(Part 2) Best bearings according to redditors

Use ceramic bearing balls. ( https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-Making-Plastic-Bearing-100pcs/dp/B07TJCNP5G/ref=rtpb_1/137-8536023-0703351?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07TJCNP5G&pd_rd_r=563eb58a-4463-4975-9697-c52025b89697&pd_rd_w=JOdjh&pd_rd_wg=VS4cH&pf_rd_p=93b3b076-f930-43df-b8f9-7a7b49a1950c&pf_rd_r=JKVQ2BZ5SJNK78NAA3KS&psc=1&refRID=JKVQ2BZ5SJNK78NAA3KS )
Or steel ones ( https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-Carbon-Bearing-Precision-100pcs/dp/B07SV6QSR3/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=6mm+bearing+ball&qid=1572155597&sr=8-4 ) warning: if these hit something hard, they WILL throw shrapnel (think flying knives).

I don't understand how he managed to spend 40 euros on that though. 40 Euros is ~45 dollars.

6003 for $10:
https://www.amazon.com/SKF-6003-2RS1SKF-Single-Ball-Bearing/dp/B0767N6GPF

6204 for $10:
https://www.amazon.com/6204-2RS-Sealed-Bearing-20x47x14-Bearings/dp/B00IK4KX4G

OP overpaid by more than double for bearings.

Formula track hubs take a 6000 cartridge bearing. The "6000" is just a name for 10x26x8mm (Inner diameter x Outer Diameter x Width) bearings.

I've just replaced mine on my winter bike with VXB bearings and they've been great for wet conditions. I've used some other bearings as well on other bikes, but the VXB's seem to be my favorite value so far. Actually, I've got VXB's on 3 wheelsets as of now.

If you only ride in dry conditions, you could go for a "better" bearing, which should give you less drag. But usually, "better" (ceramic) bearings often have non-contact seals, which definitely don't seal water and dust out as well as their labyrinth-sealed or contact-sealed counterparts.

Just look up 6000 series cartridge bearing, or just find a 10x26x8mm bearing by Phil, Enduro, or some other reputable company. If the name of the bearing has some letters and numbers after it, like 6000-2RS, it usually describes the seals used. So a 2RS is 2 Rubber Seals.

EDIT: Stuff

Here's another idea. 3/4" ball Bering are almost exactly 1oz each. So 16 per lbs. https://www.amazon.com/PGN-Precision-Steel-Bearing-Balls/dp/B07SHX8BB9 They cost about 4$ per pound... Dont go crazy though, a 2" ball is about 1lb each, but they cost 20$ each! LOL

Like these?

How do you swap the bearings?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D8T9VP8/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAaIcZhrMhA

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Instead of solder though, because I wanted something a little bit more measurable I slipped a 1mm ball bearing into the hole of the joystick.

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SZF3PWS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm pretty new to this too, I bought my Ender 3 Pro around the same time as you. Quiet printing is pretty high on my list as well as being able to print high-temp exotic filaments in the long term while maintaining reliability.

First upgrades I purchased were stiffer bed springs so I would be less likely to throw the bed out of level while removing prints or working around the printer and Capricorn XS tube since it has a more consistent internal diameter, fits closer to the filament, and can work with slightly higher temps. I also picked up a pack of bowden couplers recently as I noticed the end nearest the extruder is sliding past the coupler jaws on de/retraction; don't worry about that unless it's an issue for you. That's about $30 alone since I don't have a supply shop locally and have to order those parts in bulk. I had a Pi 3B laying around unused and flashed Octoprint onto it. Highly recommended. I have a replacement Noctua hotend fan, buck converters, and 5015 blower on order to quiet the fan noise; about $32. Just replaced the Meanwell psu fan with a 60x25mm Noctua I had lying around (Note: there may be better options in the 92-120mm range to replace part of the PSU housing, but that's what I had laying around). Next upgrade coming is the SKR Mini E3 with TMC 2209 drivers ($28) to eliminate almost all of the stepper noise. Also looking into a replacement for the control board fan and some vibration isolating feet for the frame. As far as higher temp printing I haven't made a lot of progress aside from buying a titanium all-metal heat brake ($11) winch I have yet to install or inspect, and looking into enclosure and electronics relocation avenues.

