts to the MakerBot Operators group show some people’s frustrations with this growing company. 1  Yes, they’re out of stock of electronics and other parts, but they’re also doing their best to crank out as many kits as possible.

Overall, I’d rather have them churning out robot kits than keeping spare parts in stock.  The plans for all of the electronics are open and free – you could have someone else fabricate them or build them yourself.  Still others have started up businesses selling lots of replacement parts and even upgrade kits.

We might be impatient for our kits, but they’re literally devoting their weekends and free time to getting these kits to us.  In fact, it’s their feverish dream to get a MakerBot kit into your hands.  You’re just not going to get this kind of devotion and service anywhere else.

I have one piece of advice if you’re waiting for your kit to arrive or replacement parts to be back in stock:  start designing stuff right now.  You already know what you want to build.  Just create a library of things you want to churn out.  Upload them to Thingiverse, get feedback modify, and improve them.  Heck, improve designs posted by others.

Your kit will be here before you know it and you’ll be happily (and woozily) sniffing ABS fumes too.  :)

  1. Photo courtesy of changhg [↩]

“Tea” – a retrospective

Tony Buser has posted a set of pictures on his blog showing MakerBot #481 “Tea” from box to building to printing to Mendel parts.

It has a high school graduation montage feel to it – in a good way – like watching your little robot grow up.  When I saw the cracked insulating retainer, cracked idler wheel, and busted extruder I could almost hear the auditorium around me going “oooooohhhh” that that special pain only another RepRap/MakerBot operator has known.

I’m still continually amazed that a box of plastic, metal, and electronic bits has been assembled by my own clumsy fingers to build all of the crazy amazing things I can dream up.

And neither one is Atlantis

We’re still missing two continents.1

I put up a collaborative MakerBot Map yesterday.  As of this moment we’re still missing MakerBots in Africa and Antarctica.

Oh, and what the hell is up with Greenland?  Why can’t they be their own continent?!  Those guys need a better lobbyist.

  1. I suppose the title of the post would make more sense here… [↩]

Too much information

Have you read The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy?  Of course you have.

You remember that bit where they put Zaphod in the machine designed to drive people insane by showing them the entire universe all at once?  Well, that’s how Google Wave feels to me.  There’s a LOT of freaking information there.  I made the mistake of looking directly at the MakerBot wave.  It was like falling into the gaping maw of eternity.  I’ll stick to RSS feeds, MakerBot Operators group, and Twitter, thankyouverymuch. 1

  1. You can find it in your Google Wave account by looking for “with:public makerbot”…  If you dare! [↩]

Marco!

Polo!

I’m always curious to see where other MakerBotters are located.  Sure, I could always check out the RepRapMap. 1  However, sometimes I may want to know where just the MakerBot are.  Someone on the MakerBot Operator’s group was looking for some pulleys for his homebrew MakerBot – and was pleasantly surprised to find out there were so many semi-local MakerBotters.

This morning I created a collaborative open MakerBot Map.  Stick a pin in it and let everyone know where you are!

P.S. Party at your house.  We’ll be there at 6.

  1. Gotta love the alliteration [↩]

Why make blocks?

Making blocks with a MakerBot is almost counter productive.  Why would you want to make something out of plastic that can be used to make other things out of plastic?  Why not just print the final plastic object as a single piece all at once?

I like the idea of being able to physically play with the design of something.  Sketchup is easy to use, but legos are even easier.  I never worry about an operation that I can’t Ctrl-Z my way out of.  Plus, it’s even easier to go from idea to objection with physical building blocks.  I think it would also be a very interesting way to get around the overhang and size limitations of a CupCake CNC.