Hi Harryman-

Currently the 19"x19" v2 is our only offering that has a large enough work envelope for a 13"x13" piece. The upside is that you'll have extra room for jigging/fastening....

BC/Robin,
I just found out it is illegal to ship alcoholic beverages across state borders (unless you have permits blah blah [I don't]). So I guess I won't be offering any libations native to my area.





<end off topic banter/>

Greg-
I won't tell anyone if you don't..

Robin,

I found a way around me doing something illegal. Let a business ship it for me. So... PM me your address, I can has shipment for u (assuming they ship to your area).

Sorry about the funeral...

I don't believe the jacks will be in the ETKO production run as the stock was ordered prior to a decision; but Robin and I may be able to make them here before the run is finished. We already are making the bases, doing the assembly/tram (~80 bots woohoo), as well as shipping and customer service, ordering and occasionally sleeping. (We did hire some help for crunch time ) If the jacks don't make it time for this run, they will follow shortly.

Lots of stuff happening! Loads of parts ordered...but sheesh, the little details eat time worse than the langoliers! For instance: Strangely I was asleep last night, and I awoke at 5:30am...naturally, I ran straight to my computer! ;p Who's online? Robin of course, fading after an all nighter finishing the V2 CAD for ETKO. I went over to peruse the drawings and to bring the boy some coffee to keep him propped up (Work damn you minions!!! Where's my whip??). At this time we had left some details to decide upon to improve the design...things that only take a few minutes ya know? Then we can get back to the drawings....Well 4 1/2 hours later we had knocked out just one little detail! This:

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Bonus points for who names it, double if they name where it goes! Then find 1000pcs of it with M3 internal thread for a price that doesn't cross your eyes. Anyway, most of that stuff is wrapping up now.

The V2 drivers are here! TA8435 workhorse chips on a spiffy new board with lots off added features like idle current reduction, optoisolation, spindle control port, huge heatsinks, no pesky breakout wiring and a smaller footprint!

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Gotta run for now, more soon!

I have no idea, but it looks cool and my first guess is a knuter valve / gravity drive combo?

Edit: Ok, seriously, is that a for a lo speed high speed shifter for x and y travel???

Well its a double helical gear, which can take a large axial load and are very good at transmitting power.

I'm not to sure!?!?!

That's a threaded plastic insert. You drill a hole, get it hot and push it in (... that's what she said! ). When the plastic cools, it's locked in there and you don't have to worry about the plastic loosing its threads. You can add the heat with thermal press or ultrasonics... my company makes ultrasonic plastic welders, it's a pretty cool technology.

As to where it goes?? no clue. Probably anywhere you need to torque the heck out of a bolt... lash adjustments?

I'm voting for a plastic insert to hold a set screw....like an M3 hex cap screw. Possibly to hold the flat on a shaft.

Very good sir! Remind me when we have the lab coats for sale, you just won one. Contest is still on for where they are used. (One hint, there are only four used on the machine.)

Sweet! My years of lurking have finally paid off!

Keep up the awe inspiring work

My guess would be to use these to drive the 'bed' up and down to increase 'z' travel for 3dp printing ?

That'd be a great answer if it were right....ok, maybe not great.

In use these things are about the size of a TicTac (m3 thread internal). That pic is not actual size...

That's what she said.

Pretty cool concept, do these things come with a torque rating?

You were there too??

Lesse, on shearing force...IIRC the major D of the screw is the "length" you must have threaded to equal the shear strength of the screw.

Hmm, imma say they are for the Z-blok tool holder mounts. I dunno, maybe 3mm is too small for that job, but that's all I can come up with...

M3 threaded inserts. We use M6 threaded inserts, but ours are for sheet metal and are set with a special tool into a 9mm hole.

M3 is a pretty small thread to be torquing down on, and you can't pull directly on the insert, it needs to be a shear load, rather than an extraction/tension load, or it will pull through the base material as it deforms. (Obviously you can have some tension, just not nearly as much as you'd put on a solid part)

My best guess is that these are for the clamp for the tool. Tighten the bolts up and grip the tool nice and tight, but the main force will be shear loading.

The other guess is that it's for the Z axis motor mount.

It is a drive gear for a left handed smoke shifter.

It's been 6 months since I last asked, so can I get an update on your RoGR plans? Do you plan to return to developing it? If so, when? If you are planning to get back to it, what changes are you thinking about incorporating into it? (I seem to remember you wanted to change the "footballs")

-Brian

hi

Thanks for the answer

is there any pictures of the V2, where can I see the technical specifications, diagrams, tolerances, pw requirements, supported tools (i.e. no information available about the spidle, support for more axix controllers, PC requirments (parallel port, USB, PCI, etc, etc)

also what about warranty & support, and detail price list (per part)

Thanks

brainchild- sorry for offtopic, but I'm affraid about my order- 100000120. It was paid 26may and is still processing. 7 weeks ago Kellie said that I should wait 4 weeks more. A few days ago I asked again about my order, but didn't receive any replay. Could you give me any info? Thanks in advance

Lopa- You have the closest guess. We'll be using the threaded insert for attaching the tool mount(s) on the new version instead of plastic screws. The idea is that you'll be able to change out tool holders without too much hassle (or wear on the z blocks)- so that you'll be able to use it as a mill, a 3d-printer, or several other things we have in store for the micro.... Roll pins will be added to deal with shear forces and positioning.

