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Okay, if you don't tap down on the T Nuts, or use a nut and washer to set them into the melamine, they will interfere with your first bearing adjustments, and as soon you get brakes on the belt, you'll discover allot of play in the Cheap Skates in the extruded track.

Make sure you tighten down the T-nuts before you make the first time adjustments to the Cheap Skates because, the tape, that holds them down, or if you manage to do what I did, and use the extrusion to hold them in, it will tweak your first adjustments of the Cheap Skates. Make sure the T-nuts are set into the melamine by using a threaded screw and washer on the melamine side. Then, proceed adjusting the Cheap Skate's Bearings.

The T-nuts, were in at different levels, and I couldn't put a finger on why all of my bearings weren't properly seated in the extrusion, and started expecting that the T-nuts might be the problem. I kept adjusting them and finding sticky spots, the bearings riding one side of the extrusion but, not both, and it was common to all three cheap skates, and now I know the real problem, wasn't really a problem at all. So, I spent over a week, and just three days I wasn't working trying to tweak and straighten everything out, to get all seated correctly. The one thing that was touching or rubbing the whole time was the T-nuts. Once, they were all seated, it became possible to make the proper adjustments to the Cheap Skates. But, now, I have to remove the belts, re-adjust the cheap skates, and go back to putting on the belts. It's just a minor malfunction of the Assembly Manual, and not a real problem. Hope you guys spot the oddities before I but, every time you find a better way, mention it here for the sake of others. I started by reading Tip 'n Tricks, went through Fails, and read through problems other people were having well before I started assembling. It's good advice to advise you to do the same.

I just wish, that after all of the trouble I've been through, trying to make adjustments, that at first mention of the T-nuts in the parts list for the assembly of the Cheap Skates, it would be mentioned not to use tape, or just set them in but, use a screw, washer and nylon spacer, to set that T-nut, into the melamine because, the first time you adjust the bearings, the tricks you used with the hot bed, will only work against the first time you adjust the bearings to align with the extrusion. I just believed, it should fit together right, and never set those for three days of working on it, and refused to accept less than correct..

Frankly, I don't think anyone should make my mistakes, if I can see a way around them...

I also used a pop sickle stick as a kickstand for my Cheap Skate because, I didn't have a clothes pin, and didn't need 24, to hold one Cheap Skate. I also found that my really long needle nose pliers, make a really good ramp for the belt, and if stick them clear back to the bottom of the extrusion, then feed belt through, it will guide the belt through the cheap skate, with relative ease. They are spring loaded and try to stay open, and I just let it open up in the grove to catch the belt. Above the T-nut, for bringing the belt down and through, below the T-nut for up and through. The T-nut, is kind of in the way otherwise, and every attempt will seem in vein because, the T-nuts will just block the shot.

James.

The first place geneb discusses installing T-nuts in both the version 1 and version 2 manuals, he references drawing the t-nuts into the melamine.

The v1 Manual page 27 wrote: For right now, all we’re going to do is install the four T-Nuts into the X-Axis Tri-Support assembly as shown in Figs. 2-24 and 2-25. You can use the socket head screws and the washers to “draw” the spines of the T-Nut into the melamine. I’d recommend dabbing the outside barrel of the T-Nut with a bit of Superglue before installing them.

The v2 manual page 49 wrote: Please ensure that you've oriented the top plate as shown above so you'll be installing the T-Nuts
on the underside of the top plate. The T-Nuts can be installed by lightly tapping them in with the back
of a screwdriver, or by “drawing” them in using one of the #4-40 flat head screws that are included in
the Onyx package. Make sure you use a small washer under the flat head screw if you do this,
otherwise you could damage the holes in the top plate.
You may want to cover the T-Nuts with Scotch tape in order to make sure that they don't
accidentally get driven out of the holes when you begin installing the Onyx Heated Bed.

I think this one's a PEBCAK (Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard) Error.

I pressed mine in, and didn't use tape. But, the T-nuts were not flush to the melamine, and nowhere does it mention that they should be flush, and the reason for making sure that they are flush, is all about the first time you adjust the Cheap Skates because, if they are touching the extrusions, they can interfere with the position of the bearings in relation to the extrusion. I think the priority should be raised because, the first thing I did, was remember using the tape, installing the Hot Bed.

Adding superglue, wouldn't make sense if you weren't first making the T-nut flush, before assembling the complete cheap skate, or attempting to tighten those just before you need the brakes.

