Skip to content

Chapter 00 — Before you start

One page per step

Read this chapter one step per page — big pictures, prev/next, and the same tick marks. This page is the whole chapter in one scroll.

Inventories the kit against its own batch BOM, settles the tools and consumables, verifies the flat reference, teaches heat-set inserts, and cleans and greases all seven rails — so that Ch 01 can start the moment the frame extrusions come out of the box and no later chapter stops for a missing tool.

What you're building in this chapter: nothing yet — this chapter builds the conditions for everything else. Four things come out of it. A counted kit: every box checked against your own batch's bill of materials, so a shortage is a Fabreeko email today rather than a stalled evening in six weeks. A working bench: the tools bought, the consumables ordered, and a flat reference surface verified with a straightedge and feeler gauges, because the frame's squareness in Ch 01 can be no better than the surface it is built on. A heat-set technique: the brass tip fitted to the soldering iron and an iron temperature found on a scrap coupon, ready for the ~150 brass inserts that give printed parts their metal threads. Seven prepared linear rails — the hardened steel bars and ball-bearing carriages that carry the toolhead, the gantry and the gantry's four corners — degreased of their shipping oil, packed with grease, wiped and labelled. Rails can only be greased before they are bolted down, which is why they are done here and not in the chapters that use them. Roughly half of this chapter happens months before the cartons arrive — the two headings Before the kit ships and Kit day below say which steps belong to which day; the step numbers stay in bench order.

Revali out of the carton
Kit day is a counting day. The printer inside the box is currently a rumour.

Time: 2.5–4.0 h hands-on, first build (survey §5.1 P00). Rail prep is roughly half of it.

Sessions: 9 × ~30 min — the Pause: lines below break the chapter into 9 segments; every minute figure is a first-build estimate.

Prerequisites:

  • Print batch B00 — Calibration & jigs (print/B00-calibration-and-jigs.md). B00 prints months before the Voron kit lands, and its gate is in two parts. Gate A (the cube, Step B00.5) and Gate B (Step B00.7 — the 625-2RS bearing in the z_drive_retainer_a bore and all seven inserts in the Heatset_Practice coupon, on the bearings and inserts ordered at Step 00.9) are both long passed by kit day, and all 22 plates are printed and binned. Steps 00.13–00.16 are Gate B's insert item. One row of Gate B is left for kit day: the MGN12_rail_guide on a real MGN12 rail, run out of carton 1 before the inventory starts. This chapter needs the Heatset_Practice coupon and both rail-guide sizes off that plate; nothing else from B00.
  • The kit itself, unopened — for the Kit day steps only. Fabreeko order F6424626, pre-order, ETA late November to late December 2026 (Fabreeko tracking page 2026-09-14: batch still in manufacture; watch for the status to flip to shipped, which starts a ~5-week clock).
  • Nothing else. This chapter has no assembly prerequisites — it is the first thing you do.

Tools

  • Digital caliper, 150 mm
  • Machinist square, 150 mm, DIN 875/2 or better
  • Flat reference surface (the kitchen stone counter, verified in Step 00.10)
  • Steel rule / straightedge ≥ 600 mm
  • Feeler gauge set
  • Temperature-controlled soldering iron that accepts 900M-T tips (Hakko FX888D-style sleeve with a thumb ring) — the LDO brass insert tip in the kit will not fit anything else. src
  • LDO brass M3 heat-set tip (supplied in the kit)
  • Hex drivers 1.5 / 2 / 2.5 / 3 / 4 mm — kit wrenches or the Fabreeko precision set
  • Flush cutters
  • 10 ml syringe with a blunt tip (grease delivery), or use the grease tube nozzle
  • 2 mm drill bit (supplied), 2.5 mm slot screwdriver (supplied)
  • Clean towel, for drying the rails after the IPA soak

Consumables: IPA ≥ 90% (enough to cover a 400 mm rail inside its own shipping bag, seven times over); Super Lube 21030 synthetic grease; nitrile gloves; lint-free cloth; masking tape (labels, and the rail end stops); permanent marker.

Printed parts — batch B00, all Galaxy Black ASA on the Core One+

Parts arrive in the bins named below (see the bin map in print/README.md#bins); check the bin label's list before you start.

Looks like STL Bin Repo path Qty Colour
Voron_Design_Cube_v7.stl 00-jigs Voron-2 STLs/Test_Prints/ 1 Black
Heatset_Practice.stl 00-jigs Voron-2 STLs/Test_Prints/ 1 Black
MGN12_rail_guide_x2.stl 00-jigs Voron-2 STLs/Tools/ 2 Black
MGN9_rail_guide_x2.stl 00-jigs Voron-2 STLs/Tools/ 2 Black
pulley_jig.stl 00-jigs Voron-2 STLs/Tools/ 1 Black
z_drive_retainer_a_x2.stl 02-Z0 Voron-2 STLs/Z_Drive/ 1 Black

z_drive_retainer_a is on the jig plate as the bearing press-fit coupon — Gate B's bore test, Step B00.7 — and it is a real part you will fit in Ch 02; nothing is wasted.

Hardware (chapter totals)

Fastener / part Qty Note
Heat-set insert, brass, M3×H5 from the KADRICK kit already on the bench, not the Voron kit — the STL pockets are 5.0 mm deep with a ~4 mm bore; shank ~4 mm (verify on bench) 7 the practice coupon's seven pockets, set at Gate B (Step B00.7) months before the kit — Steps 00.14–00.15 are that session. All 153 kit inserts stay for the build; Step 00.13 borrows one as a tongue gauge and puts it back in tray C
— no other kit hardware is consumed in this chapter — 0 every rail and PCB goes back in its bag; the fasteners go into the printed trays (Step 00.12)

Read first

  • The rails ship dry and must be cleaned and packed before they go on an extrusion. The flip-and-pack method needs access to the back of the rail. Once a rail is bolted to a 2020 you cannot do this (survey §5.2 W9). src
  • A rail carriage will slide off its rail and spill its bearing balls, and dropping one ruins it. Tape every carriage in place the moment you unbag a rail — the MGN12 comes out first, at Gate B (Step B00.7), so tape it there — and fit the two end-stop bands before the soak (Step 00.17; manual p.24, p.26).
  • Heat-set inserts go in per print batch, before the part enters any assembly. One missed insert in an XY joint costs a gantry teardown (survey §5.2 W3).
  • Caliper the deck panel during inventory. LDO's guides say 4 mm, LDO's own BOM says 3 mm. This decides which deck_support_* you print, and it is a Ch 02 step, not a Ch 11 one (survey §4.3).
  • Post the two Discord questions on day one (Step 00.32). Both have multi-day answer latency and both gate work in Ch 08–Ch 10.

