Sourcing rods

Sourcing the rods for the SMuFF project might become a bit of a challenge. All rods except the transmission gear rod can be found in most RC-Car/Hobby/Home Improvement stores or even on Amazon.

For the transmission gear rod you have to use a D-Shaft type with an outer diameter of 5mm. A ordinary 5mm rod wouldn't allow the grub screws of the lower Bondtech gear to dive down as deep as needed and, eventually, when the lid is closed, the upper gear and the grub screw will rub against each other.

If you don't mind, you can use an ordinary 5mm rod and shave of about 1mm and create your own D-Shaft. That's why I've recommended a brass rod. It's far easier to file or grind if you have to.

Another alternative would be to find a Hex-Shaft type with an outer diameter of 5mm (that's measured from the corners, not the flats - those are supposed to be around 4mm).

Please notice: In the past I've been recommending ordering some pre-made D-Shafts from a shop named Powge over on AliExpress. Unfortunately it turned out the quality of the rods they deliver sucks and a couple of people complained Powge sent them bent rods. That's a no go, and hence I won't recommend them anymore.

This part of the SMuFF is crucial for its function. If you're using bent rods, the whole motion system will not work as it's intended to and hence it will frustrate you in the end.

If you have a recommendation for some quality D-Shaft rods somewhere on the internet, please drop me a hint over on Discord.