Quote Originally Posted by SparkyLabs View Post
this is by no means meant to be a pick and place machine but a helping hand. I am just trying to divy the work up between me and the machine. I will do what I do best which is visually check all is well and give the OK and the machine will do what i waste time doing which is trying to get parts out of tapes and find where an the board they go.
Okay, I have more questions (and more challenges) with what you say - but I think you know your own mind. An hour soldering under a stereo mic is enough for me and my back - so I appreciate your intent. Despite this, progressing this will be a project no matter what.

If I was looking to do this within the use/cost constraints you say, I'd pick up the most physically robust of the GRBL-based machines and look to adapt the firmware or integrate with the control software a joystick/joypad controller. The mechanical builds are... appropriate for your use-case (and it pains me to say that). You're not going to get fantastic placement speeds - imagine 5 seconds traverse speeds in the working area. but that gives you time to think. I've since read that the thread pitch on at least one of those machines is 5mm, so that's higher resolution (but lower speed) than I mentioned earlier.

It's a project no matter how you look at it. It's do-able, I wish you luck. Personally - mic, a pot of of tweezers, soldering pencil and frequent breaks. But I rarely go north of a 100 components on the occasional board.