Hardware replacement section/subsection?

Is it possible to get an area here for people to post specifically about replacing/upgrading parts for the K40? I think it would be beneficial for everyone as it is something we all end up needing to do at some point… and a section dedicated to that would be great to quickly sift through for either suppliers or at least suggestions on the best brands/companies to go with for replacing many/all of the individual components that ARE replaceable for this machine. How does everyone else feel about this?

There are at least two possibilities.

I’ll bet there are a lot of posts about that already. Want to go through and highlight them and write up a “sticky” that summarizes them? We could make it a “sticky wiki” (pinned post that can be edited by trusted users).

Then we can either make it a new category or it can be a tag, maybe #lasers-parts or something like that. I’d suggest a tag, and the sticky wiki being in the Modifications category, encouraging users to post there. Otherwise we’re really end up migrating a lot of existing posts from one category to another, which is more disruptive than adding a tag to a lot of posts.

But either way starts with identifying and summarizing. You up to that? :relaxed:

Interesting, it seems that 90% of what is here is either upgrade or repair.
I have thought many times about the need for a book or manual on both of these subjects for the K40!

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Admittedly, it would be way more time-consuming than I am (personally) able to commit (AT THIS TIME). But, I’d be up for it once I DO get a chance to set aside some time for it.

@donkjr
I agree that 90% of what is here is upgrade or repair, but there isn’t anything easily searchable that allows someone who just wants to say “Hey, I somehow broke X, Y and/or Z part, where can I find a replacement part?” What ends up happening is a search for the part (by actual name or by name that the user happens to THINK is the right word) and when no results come back or none are related to the person’s inquiry, they make a post about it. That’s not a problem in and of itself, since not every individual part has been posted for replacement part sources (yet). But having a way to minimize/simplify the process (even if it’s just a single sticky post with part names, pics and source options that gets edited by the creator only or something to minimize conversation or excess information) would be fine. I am just looking for a way to make the process of finding the core info needed when we want to repair our own machines as simple and easy to access as possible. If anyone has a completely different idea that they think would be more efficient, I’m all up for it (and willing to help where I can to make it happen)! I encourage the conversation, honestly.

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For spare parts, one of the best sources is eBay. But all the parts are not always on offer for every part of the world. Do your search with several extensions. EBay.de, eBay.co.uk, eBay.com, … and check for delivery. If you look for a tube, I notice some periodical offer/batch maybe good to not wait the last minute of your present tube.

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I agree that sometimes finding the right replacement part is time consuming.
The challenge is that the vendors and their quality is constantly changing as are folks machine configuration.
Let me noodle this some more…

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Noodle away, my friend. There’s a part of me that would love to figure out a way to create our own version of “Angie’s List” or whatever, where we pool the info in such a way that helps push us toward the vendors that have correct/worthwhile parts for each of our configurations and needs… but that might not only be overkill, but not necessarily plausible (given everyone’s level of free time, in general). But it’s a nice thought. In any event, making our efforts more efficient and effective is important to me. For myself as well as the rest of you guys. This is a worthwhile community and if I can do no more than contribute ideas, I will at least do that (preferably with, at very least, some plausible implementation or brainstorming to find said plausible implementation). I plan to own/use laser cutters for the long haul, so figuring this stuff out is a worthwhile investment for me… since I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.