Bug Fixes, Testing Boards, Packing Boxes

Happy Wednesday Everyone,

We hope that you are having a productive week. We’re sure staying busy. The forums are full of people posting build statuses and troubleshooting bugs. It's really exciting to see! We feel like our team has grown from 3 to 100 in the past week and we really appreciate all the hard work and tenacity these first users are putting in to get their Maslow4’s up and running. The things that we are learning and fixing are making the process better for everyone. If you haven't received your Maslow4 yet, don’t worry, shipping is going strong and you will get yours soon!

Weekly Firmware Update

The rollout of Maslow4 is going well in that we are getting a ton of feedback and learning things to fix and improve. We've made so much progress much more quickly than we ever could have without the community's input. On the other hand it’s not going well in that we are still finding TONS of things to fix and improve. Largely that is the nature of launching something as complex as Maslow4 out into the real world, but we all owe a huge debt of gratitude to everyone who is going first and finding the issues so that others don't have to.

It’s taking more time than we expected to pack and ship each box, but that is a blessing in disguise a bit because we’re also close to capacity for fixing issues that folks are encountering.

Ideally each bug would be reported by one person and then fixed by us before anyone else runs into it and at the moment we’re doing our best to keep up with the pace that they are being found.

For a full summary of the new features and bug fixes in this weeks firmware release and to download the latest version see the release notes here:

https://github.com/BarbourSmith/FluidNC/releases/tag/v0.65

PCBs Tested

We mentioned in a previous update that we were having issues with a significant number of the first batch of PCBs. We’re excited to share that after programming and testing all 900 of the second batch of PCBs this week that this batch does not have the same issue. We found a handful with malfunctioning ESP32s but all of the stepper driver chips in this batch were fully soldered which is fantastic.

Just one of the eight boxes of controller boards that we programmed and tested this week

Packing Status Update

Based on feedback from the forums we have been making strategic changes to our packing system. One of these changes is to start double bagging the hardware bag that keeps exploding. That problem bag and the other hardware bag are now both nested in the middle of the sled as well which has it’s own plastic bag. The thought is that if one opens, the parts will be contained to the larger sled bag.

Both hardware bags enclosed in the sled bag

Another change is to the padding around the PCBs. We have gotten several reports that capacitors were knocked loose during shipping. While the PCBs already had a bubble wrap sleeve, we decided to add an additional cardboard sleeve on top of the bubble wrap. The first kits with this new style of PCB wrap shipped out earlier this week, so please report back if there are still any issues. To further protect the PCB we have also rearranged the top layer of the box to make a nest for the PCB to sit in. We are hoping this will protect them from any impacts during transit.

We have also been getting reports that small parts of the sled are chipping. The glass fiber reinforced plastic of the sled makes it very stiff, but this also means it is more brittle. To eliminate cracks around the dust cover rim, we rearranged the layout of the stepper motors so that they won't hit the rim. We have also decided to pre-install the linear rod clamps in their spot on the sled to protect the thin forks which hold the linear rod. When your kit arrives please check the sled to find those two linear rod clamps.

The pre-installed linear rod clamps to protect the sled

A Forums user also suggested that we post which backer number we are on. A great suggestion! Yesterday that number was 450ish. Sometimes we print extra labels that don't get used by the end of the day and sometimes we print international labels and customs forms in big batches to make it easier to sort the paperwork, so please take that number with a grain of salt. We will continue posting our progress in the forums.

Weekly Shipping Estimates:

Insider Edition - All kits will be shipped by Friday

Batch 1 - Maybe a few this week, but mostly shipping week of March 25th

Batch 2 - Shipping week of April 1st

Batch 3 - Shipping week of April 8th

Pre-Orders - Shipping week of April 15th

As always we will try to beat these estimates and we are optimistic they will improve as we get the shipping process dialed in.

Local Pickups

Kits for our Insider Edition local pickup volunteers will be ready next week! We would like to invite you to stop by our SODO office to snag your kit from 4-7 on the evening of the 26th and 28th. Anna will send out an email with more details to coordinate. We will also offer more dates and times as more kits become available, so don’t stress if you can’t make next week work.

Build Days

With over 35 folks signed up for local pick up we have been thinking of hosting a few build days at our office, for those of you who are close to Seattle and want to put your kit together in good company. The first build day will be on the 13th of April. Email Anna at anna@maslowcnc.com if you would like to attend. We will also try to live stream if you want to follow along virtually.

Anchor Point Designs

Finally this week we’d like to share a really cool design for a 3D printed anchor point from forums member @Dan_Bunby. He shared this spectacular design for an anchor point which incorporates a thread-in 3D printed pin which removes the need for any other hardware.

At first we were a little skeptical if a 3D printed pin could handle the force involved, but he's put quite a bit of stress on them without issue. We’re going to print our own too and test them as well.

You can see a great video in action here: https://forums.maslowcnc.com/t/3d-printed-anchor-point/20113

Have a great week everyone, and don’t forget to let us know in the forums when you have any questions or issues as you put your machines together!

-Bar, Roman, and Anna