Last week I got my RepRap Mendel in the mail. Upon un-boxing the parts, I was impressed by the professionalism in the packaging. But, I was also highly confused on where to start. The RepRap wiki lists the extruder as the first step to perform, but the instructions leave a lot to the imagination, to put it nicely.
After deciding to skip the first step and start working on the x-axis, I found that the work progresses rapidly after you get a taste for completing a few steps. You realize that the wiki leaves out the repetitious instructions of which size screw to put where because it is almost always an M4x40mm cap screw with washers in between any metal and plastic parts. Nyloc, or self-locking, nuts are used in any non-captive nut hole to prevent loosening during normal operation. Any step that deviates from this norm is stated explicitly, but it's hard to understand that until you get a piece completed and under your belt.
The problem with the Mendel is that there is no concept of "standard". Sure, there's a wiki, but every page on the wiki states that there is some updated or optional part that you can use. So, one supplier cannot effectively communicate what they are giving you. It's a standard Mendel, but does it have a better x-axis belt drive? Does it have the shorter belt gears, improved extruder nozzle, etc.? I think someone really needs to step up and start naming versions of the designs which specifically include or exclude every optional or improved part. That way someone can say, "I sell a Mendel 2010-B" and you would know exactly what's in it. That's so much easier than saying, "I have a standard Mendel with Wade's geared extruder, updated x-axis belt pulleys and nophead's improved squashed frog."
Un-boxing
When I first started to open the parts and attempt a build, I found these excellent instructions from Gary Hodgson: http://garyhodgson.com/reprap/2011/03/prusa-mendel-visual-instructions/. But, my kit wasn't a Prusa variant. This took me a while to figure out. After realizing that the standard build is documented in the wiki, I attempted to build the first part, the extruder, as I mentioned before. But, my kit was actually missing one small piece. This fact skyrocketed my confusion and desperation to new levels. How would I ever figure out these instructions? I can't make heads or tails of even the first step. Well, upon e-mailing my supplier photos of some of the parts, I found out that I was indeed missing a small M4 threaded rod and that the extruder was not the best part to start with for a first build attempt.
I ordered my kit from user CdnRepRap from the reprap.org forums. I found that he posted some helpful comments and that he had kits for sale either on eBay or straight through PayPal. After a few months of hemming and hawing about spending money on this new reprap hobby, I decided to take the plunge. CdnRepRap - a.k.a. Dan Kehoe - answered all of my pre-sale questions questions and made sure I was satisfied that he wasn't a scammer. After the package was in the mail I got it in just about 14 hours. I got the FedEx tracking number at 6:00 pm and I had the package at 8:39 am the next day!
