Sainsmart Is Not So Smart
Or Sane
I’ve been messing around with a 3018 CNC machine for a while now. When I started out, I assumed owning it would be like owning a printer; you don’t need to know the innards because there’s a warranty and a company that wants to replace broken bits for you. Boy was I wrong.
I opted for the Sainsmart 3018 PROver, a slightly sturdier version of their 3018 CNC machine. I was a total noob, which is appropriate given the fact that this machine is meant as an entry-level machine. Sadly, little did I know that the problem I thought was user error turned out to be a manufacturing error.
The backlash spring the Z-axis wasn’t installed properly, so the machine kept breaking loose and stabbing the shit out of everything I tried to make. It was infuriating. Finally, thanks to the 2 people in the relevant Facebook group who aren’t happy to always blame the user, I figured out the problem and had Sainsmart send me a new Z-axis. Unfortunately their mistake in making the Z-axis also caused the burnout of the Arduino controller and several spindle motors, not to mention breaking lots of bits and materials, probably amounting to about $400 worth of stuff.
Eventually, I figured out how to fix stuff without having to turn to Sainsmart’s in-house idiots, and started to crimp my own wires, etc. But then, tragedy. The Z-axis servo…