Sources for this chapter:

Video coverage (Steve Builds, pre-release LDO kit — differs from Rev D+): Part 1 @0:02:04 (+11m), Part 1 @0:12:11 (+8m), Part 1 @0:50:02 (+6m), Part 1 @1:54:10 (+39m), Part 1 @2:05:13 (+19m), Part 1 @2:32:52 (+32m), Part 1 @3:11:45 (+10m)

This manual also links timestamps from Steve Builds' eleven-part LDO Voron 2.4 Kit Build playlist — livestreams in which he assembles the pre-release "feedback" kit LDO shipped him in December 2021–January 2022 to review before the kit went on sale, the closest thing to a full video walkthrough of this machine. It is not this kit: Steve's build is Afterburner + Clockwork 1 on a BTT Octopus with a separate Raspberry Pi and a Euclid probe, where this build is Stealthburner + Clockwork 2 + Revo HF on a Nitehawk-SB V2 toolboard, a Leviathan carrying the Pi, an Omron inductive probe plus the LDO nozzle probe, and a Clicky-Clack door instead of the stock doors. Every step link that lands on a step where this matters carries a (differs: …) note; low-confidence links (the video's segment start rather than the exact moment) are collected instead in each chapter's Video coverage line, above. Links and timestamps only — no stills, clips, thumbnails, or transcript excerpts (assets/video/SOURCES.txt).

Before the kit ships

Do these the week batch B00 prints and passes Gate A, months before the cartons arrive — none of them needs a kit part: Steps 00.8–00.11 (tools, consumables, flat reference, bins), 00.14–00.16 (heat-set practice: this is Gate B's insert row, Step B00.7 — seven KADRICK M3×H5 inserts from the kit already on the bench, set by the adult with the iron's stock conical tip, one per pocket of the one Heatset_Practice coupon; the helper never handles the iron), 00.23–00.29 (reading the manual's front matter), 00.30 (start the log — Step 00.10's gap and Step 00.32's post dates are its first lines) and 00.31–00.32 (the three lifelines and the two gating questions, which gate batches B06/B07). Step 00.13 waits for kit day, because the LDO brass tip comes in the kit. The three hardware trays for Step 00.12 are a bench print: print them any time before kit day (print plan § Bench prints). The steps below stay in bench order, so on the first pass skip past the kit-day steps and come back to them.

Kit day

The day the cartons land, in this order: Step 00.1 (open the cartons), then the two kit-day rows of Gate B (Step B00.7, ~10 min — a 625-2RS and an MGN12 rail out of carton 1 ahead of the count: the bearing thumbed into z_drive_retainer_a, MGN12_rail_guide slid onto the rail; the caliper and insert rows passed months ago), then 00.2–00.7 (batch BOM, inventory, deck caliper, board check, LDO-supplied parts, kit tools), 00.12 (fastener bags emptied into the printed trays) and 00.17–00.22 (rail prep — the grease and IPA from Step 00.9 must already be on the bench). Nothing goes on the Prusa: all 22 plates are printed and in their bins. The log from Step 00.30 gets the deck thickness and the inventory result today — and if the deck panel calipers 4 mm rather than 3 mm, the deck_support_4mm reprint is the one plate the build still owes (8 g, 30 min). Rail prep is the one kit-day job with a wait state — the IPA dry — so start it as soon as the inventory is done.

Revali carrying a bin
One bin per chapter now. The alternative is meeting every screw again at midnight, individually.

Unboxing and inventory

Step 00.1 — Open the cartons without cutting into them

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: Two shipping cartons and a blade. Carton 1 is the mechanical and electrical kit: extrusions, motors, rails, fasteners, boards. Carton 2 is the flat, fragile half: eight acrylic and polycarbonate panels and the 355 × 355 × 10 mm cast aluminium build plate.

Parts:

  • tool: box cutter, blade set shallow

Do:

  1. Check all six faces of each carton; log dents and punctures.
  2. Score tape only, blade shallow: carton 2's panels and plate sit under the flaps.
  3. Lift the plate out flat, never on edge; leave the rest boxed.

Check

No crushed corners, no rattle from carton 2, no oil through carton 1; every panel filmed both faces until Ch 11.

Tip

a good lamp, 1.5 × 1.5 m of clear floor, and one bin for all packaging. Check the bin for parts before it goes out.

Source: LDO 350 Rev D BOM · survey

Step 00.2 — Find the kit serial and open your batch BOM page

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: The printed label on carton 1. Its serial ties your kit to the right batch BOM, LDO's per-batch bill of materials and the inventory checklist for the next two steps. Quantities and substitutions change between batches, so the generic page is no stand-in.

Parts: none.

Do:

  1. The serial reads V2-YYMMDD####: batch, pack date, four-digit kit number.
  2. Open 350_BOM/HOME and open the batch tile whose Kit#: range contains your serial.
  3. Print it or open it on the iPad: this is your inventory checklist.

check Check

The page you land on is headed V2.4 350 BOM (Rev. D); every Rev D batch tile from 2406 onward resolves to that one page, as expected.

Helper: Reads the serial off the carton label and finds the batch tile that holds it.

Caution

Rev D+ / LDO: the index tops out at batch 2606. A November/December 2026 kit will be a batch LDO has not listed yet. If your serial is not in any tile, use the Rev_D page above and ask Fabreeko for your batch sheet — do not assume quantities from an older batch. src

Source: LDO batch BOM index · LDO 350 Rev D BOM

Step 00.3 — Inventory carton 1, box by box

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: Nine labelled boxes plus loose items: the mechanical and electrical half of the printer. The bags hold SHCS and BHCS screws, roll-in T-nuts and 153 brass heat-set inserts. The motors and extrusions in here are the frame and the four Z drives.

Parts:

  • staged: Cable Kit 2.4-350 box
  • staged: Motion box
  • staged: Electronics 1 box
  • staged: Electronics 2 box
  • staged: Fasteners, Tools & Misc box
  • staged: Belts, Chains & Fans box
  • staged: Linear Rail Kit box
  • staged: Frame Kit 2.4-350 box
  • staged: Motor Kit box
  • C13 power cord ×1
  • consumable: PVC wire duct ×5
  • Revo HF hotend ×1
  • DIN rail ×2
  • Leviathan mainboard ×1
  • Meanwell LRS-200-24 PSU ×1
  • consumable: extrusion slot cover ×9

Do:

  1. Work one box at a time against the BOM and tick Check1.
  2. Count each fastener bag closed, each board through its antistatic bag, each rail bag unopened.
  3. The counts below are the large, easy-to-be-short-on ones.
Bag or kit Count
M3×8 SHCS 283
M3 roll-in T-nut 135
M5 roll-in T-nut 80
M3 hammerhead 75
M5 precision spacer 46
Heat-set insert M3×5×4 153
Zip tie 100
Frame kit, 18 extrusions 340E ×1, 430D ×1, 450C ×2, 470A ×10, 530B ×4
Motor kit, 7 motors 1× 36STH20 E, 2× 42STH48-2004MAH A/B 0.9°, 4× 42STH48-2004AC Z 1.8°

check Check

Every BOM line ticked, or written down as short, and the frame and motor kits match the table above.

Helper: Ticks each BOM line as you call out the count.

Caution

Rev D+ / LDO: in the Cable Kit box, read the labels on the XY endstop cable now. LDO documents a batch where they read "X Stop / Y Stop" instead of "XES / YES" and need re-pinning before they will work. Finding this in Ch 10 with the bay half-closed is much worse than finding it now. src

Source: LDO 350 Rev D BOM · LDO XY endstop cable guide · Video: Part 1 @0:03:01 (differs: pre-release Dec-2021 LDO kit — printed parts, packaging and some hardware were revised before Rev D)

Step 00.4 — Inventory carton 2 and caliper the deck panel

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: The eight flat panels and the plate. The deck panel is the acrylic floor of the chamber: it sits on the bed extrusions and separates the electronics bay below from the print chamber above. Its thickness decides which support clip you fit in Ch 02.

