Hi there. My name’s Ben and I’m a techaholic. I’m based in Hastings, New Zealand and am very keen to get one of these builds underway.
I’ve done a lot of reading on this forum (what a fantastic resource that’s been collectively built) and have a fairly good idea of how it fits together.
I notice that the kit is out of stock in the shop at the moment - will this be restocked shortly, or am I best to seek the parts individually from the list? I see there’s a few people in NZ who have built one - @anon74685196, what sort of shipping cost can I expect (to NZ) if the kit is restocked?
I notice there’s a fair bit I can get from AliExpress (great for us in NZ because the shipping is reasonable) - would Chinese stuff be ok (nema 17’s, gt2 belt, pulleys, couplers etc)? I’m aware that often things are rated better than they actually are out of China… Though I did find some 100oz/in motors, surely they’d do the trick.
I have (and am confident with) a 3D printer, so those parts are no issue. As for the flat parts - I see a handful of people have had them milled out of alloy - is this worthwhile? Can’t seem to find anything definitive on this.
Apologies for the questions/rambling - thanks for your time
Hi mate, I’m in Aus so might not be exactly the same, but shipping would have been about $80 AUD to where I live for the kit. Mind you I’m building the MPCNC so it could be a bit different. Hence, I’ve decided to self source parts to save a bit of dough and just send Ryan a donation for his good work once I’ve finished the build. What I’ve seen some people do with the LowRider is use 3D printed flat parts and mill out flat panels themselves then replace them.
Ben has good advice. You can easily source the parts yourself, and for the most part, they are not too strict. Ryan has amazon links for a lot of his parts, so between those part specs, you should be able to get close. Almost all the stuff comes from China either way.
The one major exception is the controller. The rambo boards are made in USA, and Ryan flashes the firmware before shipping them. If flashing Marlin seems intimidating, then you should consider that.
Thanks guys, all makes sense. Sorry @Ryan! (won’t tag you again!)
Unfortunately Amazon isn’t the greatest for us either - many (most) of the suppliers won’t ship to NZ, and if they do they typically charge exorbitant rates for shipping. Ryan’s suppliers may be different though, so I’ll check 'em out.
No issues flashing firmware, crimping connectors etc, but also keen to support Ryan in some way for the work he’s put into this.
I’ll send you my BOM once I get home. Might help a little. I’m going with Ramps 1.6 though instead of integrated Rambo PCB because it’s cheaper, more expandable, and easier to repair.
Thanks Lachlan - although I’ve got a 3D printer (Tevo Black Widow), I’ve not done anything with the controller side of this gear before, so will do some more research here too. I do like the appeal of ‘tried and true’ though. Plenty of water to go under the bridge before I need the controller anyway.
Hey @vicious1, I notice you’ve got the kit (and the Rambo) back in stock - what’s shipping to NZ going to set me back on the LR2 kit + rambo + printed parts? Thanks!
Ordered the MPCNC Printed parts + Bundle last week
Shipping: $94 NZD
And am getting held at customs until they can snailmail me the invoice for the new taxes BS
Missed the original thread sorry, but FWIW, I’m in the process (somewhat stalled) of a LowRider in Wellington. It’s the shipping to the ends of the earth that kills you. Though 165 million square km of isolating Pacific Ocean has proved a bit more handy in the current unpleasantness.
I’ve ended up with:
Makita RT0700C - Bunnings only has the kit version on its website, but will order in the non-kit version if you ask
1/8 inch collet - 3Dtek will ship from Australia for non-ridiculous prices
Steel and Tube for stainless pipe. I ended up with 25.4mm OD x 3mm wall thickness. S&T will ship from Auckland, but at ridiculous prices
Coastal Fasteners for most of the bolts (local Wellington store)
Rambo board from the v1 shop
Most of the rest from Amazon affiliate links
Some stuff from ebay
I found the wheels surprisingly difficult to source. Ended up (unintentionally) with LED light up ones.
Disclaimer: my build isn’t finished yet. Stalled on the table build what with some over-engineering and other less important but more urgent projects about the house.
That is a lot of help thanks! I will start purchasing now - I’m based in Auckland so will save on Steel and Tube shipping thankfully.
Tuning my 3D printer now to make sure I get some accurate parts. I’m a sucker for over-engineering also, but hoping to just build this one a little more fast and loose if I can help myself.
P.S. Light up wheels sound like a good bit of fun!
the Steppers I got from ‘steppers online’ I’ve seen quite a few in other people’s builds - although shipping was $62 they came really fast and were very well packaged.
buy the bolts etc locally, AliExpress is really expensive as the bolts are all stainless and they add shipping to them. I made this mistake (cause I was impatient) and ended up buying them here (again impatient) - still waiting for the bolts to come from China
I’ve had to buy more bearings and take out all the crap ones. I really hope the new ones are quality
