A FEW SUGGESTIONS FROM THE FIELD:
ASSEMBLY:
The holes on the feet should be elongated (Y axis) to allow you to slide each side back and forth when squaring up the machine. The way it is now means that if you don’t get the screws in perfectly at ninety degrees, the sides could be skewed in one direction or another and cause the machine to be out of square. At least add one slot to lock it in place while you put the other screws in.
You should include a notch on the inside of each foot that could be used as a reference point when squaring the machine manually. Alternatively, add angled notches to the bottom of each foot and provide thin alignment cables that can be attached from corner to corner and are marked in the middle to allow you to align the machine more easily.
Although the online directions are good, it’s really annoying when you complete a section only to find out that if you are assembling the 30 x 48, that the procedure is different and that you need to go to a different section. This should be moved to the top of those sections so you don’t complete an assembly only to find out that you have to undo it and do it differently.
The Auto Zero Touch plate is pretty, but way too slick. Put some texture (or Indents) on it so it’s easier to hold. I’m currently using painters tape.
Add a fourth inductive Sensor so that the machine can align the left and right stepper motors when they get out of alignment. It happens.
Figure out which cable(s) is/are subject to EMI. This seems to be a consistent problem if the posts on the forums are any indication. I bought the VERY shielded spindle cables and USB cables and still had issues until I remove the spindle cable from the drag chain. Those random disconnects are not fun in the middle of a job. Since one or more of the cables in the drag chain is obviously causing this disconnect issue, you should as default provide cables with better shielding, or at least provide an alternate cable kit to address this issue. I am sure people would pay a few more dollars to not have this issue and to not have to figure out how to route the cables outside of the drag chain to eliminate this issue.
Determining the correct tension for the ANTI-Backlash nuts with the split washers is a pain in the ass. Add metal sleeves to the nut so that is can not move once it is tightened down. Yes I realize that this would assume that all other tolerances are tightened correctly and that the lead screw is straight, but is would take a lot of the guesswork out of adjusting them and trying to figure out what the hell that squealing noise is. I would even rather use a torque wrench and have metal sleeves to reach a definitive tension.
Just a few things that gave me headaches while assembling and learning.
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Thanks for the feedback @Windlasher. Just to clarify, which LongMill version do you have, and does it have the LongBoard or SLB?
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I have the super long board on the 30 x 48.
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Understood 
Thanks for the feedback on the hole, very thorough. I’ve got some follow-up so let me know if I’m on-track or not:
- I see what you’re meaning by slotting the holes on the Y-axis feet. I think your idea of just slotting one for the purpose of holding the foot in place to add the other screws is a neat idea that I might consider, since slotting the main fastening holes would make the Y-axis rails less secure (they could move along the slot over time)
- The feet have notches on their tops as pointed out in the assembly manual for the purpose of measuring the diagonals with a measuring tape, did you not find this worked as intended? could you maybe provide a crude drawing of what you’re trying to explain regarding a notch that’s maybe larger or in a different location?
- That’s fair enough, maybe we’ll consider trying to find a new approach for this. On the one hand putting the step at the top adds more confusion to those assembling the smaller machines, while adding it to the bottom adds more confusion to those assembling the 48x30
- When you’re talking about the AutoZero being slick, are you meaning that’s it’s hard to hold onto with your hands? I’d be interested to see the indents you added
- Fourth inductive sensor is in the pipeline to help with auto-squaring, though no release date yet. I’ll note that even with the sensor the machine still has to be assembled relatively squared and the 2nd Y sensor would only be able to add a small amount of fine-tuning on homing
- EMI is interesting to hear about. From what I’ve seen on the forum and the customer support we do, basically anyone with an SLB hasn’t seen EMI (this is why I asked what you had) compared with our older board, and those that have have typically found that either their USB cable was coming loose, trying a new USB cable fixed the issue, or switching to Ethernet fixed the issue. I fully understand the benefit that cable shielding can offer and respect it’s use, but the SLB design so far has proven that shielding and cable management that you’re suggesting shouldn’t be necessary on this class of machine - since we also use this setup on our AltMill CNC alongside the spindle kit we sell and haven’t seen any real issue. Would love to hear more feedback from you on this though
- Id assume based on this point that you received our black nuts, rather than the newer white nuts that are self tensioning? If so then the new nuts I think effectively solve this problem you’ve mentioned
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Sorry for the delayed response:
I didn’t see the part about the notches. Ill make note of that.
I was just thinking that you could put the link to the alternate section underneath the title. “If assembling 30 x 48, follow these instructions instead” sort of thing.
The auto zero touch plate is smooth… too smooth. I out some painters tape around mine to make it easier to grip while holding it up against the corner of the material.
For the EMI, I abought all new shielded cables and the disconnects only stopped when I removed the spindle cable outside the chain.
No, I have the white nuts, but every once in a while I have to tighten them or losten them. Not sure why.
Thanks for the response.
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Sounds good Vincent, thanks for the clarification 
I’ve put some notes down and will see if/when it might be possible for me to fit them in. Thanks for taking the time to let us know about your thoughts and feedback!