Parts:

  • Deck panel, acrylic, black, 469×469 ×1
  • Back panel, acrylic, black, 483×503 ×1
  • Bottom panel, acrylic, black, 469×469 ×1
  • Door panel, PC, clear, 241×503 ×2
  • Side panel, PC, clear, 483×503 ×2
  • Top panel, PC, clear, 483×483 ×1
  • Magnetic pad ×1
  • Spring steel flex plate ×1
  • Build plate ×1
  • tool: digital caliper

Do:

  1. Count the panels against the BOM.
  2. Peel back one corner of the deck film and caliper it at three points along one edge.
  3. Write the number on tape stuck to the film, re-cover it, leave others filmed.

check Check

Eight panels present, no cracks, no chips at the corners. You now have one number written down: the deck thickness.

Helper: Counts the eight panels against the BOM and writes the deck thickness on the tape.

Caution

Rev D+ / LDO: LDO's Build Notes p.29–30 and Printed Parts Guide say 4 mm; LDO's own Rev D BOM says 3 mm. B01-P2 printed deck_support_3mm_x8 months ago. If the caliper reads 4 mm, follow the B01 deck note: print deck_support_4mm_x8 (8 g, 30 min) before Ch 02. src

Source: LDO 350 Rev D BOM · LDO Build Notes (Rev D) · LDO printed parts guide (Rev D)

Step 00.5 — Verify you actually received a Rev D+ (Nitehawk-SB V2)

What you're looking at: The Nitehawk-SB V2 toolboard: the small PCB on the toolhead that drives the hotend, fans, LEDs, probe and accelerometer over one cable. The + in Rev D+ is this board. The silkscreen in the drawing reads LDO NiteHawk-SB V2.0.0; read yours.

Parts:

  • Nitehawk SB toolhead PCB ×1
  • Stealthburner fan adapter ×1
  • USB adapter PCB ×1

Do:

  1. Touch bare metal first, then handle the board by its edges on its antistatic bag.
  2. Check all four markers below against the V2 board doc.
# Marker
1 PROBE, TH0, CT and Endstop are JST-PH 2.0 mm pitch, visibly finer than the JST-XH 2.5 mm E Motor connector on the back of the board
2 a secondary USB port is present: JST-ZH 1.5 mm, 5-pin, labelled as the USB expansion port
3 the board-to-board header that mates with the fan adapter is keyed
4 the MCU is marked STM32G0B1, not RP2040

check Check

All four markers present means Rev D+; any one absent means a V1 board, so stop and ask Fabreeko before going further. src

Helper: Reads the four markers from the table aloud while you check each one on the board.

Caution

Rev D+ / LDO: the USB serial ID settles it, and Ch 12 reads it once the Pi is up: it must contain stm32g0b1xx. LDO's Rev D wiring guide expects usb-Klipper_rp2040_…, which is wrong for this kit. On rp2040, load leviathan-printer-rev-d.cfg instead of leviathan-printer-rev-d-sbv2.cfg; the wrong one mis-drives heater, thermistor, probe, fans and accelerometer. src · survey §4.1 ①②

Source: LDO Nitehawk-SB V2 board doc · image: Nitehawk-SB-V2 Images/nhsbv2_pcb_pinout.jpg · LDO Klipper config leviathan-printer-rev-d-sbv2.cfg

Step 00.6 — Set aside the ten LDO-supplied printed parts

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: Ten printed parts LDO makes for you, in one bag: the pieces the Voron STL set does not cover or you cannot reproduce. They include the two Leviathan brackets, DIN clips, the nozzle-probe body, the bed WAGO mount and the clear Stealthburner LED diffuser.

Parts:

  • Leviathan Bracket Left ×1
  • Leviathan Bracket Right ×1
  • NH Adapter Mount ×1
  • DIN Clip ×4
  • CW2 Chain Anchor Tilted ×1
  • 2×3 Splitter Spacer ×2
  • LDO Nozzle Probe ×1
  • Bed WAGO Mount ×1
  • Stealthburner LED Diffuser ×1, clear PETG
  • CW2 PCB Spacer ×1

Do:

  1. Count them and put them in their own labelled bin.
  2. Do not print these; the print plan already excludes them, and you have no clear filament for the PETG LED diffuser.

check Check

Ten part types accounted for, in one bin, labelled LDO SUPPLIED — DO NOT PRINT.

Helper: Counts the ten LDO parts into their bin and writes the DO NOT PRINT label.

Caution

Rev D+ / LDO: the USB-adapter mount base is supplied printed, but the cover changed for the V2 board. Plate B07-P1 already prints the correct V2 usb_adapter_mount_partial_cover.stl into bin 09-bay, plus a spare V1 cover in spare-alt. Fit the V2 one. src · survey §4.1 ⑤

Source: LDO printed parts guide (Rev D) · LDO Nitehawk-SB V2 board doc · Nitehawk-SB-V2 STLs/

pause Good stopping point · ~40 min since the last one

both cartons inventoried and repacked, every fastener bag closed, the deck thickness written on its film and the ten LDO-supplied parts in their own bin. Nothing is open to dust. Do not start unbagging rails before you have the grease and IPA on the bench.

Tools

Step 00.7 — Lay out what the kit already gives you

What you're looking at: The kit's own tools: five hex wrenches, a 2.5 mm slot driver, a 2 mm drill bit, a brass brush, and the brass heat-set insert tip that screws into a soldering iron. The drawing dimensions its tongue: 2.4 mm across, 5.0 mm long.

Parts:

  • tool: hex wrench 1.5 mm
  • tool: hex wrench 2 mm
  • tool: hex wrench 2.5 mm
  • tool: hex wrench 3 mm
  • tool: hex wrench 4 mm
  • tool: slot head screwdriver 2.5 mm
  • tool: brass heat-set insert tool, M3
  • tool: drill bit 2 mm
  • tool: brass brush
  • Aluminium handle ×2

Do:

  1. Put these on the bench, not back in the box.
  2. The five hex sizes span every fastener drive in the BOM; nothing needs a 5 mm hex.
Fastener Drive
M3 BHCS/FHCS 2 mm
M3 SHCS 2.5 mm
M4 BHCS 2.5 mm
M5 BHCS 3 mm
M5 SHCS 4 mm
Set screw 1.5–2 mm

check Check

Five wrenches, one slot driver, one brass tip with its two knurled tongue-adjuster nuts, and one drill bit.

Helper: Lays the kit tools out on the bench and counts five wrenches, one tip and one drill bit.

tip Tip

no 5 mm hex driver is needed. The M5 BHCS the frame uses is a 3 mm drive.

Source: LDO 350 Rev D BOM · LDO heat-set insert tool guide

pause Good stopping point · ~10 min since the last one

kit day: the kit tools are laid out on the bench and the handles are bagged for Ch 11. Steps 00.8–00.11 were done before the kit shipped; the next kit-day step is 00.12.

Step 00.8 — Settle the tool list: owned vs. buy

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: No parts, a purchasing decision. The column that matters is First needed: it says which chapter stops dead without that tool, so anything marked Ch 00 or Ch 01 has to be on the bench before the kit lands.

Parts: none.

Do: Work down this table and buy what is missing. Column First needed is the chapter that stops without it.

