The MakerGear Website - input requested

General discussion topics
User avatar
Jules
Posts: 3144
Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2015 1:36 am

Re: The MakerGear Website - input requested

Post by Jules » Thu Jun 02, 2016 1:45 am

sthone wrote:
Jules wrote:Little history of how the machine came to be - that sort of thing.
You want history just take a look at Rick's old Flickr Page :lol: (start on page 3 and work your way backwards) It's actually awesome to see how things came about.
YES! YES! YES! That would be perfect! Put a picture of the original, with a picture of the sleek new dual monster machine, and the caption: "We've come a long way, baby!"

(Little bit confused about the MakerGear/Makerbot machines though? There's probably an interesting story there.) :D

User avatar
rpollack
Posts: 494
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2014 9:01 pm
Location: Beachwood, OH
Contact:

Re: The MakerGear Website - input requested

Post by rpollack » Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:42 am

Jules - I have MakerBot Cupcake #27...the extruder did not work on the early DIY machines so I bought a little lathe at an auction and spent several months figuring out how to make a reliable extruder. I started making extruder parts during the day and helping people with their printers, MakerBots and RepRaps, at night. That is how MakerGear started in 3D printing. I did that for about a year before we started offering a complete RepRap Mendel kit...seems like a lifetime ago, now.

The MakerGear/MakerBot machine was a cupcake that I laser cut and self-sourced. I was able to get everything but the extruder and that is why I have #27 (bought it off someone on the MBI google group at the time) just to get the extruder.

Thank you for your detailed suggestions!!

Rick

User avatar
Jules
Posts: 3144
Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2015 1:36 am

Re: The MakerGear Website - input requested

Post by Jules » Thu Jun 02, 2016 4:33 am

rpollack wrote:Jules - I have MakerBot Cupcake #27...the extruder did not work on the early DIY machines so I bought a little lathe at an auction and spent several months figuring out how to make a reliable extruder. I started making extruder parts during the day and helping people with their printers, MakerBots and RepRaps, at night. That is how MakerGear started in 3D printing. I did that for about a year before we started offering a complete RepRap Mendel kit...seems like a lifetime ago, now.

The MakerGear/MakerBot machine was a cupcake that I laser cut and self-sourced. I was able to get everything but the extruder and that is why I have #27 (bought it off someone on the MBI google group at the time) just to get the extruder.

Thank you for your detailed suggestions!!

Rick
My pleasure - just thinking off the cuff..... (I do think the history - even the little bit above - makes an interesting side note that people would love to read about though.) :D

Slipshine
Posts: 182
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2014 3:02 am

Re: The MakerGear Website - input requested

Post by Slipshine » Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:47 pm

Rick one thing I would love to see is a change log.

I have a early M2 that I have tried to keep current.
It can be a challenge keeping up.

You currently are shipping a rev e machine. I wasnt aware there were rev a thru rev d and I am a habitual lurker on the forum.

Same thing for the hot ends. Without tribal knowledge whats the difference between a ver 3a
And a 4.

Based on the website if I order a machine today it is no different than what I got in 2012

It would be helpfull if the log also stated the reason for the change. (Ex. Changed bushings to bearings on x and y axis to reduce maintenance and friction). Then it can also serve as a troubleshooting tool. Hey my machine is doing X is there a factory fix for that.

User avatar
Jules
Posts: 3144
Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2015 1:36 am

Re: The MakerGear Website - input requested

Post by Jules » Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:03 pm

Slipshine wrote:Rick one thing I would love to see is a change log.

I have a early M2 that I have tried to keep current.
It can be a challenge keeping up.

You currently are shipping a rev e machine. I wasnt aware there were rev a thru rev d and I am a habitual lurker on the forum.

Same thing for the hot ends. Without tribal knowledge whats the difference between a ver 3a
And a 4.

Based on the website if I order a machine today it is no different than what I got in 2012

It would be helpfull if the log also stated the reason for the change. (Ex. Changed bushings to bearings on x and y axis to reduce maintenance and friction). Then it can also serve as a troubleshooting tool. Hey my machine is doing X is there a factory fix for that.
+1 for this idea.....Include the date they started shipping or a picture of the current model, with a link to the correct basic driver for that model attached to each machine version. ( Makes it easier for people to find things, without having to go to the Wiki and search/figure out which machine they may have. For the upgrade kits, attach the link to the correct driver directly as well. People do sometimes buy used machines, and want to upgrade them....this will make it easier for them to do it.)

petej
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2014 6:27 pm

Re: The MakerGear Website - input requested

Post by petej » Fri Jun 03, 2016 2:05 am

I think that you should tell people that this is a printer that is made and supported here in the USA by a company with old-fashioned values: quality, integrity and a restless pursuit of perfection. You can tell a lot about the printer by describing the people who make it.

User avatar
Jules
Posts: 3144
Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2015 1:36 am

Re: The MakerGear Website - input requested

Post by Jules » Fri Jun 03, 2016 2:15 am

petej wrote:I think that you should tell people that this is a printer that is made and supported here in the USA by a company with old-fashioned values: quality, integrity and a restless pursuit of perfection. You can tell a lot about the printer by describing the people who make it.
Like this one too! :)

User avatar
Spotopolis
Posts: 79
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:17 pm
Location: Colorado

Re: The MakerGear Website - input requested

Post by Spotopolis » Fri Jun 03, 2016 6:07 am

Slipshine wrote:Rick one thing I would love to see is a change log.

I have a early M2 that I have tried to keep current.
It can be a challenge keeping up.

You currently are shipping a rev e machine. I wasnt aware there were rev a thru rev d and I am a habitual lurker on the forum.

