Starting my build

[oijando]

First off, thank you so much for making this project available to the community! I've been following this project since the original post on reddit and once you posted the models, I began the search for a local place to get the parts printed. As there was nothing available in my immediate location, I spread my search out to the nearest large city, Pittsburgh. I was happy to find that the Carnegie Library offers a 3d printing service that is free except for the cost of materials. I sent them a request on the 6th of January and finally heard back today that my parts are ready to be picked up. Total cost? $7.95 and an excuse to drive in to the city for the day! Once I pick up and inspect the parts this weekend, I will order the hardware and post my build progress here.

I think that this throttle, combined with my T16000m and DIY IR Clip will make for exceptionally satisfying Star Citizen experience. Stay tuned!
-Chad

[Boildown]

$8 is awesome, what materials did you get them printed out of?

[oijando]

I don't know the specifics, but they have a MakerBot Replicator 2X, so it looks like it was made from ABS. I'll get ask them when stop by to pick up the parts to report on the quality.

[zdayton]

Wow i can't believe you were able to get the parts printed for that price. You are the first person to post here so I am super excited to see how this works out for you. Please keep us posted!

[oijando]

It took longer than I planned, but I finally was able to pick up my parts! A side effect of the cheap print cost was that I had no say on the color that they were printed in. So I was delighted to see that they were done in Playskool orange and blue The print looks great so I went ahead and ordered all of the necessary hardware and I have received everything but the Traxxas rod ends, which should be here Wednesday. I'll get started on the gluing and preparation of the printed parts this weekend, and hope to have something functional by the following weekend. Check back soon!

[saxon]

Man I love those colours. Looking forward to reading more about this, as I think your print quality will be similar to what I get from my public library.

[jeruw]

Those look great! I wish the public libraries here offered that kind of service. Still waiting on the 3d printers at the local maker space to get back up and running. FYI, there are a couple of Pro Micro "enclosures" on Thingiverse which you might want to check out. Something to snap the Arduino board into. I haven't tried placing either of them on the base model to check clearances but I'm hoping one of them will fit for my modified base. Just search Pro Micro enclosure and they should come up.

Edit:

Just checked, this one looks like it'll fit: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:320421

[oijando]

Got my Traxxas Ball ends in and they fit the 3d printed arms... mostly. They fit but offer resistance when moving instead of flopping around loosely like they do in the factory Ball Ends. I am going to try some fine sandpaper and see if I am able to loosen them up just a tiny bit.

[zdayton]

How much resistance? I found that they will loosen up a bit after moving it around some. Also, you can take a drill bit and lightly spin it in the holes by hand, just to debur the edges of the holes a little bit. If you need to sand, just make sure you don't mess up the spherical shape of the holes for the ball joints.

[oijando]

They offer enough resistance that it is hard to move them by hand. If I put an allen wrench through the hole for some leverage, it moves easier. I may just try to debur the holes and then install them and see if they loosen up on their own. If not, it's easy enough to remove the legs and work on them. Fortunately, if all else fails, I can get the legs reprinted, some threaded rod, or some metal standoffs and just use the traxxis ball holders.