Alternative suppliers

Is our recommended supplier not in your country or out of stock? Check the component’s individual tech specs for links to alternative suppliers.

OpenBuilds

OpenBuilds and the people behind it are a fantastic supplier for many of FarmBot’s parts. They have fast, reasonably priced shipping and they always package their products well so that they are not damaged in transit. Plus, all of their components are open-source!

OpenBuilds also has distributors for many of their components in other countries:

Qty. Description $/Unit $ Total
4 20mm x 40mm x 1500mm V-Slot Aluminum Extrusions, Black Anodized (Track Extrusions) $21.45 $85.80
1 20mm x 60mm x 1500mm V-Slot Aluminum Extrusion, Black Anodized (you will need to cut it down into two 650mm sections for the Gantry Columns) $25.30 $25.30
1 20mm x 60mm x 1500mm V-Slot Aluminum Extrusion, Black Anodized (Gantry Main Beam) $25.30 $25.30
1 20mm x 20mm x 1000mm V-Slot Aluminum Extrusion, Black Anodized (Z-Axis Extrusion) $11.00 $11.00
16 M5 x 6mm Aluminum Spacers $0.20 $3.20
2 M5 x 20mm Aluminum Spacers $0.45 $0.90
14 M5 x 6mm Eccentric Spacers $2.00 $28.00
30 Polycarbonate Xtreme V-Wheels $3.60 $108.00
30 Precision Shims $0.40 $26.40
12m GT2 Timing Belt $8.20/m $98.40
3 20 Tooth GT2 Pulleys $5.50 $16.50
1 8mm x 1000mm ACME Leadscrew $31.50 $31.50
1 Delrin Leadscrew Block $6.95 $6.95
1 12V, 30A Power Supply $35.00 $35.00
  TOTAL   $502.25

Big Blue Saw

Big Blue Saw specialized in water jet cutting. The table below is for all the 5mm thick 6061 aluminum plates in FarmBot. While Big Blue Saw does not usually stock 5mm thick 6061, the 3/16” stock will work just fine.

Qty. Description $/Unit (estimate) $ Total (estimate)
2 Track End Plates $5.00 $10.00
4 Track Joining Plates $5.00 $20.00
2 Gantry Plates $15.00 $30.00
2 Gantry Corner Plates $5.00 $10.00
1 Gantry Motor Mount Plate $5.00 $5.00
1 Cross-Slide Plate $20.00 $20.00
1 Z-Axis Cable Carrier Mount $5.00 $5.00
2 Tool Bay Plates $15.00 $30.00
4 Tool Bay Mounting Plates $5.00 $20.00
6 Belt Clips $3.00 $18.00
  TOTAL   $168.00

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is known for their huge selection of high quality components, fast shipping, comprehensive tech specs, easy to use online catalog, and great customer service. While they are a little pricier than most suppliers, we recommend purchasing the following components from them.

Qty. Description McMaster Part # $/Unit $ Total
14 M3 x 10mm Screws 90666A105 $0.08 $1.12
4 M3 x 20mm Screws 90666A108 $0.17 $0.68
12 M3 x 30mm Screws 90666A335 $0.17 $2.04
6 M3 x 5mm Setscrews 91313A122 $0.25 $1.50
4 M4 x 5mm Setscrews 91313A137 $0.25 $1.00
24 M3 Locknuts 93625A100 $0.04 $0.96
116 M5 x 10mm Screws 92095A208 $0.12 $13.92
23 M5 x 16mm Screws 92095A212 $0.17 $3.91
22 M5 x 30mm Screws 92095A218 $0.27 $5.94
48 M5 Washers 93475A240 $0.03 $1.44
60 M5 Locknuts 93625A200 $0.08 $4.80
1 Electronics Housing 1037N9 $32.34 $32.34
7m 2 Wire Cable (for Peripherals and Tool Jumpers) 9697T2 $7.00 $7.00
6m 1/4” ID, 3/8” OD Masterkleer PVC Tubing 5233K56 $0.79/m $4.74
3m 12-Wire, 20 Gauge Cable (for the UTM) 8082K14 $19.20 $19.20
3 1/4” Miniature Barbs (for the UTM) 4406T14 $5.60 $16.80
1 1/4” to 1/2” NPT Barbed Adapter 5372K174 $1.30 $1.30
1 Garden Hose Adapter 70815T43 $4.17 $4.17
3 O-Rings 1171N145 $0.27 $0.81
4 Grommets 9600K33 $0.07 $0.27
1 Pack of 100 3” Black Zip Ties 7130K102 $7.19 $7.19
  TOTAL     $131.13

Shapeways

Shapeways is the lowest cost consumer 3D printing service available. While they are the lowest cost, don’t expect these parts to be cheap from them. To be honest you are better off 3D printing these parts yourself for a fraction of the cost, but in case you don’t have a printer or don’t have the time to print them yourself, we recommend Shapeways. Select their “Strong and Flexible Plastic” as the material when checking out.

