RV1 on Ebay

[Mike]

Not my listing.
NB this is RV1 not RV1S - not sure of the difference - only info I have is that it has more limited vision and can't do 0603s

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Versatronics-RV1-Pick-and-Place-/160547973137?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item256167a811

[phonoplug]

I don't know the difference exactly, but this is a pretty old version looking at the arm and head. But then it is only 600 notes...

[davidc]

RV1 is a totally differnt machine to RV1s . only 6 feeder positions on some of them due to a non continuoius belt. and a different control module with exploding drivers from Thomson if  I recall. Also DSP not compatible with any S machine.

[Gopher]

Considering it has no feeders, the bidding seems a little frisky.

[Mike]

Yeah I thought so too, but I suppose if that's all the cash you have, where else could you pay that little for a useable, small footprint P&P for prototyping & small runs if you don't mind using passive feeders?

[Gopher]

True but for prototyping I can place one board with a manual pick and place quicker than I can enter the data onto the RV, load the reels and place it that way. but then I am awesome

[Mike]

..well that all depends on how many (different) parts there are, and how streamlined your programming process is....

[Gopher]

This is true, I always had plans to do what you did and write a program to hand pick files, never did. And I have never used the BOM extarction util because frankly its crap.
I quite like the halfway house, stick it in the machine to place high quantity things that were loaded anyway, manual the rest.

[Mike]

This is true, I always had plans to do what you did and write a program to hand pick files, never did. And I have never used the BOM extarction util because frankly its crap.
I quite like the halfway house, stick it in the machine to place high quantity things that were loaded anyway, manual the rest.

It's definitely worth it - sometimes even for 1-offs if there are a lot of common passives - for these jellybean parts, which usually live on the machine, I can go from the PCB file to having a JOB file ready in less time than it takes the RV PC to boot up, and the only setup needed is the PCB position so it can be placing in a few minutes.

[Mike]

For the record, before it disappears off ebay this sold for £1220, 3 bidders. No feeders.
Consensus seems to be that even at its starting price of £600 was a bit steep...