Quick update on these...
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With the bare LAVA boards expected here Friday, ive been working to track down some of the harder to obtain parts -
On the LAVA boards there aren't many parts, but it turns out the threaded SMT standoffs are a lot harder to get and more expensive than i expected.
I just managed to find a stash of available inventory and had to jump on it quickly to get them fedexed over here in time to get a batch going on friday,
and hopefully get a few LAVA's shipped before the weekend;
The parts i was able to get are 8mm long, rather than the 4mm or 6mm i originally planned to use, which are unobtaineum at the moment.
After doing a lot of tweaking on my Hadron to get the it printing well, i concluded that the longer threaded length is actually useful, since it accommodates less than optimal screw lengths (what i could buy locally) and allows for a good adjustment range too - the 3-4mm long ones would have been too little imho, and the 6mm "just right" - so an extra 2mm shouldn't hurt.
I hope the extra few mm height is not an issue for anyone, but if it is please let me know-
I still have a few samples left of 3mm, 4mm and 6mm (enough for 1 board each) .
For future batches i will look at using different types which are less costly and more versatile (ex: usable with an aluminum PCB
)
I discovered for example a threaded stud (M3 x15mm) that can be pressed-in or SMT soldered - or both- and is 1/10 the price of the other standoffs- close to what i expected to pay -
so that might be an interesting option. Any opinions on that ?
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I'd really like to get all outstanding LAVA pre-orders shipped out by early next week,
so i can focus on getting ORDduinos done and out the door right after that.
I'm doing a batch of 100 LAVA hotbeds to start, and the extras will end up for sale on my website right after.
Considering the actual cost of doing this batch, (which i'm doing at a loss at this point)
there will be an unavoidable price increase starting next week.
The new price isnt 100% decided yet, but expect somewhere in the $40-$50 range.
If anyone from Inventables, Makerbot or or other 3D printer manufacturer / store is reading this...
there would be a significant volume discounts, and customization options available