Tool Status First needed
Precision hex driver set of 5, ball-end Bought — Fabreeko, in kit order F6424626 Ch 02 (Ch 01 uses the kit's straight 3 mm key)
Hex wrenches 1.5–4 mm In the kit Ch 01
Flat reference surface Resolved — kitchen stone counter, verified in Step 00.10 Ch 01
Digital caliper, 150 mm Owned — iGaging Absolute Origin, bought 2026-09-07 Ch 00 (deck gate, cube gate)
Machinist square, 150 mm DIN 875/2 Owned — PEC 6 in, bought 2026-09-07 Ch 01 (frame squaring)
Temperature-controlled soldering iron, 900M-T tip fitting Owned — X-Tronic; its stock conical tip sets the early Gate B inserts Ch 00 (insert practice)
LDO brass M3 heat-set tip In the kit — it lands with the kit and is used from Ch 00 on. Nothing is bought to bring it forward Ch 00
Flush cutters Owned — Hakko CHP-170, bought 2026-09-07 Ch 07 (belts), Ch 10 (zip ties)
Torque screwdriver 0.5–3 N·m Buy — optional. No Voron or LDO source publishes a torque figure for any fastener in this build; this manual never invents one. Buy it for repeatability across the 283 M3×8, not to hit a spec Ch 01
T10 Torx driver Buy Ch 05 (titanium backer FHCS cam out easily in countersinks)
Multimeter Buy if not owned Ch 10 (mandatory — Checkpoint #1)
Ferrule crimp tool, square, for VE0508 Buy — every kit lead ships ferruled, so it is used only if a lead has to be re-terminated, but Ch 09 stages it for that case Ch 09 (09.35)
Bambu Lab Heatbed Nozzle Wiper – A1/A2L, 3-pack Buy — only for the optional nozzle scrubber (Ch 13 Part L), ~$2.99 from the Bambu Lab store; the kit's brass brush is a hand tool and does not replace it. Needed in hand before the add-on is decided: its height is measured Ch 13 (13.45)
Chamber exhaust add-on: a 60×60×20 mm 24 V two-wire fan, a 1 m JST-XH 2-pin extension lead, and a cuttable activated-carbon cooker-hood filter mat Buy — only for the optional exhaust fan (Ch 14 Part H), and only after the calculator at 14.25 passes; roughly $10, $7 and $10. The kit's two 6020 fans are the bay pair and stay there; the jumper and every screw are kit spares Ch 14 (14.28)
Printed hardware trays A–C, Gridfinity bins Print — PLA bench print before kit day, print plan § Bench prints Ch 00, kit day (00.12)
Dial indicator + magnetic base Optional, skip for now —

check Check

Every "Buy" row has an order placed or a decision to skip written down.

Source: LDO 350 Rev D BOM · survey

Step 00.9 — Order the consumables with the longest lead time first

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: No parts, the consumables order. Two of these gate work rather than improve it: the rails cannot be prepared without the synthetic grease and the IPA.

Parts: none.

Do:

  1. Order everything below now. Nothing here waits for the kit.
  2. Nothing here is a bearing, a rail or an insert tip. Those are kit parts.
Item Note
Super Lube 21030 synthetic grease 3 oz / 85 g tube, far more than seven carriages need; LDO publishes no quantity
IPA ≥ 90% enough to fill a rail's own shipping bag seven times over — the bag is the soak tray
Loctite 243 blue threadlocker Ch 02, Ch 04, Ch 05
Nitrile gloves, lint-free cloth, masking tape, permanent marker —
(nothing to buy for Gate B) its insert row uses seven M3×H5 from the KADRICK kit already on the bench — shank must caliper ~4 mm (verify on bench) — set with the X-Tronic iron's stock conical tip; its bore row is a caliper reading. The 625-2RS bearing and the MGN12 rail are kit parts and their rows wait for kit day

check Check

Grease and IPA are on the bench before you touch a rail; rail prep cannot start without them.

Caution

Rev D+ / LDO: LDO's rail guide recommends an NLGI 0 or 1 grease and in the same sentence names Super Lube 21030 as a community favourite. Super Lube's data lists 21030 as NLGI 2, one grade stiffer. The Voron community uses it and it works, so a tube marked NLGI 2 is not a wrong order. src · src

Source: LDO rail grease guide · Super Lube 21030 product data

Workspace

Step 00.10 — Verify the flat reference

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: The kitchen stone counter, a long straightedge and a set of feeler gauges. This surface is the reference the whole frame is squared against in Ch 01, so its flatness becomes the printer's flatness. The gauges measure the gap under the straightedge.

Parts:

  • tool: straightedge ≥ 600 mm
  • tool: feeler gauge set
  • consumable: masking tape
  • tool: marker

Do:

  1. Clear and clean at least 600 × 600 mm of stone counter.
  2. Stand the straightedge on edge in five positions: left-right, front-back, both diagonals, centre.
  3. Slide feeler leaves under from the thinnest and record the largest.

The 350's frame uses 470 mm and 530 mm extrusions, which is where the 600 mm comes from.

Reading What it means
worst leaf ≤ 0.1 mm finer than the extrusions themselves — proceed
≥ 0.3 mm, or any rock of the straightedge choose another patch or another surface
twist, one corner high matters; a symmetric dish does not, because the frame's four corners stay coplanar on it

check Check

No rock in any of the five positions, worst leaf ≤ 0.1 mm and logged, flattest sub-area masked off for Ch 01.

Helper: Reads the thickest leaf that slides under aloud and writes it in the log.

tip Tip

between sessions lay a clean towel or foam over the masked area; grit trapped under an extrusion will make a flat surface lie to you.

Source: Voron manual p.15 · survey

Step 00.11 — Bin the workspace by chapter

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: Bags, a box and labels. Each bin belongs to one sub-assembly, not to a whole chapter: Ch 02 alone builds four identical-looking corners that must not get mixed. Parts land in their bin as they arrive, so a session never starts with a hunt.

Parts:

  • consumable: A5 mesh zip bag ×29
  • consumable: B5 mesh zip bag ×6
  • consumable: box for the skirt ring ×1
  • consumable: spare bins for the LDO-supplied parts and the greased rails
  • consumable: masking tape
  • tool: scissors
  • tool: marker

Do:

  1. Print the bin labels, two per sheet. Cut, trim each to its frame, slide it into its bag.
  2. 33 bins, 00-jigs … spare-alt: 29 of 48 A5 and 6 of 12 B5 mesh bags, plus 1 box.
Print batch Bins it fills
B00 — Calibration & jigs 00-jigs, 02-Z0
B01 — Z drive assemblies 02-Z0, 02-Z1, 02-Z2, 02-Z3, 02-deck
B02 — The accent day (all accent parts) 02-Z0 … 02-Z3, 04-A, 04-B, 05-XY, 06-Z-joints, 07-X, 08-SB, 08-CW2, 10-chains, 10-tft, 11-skirts, 11-fans, 11-door, spare-alt
B03 — A/B drive units + front idlers 04-A, 04-B
B04 — XY joints + X carriage 05-XY, 07-X
B05 — Z joints + Z chain 02-Z0 … 02-Z3, 06-Z-joints, 10-chains
B06 — Toolhead 08-SB, 08-CW2, spare-alt
B07 — Electronics bay + lighting 08-CW2, 09-bay, 10-lights, 11-finish, spare-alt
B08 — Skirts and front modules 10-tft, 11-skirts
B09 — Panels, filtration, spool 11-panels, 11-clips-4mm, 11-finish, 11-clips-6mm, 11-nevermore, 11-spool
B10 — Clicky-Clack door 11-door
B11 — Bay ducting (PETG V0) 09-ducts-DC, 09-ducts-AC, 10-lids-AC, 11-lids-DC
Add-ons after kit day, on no plate 13-scrubber, 14-exhaust

check Check

33 bins bagged or boxed and labelled, the batch-to-bin map posted where you sort, plus bins for the LDO-supplied parts and the greased rails.