Bumpp07- Seriously, where were you when we were trying to figure out the name for these things?

Ok, I'll see what I can answer...
I know there are pictures of our prototype v2 on this forum, however, the production model will be a little different (thicker ways along the y-axis mainly).
Work envelope will be (roughly) 12"x11"x2"
Working speed is largely dependent on the tool you're using, but we expect most people will be milling at between 8 and 20 IPM. Rapids will be at ~70 IPM.
Manufacturing tolerances will be +/- .001"
Repeatability should be within the range of +/- .001 to +/- .002 (though experience shows that this can be improved upon with insightful programming and maintaining the tramming of the robot).
Power requirement will be < 4a @ <24vdc peak
Right now we support a high-speed spindle which spins at ~ `17k rpm and can hold tools up to 4mm diameter. We will be offering more though- as we don't want the micRo to be only a milling robot.
More axes are currently not supported, but adding a 4th axis wouldn't be difficult as a DIY project (the software fully supports up to 9 axes, and we're willing to sell parts).
Your PC must have a parallel port or PCI parallel port add-in card (would take a small modification to the configuration files to make an add-in work BTW). It must also be an x86 processor, have minimum 512mb ram, and either a CD-rom drive or be USB-bootable.
Grayson will have to answer specific questions about warranty and support- though we try to help anyone with a problem technical or otherwise.

I do have technical drawings, some of which I can release.. But I don't know what you'd get from them..

Robin had to draft up the micRo for the manufacturer; I thought you guys would enjoy a couple pics. There are 16 drafts for the basic bot.

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Hi Brian, RoGR is on hold until we complete this "micRo goes to market" deal, AKA "Plan A". We do have plans to bring RoGR back, and I imagine it will follow shortly after we have finished plan A. As has been stated, we are completing the manufacturing process now, and we hope to have much more time for RoGR and other projects beginning early next year (whoopie!).




Hi Sean, I'm not sure which bot you ordered? If it's a V1 then I don't know why you haven't shipped but we can send your bot right away. If it's a V2. those bots will begin shipping around the 2nd week of Nov. There have been delays for numerous reasons, but the drafts are done and there's no turning back now!

Hey BC,

I was wondering if you could provide me with a link for the data sheet of the V2 stepper motors, i want to design a simple 4th axis. I need to know the motor mount type and shaft measurements.

Hi Jesse,

Hope this has what you need.

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Perfect Thanks!!!

Can I not do the m2 upgrade to my existing order anymore? I don't see it on the store.

Ai,
It's still there:
http://lumenlab.com/store/robloks/robotics...he-big-one.html

Hey everybody!

Been crazy busy here getting set up to run a million bots. To boot, I got sick again; and I used to think "I never get sick". Stress! I think everyone should pitch in and send me to the Virgin Islands for the holidays.....



Anyway, we're 90% done getting the inventory together. There have been some issues; SNAFU as usual, but we're still on track! While taking inventory, I came across 7 forgotten V1 bearing kits. These are premium stock from a sample order I made last year (they always send the best product for samples). I also found enough unused tool plate bases to go with the bearings, so I decided to make an extremely limited edition V "X" "black label" micRo. I have a few days of "free time" while we wait for V2 parts, so Robin and I have been staying up too late again. These special edition machines will be fully assembled, trammed and tested, and are decked out with grid-drilled bases, lash compensators, the newest construction techniques and the V2 fast black motors from Lin Engineering (the "black label" part). One of these bots is already taken, but that leaves 6 more.... These bots will ship in a week's time and cost $999...which is an incredible deal btw... The only way to get one is to PM me, or write to micRo@lumenlab.com.

We really wear these things (my kid keeps asking why I'm dressed like "the tooth doctor"):

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Dr BC loves this stuff ;p

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Last of the 'handmade' bots:

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Roll pins for positive alignment and extra rigidity:

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Hey guys , Glad to hear the production line is gearing up well. I have a question in regards to the milling tool on the micro. As i wait for my robot im currently trying to source a good powerful spindle for the micro that will be able to be mounted on the z axis . Roughly what is the width of the mounting plate for the toolheads? Also what tools have you guys tinkered with so far that seem to do the best job for milling aluminium and soft metals. Im wondering if a plunge router would be able to be fitted as it would be nice to have a larger collet (say 1/4") as fitting a dremel would result in really small cut width and depth.

