Hi all I have a question. My second ramps board just gave out today and I want to get something better. What is a good alternative to the ramps board. I don’t really want to spend any more than $50.
If I should stick with the ramps what is a good place to get one that won’t give out so fast?
Was it the Ramps itself or the arduino?
@Griffin_Paquette the ramps
@David_Sherwood What are some good stepper drivers? Thanks for the advice!
has anyone tried this? https://www.amazon.com/BIQU-MKS-BASE-Plate-Controller-Printer/dp/B01FVTQQ2K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493399560&sr=8-1&keywords=3d+printer+controller
Do you know what went out on the Ramps?
@Jeremiah_Coley well me and my family were all smelling these electrical smell in the house. I could not fugue out what it was I noticed my heated bed stopped working. When I looked close at the ramps I saw it was smoking. The little regulator for the bed was super hot and smoking. I tried replacing the regulator but it still gets really hot only if I have the bed connected. I know the bed is fine since I tried connecting the hottend to the bed connection and it still got hot.
@David_Sherwood those are not cheep 
are they really that good?
what do people think of this? https://www.amazon.com/BIQU-MKS-BASE-Plate-Controller-Printer/dp/B01FVTQQ2K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493399560&sr=8-1&keywords=3d+printer+controller
Sounds like the mosfet, how many amps is the heated bed pulling? This is a common problem from the looks of the Wiki, I use an ssr connected to this mosfet so the load is not on the mosfet… Depending on your experience and printer setup it is an easy replacement of the mosfet. If it is not the Ardunino.
@Luke_Sewing so the mosfet is not hot when the printer is powered up? Only when used?
@David_Sherwood I am not using the hotted connection for the bed.
@Jeremiah_Coley I dono how many amps it is pulling. I have not tested that but it is a normal pcb bed so it should not be pulling too much.
@Jeremiah_Coley Only when the bed is connected. I don’t even have to tell the printer to turn the bed on it just happens when the bed is connected.
@David_Sherwood yes I thought the bed might be shorting something so I connected the hotted to the bed connection and the fet still got way to hot.
@David_Sherwood will the A4988’s work just as well just with less noise?
@Luke_Sewing sounds like the mosfet is dead, if you can replace it or the whole ramps and then use a ssr or a relay switch, this will keep the load off the ramps and on the switch.
@Jeremiah_Coley ok I did try replacing it with one from another ramps that had a different issue but got the same result.
I have used an $8 relay switch from Amazon and it worked great, I went to the ssr because I now use a 120v silicone heater.