Friday’s Silly Question
I think I’m beginning to get the hang of this 3D printing lark, but I happily admit I know nothing about the actual building of the machines and the electronics/config involved. Whether I need to know this sort of thing is open to debate if I’m only buying and using machines that generally don’t require that sort of in-depth tweaking, but I have an old Velleman K8200 under my feet and I’ve got a hankering to try and make it into a half-decent machine.
So, the silly question is, if I replaced everything important, the controller, the hotend, the extruder, maybe the motors if necessary (I’ve no idea if the current ones will work with a better controller), PSU, etc. What’s the actual process of getting all the new bits to work together. I know you need to upload firmware, but how much coding (for want of a better word) is required in a custom setup like this? I was hoping it would be analogous to building a PC from component parts where, if you make the right choices, it’s pretty much just a case of connecting the bits and switching it on, but I’ve had some advice that a custom build would require a complete customisation of the firmware.
Is there no one that sells compatible parts to do this sort of thing and/or are there firmware repositories where I can get, say, the right build for a RADDS/Due controlling an E3D v6, etc?
What are you trying to achieve by doing that?
If you’re after better print quality (which i assume) you’re best off upgrading the parts has the most impact.
I have very little experience with that printer but i’d say your biggest priorities would be to replace the threaded rods and the hotend.
There are some good guides on youtube that guides you through the whole process of building a 3d printer from start to finish, best watch a few of those before you start tinkering. =)
@Johan_Jakobsson how much difference would simply replacing the hot end make to print quality? I’ve been assuming that the poor quality (by today’s standards) was mainly due to poor XYZ control. If I simply replaced the hot end (and probably the extruder) would I need to reconfigure the firmware?
… and I should say, if at the moment I’m primarily interested in simply having an additional machine for less important work (i.e. my own bits and pieces, lower quality models, etc.), would it make more sense to simply sell (or give away) the Velleman, and get something like an Anet A8 that I can use straight away and possibly upgrade over time?
Just an opinion. You either buy good expensive printer or a hobby.
If you plan to buy a cheap printer with upgrades in mind then you’ll have to spend a LOT of time tinkering with it with no tangible outcome. You will have to understand how your printer work down to every nut and bolt.
There is a lot to learn. It’s actually fun. But it may be not what you really want.
I’ve only done a few small repair jobs on the velleman (and it’s still not working) so i’m far from an expert on it.
But when i did my impressions what that a better hotend and replacing the Z-axis leadscrew could improve print quality.
As for the Anet A8 i have no idea.
@Anatoly_Makarevich that’s not really my situation. I already have other printers for my customer work, what I’m considering is whether a little time and investment could turn what is currently just a lump of stuff taking up room into a reasonable printer for low importance projects.
Personally, if you really want to learn how a 3D Printer works. Build your own. My little farm (4 Printers) is all printers that I’ve designed and built from scratch. The latest being the #AX-02 Delta. That being said, my #FB2020 CoreXY design can be built for around £350 including printed parts (if you print them) and between the 3 of the FB2020s they’ve printed too many hours to count . The main things you’re looking at for decent quality prints are frame rigidity, quality hot end and good linear motion (no bearing slop or backlash). Start with a solid frame base and you’re golden.