Read Before Building

This page is a list of tips, tricks, and notes that you should take note of before building. Reading this page will hopefully help you avoid some common mistakes and better prepare you for building and operating your own LoCO.

IF YOU FIND A POINT OF CONFUSION IN THE DOCS, PLEASE LET US KNOW SO THAT WE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH THE INFORMATION AND CORRECT THE DOCS.

General Advice

• Make sure you have a parts tray for LoCO so that you don't mix up your screws.
• Always double-check the O-rings on your end caps. If they are left out and dry for extended periods of time, they can crack and become less effective seals.

Building Advice

• For wires, buy 1.5-2 times more than you think you need. For cheap electrical components, consider buying 2 so that you have a spare. For screws, definitely buy 2x.
• Go slowly. Mistakes are often caused by hasty "this will work for now" construction policies.

Deployment Advice

• While you can get by with a hand vacuum pump, buy an electrical one.
• When going into the field, always carry spares of your 3D printed parts, in case the parts on the robot break in transit (which is when it's most likely)
• If adding a new piece of hardware, please be 100% sure that it will fit. LoCO has very limited internal space (although you could potentially add an inch or two to each tube).