So, do any of you think we can get delta arms made cheaply from stuff from a hardware store? I know they have 1/2" PVC pipe at a few of them. Maybe thin copper pipes would be better? What do you guys think?
I’m using RC Airplane parts. Possibly TRAXXAS, I forget…but then I’m using the allthread rods they also use in RC Planes…
I was checking the other day and the PVC for more than 1 set of rods would be about $5. About $9 I think it was for copper, but I am not sure how heavy the copper would be.
How much were the Traxxas rods?
Another reason for asking such questions is that my printer just broke an arm, so I can’t use it to print arm ends.
Traxxas are just the ball joints for the ends of the arms. You might wander through your nearesr RC hobby store and see if they have anything you can Macguyver
It seems this is the popular one for Traxxas. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BOLVJY/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The carbon fiber rods seem a bit more difficult to get though.
I searched for a local (to me) manufacturer of carbon rods. Occasionally has good sales.
https://goodwinds.com
My proto-prototype used square brass tube from the hardware store. It was less flexible than the round, and way better than the dowels used in the proto^3 type
We’ve used standard aluminium tube from the hardware store to good effect - I think it was meant for curtain railing or similar.
CF rod is fairly cheap at most hobby stores that carry RC plane and helicopter parts. You should be able to get a set of Traxxas ends, 4mm ID tubing, and grub screws for ~$25 at a local shop.
The Griffin delta uses an aluminum garden stake that’s ~$1 at Home Depot per 3ft, so there’s that: http://griffinprinter.org/index.php?topic=5.0
3mm carbon fibre rods from bmk designs (http://www.bmkdesigns.net) - $2.99 for 1 meter - drill out Traxxas 1942 Rod End Set ($6.99 on amazon) to 3mm hole - epoxy together and you have a set of rods for $10 - thats what I am using on my 3DR and they work great - very light and strong
Remove the green plastic from a Sturdy Stake and inside is a very light metal tube.
…or you can use arrow shafts from a hunting/archery supply store
I ended up getting 8’ of sturdy stakes for about $4 and some 5525 Traxxas rod ends. Sadly, it turns out that the 5525 Traxxas rod ends do not fit the inner diameter of the sturdy stakes. I will either have to get some nuts and screws and glue the nuts into the sturdy stakes or I will get a little bit of wood dowel and screw that to the rod end and glue the wood down in place. This also means that I get to see how well I can find a screw that will fit through the ball joint and clamp in place on the Rostock Max frame.
On a side note, the sturdy stakes are just the right size to fit a snapped original Rostock Max diagonal arm in. Sadly, that does not really work for me because one of my U joints is torn up and one of my axles is bent. I dunno…maybe I could make it work, but I am not sure if I want to go that route or not.