Worth Upgrading?

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SoCalSteve
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Worth Upgrading?

Post by SoCalSteve »

I have an old V2 that I bought back in 2014. Then I started having some issues with it and couldn't ever get solid help. The printer stayed offline for a few years and when I came back to it, still no solutions. then back to storage. finally, I got it working mostly. the issue I had was that when printing a circle, the hot end would rise in between the pillars. just minding my business one day the solution came to me, so I pulled out the old printer.

My screen turns on but doesn't seem to want to display anything. I thought twisting the knob and pushing it in used to make noise, but neither of those things seem to matter. So if nothing else, I need a new screen, right? since this is a v2 and the BOSS 300 is basically a v6, is it worth upgrading the v2? Seems silly to trash the v2 and buy 80% of the same thing in a v5/6. would there be much value in getting new motors and skates (i don't think I can get these separately)?
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Re: Worth Upgrading?

Post by geneb »

Best bang for your buck would be a Duet3D controller and an SE300 hot end (or a hot end of your choice and a Duet Smart Effector).

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SoCalSteve
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Re: Worth Upgrading?

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I contacted HQ and asked if they could build me an upgrade kit for my shopping cart. They said there was no direct path from v2 to v5, so in short, no.

My plan:
1. order a duet 3. My understanding is that they run the same, but the 3 is the future and can handle more current if needed: https://www.duet3d.com/duet3mainboard6hc
2. SE300 Hotend v1.4 - is there a better choice? :https://www.seemecnc.com/products/se300 ... 4357409886
3. should I then get the whip?: https://www.seemecnc.com/products/assem ... 5584&_ss=r
4. Carbon Arms - https://www.seemecnc.com/collections/pa ... set-of-six
5. 3 more metal ball joints for my cheapskates. is there any reason why someone would select plastic?: https://www.seemecnc.com/collections/pa ... -one-piece

Should I be looking at anything else? An extruder upgrade? PSU? Is there any significant improvement with the injection molded cheapskates? It seems like the v2 wood is the same thing, right?: https://www.seemecnc.com/products/injec ... rriage-set
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Re: Worth Upgrading?

Post by geneb »

SoCalSteve wrote: Mon Jul 18, 2022 6:11 pm I contacted HQ and asked if they could build me an upgrade kit for my shopping cart. They said there was no direct path from v2 to v5, so in short, no.

My plan:
1. order a duet 3. My understanding is that they run the same, but the 3 is the future and can handle more current if needed: https://www.duet3d.com/duet3mainboard6hc
2. SE300 Hotend v1.4 - is there a better choice? :https://www.seemecnc.com/products/se300 ... 4357409886
3. should I then get the whip?: https://www.seemecnc.com/products/assem ... 5584&_ss=r
The SE300 is a complete assembly - you just plug it in and go. I don't think you can even get it as a kit.
Yes, get the whip - it will make your life a lot easier. :)
5. 3 more metal ball joints for my cheapskates. is there any reason why someone would select plastic?: https://www.seemecnc.com/collections/pa ... -one-piece
The Delrin ball joint parts were the first ones available, so they're still available. :)
Should I be looking at anything else? An extruder upgrade? PSU? Is there any significant improvement with the injection molded cheapskates? It seems like the v2 wood is the same thing, right?: https://www.seemecnc.com/products/injec ... rriage-set
I think the extruder design changed slightly since the v2, but you can ask them if the v2 Extruder can take the filament runout sensor, which is something you'll want.

Going to a purpose built, 12V power supply would be a good idea. However, you'll need to work out how to get it installed as well as make a guard so that the exposed terminals aren't easily reached.

The injection molded carriages are a *dramatic* improvement over the original Melamine carriages - so much so that if you can't upgrade anything else on the machine, replace the stock carriages.

You might also want to upgrade the stepper motors to 0.9 degree per step motors. That's what all the current machines are using.

Good luck!

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Re: Worth Upgrading?

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geneb wrote: Tue Jul 19, 2022 9:36 am
SoCalSteve wrote: Mon Jul 18, 2022 6:11 pm 5. 3 more metal ball joints for my cheapskates. Is there any reason why someone would select plastic?: https://www.seemecnc.com/collections/pa ... -one-piece
The Delrin ball joint parts were the first ones available, so they're still available. :)
So go with the plastic instead of metal?
geneb wrote: Tue Jul 19, 2022 9:36 am I think the extruder design changed slightly since the v2, but you can ask them if the v2 Extruder can take the filament runout sensor, which is something you'll want.
It would be nice, but not a big deal. I think I've only run out of filament mid-print once. Besides, I can always mod the g-code and recover the print.
geneb wrote: Tue Jul 19, 2022 9:36 am Going to a purpose built, 12V power supply would be a good idea. However, you'll need to work out how to get it installed as well as make a guard so that the exposed terminals aren't easily reached.
Do you have a PSU suggestion? How long is a PSU generally good for?
geneb wrote: Tue Jul 19, 2022 9:36 am The injection molded carriages are a *dramatic* improvement over the original Melamine carriages - so much so that if you can't upgrade anything else on the machine, replace the stock carriages.
I never would have guessed. The wheels look the same, and it would seem to me that's the part that matters. Tune it once, and it should be good, practically forever.
geneb wrote: Tue Jul 19, 2022 9:36 am You might also want to upgrade the stepper motors to 0.9 degree per step motors. That's what all the current machines are using.
do you have a recommended supplier?

Do you agree with the Duet3?
Are carbon arms worth getting?
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Re: Worth Upgrading?

Post by geneb »

Delrin vs Aluminum for the ball assemblies depends on your use. If you're going for maximum print speed, you want maximum stiffness in the motion system, which means going to the metal ball assemblies and carbon fiber arms.

The Meanwell LRS-350-12 is a good choice. Single rail power supplies are typically more reliable than the less expensive PC power supplies that the Rostock MAX has used in the past.

The injection molded carriages auto-adjust. One of the internal components is basically a spring and keeps the exact amount of force applied all the time. They're also not sensitive to humidity changes like Melamine parts can be.

I think you can order 0.9 steppers from SeeMeCNC

I've never used a Duet3.

Carbon arms are worth it if you either like the look or are going to be pushing your machine speeds.

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Re: Worth Upgrading?

Post by SoCalSteve »

geneb wrote: Delrin vs Aluminum for the ball assemblies depends on your use. If you're going for maximum print speed, you want maximum stiffness in the motion system, which means going to the metal ball assemblies and carbon fiber arms.
Is there a reason why someone would want to go with delrin instead of aluminum other than the metal being 8x the price?
geneb wrote:The Meanwell LRS-350-12 is a good choice. Single rail power supplies are typically more reliable than the less expensive PC power supplies that the Rostock MAX has used in the past.
$45 seems like a decent deal.
geneb wrote:The injection molded carriages auto-adjust. One of the internal components is basically a spring and keeps the exact amount of force applied all the time. They're also not sensitive to humidity changes like Melamine parts can be.
Ah, that would be nice.
geneb wrote:I think you can order 0.9 steppers from SeeMeCNC
I found a lot of cheaper motors out there, but they either look like shady sites or are 1.8 degree motors. Seems like buying from SeeMe CNC is the way to go. The only exception to this is that the URL contradicts the product page. (https://www.seemecnc.com/products/nema- ... de05&_ss=r)
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Re: Worth Upgrading?

Post by geneb »

The delrin balls were the first version. The aluminum didn't come until much later. There's no reason I know of to prefer the Delrin version, but you might want to email them about it.

You might want to let them know about the URL issue.

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