Helper: Trims each label to its frame and slides it into the bag it names.

tip Tip

29 A5 bags are needed and 24 are on hand: buy one more pack of A5 mesh bags, 24 to a pack. The B5 stock covers its 6.

Source: print plan · survey

pause Good stopping point · ~25 min since the last one

since the last pause (pre-kit) — the tool and consumable decisions are made, the flat reference is verified and masked off, and the bins are labelled. Steps 00.7 and 00.12 wait for the kit.

Step 00.12 — Empty the fastener bags into the hardware trays

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: The Fasteners, Tools & Misc box and the three printed hardware trays. Each compartment's label gives size, head and kit count. Mixing sizes is easy and un-mixing them is not: M3×8, M3×12 and M3×16 differ only by a few millimetres of shank.

Parts:

  • staged: Fasteners, Tools & Misc box
  • tool: printed hardware trays A, B and C

Do:

  1. Read each bag against a compartment label: thread, length and head must all match.
  2. Tip the whole bag in, corners included.
  3. Flatten the empty bag and keep it in the kit box as a spare.

check Check

Every compartment holds one size, matching its label. Every bag is empty, flat and in the kit box.

Helper: Reads each bag's label aloud and points to the compartment with the same label.

tip Tip

between sessions, stack the trays; each closes the one below. Motion bags stay sealed in their box: bearings, pulleys, idlers and shafts have no compartment.

Source: LDO 350 Rev D BOM · print plan § Bench prints · Video: Part 1 @2:05:08

Heat-set inserts

Step 00.13 — Fit the brass tip and set the tongue flush

What you're looking at: The LDO brass tip, and the same tip set against an insert. The four-panel photo is the tip going into the iron: sleeve off, stock tip out, LDO tip in, sleeve on. The tongue is the thin pin that goes inside the insert.

Parts:

  • tool: LDO brass M3 heat-set tip
  • tool: soldering iron, cold
  • tool: one M3×5×4 kit insert as the tongue gauge, back in tray C after

Do:

  1. Iron off and cold: sleeve off, stock tip out, LDO tip in, sleeve on.
  2. Hold an insert alongside the tip and move the two knurled nuts until the exposed tongue length equals the insert height.

Check

With an insert on the tongue, the tongue tip and the insert's far face are level.

Kit day only

the LDO tip comes in the kit. Steps 00.14–00.15 ran months earlier at Gate B, on the iron's stock conical tip. The gauge insert goes back in tray C, and Ch 02 re-checks the temperature on this tip.

Tip

the adjustment nuts on LDO's own tool are themselves brass inserts. src

Source: LDO heat-set insert tool guide · Video: Part 3 @1:16:49

Good stopping point · ~35 min since the last one

kit day: the fastener bags are emptied into trays A–C and the trays are stacked, the LDO tip is in the iron with its tongue set flush, the iron is off and cooling, and the gauge insert is back in tray C. Steps 00.14–00.16 ran months ago at Gate B, so the next kit-day work is rail prep at Step 00.17.

Step 00.14 — Find the iron temperature on the practice coupon

What you're looking at: Manual p.31 shows the general insert operation: the blue pills are inserts going into real Z-drive bosses. The Heatset_Practice coupon is seven insert pockets. This step is Gate B's insert row, Step B00.7, run before the kit.

Parts:

  • Heatset_Practice coupon ×1
  • M3×H5 heat-set insert ×7 — from KADRICK kit
  • tool: soldering iron with its stock conical tip

Do:

  1. Start at the bottom of the iron's range, never where soldering left it, and step up 10 °C at a time.
  2. Sit each insert narrow end down by hand, then press the tip straight down until flush.

Check

Plastic very soft but not runny, the iron never lingering longer than seating takes, and the working temperature on tape on the iron.

Caution

Rev D+ / LDO: LDO publishes no temperature, and the technique guide on manual p.31 shows the method. ASA behaves differently from the PLA in most insert tutorials: calibrate on this ASA coupon, not on a PLA scrap, or the number you find will be wrong for all 153 kit inserts. The adult holds the iron; the helper never does.

Caution

The tip burns at a touch. Rest the iron in its stand between inserts, never on the bench, and keep a window open for the ASA fumes.

Source: Voron manual p.31 · LDO heat-set insert tool guide

Step 00.15 — Learn what a good insert looks like

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: The seven inserts you just set, one per pocket of the practice coupon. A good one is flush with the surface, square to it, and has not made the plastic boss around it swell. A swollen boss will not fit its neighbour.

Parts:

  • reused: the Heatset_Practice coupon and its seven inserts
  • tool: soldering iron
  • tool: flat cold tool, for the last 10 %

Do:

  1. Push each insert 90 % in with the iron, then press the last 10 % home with a flat cold tool.
  2. Check squareness by eye from two directions.
  3. Nudge a tilted insert briefly with the iron.

Check

Seven inserts flush to ≤ 0.2 mm proud, square, with no boss bulged more than 0.2 mm.

Caution

A bulged boss is a technique fault, too hot or pushed too fast, never a slicer fault. On a real part with a free-standing boss, caliper the boss OD before and after; on the coupon the raised ring is the tell. src · print plan §1.4

Source: LDO heat-set insert tool guide · print plan · Video: Part 1 @3:12:19

Step 00.16 — Plan the 153 inserts

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: No parts, the insert budget. The manual draws every insert with the same blue Heat Set Insert pill and no count, so the table below holds only the totals this manual could verify.

Parts: none.

Do:

  1. LDO ships 153 M3×5×4 brass inserts and all 153 stay for the build.
  2. Count them off each printed part.
  3. Run each pass per batch, off the plate, or by the step that closes the part, like 02.04.
Insert pass belongs to Manual page carrying the callout Count
Ch 02 — Z drive mains, retainers p.31 36 (7 × 4 retainers + 2 × 4 mains — verified against the STLs)
Ch 04 — A/B drive frames p.64 (verify on bench)
Ch 05 — X carriage and XY joints p.129 (verify on bench)
Ch 08 — Stealthburner and Clockwork 2 Stealthburner manual (verify on bench)
Ch 10 — power inlet, Z cable chain p.156, p.201 (verify on bench)
Ch 11 — skirt front cover, screen and fan modules, exhaust cover p.211, p.212, p.213, p.250 (verify on bench)
Supplied in the kit LDO Rev D 350 BOM 153

Check

The insert pass is written into your batch checklist as a gate, not a reminder.

Caution

Rev D+ / LDO: LDO does not state whether 153 includes spares. The practice seven are KADRICK inserts, so all 153 are load-bearing.

