Build Your Own SLA/SLS

Hi everyone. I only backed at the donation level because I missed the early rounds and I'm too impatient to wait, so I've been pondering building from scratch and looking at the design. I really appreciate that the machine is open, but it's also so simple and elegant that I could probably clone it from the pictures if it wasn't. However I have a few comments/questions/ideas and maybe others do as well.

Printed parts: I know it's nice to get exactly what you want at low cost, but it seems like those will be the bulk of the time producing kits. As I mentioned in the Kickstarter comments many of these could probably be replaced with off the shelf stuff, perhaps leveraging parts from open CNC or filament printer builds.

Tilt: If the tilt design was reversed so that it pulled down the back edge of the build plate rather than lifted would this mean the main axis would only need to move up and backlash could be eliminated?

Build area: I may have goofed the math, but I'm not sure the petri dish is large enough for the build area listed for the P1500. It seems a pity to waste potential resolution or build area.

Work in progress doodle of a Z Axis built using V Slot extrusion and wheels from and laser cut delrin. This would only work if the "tilt away" theory is correct because it doesn't have an anti-backlash nut, but a Dumpster CNC nut would fit if we switched from 20mm to 1inch extrusion for the arm.

My plan is to add a Z-limit switch for the Z Axis. I also want to upgrade to a tilt kit. Beyond that, I'm going to see about squeezing in my pico-projector into the base of this. I may also add in a peristaltic pump along with a resin tank on the back of the printer. Michael Balzer from slo3dcreators.com and I are going to put in a Windows 8.1 (Acer Iconia W4-820-2894) tablet mounted on the back for stand-alone printing. Beyond that, I'm going to clean up some wiring, maybe add a backplate with USB/Video/Power. Oh - and i gotta print a handle.

-S

Started on a Sketchup model now that the files are out. Don't know if anybody else would find it useful, but here's a WIP.

I was also wondering about some modifications:

I would like to turn of the projector automatically after a print is finished. I was thinking about a relay switched by a M GCode Command. Would it be possible to extend the controller board? But as I am a bit concerned about simply powering off the projector, are there any suggestions for a "cleaner" way of doing this?

And can the z-axis limit switch be added to the controller board too?

The projector control seems to make much more sense.

So the projector control is not depending on the G-Code, but will be done by CWS after the code is trough?
Gonna give that a try.

And does anybody know If the z-axis-limit switches could be attached to the controller board directly, without adding or replacing elextronics?