I just ordered a K8200 printer after reading this forum and the assembly manual. Before starting to assemble it (once it arrives due to backorder) I would like to know whether the rods are made of steel or stainless steel. I would prefer stainless steel since some users on the web reported corrosion after a week. I understand that the (storage) environment is important but still I would purchase stainless steel rods (8mm and 10mm diameter). Better include them during the assembly as opposed to afterwards. Does anyone know for sure?
The rods need to have a small coating of grease at all times to prevent corrosion, as is the case with any other machine with moving metal parts. So just spray them a little bit once in a while and you won’t have to worry about it.
Thanks for your quick, precise and no-nonsense answer! Keep up this great forum/support!
I understand that Velleman is looking at producing an upgrade so as the K8200 can be used stand-alone with an SD card and LCD. As I have not yet received my printer I assume it would not make sense to think about printing the controller cover as there would probably be a new one for this upgrade. Is this correct? What’s the timeline for this upgrade and how will K8200 owners be informed? Via this forum or your website? Are there any plans for a wireless pc <-> K8200 controller communication upgrade?
Thanks a lot for your support!
Our goal is to have the stand alone unit in the stores by the end of the year or early 2014.
The K8200 website is the source of information for current and new products.
The cover for the controller has nothing to do with the stand alone unit. Stand alone unit will have its own cover.
No plans for wireless interface at this time.
You can go ahead and print the controller cover, the LCD module will be connected to it via one (or a few, I’m not sure) wires. The only thing you may do (later) is print another cover for the LCD module itself. So you will then have two boxes connected with a wire, nothing wasted 
There actually is already a standalone/wireless solution - check Octoprint (octoprint.org/).
That’s a Raspberry Pi steering the K8200 (or various other 3d printers).
How would the upcoming standalone unit communicate with the current PCB? Would that be with a flat cable or via the USB connection on the PCB?
Thanks
The standalone unit is but an expansion of the existing controller, just adding a SD card slot, a LC display and some buttons to operate it. The AVR microcontroller on the controller still runs the show, it just needs upgraded firmware.
See here:
open-electronics.org/autonom … ur-reprap/
Yes, these are the guys who created the 3Drag, which in turn is a very close relative of our K8200.
Hello czvt7w,
in the near future an LCD controller board will come. (It prints from an SD card and will be connected wirt a flat cable.)
The octoprint is another way for standalone print. It works with an raspberry pi and will be connected over network, the printer in conected with usb to the PCB
It is also implementet an usb Webcam server, so you can see the printer by network connection.