Source: Voron manual p.31 · LDO 350 Rev D BOM

Good stopping point · ~25 min since the last one

since the last pause (pre-kit) — Gate B's insert row is done: the working temperature is written on tape and the seven KADRICK inserts fill the coupon's seven pockets. Step 00.13 waits for kit day. Unplug the iron and let it cool before you walk away; the kit's own 153 inserts stay bagged for the build.

Rail preparation

Step 00.17 — Unbag the rails and immobilise every carriage

What you're looking at: Manual p.26: the linear rails and their carriages. A linear rail is a hardened steel bar with ball-bearing grooves down each side; the carriage is the block that rides on it. Its balls fall out if it runs off the end.

Parts:

  • 1× LDO-SLR12H-400Z1 stainless MGN12H (X axis)
  • 6× LDO-SLR9H-400Z0 stainless MGN9H (2× Y, 4× Z)

Do:

  1. Work one rail at a time, over the bench.
  2. Slide it out to reach the carriage and tape it to the rail.
  3. Band tape 15 mm from each end, remove the carriage tape, re-bag the rail.

check Check

Seven rails, each back in its own bag with two end stops on and none dropped. Bags laid flat, not stacked on each other.

Helper: Holds the rail flat on the bench while you tape the carriage and the end stops.

Caution

The carriage is designed to slide freely, which includes sliding off the end and spilling its ball bearings. Never work over the floor, never let a rail hang vertically with an untaped, unstopped carriage, and never let one fall: a dent or nick anywhere on the raceway makes that rail misbehave for the life of the machine.

tip Tip

a small zip tie round the rail does the same job and shrugs off the IPA; plastic end stoppers work if your rails shipped with them.

Source: Voron manual p.26 · Voron manual p.24 · LDO rail grease guide · Video: Part 1 @1:54:03

Step 00.18 — Degrease: IPA soak, then dry completely

What you're looking at: A rail in its own shipping bag with one corner cut off and IPA poured in: LDO's method makes the bag the soak tray. The rails ship coated in a shipping oil, not a lubricant; the soak dissolves it out of the ball tracks.

Parts:

  • staged: the seven rails, one at a time, end stops on
  • consumable: IPA ≥ 90%
  • consumable: nitrile gloves
  • tool: clean towel

Do:

  1. Cut a corner off the rail's bag and pour in IPA ≥ 90% to cover it.
  2. Work the carriage between the end stops for about 10 minutes.
  3. Drain, dry the rail on a towel, and repeat.

check Check

No oil film on the raceway, no visible wet IPA, both end-stop bands still tight, and the carriage running dry and slightly notchy. src

Caution

Gloves on and window open for the soak, with no iron, heater or flame running in the room. IPA softens masking-tape adhesive, so re-wrap any end-stop band that has slipped before the grease goes in.

tip Tip

the linked Nero 3D video is the reference demonstration of this whole procedure — manual p.24 QR, voron.link/agu0nes.

Source: LDO rail grease guide · Voron manual p.24 · Nero 3D rail prep video · Video: Part 1 @2:20:52

pause Good stopping point · ~30 min since the last one

all seven rails are soaked, end stops on, and laid out on a towel to dry. This is a genuine wait state: the IPA must evaporate completely (an hour at least, overnight is better) before grease goes in, so stopping here costs nothing. Do not start packing grease into a rail that is still damp.

Step 00.19 — Flip and pack

What you're looking at: Grease prepared in a syringe, and grease forced into a carriage through one of the rail's mounting holes. This is LDO's flip-and-pack method: upside down, the mounting hole lines up with the ball tracks, so grease reaches the bearings without taking the carriage apart.

Parts:

  • staged: one dried rail
  • consumable: Super Lube 21030
  • tool: 10 ml syringe with a blunt tip, or the tube nozzle

Do:

  1. Flip the rail so the carriage faces downwards.
  2. Slide the carriage over one of the rail's mounting holes and force grease through it.
  3. Keep going until grease oozes out at both end caps of the carriage.

check Check

Grease visible at both end caps of the carriage. The carriage now runs smooth and silent along the rail with no notchiness.

Source: LDO rail grease guide

Step 00.20 — Clean the rail surface back to bare steel

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: The greased rail and a cloth. Grease belongs inside the carriage; the polished outer faces of the rail are a running surface, and any film left there collects dust and hair and feeds it into the bearings.

Parts:

  • staged: one greased rail
  • consumable: lint-free cloth
  • MGN12_rail_guide_x2 ×2
  • MGN9_rail_guide_x2 ×2
  • staged: C extrusion ×1, for the guide test

Do:

  1. Stroke the carriage stop to stop to spread grease inside.
  2. Wipe every trace of grease off the rail's outside.
  3. Clip each guide over its rail on the spare C extrusion, locating with light finger pressure.

check Check

The rail is visibly clean and dry, the carriage slides smoothly and silently, and both guide sizes locate with light finger pressure, logged.

Helper: Clips each rail guide over the rail and says whether it seats with light finger pressure.

Caution

A guide that will not seat now, with Gate A and Gate B both passed, is more likely a burr on the extrusion or a string in the guide than the profile. Clean it and retry before you blame the slicer.

Source: LDO rail grease guide · Video: Part 1 @1:58:46

Step 00.21 — Label and bag the seven rails by destination

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: Seven finished rails, tape and a marker. One is the MGN12H that carries the toolhead on X; the six MGN9H split into two gantry Y rails and four vertical Z rails. Labelling them now stops a mix-up in Ch 02 and Ch 05.

Parts:

  • staged: the seven greased rails
  • consumable: masking tape
  • tool: marker
  • consumable: storage bin ×1

Do:

  1. Label the tape X for the MGN12H, Y1/Y2 and Z0/Z1/Z2/Z3 for the six MGN9H.
  2. Leave both end stops on until Ch 02 and Ch 05.
  3. Tape each carriage, bag each rail, and store them in one bin.

check Check

Seven labelled, bagged rails; end stops and carriage tape intact on all seven; bin stored flat and away from foot traffic.

Helper: Writes the seven rail labels X, Y1, Y2 and Z0 to Z3, and checks each bag.

Source: LDO rail grease guide · LDO 350 Rev D BOM · Video: Part 1 @1:54:30

Step 00.22 — Understand the rail jigs before you need them

What you're looking at: Manual p.25 draws the rail guides in green, its jig colour. A rail guide clips over the 2020 extrusion and the rail and holds the rail centred while you start the screws; the pulley_jig sets how far a pulley sits along a motor shaft.

Parts:

  • MGN9_rail_guide_x2 ×2
  • MGN12_rail_guide_x2 ×2
  • pulley_jig ×1

Do:

  1. Keep both rail-guide sizes with the jigs; the rails stay bagged now.
  2. Keep the pulley_jig in 00-jigs. It sets the A and B motor pulley heights in Ch 04.

check Check

Both guide sizes fitted, the MGN12 on the bare rail at Gate B and both on the extrusion at Step 00.20.

Caution

Rev D+ / LDO: two rail-mounting rules that override the manual's default from Ch 02 onward. First, do not use the end hole; use the second hole in from each end, per LDO Build Notes p.88. Second, tighten rail screws from the centre outward to pull the rail flush, leaving a ~3 mm gap between frame and rail bottom. src

Source: Voron manual p.25 · Voron manual p.24 · LDO Build Notes (Rev D) · Voron-2 STLs/Tools

pause Good stopping point · ~40 min since the last one

all seven rails greased, wiped back to bare steel, labelled X / Y1 / Y2 / Z0–Z3 and bagged, and both jig sizes test-fitted. Rail prep is per-rail work, so if you have to stop earlier, stop after a rail is packed, wiped and bagged — never with a carriage half-packed.