Page 99.

Install two #4-40 T-Nuts in the back of all three Cheapskate inner carriage plates as shown.
Make sure the barbs on the t-nuts are fully
seated in to the Melamine. If they're a bit loose, you
can cover them with a small bit of Scotch tape to hold
them in place until the belts are installed.

Those T-nuts, will screw up and screw with the cheap skate roller bearing adjustments if they touch the extrusion, and it's not the first thing you'll notice. It will seem like there are flat spots, or maybe extrusion is not flat or even, or maybe that the bearing covers are dented.

I've worked retail before, and I can understand how you've probably met somebody that tried to build one of these just looking at the pictures and got ticked off. But, I read the instructions typically twice for a couple of steps then a third time as I assemble it. I'm taking my time because, I can think it through, and get it right. But, I don't like when the instructions allow for me to make a mistake, and get stuck with taking two steps backwards to make step forward.

I should make a cry baby video, and complain because, I programmed it, and it's not supposed to do this...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-W7FEZU8yg[/youtube]


At one time working retail, a woman asked me where the shoe laces were, and I told her, we don't sell shoe laces. She says too me, "Well, you have a shoe department." I said, "Yea, but we don't sell shoe laces here." Then she insists and asks me again, "Where are the shoe laces?" I say too here, "If you want shoe laces, you'll have to shop somewhere else, we don't sell them." So, she goes to the manager and tells her, "That employee over there, (pointing at me) told me I can't shop here." Manager asks me about what I said too her. I told her we don't sell shoe laces, and she'd have to go somewhere else if she wanted them.

Despite my years in college studying engineering level electronics, I'm not a nursing assistant and get paid to take of crazy people. It's not like retail, I'm not just guessing all of the time, I get to see their chart. What can you do except go where the money flows.

James

Flavored Coffee wrote:I pressed mine in, and didn't use tape. But, the T-nuts were not flush to the melamine, and nowhere does it mention that they should be flush, and the reason for making sure that they are flush, is all about the first time you adjust the Cheap Skates because, if they are touching the extrusions, they can interfere with the position of the bearings in relation to the extrusion. I think the priority should be raised because, the first thing I did, was remember using the tape, installing the Hot Bed.

That's just T-nut basics - they work when they're drawn in tight to the melamine (they shouldn't be flush, because then you'd be compressing/damaging the melamine - the barbed side should be tight to the melamine). Ain't rocket science. The manual can't cover every possible way you can screw things up, or else it would be unmanageably complex.

Aw, but the manual did cover this.

In Coffee's own quote the manual said - "Make sure the barbs on the t-nuts are fully
seated in to the Melamine.".

I had some issues with understanding the manual but thiat wasn't one of them. Beside I have used Tee-Nuts before and graduated Tee-Nut 101.

nitewatchman

I'm also not sure this is a problem. I mean, you can see how close to the melamine they're meant to be seated in the manual.

I just bashed my T-nuts with a hammer until the barbs dug in and they sat flush. I don't see any other logical way that the T-nuts should be installed other than how I've done it...

It IS basic that Tee nuts need to be fully IN, i.e. the barbs fully set.
Not pulled in so far that outside of the disc of the Tee nut is flush to the surface, but there shouldn't be daylight between the nut's inside disc surface and the face of the material.

As a general principle I dislike the idea of assembling or setting things up "in mid air", so I assembled and adjusted my cheapskates "on the bench", not "around the towers".
I assembled them FULLY, laid them on the side that has the fixed bearing spacers and used a tower extrusion as my "feeler gauge" to adjust the eccentrics, which were "on top".
Obviously this was out of sequence, I hadn't run wires through the tower extrusions or mounted them.

I think any Tee nut fouling on the extrusion or other assembly problems would have shown up "on the bench" aka dining room table (-:

PhoenixNZ wrote:I'm also not sure this is a problem. I mean, you can see how close to the melamine they're meant to be seated in the manual.

I just bashed my T-nuts with a hammer until the barbs dug in and they sat flush. I don't see any other logical way that the T-nuts should be installed other than how I've done it...

This... I just got the nut started in the hole and then, with the melamine laying flat on the bench, lightly tapped it in with a hammer. Want to be extra safe, lay a scrap piece of melamine over the nut before tapping it with the hammer. Way easier and quicker than futzing around with screws and washers and what not.