Qty. Component $/Unit Subtotal
1 Long Cable Carrier Mount $13.84 $13.84
19 Cable Carrier Supports $12.43 $236.17
1 Z-Axis Motor Mount $40.99 $40.99
3 Horizontal Motor Cover $32.50 $97.50
1 Vertical Motor Cover $48.41 $48.41
4 Z-Axis Cable Carrier Guides $8.51 $34.04
1 Universal Tool Mount $56.15 $56.15
1 Universal Tool Mount Cover $23.68 $23.68
1 Seeder $18.00 $18.00
1 Watering Nozzle $18.00 $18.00
1 Weeder $18.00 $18.00
1 Soil Sensor Mount $18.00 $18.00
2 Seed Bins $22.00 $44.00
2 Seed Pucks $15.00 $30.00
1 Camera Mount $30.00 $30.00
1 Camera Cover $30.00 $30.00
2 Cable Clips $10.00 $20.00
  TOTAL   $776.78

Amazon

Amazon has everything from A to Z, including these parts and tools you’ll need for your FarmBot:

Qty. Description $/Unit $ Total
1 Raspberry Pi 3 $40.00 $40.00
1 Vacuum Pump $45.58 $45.58
12 Compression Springs $1.73 $20.76
1 Hex Driver Set $14.50 $14.50
1 8mm Socket $2.49 $2.49
1 Ratchet Wrench $11.99 $11.99
1 8mm Wrench $4.99 $4.99
1 Wire Stripper $11.79 $11.79
  TOTAL   $152.10

Adafruit

Adafruit is a popular online shop for maker/hacker/DIY products. We recommend getting the following items from them:

Qty. Description $/Unit $ Total
1 5mm to 8mm Flex Coupling $4.95 $4.95
1 12V to 5V UBEC DC/DC Step-Down (Buck) Converter $9.95 $9.95
1 1/2” NPS to 1/2” NPS Solenoid Valve $6.95 $6.95
  TOTAL   $21.85

Alibaba

Alibaba is not your average online store or marketplace. You can’t just add stuff to a cart and check out. Instead, you must find a supplier or factory of the parts you need, open up a conversation with them, get quoted, and then make a payment. Then it could be anywhere between 2 and 8 weeks before you receive your parts because they have to make them and ship them across the ocean!

We do not recommend individuals purchase parts through Alibaba, though sometimes it is the only option available. We anticipate having a FarmBot shop soon where you can purchase these few parts from us directly. In the meantime, best of luck!

Qty. Description $/Unit $ Total
66 625-2RS Stainless Steel Rubber Sealed Ball Bearings (16 x 5 x 5mm) $0.40 $26.40
3 NEMA 17 Stepper Motors with Rotary Encoders and Cables (One each with 1m, 3m and 5m length cables) $70.00 $210.00
  TOTAL   $236.40

Home Depot

More power. More doing. That’s the power of the Home Depot. Feel free to pick up these parts at any local hardware store.

Qty. Description $/Unit $ Total
20 1” Wood Screws $0.10 $2.00
1 3/4” to 3/4” Garden Hose Thread 25PSI Pressure Regulator $5.27 $5.27
  TOTAL   $7.27

Apex Magnets

Qty. Description $/Unit $ Total
12 15 x 5 x 5mm Ring Magnets $1.69 $20.28

Sainsmart

Qty. Description $/Unit $ Total
1 Arduino Mega, RAMPS shield, Pololu stepper drivers, jumper pins, USB cable $49.00 $49.00

Inventables

Qty. Description $/Unit $ Total
4 15mm 40mm x 1000mm Cable Carrier $25.45 $101.80

SparkFun

Qty. Description $/Unit $ Total
1 Soil Moisture Sensor $4.95 $4.95