Same thing for the hot ends. Without tribal knowledge whats the difference between a ver 3a
And a 4.

Based on the website if I order a machine today it is no different than what I got in 2012

It would be helpfull if the log also stated the reason for the change. (Ex. Changed bushings to bearings on x and y axis to reduce maintenance and friction). Then it can also serve as a troubleshooting tool. Hey my machine is doing X is there a factory fix for that.
I think this is SO important! Unless I knew any better, I'd assume the printer I received back in June of 2013 was the same printer being offered now since nothing on the website indicates otherwise and the model name has remained exactly the same, yet it has gone from a V3a single extruder, 19v/12/v dual power supply, 3-point spider level adjustment, printed motor mount, old Z motor, plastic laser-cut electronics enclosure, pre-serializing each machine (mine didn't come with a serial number at all), old style wobbly z-adjustment knob, and simply plain borosilicate glass with nothing pre-applied. Don't get me wrong - this was (and still is) an amazing machine, but so much has been upgraded as stock since then, and most of it is available to keep my machine as up-to-date as I wish directly from MakerGear itself.

I don't know of any other company in ANY industry that is so supportive of providing the ability to upgrade features (or not) for a 3 year old model. That to me is a HUGE selling point for the M2 and MakerGear. Multiple links to this vibrant forum would also provide added reassurance since this is such a supportive community with an unusual penchant for sharing of knowledge and a refreshing lack of complaining about customer service and quality issues, unlike so many of the competitor's forums. Add to that the fact that members of the actual company not only read but respond to topics directly in this forum in a timely manner is outstanding.

Also, maybe a box on the home page or even throughout the site with various brief user testimonials that change every 30 seconds or so might add a bit of the sense of individual owner's pride in these superior printers, since a peer's opinion can count for so much more than a marketer or even a company.

Finally, the fact that this is a US small business with people much like me that are in it as much for the experience of making changes to the way things are done rather than focusing on selling the company once it is big enough or in it solely for the dollar is a very attractive feature that deserves a bit of recognition.

CCRN
Posts: 181
Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2016 6:15 pm

Re: The MakerGear Website - input requested

Post by CCRN » Fri Jun 03, 2016 10:14 pm

Have a How To section with videos like those on YouTube showing how to remove the nozzle and hot end. Maybe a library of videos showing tasks like clearing clogs and upgrading to dual extrudes among others.

This would go along way to assuage anxieties a beginner may have maintaining or upgrading their M2

Jerold b

User avatar
insta
Posts: 2007
Joined: Tue Sep 16, 2014 3:59 am

Re: The MakerGear Website - input requested

Post by insta » Sat Jun 04, 2016 9:39 pm

Spotopolis wrote:
Slipshine wrote:Rick one thing I would love to see is a change log.

I have a early M2 that I have tried to keep current.
It can be a challenge keeping up.

You currently are shipping a rev e machine. I wasnt aware there were rev a thru rev d and I am a habitual lurker on the forum.

Same thing for the hot ends. Without tribal knowledge whats the difference between a ver 3a
And a 4.

Based on the website if I order a machine today it is no different than what I got in 2012

It would be helpfull if the log also stated the reason for the change. (Ex. Changed bushings to bearings on x and y axis to reduce maintenance and friction). Then it can also serve as a troubleshooting tool. Hey my machine is doing X is there a factory fix for that.
I think this is SO important! Unless I knew any better, I'd assume the printer I received back in June of 2013 was the same printer being offered now since nothing on the website indicates otherwise and the model name has remained exactly the same, yet it has gone from a V3a single extruder, 19v/12/v dual power supply, 3-point spider level adjustment, printed motor mount, old Z motor, plastic laser-cut electronics enclosure, pre-serializing each machine (mine didn't come with a serial number at all), old style wobbly z-adjustment knob, and simply plain borosilicate glass with nothing pre-applied. Don't get me wrong - this was (and still is) an amazing machine, but so much has been upgraded as stock since then, and most of it is available to keep my machine as up-to-date as I wish directly from MakerGear itself.

I don't know of any other company in ANY industry that is so supportive of providing the ability to upgrade features (or not) for a 3 year old model. That to me is a HUGE selling point for the M2 and MakerGear. Multiple links to this vibrant forum would also provide added reassurance since this is such a supportive community with an unusual penchant for sharing of knowledge and a refreshing lack of complaining about customer service and quality issues, unlike so many of the competitor's forums. Add to that the fact that members of the actual company not only read but respond to topics directly in this forum in a timely manner is outstanding.

Also, maybe a box on the home page or even throughout the site with various brief user testimonials that change every 30 seconds or so might add a bit of the sense of individual owner's pride in these superior printers, since a peer's opinion can count for so much more than a marketer or even a company.

Finally, the fact that this is a US small business with people much like me that are in it as much for the experience of making changes to the way things are done rather than focusing on selling the company once it is big enough or in it solely for the dollar is a very attractive feature that deserves a bit of recognition.
Seconding a changelog, as well as a big flashing banner (perhaps with something that literally punches the user in the face with a foam glove) saying 'HIGH TEMPERATURE COMPATIBLE HOTEND' -- I contacted the guy who runs filastruder.com for replacement E3D v6 parts, and was asking him about flowrates vs. my hotends. He made some comment like "the long brass tube in the hotend gives a good melt zone" -- showing that there's still a wide thought that the newest M2s are using V3's, which are known to not be high-temp compatible and such. Tim Elmore is a well-regarded man in the industry, not one to lead people astray, but until this knowledge is flatly debunked sales may suffer.
Custom 3D printing for you or your business -- quote [at] pingring.org

Post Reply