Finally does the v2 come with some kind of tool holding bracket or is it up to us to build something to hold our spindle and tool.

Thanks,
Richard

Hi Richard, Good morning!

The flex-shaft spindle that we offered is by far the best spindle for the job. Keeping the motor remote allows for a much larger motor than could fit on the Z, with obvious benefits: power and rotational inertia, heat, and keeping the motor clean. I realize it is not currently on the store; this is because I had to work out several problems with the Chinese spindles we received for the sample order. The spindle will be offered as a tool "module" and will contain its Z mounts, ABEC 7 bearings etc.. I hope to have the spindle module on the site this weekend. Here's the dimensions you asked for:

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Thanks alot Brainchild , Looks like it will be easiest just to order the spindle module when it becomes available .

Any updates on V2 progress?

"Now bear with me, because I'm about to blue-sky. To make an object with a desktop fab, you need three things: the equipment itself; a digital design, or model, of the object; and consumables - as in plastic, powder, or goop. The equipment may be prohibitively expensive, but it's bound to become less so. If fabs decline in price to, say, $2,500, they'll become the hacker hobby tool du jour. Another price drop of similar magnitude and you'll find broken ones at the curb waiting for the garbage truck."

Wired: The Dream Factory http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.12/view.html?pg=4

Been insanely busy here, definitely a couple of updates overdue. Hope I have a chance tomorrow.

Is a MicRo capable of parthenogenesis?

-Brian

Was wondering if it was possible to purchase the micro controller as a stand alone (it's not in the store as such), and if so what the lead time would be on getting one.

thanks

I'm afraid that it takes two micRos- and I'm not going to get into graphic details here (this is a family website after all)- a bottle of chablis, Luther Vandross' greatest hits , and candle light. Several months later you'll have even more micro-y micRos. No one ever said that the micRo has good taste in wine or music; but, whatever works. I digress.. back to work.

Hi pony,
I don't handle the store at all, so my only suggestion is to send an email (support@lumenlab.com) or a message to Grayson aka Brainchild. We expect to have controllers ready to ship the first week of December to coincide with the V2.

From looking at the micRo pictures, I'd guess that most of the parts could be done on a micRo - except for a few cases where the micRo would need the help of something that had a large tool (for cutting, squaring, and drilling the UHMWPE blocks). Aren't these the only operations that require a mill/RoGR/(something that will hold a facing tool)? The holes in the base plate (which obviously couldn't fit inside a micRo) could conceivably be done with a drill press. Anything else that requires a large tool or work area?

-Brian

The micRo could easily do it's own base board! Just sit it on the bare board, the one leg properly through a single hole, and brace/clamp/whatever the other legs, then set it drilling its holes with perfect precision.

If you want the other legs to be sited properly, work out the positions of the legs so you can bolt 3 of them down and drill a hole for the leg, and repeat.

A bit fiddly, but nothing major.

Even easier would be to carefully drill the base fixings yourself, then have the micro drill the required hole pattern on the base board in one go. You could even tap it if you use one of those clever cutting taps.

With the right endmills, a micRo can easily make itself. The super important thing is to use an endmill with relief after the flutes, allowing for long through-boring without galling/mishaping the bore. You also want to use a high flute count, like 4, 5, 6 or 8, depending on your spindle power, RPM etc. You could theoretically make the plastic parts out of aluminum...the micRo mills alum just fine. You'd want to counterbore for your motion leads and bearings; whereas with HDPE you can just use it without several downstream ops and pieces..

The controller is currently our obsession. Several things about it have been massively improved over the last two weeks. We have removed it from the store whilst the details are finalized. Those who ordered the controller earlier will be very pleased with their bonuses.

Paid the upgrade to the big V2 and for the controller the other day. I can't wait

Such a teaser!

My popcorn is running low... looking forward to updates!

I'm here. We've been busting our asses to get it all in hand. Several critical components of the inventory have arrived, but a couple things are beginning to irk me. Hope to have more solid data tomorrow. Also beginning to make progress on some other tool modules. Laser engraving, laser cutting, and a plotter are coming up. The controller (syncRo) has been very hard to finish! There are a lot of details and there has been difficulty finding the right equipment. We really wanted to lose the Shuttle because of their power supplies having a rep for letting out the smoke, and the latency under EMC2 was not stellar. I also want to make sure that a computer failure does not stop the entire bot. I wanted to be certain to use individual driver cards so that a failed axis can be economically replaced...and the enclosures, sheesh. How can so many enclosures be so....close.... to the right size? Forget this madness, we have decided to go with our own designs made in bronze/smoked laser-cut acrylic. Not the actual design, but an example...this is taller, and the acrylic is thinner than our .25" minimum thickness. There are currently two boxes; one for the pc and one for the syncRo. As the 3dp comes online etc, we can easily add "modules" (more boxes). We should have these in hand in a few more days...

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