I am in the process of building the "sturdy" version of the Mendel90, using MDF for the frame and 10mm smooth/8mm threaded rods - this will be my first RepRap, and my first hands-on experience with 3-d printing. I am on a VERY tight budget, so this is a "Johnny Cash" project - as in, "One Piece At A Time".
One of the things I need is a Melzi controller. In my communications with NopHead, he told me that his Melzi boards are made specifically for him and are exensive - not really an option for me. There seems to be a plethora of Chinese Melzi boards available on the web. Some are cheap pricewise, some not so cheap (prices can vary wildly even for the same board - one going for $40 on one website can go for twice that on another website, or even between EBay listings). I am trying to find the best compromise between price and quality: I don't have a lot to spend, but I don't want a brick on arrival that needs to be returned, modified, repaired, or reprogrammed with additional hardware outside of my laptop, either. I have heard that there was a batch of Geetech Melzis that had problems with having the wrong MOSFETs and resistors, and I have also heard of SainSmart boards having a problem with built-in programs that do nothing but an axis test over and over and over agian. Whatever I get needs to have the bootloader already in it, as I don't want to have to spend extra money on an ISP programmer. Also want screw terminals, which the Geetech boards seem to be lacking in (they're mostly Molex KK terminals, from the photos I have seen). ElecFreaks has a reasonably priced board out, but I have not found any reviews on it.
Has anybody had good luck with any of the inexpensive Chinese Melzi boards "out of the box"? If so, which one did you use and where did you get it?
One of the things I need is a Melzi controller. In my communications with NopHead, he told me that his Melzi boards are made specifically for him and are exensive - not really an option for me. There seems to be a plethora of Chinese Melzi boards available on the web. Some are cheap pricewise, some not so cheap (prices can vary wildly even for the same board - one going for $40 on one website can go for twice that on another website, or even between EBay listings). I am trying to find the best compromise between price and quality: I don't have a lot to spend, but I don't want a brick on arrival that needs to be returned, modified, repaired, or reprogrammed with additional hardware outside of my laptop, either. I have heard that there was a batch of Geetech Melzis that had problems with having the wrong MOSFETs and resistors, and I have also heard of SainSmart boards having a problem with built-in programs that do nothing but an axis test over and over and over agian. Whatever I get needs to have the bootloader already in it, as I don't want to have to spend extra money on an ISP programmer. Also want screw terminals, which the Geetech boards seem to be lacking in (they're mostly Molex KK terminals, from the photos I have seen). ElecFreaks has a reasonably priced board out, but I have not found any reviews on it.
Has anybody had good luck with any of the inexpensive Chinese Melzi boards "out of the box"? If so, which one did you use and where did you get it?