How to read the manual pages

Step 00.23 — Print guidelines (p.4)

What you're looking at: Manual p.4, the Voron print specification. These are the numbers the parts in this build are designed around: ABS or ASA, 0.2 mm layers, 4 perimeters, 5 solid top and bottom layers, 40 % infill. You print every part yourself.

Parts: none.

Do:

  1. Read the spec: ABS/ASA, 0.2 mm layers, forced 0.4 mm extrusion width, 4 perimeters, 5 solid top and bottom layers, 40% infill in grid, gyroid, honeycomb, triangle or cubic.
  2. Ignore the Print It Forward box.

check Check

Nothing to do on the bench. If your slicer profile disagrees with this page, the profile is wrong.

tip Tip

_x4 means four, regardless of how many bodies are in the file.

tip Tip

The infill spec makes parts stiff enough to hold a bearing and stable in a 60 °C chamber.

Source: Voron manual p.4 · slicer setup

Step 00.24 — File naming, and where to get help (p.5–6)

What you're looking at: Manual p.5–6, the STL filename convention and the two support routes. A prefix in square brackets sets the colour and a _xN suffix is how many the machine needs. The print plan and every parts table here use that convention.

Parts: none.

Do:

  1. Learn the filename convention: a bare name is primary colour, Galaxy Black; an [a]_ prefix is accent colour, ASA Blue; a _x# suffix is the quantity needed.
  2. Bookmark p.5–6's two help routes: Voron Discord, CAD on GitHub.

check Check

You can read [a]_z_belt_clip_lower_x4.stl as "accent colour, four required".

Source: Voron manual p.5 · Voron manual p.6 · print plan

Step 00.25 — Fastener names, part 1 (p.7)

What you're looking at: Manual p.7, the first half of the fastener vocabulary, each drawn beside its name. BHCS is a domed button head, SHCS a plain cylinder, FHCS a countersunk cone. Every Parts: line in this manual uses these names exactly.

Parts: none.

Do: Lay one of each on the bench next to the page; these names are the contract for every Parts line in this manual.

Name What it is
BHCS domed head, mostly M5
SHCS cylindrical head, the most common fastener in the machine
FHCS countersunk cone head, flat top
Self-tapping screwed straight into plastic
Hex nut M3 and M5
Heat-set insert brass, melted in
T-nut, roll-in drops into an extrusion slot after assembly, used everywhere
Hammerhead nut used exclusively for panel mounting; everything else takes a T-nut

check Check

You can pick a BHCS out of a bag by its dome and an SHCS by its straight cylinder without reading a label.

Helper: Picks one of each fastener out of the bags and lays it beside its name on the page.

Source: Voron manual p.7

Step 00.26 — Fastener names, part 2, and the spacer substitution (p.8)

What you're looking at: Manual p.8, the second half: bearings, spacers, pulleys and set screws. F695 and 625-2RS are both 5 mm-bore ball bearings with different jobs: F695 is flanged and lives in the A/B drives, 625-2RS is plain and lives in the Z drives.

Parts: none.

Do: Learn these, and note that the manual calls out a shim at every M5 location.

Part Spec
F695 flanged bearing 5×13×4 mm — A/B drives, front idlers, XY joints; 20 in the kit
625-2RS bearing 5×16×5 mm — Z drives only; 12 in the kit
shim DIN 988
washer DIN 125, M3 only
pulley, idler GT2
set screw grub screw
thumb nut bed spacer

check Check

You can tell the flanged 13 mm F695 from the plain 16 mm 625-2RS on sight; both are 5 mm bore.

Caution

Rev D+ / LDO: wherever this manual or the official one says M5 shim, your kit gives you a brass M5 1 mm precision spacer instead — 46 of them, and they replace the shim everywhere unless a step says otherwise. p.104 is the exception: use the black M5 washer there, which is cosmetic. src

tip Tip

the 16T and 20T GT2 pulleys look nearly identical: 16T goes on the Z motors, 20T everywhere else. Bag them separately during Ch 02 prep.

Source: Voron manual p.8 · LDO Build Notes (Rev D)

Step 00.27 — Drivers (p.9)

What you're looking at: Manual p.9, the drivers. A ball-end driver has a spherical tip that turns a screw at an angle, the only way to reach several joints in this frame. A plain hex tip grips more of the socket, for when you need force.

Parts:

  • tool: ball-end hex driver 2 mm
  • tool: ball-end hex driver 2.5 mm
  • tool: ball-end hex driver 3 mm
  • tool: plain hex driver 2.5 mm

Do:

  1. Put ball-end drivers in 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 mm on the bench.
  2. The 2.5 mm driver does the most work in the build.
  3. Keep the kit's L-wrenches as backup where a handle will not fit.

check Check

2, 2.5 and 3 mm ball-end drivers on the bench, plus a plain 2.5 mm where ball ends would cam out under load.

Source: Voron manual p.9

Step 00.28 — Blind joints (p.10)

What you're looking at: Manual p.10, the blind joint, the joint the frame is built from. A button-head screw threads into the tapped bore in the end of one extrusion, its head captured inside the slot of the mating extrusion, tightened through a small access hole in the side.

Parts: none.

Do:

  1. Watch the blind-joint video once before Ch 01.
  2. The screw goes in before the two extrusions are brought together; you tighten it through the access hole afterwards.

check Check

You can point at the access hole on a 2020 extrusion and describe which way the BHCS goes in.

Source: Voron manual p.10 · blind-joint video · Video: Part 1 @0:54:58

Step 00.29 — How to read an exploded view, and the page-number contract (p.11)

What you're looking at: Manual p.25, where every drawing convention shows at once. p.11 itself is a divider page. Blue is what you add, grey what you already built, green a printed jig; the cube says which way round the machine is drawn.

Parts: none.

Do: Learn the manual's visual conventions, all visible on p.25.

In the drawing Meaning
blue part what you are adding at this page
grey/white structure you have already built
blue rounded pill names a part or fastener, with a leader line to it
wireframe cube, top-left, labelled Top / Back / Front which way round the machine you are looking
green a printed jig or tool, not a machine part
plain dimension arrow with a bare number a millimetre gap you must leave
red heading section title or warning

Then note the contract that makes this manual possible: the official PDF has not changed since 2023-07-18, and LDO's Build Notes are a page-indexed diff pinned to that exact commit. Every p.XX reference in these chapters points at a page number that will not move. Pages like p.11 are dividers with no assembly content — they still get a page number, so do not assume a missing step when a page looks empty.

check Check

Open any page in Ch 02 and identify, without reading the text, which part is new and which way the machine is facing.

Source: Voron manual p.11 · Voron manual p.25

pause Good stopping point · ~25 min since the last one

since the last pause (pre-kit) — you have read the manual's front matter (p.4–11) and can read a filename, a fastener name and an exploded view. Nothing physical is in progress.

Measurement log and lifelines

Step 00.30 — Start the measurement log

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: A notebook. A handful of numbers in this build cannot be re-derived later: the deck panel thickness, the frame diagonals, the belt frequency, the probe accuracy sigma. Each one gates a decision several chapters downstream.

