Heated bed comparison
Temperature vs Time comparison for heating:
http://reprap.org/wiki/PCB_Heatbed ~ 10$
VS
http://www.panucatt.com/product_p/hbp200.htm ~ 40
equipment
RAMPS 1.4 board
850 watt cooler master PC power supply (12v to the print bed)
borosilicate plate on top of the heated bed
procedures
hook board + thermistor to ramps
take note of start temp
set board to 70C
note time when temp changes 1 degree
The Helios board edged out the PCB Heatbed by about 30 seconds. You will have to look at other characteristics of the Helios board to justify the extra 30$ the board costs over the PCB Heatbed.
What I like about the Helios
More rigid than the red pcb I have been using
incorporates the thermistor into the center of the board. (some of the new pcb board have this too)
countersunk screw holes (nothing for the plate or print head to knock into)
more than adequate strain relief for cables
I really like the way it looks (yes subjective…)
ability to use only 3 mount points to ease bed leveling (some of the other pc boards have this too)
What I dislike about the Helios
wiring is polarized, even the red board had 2 LEDs so it did not matter which wire you plugged in to + and -.
More costly, with about the same performance.