Either way the mods I purchased came in at around $100 US which should quiet the printer and help with reliability. Also looking into picking up a good M3-M4 bolt kit if any exist in the US.

Here are some links to the things I picked up and will, which may be helpful if you're in the US. Mostly from Amazon.

Type | Name | Link | Price
---|---|----|----
Reliability | 8mm x 20mm yellow springs | Link | $6.98
Reliability | Capricorn XS Tubing | Link | $11.49
Reliability | PC4-M6 / PC4-M10 Pneumatic Bowden Fittings | Link | $11.99
Silence | Noctua 40mm x 10mm 3-pin fan | Link | $13.95
Silence/Various | LM2596 Adjustable Buck Converters | Link | $10.95
Silence | 24v 5015 Radial Ball Bearing Fans | Link | $7.19
Silence/Various | SKR Mini E3 w/ TMC 2209 drivers | Link | $28.81
High Temp | Titanium All-Metal Heat Brake | Link | $11.52
TOTAL: $102.88 US + Tax

Parts already purchased/ bought with printer

Type | Name | Link | Price
---|---|----|----
Reliability/High Temp | OEM Ender 3 Glass Bed | Link | $20
Reliability | Feeler Guage Set | Link | $5
Reliability | 608zz Bearings, using with this(My Remix), this, and this, though I like this design a bit better | Link | $5.98
QoL Improvement | Raspberry Pi 3B w/ Octoprint | Link | $34.46
Silence | Noctua 60mm x 25mm 3-pin fan, goes with this mod | Link | $14.95
TOTAL: $80.39 US + Tax

Future planned upgrades

• Bl Touch (Note: if you have a Pi you don't need a separate ISP to flash a bootloader to the stock Melzi control board)
  
  
• Extruder | Zesty Nimble, Bondtech BMG, or SeeMeCNC EZR
  
  
• Cooling Duct | Either Smooth Fang or Hero Me Gen 3 in PETG/ABS
  
  
• Direct Drive | Kit or Printed (this, this, or this)
  
  
• Electronics relocation enclosure and wiring (need to research this more)
  
  
• Vibration Isolation Feet with Yellow Dot Squash Balls
  
  
• Linear rails (maybe)

Remove the constraint on the leadscrew at the top. That's helped me in the past. Also, your leadscrew can be straight as an arrow, but simultaneously be at an angle because of your coupler. Take everything off the leadscrew so that the only thing you have left is the motor, coupler and screw itself. Turn the motor and see if there's runout. If there is, then try to see if you can re-insert it and tighten up the set screw without pitching the leadscrew to one side. Lastly, a trick that might help you is to put a metal ball bearing in the coupler between the shaft and leadscrew. 5/16" is the perfect size to fit in on the leadscrew side of the coupler. You want the ball bearing to make contact with the motor shaft and screw. The benefit to doing this is that you retain the angular compensation of the alignment coupler, but get rid of all the springiness of it. If you have the screw and shaft touching without the ball bearing, then the screw actually has to lift up a little bit and stretch out the coupler when it's compensating. If you leave a space in there (which is what you're usually instructed to do) then you might find that you've got a hysteresis problem when doing Z hops because the coupler is stretching and compressing without returning to its normal state repeatably.

I’m trying a 1mm ball. Getting it tomorrow but leaving for the weekend. If I’m not too lazy I’ll try it tomorrow and post an update if this size works.

i tried both using these bearings https://www.amazon.com/PGN-Precision-Chrome-Steel-Bearing/dp/B07CHSGGKK/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=.5+inch+ball+bearing&qid=1558567260&s=gateway&sr=8-3

I just mounted the extruder to the top of the housing I built, but there's a mount you can print for the top of the printer that works fine too(https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2369063).
Then ordered some Teflon tubing with the fittings(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X6FW97).
And these to screw the fitting to the nozzle throat(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078GKJCF3).

Put it all together and my PLA+ prints are as acurrate as all those 3D printing channels. Still haven't dialed in my retraction settings, but 6 is working fine for now.

Edit: use the cable wrap that came with the printer around the Teflon tubing and the hotend thermistor and heater to clean it all up.

