Hello from Toronto!

[putterson]

Hello everybody,

I have been reading about 3d printing for a while now but have yet to purchase one.
I'm settled on getting a Rostock MAX as I want a kit that I will build (no anticipation of plug and play) and after much reading and comparison the MAX looks like the best bang for your buck, has lots of customizability and modding support and has an awesome community backing it (you!)

I'm really itching to buy it but there is one thing giving me pause.
Rumors of a V3... I have read about many possible improvements and changes, many of which I wouldn't mind paying a bit extra for up front (vs modding them in to a V2):
http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php?t=10022
http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php?t=10300
http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php?t=5867

Reading through the forums about it and looking at mentioned dates it looks like it could be released any time now, so I don't want to be kicking myself if it comes out a week after I get a V2. That being said I would definitely not regret getting a V2 as it is clearly a great machine, tried and true and with lots of modding/community experience surrounding it, much of which would probably bring it in line with a V3's features anyways.

I hate to ask this question as a software developer because the answer to "When will it be done?" is always "When it's done." but... When will it be done?

What are your thoughts? Should I hold my breath for V3 or just go for a V2 already?

Cheers from Toronto!

[Xenocrates]

Welcome to the community. I personally don't think the V3 will have much to it that's really a huge change in capacity. Almost every improvement that's been teased has already either been released for the V2, or has been confirmed to be available as a largely pluggable upgrade. I think the big one we won't be getting is having the electronics up top. The V2 is designed for bottom mount only, but the V3 is supposed to be able to be built either way. Personally, I'm torn. I like the idea of being able to slap the motors/electronics up top, and only need to wire power lines up and down the towers, but I don't like how that shifts the weight, and means that (stock) you have to run the bed power all the way down the towers, which would be a pain. Admittedly, a 20$SSR will fix that, but still.

The build area isn't getting much (If at all) larger, we haven't heard anything from Ultimachine about a Rambo2, and given the Eris's feature set and the work they did with Ultimachine to make it work, I doubt that SeemeCNC will just drop their boards. The hotend with calibration will be physically compatible with the V2 (There's even a header on the rambo that's for things like that to plug into that's got retention mechanisms and stuff, and is labeled), while the PCB will be physically compatible with the E3D (Yes, I checked, having gotten a CAD model out of partdaddy). SeemeCNC seems very dedicated to making machines that work as well as they can, and not screwing over their customers with updates that aren't available to older machines. Hell, I ordered my V2 a month before injection molded carriages became standard, and when I talked to them at the Detroit maker faire about it, they mailed me a set.

Now, the V3 should in theory, be done soon. It was supposed to be on display at the bay area maker faire, and there is one known (early) prototype in the wild getting miles put on it, not to mention whatever prototypes Gene isn't supposed to talk about, or are laying around the shop over in Goshen.

[putterson]

Hi Xenocrates,

Everything you have said resonates with what I have been reading on the forums with regards to the V3 not obsoleting the V2. I just needed to hear somebody say it explicitly. One thing that you mentioned that makes me feel better is that the V3 will most likely be sticking with the RAMBo controller as I was worried I would miss out on a fast/shiny new controller (out of the box, I might end up replacing it). Also I am a bit weary about having the electronics up top as the machine will be sitting on a desk and I don't really want it to be top heavy. I don't mind running wires.

I think I'm going to order it today, after letting the Missus read over these posts. She has been following my research journey and is also excited for the printer

[Xenocrates]

That's a great thing there then. Another thing you might like about the V2 is that because it's been around longer, you have people like me who have made it as painless as possible to add a new shiny controller in. I've actually got a working mount for a Duet that will go into an otherwise stock V2, with a pair of fans on it. I'm also almost done working out a 4.3 inch Paneldue display that will go onto a stock LCD panel (The mellamine backer plate, not into the acrylic enclosure, that would be silly. But I've taken some care to preserve the lines and geometry there.) I don't sell such things, but I do post them on Repables, and while they are designed for lasercut/EDMed parts, I usually make some amount of effort to make STL's that printers can work with for them. As I (I think) mentioned, the V3 is supposed to be able to have the electronics up top or in the bottom, but Gene (Praise be unto the documentation), has said that the manual will only cover having them up top.

Best of luck to you and your Missus with getting it assembled and working.

[Jimustanguitar]

SeeMeCNC tends to roll their new advancements into the current model as a running change. The only real difference between the last V1 and the first V2 was the frame itself, and that's really only a difference in looks and ease of assembly - they perform identically. It's going to be the same on the V3 - whatever the latest component is for everything, and a frame that's quicker to manufacture and more streamlined to assemble. If you've got the itch, I don't see a reason to hold out for the next one, it's not a real product with a release date yet.