Parts:

  • tool: notebook, or a shared note on the iPad

Do:

  1. Start a log with one line per measurement: what you measured, the number, the date, and the step it came from. Your daughter owns it.
  2. Four matter most, plus the date of the two gating questions.
Measurement Where it comes from
deck panel thickness Step 00.4, on kit day; 3 mm was already printed in B01, and 4 mm means an 8 g reprint
frame diagonals Ch 01
belt frequency Ch 07, and again in Ch 14
PROBE_ACCURACY sigma Ch 13

check Check

The log exists the week B00 prints, holding the flat-reference gap; the deck thickness and inventory result join on kit day.

Helper: Rules the log columns and writes in each number you call out.

Source: survey

Step 00.31 — Join the three lifelines now

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: No parts, three chat channels. Fabreeko is the vendor and owns anything missing or wrong in the box; the Voron Discord is the community; #ldo_motors inside it is LDO's own channel and the place their Build Notes send Rev D corrections.

Parts: none.

Do: Join all three before the kit arrives.

Channel What it is for
Fabreeko Discord, discord.gg/NV8Y6bcerP missing or wrong parts and anything vendor-specific; linked from the SKU page
Voron Discord, discord.gg/voron general build questions, in #voron_2_questions
#ldo_motors inside the Voron Discord, channel link LDO's own support channel, where their Build Notes page directs Rev D corrections

check Check

All three joined, notifications on for #ldo_motors.

Source: LDO Build Notes (Rev D) · LDO batch BOM index

Step 00.32 — Post the two questions that gate later chapters

(no image — see text)

What you're looking at: No parts, two questions with slow answers. Both concern gaps in LDO's published documentation for Rev D+: the toolboard grounding scheme, and whether any STL changed. Both gate printing or wiring work several weeks out.

Parts: none.

Do:

  1. Post both questions today; each has days of answer latency.
  2. Quote the Fabreeko order number F6424626; neither needs the kit serial.
Ask for Where Gates
the written Nitehawk-SB V2 grounding procedure: what bonds to what, with what wire, and at which mounting point on usb_adapter_mount_partial_cover #ldo_motors Ch 10
confirmation that no STL changed between Rev D and Rev D+ apart from the USB-adapter cover, and whether a D+ wiring guide has been posted Fabreeko Discord batches B06 and B07, the toolhead and electronics-bay parts

check Check

Both questions posted and the date noted in the log; if either is unanswered when batch B06 is due, ask again rather than assume.

Caution

The V2 repo ships Images/grounding_scheme.jpg, Images/toolboard_ground_routing.jpg and Images/usb_adapter_gnd.jpg with no accompanying prose in any LDO document, while the V2 change list claims "vastly improved ESD performance". Treat the grounding as a required build step in Ch 08 and Ch 10, not an option.

Caution

LDO publishes Printed Parts Guides for Rev A/B, C and D only; printed_part_guide_rev_d_plus returns 404, and the whole print plan runs on Fabreeko's statement that D+ is an electrical change.

Source: LDO Nitehawk-SB V2 board doc · LDO printed parts guide (Rev D) · survey

pause Good stopping point · ~20 min since the last one

since the last pause (pre-kit) — measurement log started, all three Discord channels joined and both gating questions posted. Work through Checkpoint 00 before you open Ch 01.

Checkpoint 00

  • Both cartons inventoried against your batch's BOM page; Check1 ticked on every line; shortages written down and reported to Fabreeko.
  • Deck panel calipered on kit day; if it measures 4 mm, deck_support_4mm_x8 reprinted (8 g, 30 min). B01-P2 printed the 3 mm set months earlier, on the BOM's word.
  • Nitehawk board confirmed as a V2: PH2.0 on PROBE/TH0/CT/Endstop, XH on MOTOR, secondary USB port present, fan-adapter header keyed. The stm32g0b1xx USB-serial check is written into the Ch 12 notes.
  • XY endstop cable labels read XES / YES, or the re-pin guide is bookmarked.
  • Ten LDO-supplied printed parts binned and labelled "DO NOT PRINT". The V2 usb_adapter_mount_partial_cover.stl found in bin 08-CW2 (B07-P1); the spare V1 cover in spare-alt.
  • Every fastener bag emptied into its labelled compartment in trays A–C, flattened and kept in the kit box; trays stacked.
  • Every "Buy" row in Step 00.8 ordered or consciously skipped. Grease and IPA on the bench.
  • Flat reference verified in five positions; worst feeler gap ≤ 0.1 mm and recorded; working area masked off and protected.
  • Seven practice inserts set (one per coupon pocket): flush to ≤ 0.2 mm proud, square, boss not bulged > 0.2 mm. Working iron temperature written on the iron.
  • All 7 rails: end stops taped 15 mm from each end, soaked 10 min in IPA ≥ 90% in their own bags, dried an hour or more, flip-and-packed until grease oozed at both end caps, rail surfaces wiped clean, labelled X / Y1 / Y2 / Z0–Z3, carriage taped, bagged with the end stops still on.
  • Gate B's bore and insert rows passed months ago (Step B00.7), so B01–B06 are long since printed; its rail row is done out of carton 1 on kit day, then both guide sizes fitted rail-plus-extrusion with light finger pressure (Step 00.20). The 625-2RS press row signs off from the same carton.
  • 33 bins labelled from the bin-labels sheet (00-jigs … spare-alt, print/README.md § Bins), each in the bag or box its label names, and the batch → bin map posted on the wall.
  • Measurement log (Step 00.30) holds the flat-reference gap, the deck panel thickness and the inventory result.
  • Fabreeko Discord, Voron Discord and #ldo_motors joined; both gating questions posted.
Revali passing a gate
You built a counted kit, a verified bench and seven greased rails. 9 gummy worms.

Common mistakes

  • Installing a rail before greasing it. Flip-and-pack needs the back of the rail. Once it is on an extrusion your only options are to take it off again or run it dry and wear it out (survey §5.2 W9).
  • Leaving grease on the rail surface. It looks well-lubricated and it is not — the film collects dust and hair and drags it into the carriage. Grease belongs inside the carriage only.
  • Lubricating before the IPA has fully evaporated. The residue emulsifies with the grease and you get a milky paste with none of the film strength. Give the rails longer to dry than you think they need.
  • Letting a carriage run off the end of a rail. The balls fall out and the carriage is scrap. Tape it the moment the bag is open, and fit the two end stops before the soak — they stay on until the rail is lying on its extrusion at the install step (Ch 02 Step 02.06, Ch 05 Steps 05.11/05.33).
  • Practising heat-set inserts on PLA. ASA softens at a different temperature; the setting you find on a PLA scrap will run too cold or too hot on all 153 kit inserts.
  • Tipping a bag into the wrong compartment. M3×8, M3×12 and M3×16 are indistinguishable once mixed, and there are 283 of the first one. Read the bag against the label before you tip it, and stack the trays between sessions.
  • Resolving the deck thickness from the documents. LDO's guide and LDO's BOM contradict each other. Only the caliper settles it. B01 printed the 3 mm clips on the BOM's word; if the deck calipers 4 mm, print deck_support_4mm_x8 (8 g, 30 min) before Ch 02.

Next

Ch 01 — Frame: sort and prepare the 18 extrusions and build the squared frame on the reference surface you just verified.