It’s tough at the beginning getting all things. I was like you, I went for hardware shops for brass nut and bearings but I ended up with nothing, my only choice was to order online. I live in Malaysia as of now and my online sources are the Chinese Taobao, or the Malaysian Shopee and Lazada.

For bearing, you can check the full list at:
https://www.bearingworks.com/bearing-sizes/#table-of-contents

Most common bearings from what I know used for ring spinners are 6803/61803 and 6703, some other choices are considerable like 6903. Based on the link above you can see the differences of each. Back to your question, I can only suggest getting them online like Amazon if you live in the US, like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Ceramic-Bearing-6803-2RS-17x26x5mm-61803/dp/B0758F464W/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=6803&qid=1574536512&sr=8-1

You can look around for cheaper ones, I got mine for about 3$ from Shopee.

For a brass nut, something like this would do:

https://www.amazon.com/FidgetKute-Select-Size-M10-M12/dp/B07RB1B9VX/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?keywords=brass+nut+m24&qid=1574536643&sr=8-6

These are just examples, you should choose carefully the type/size of the nut based on your liking and the size of the bearing you picked. I also suggest Aliexpress, they have good prices.

About the lead poisoning, I really have no idea, I think it should be fine as long as we don’t digest anything from it, I have to do more research to know about it.

Found it.
6000-2RS Bearing 10x26x8 Sealed Ball Bearings

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BBFDGM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Found some 3/8 Zirconium Oxide Ceramic Ball Bearings on Amazon and decided to go for it. I think it's lighter than SS balls which isn't a problem for me and I just really like how it looks on the turtle

You could just use a slightly larger drill bit, or an actual reamer bit if you want to be fancy.

Drill America 1/2" High Speed Steel Straight Shank Machine Expansion Reamer, DWR Series https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BNKEHMM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_42UzCbV4N5DAA

I would say you'd be better off using a pillow bearing block though.

PGN - UCP201-8 Pillow Block Mounted Ball Bearing - 1/2" Bore - Solid Cast Iron Base - Self Aligning (2 Pack) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MWBY7N9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_53UzCbQ53R5EB

Stock large bearings:

[4 PCS] 6903-2RS (17x30x7 mm) Metal Rubber Sealed Ball Bearing (Black) 6903RS https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076BQ9ZB2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_0m5TBbWQWFR5Y

This is the Amazon LINK. Not sure what you can find in AUS. You can find this on eBay as well.

I believe it was an 18" pine round board from Lowes. Pine is a bit of a softer wood, but I got it because it was cheap, just about the right size, and I had a gift card with enough left on it to cover the purchase. I reused my existing hardware and mounted the uprights perpendicular to the grain and countersunk the holes, using washers to prevent and chances of the wood splitting.

For the azimuth bearing itself, I've tried a few different things:

Lazy susan sometimes works, sometimes doesn't
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071CPFGJT

Inside this bearing raceway is a plastic spacer that separates the bearings-- I left this in there, as it added just the right amount of friction to prevent the base from spinning too freely. On my XT10 rebuild, it happened to be perfect and I needed no modifications to get the right balance of movement and friction. It was a one and done type of deal.

On a separate dob base rebuild, using the same type and size bearing, it was spinning too freely and I needed to add friction-- sometimes a couple folded cotton socks wedged in between the boards would work great, but later became unbound...then I tried felt pads that rode against the wood...which sometimes worked, other times too much friction... results were inconsistent and I wound up ditching the lazy susan on that build, opting to use furniture sliders against a 99 cent vinyl record from a thrift store. The texture on the vinyl record provided a proper amount of friction to interface with the furniture sliders. Not the best movement, but served its purpose.

Quite a few ways to skin a cat and if I were to do it again, I'd try it with FRP wallboard and virgin teflon pads:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Glasliner-4-ft-x-8-ft-White-090-FRP-Wall-Board-MFTF12IXA480009600/100389836

My ES truss dobs use this exact material against virgin teflon and it performs very well. I have no problems tracking at high power. This is one of the tried and true combinations among ATMers, and you should be able to find someone who can sell a 16" x 16" cut, as hardware stores usually only sell it in huge 4'x8' sheets. I'll probably pick up a huge sheet of this to play around with.

It's on there so tight that I thought this might be the case, but there's a "6200" visible on the bearing, and the 6200 bearings I can find are all separate from a post like so