Update MicroSMT 'Bing Feeder

[Brian Piccioni]

I few weeks ago I followed a discussion here which mentioned the MicroSMT Bing Feeder. 

It caught my attention because I have a PandaPlacer and the major frustration I have with it is the Bamboofeeders because they are so unreliable. 

So I posted asking for feedback on MicroSMT and then ordered a couple of Bing Feeders as a sort of trial. It turns out you can assemble and test the feeders with only a 7V power supply (actually I've tested them and they work fine at 5 volts, though probably not recommended).

Anyhow I figure I'd report back that I am impressed: although the Bing Feeder is electrically more complex the use of a motorized sprocket tape drive and (separately) motorized cover tape peeler is a much better system than the Bamboo Feeder by far. Not only that, but it seems likely to me that if I have a problem with the Bing Feeder I can probably figure out what's wrong. The Bamboo Feeder has a number of mechanical parts which have to function just right in order for it to work and their function seems to be dependent on things like the quality and material of the 3D print, tightness of screws, adjustments, tape characteristics, and so on. I don't seem to be able to reliably figure why they don't work or stop working.

In general, electrical is better than mechanical and feedback is better than no feedback so given my limited experience in PnP, the Bing Feeder seems to be hands down better than the Bamboo Feeder. Both of my samples functioned perfectly after a short debug (the wiring of the motors got me: the sprocket motor rotates counter clockwise, the tape peeler clockwise, and apparently you can't rely on the motor markings).

Even though I remain concerned MicroSMT relies on Discord instead of a proper forum I decided to purchase a MicroSMT PnP. 

I probably could have figured out a way to adapt the Bing Feeder to the PandaPlacer, but the MicroSMT offers a big discount on feeders if you buy them with the machine so the cost difference is not that much.

[bert shivaan]

thank you Brian for the feedback

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[bing l]

(separately) motorized cover tape peeler is a much better system than the Bamboo Feeder by far

  This isn't my original idea. It was adapted from the 0816 feeder, and this design has existed for at least 10 years.  

I’ve never understood why Bamboo removed it—was it just to save one  dollar? 

 look ,  It has an extremely complex mechanical transmission. It takes quite a lot of time just to understand how it works. I haven't tested it, so I don't know about its stability,  Besides, the tape will  fills up quickly.  

It appears that the principle behind how they drive the tape is also exactly the same. 

  Simply being cheap is not the right direction ,   should not recommend a solution that has proven to have many flaws and cannot be improved to new players.

  So what I want to say to new OpenPnP users is: if you want an automatic feeder, only go with the sprocket feeder design — whether it’s Lumen’s, AFARCO’s, or others. This will save you a great deal of time and effort.  

[bing l]

  Our feeder wasn’t reliable right from the start. The initial version had many issues, and lots of people on Discord contributed improvement ideas. Using springs at the bottom to support the tape and stop tiny resistors like 0402 from popping out due to vibration was an idea from an American user.  This is the reason it can accommodate all types of tape.      Unfortunately, Discord buried all the conversations.

  

在2026年9月13日星期日 UTC+8 22:06:58<nair...@gmail.com> 写道：

[Michael Scott]

I’ve been watching this exchange about bamboo feeders for sometime and it seems to me that it’s turned from an honest exchange to a trashing of late. I’ve owned a panda placer for 2 1/2 years. I have it maxed out with AS2 bamboo feeders. I’ve printer the plastic parts 4 separate times, 6 different pla & ptg vendors, I have a 1.7% failure rate, all cover tape related. All fixable with an adjustment to the 4 parts used to create a slip-clutch mechanism. My average board has 200 - 250 components, 40 - 60 different types. When you compare this to production assembly equipment it’s about the same, and much better then first generation production equipment. All that in a footprint 1/3 the size. It’s slower for sure, but because of it much lower cost, the speed is less important. No debt load. 

I’m a design engineer, I owned my own contract electronics manufacturing business for 47 years. I owned 1st to 3rd generation assembly equipment and spent over 2 million dollars purchasing them over the life of my company. In my hay day I had 1 thru-hole, and 3 SMT assembly lines, equipment from Quad, Mydata, Siemens, vitronics, etc.

For anyone interested I still have a Mydata TP-18, Mydata MY-9, semiauto screen printer, 2 reflow ovens, and 8 SNEMA board conveyors of different sizes for sale. The placement machines and reflow ovens are all 3 phase, so be aware.

That’s my experience for what it’s worth.

Michael Scott

---- On Mon, 14 Sep 2026 23:49:24 -0400 bing l<tianl...@gmail.com> wrote ----

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[Luke Bayes]

I've never used a Bamboo feeder, so I can't speak to the core subject matter, but I appreciate the balanced take and bonafides are impressive!

Thanks Michael.

Luke

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/openpnp/1a0a5010428.59f066a2108860.2542149823414988407%40selds.com.

[Brian Piccioni]

I understand Bing has skin in the game but I do not. 

My experience with Bamboo Feeders is that I can't place more than a few parts without having to pause or restart, mostly because of cover tape issues but often enough because a feeder cycles without actually moving the tape. I have spent many hours trying to adjust the various parts of the feeder to reduce these problems. 

I understand some of that might be a me problem, but my aim is not to learn how to debug feeder issues but to assemble boards. I imagine most people who buy a PandaPlacer are like me, namely new to PnP in general, rather than experienced like you. I don't regret buying the PandaPlacer because it was inexpensive and got me going. 

I would hope that PandaPlacer fix the issues with the bamboo feeder. After all I seriously considered adapting the Bing Feeder to the PandaPlacer and may still do so.

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