Solidoodle 2 Upgrade

firstly - the slicer is strictly a personal preference and is not tied to the printer. You can use pretty much any slicer you like.
my preference is Slic3r, but others use Cura, S3D, and so on.

the Sang board on that printer was actually one of the better choices at the time, and putting a 32 bit board on that printer is kind of a waste of resources.

so, what, precisely, is/are the problem(s) you are having?

heartless,
Thank you for your reply.
I bought the printer new in 2010.
The software that came with the printer has been a nightmare to work with. Because of that I quit using the printer about a year after I bought it. So, it is hard for me to pinpoint the details.

Now, my son wants to get it going again, and I know with tech advancements over the years it should be a lot more user friendly, and we should get much better-quality prints.
I do remember that with every print, the print would pull up off the table in the corners during printing.
I could say that the overall learning curve was too steep. What I mean by that is, issues would show up, and there were no answers to be found, with that no direction for correction.
For awhile now, I see people all over showing prints that are far better then anything I could achieve, so, I believe an upgrade could help.
I was astonished at how extremely dimensionally accurate the prints were to the model with every print.

We were under the belief that the 32 bit would allow for the ability to speed up the print.
There again, our lack of understanding of it all, requires knowledge before the move.

yeah, printer upgrades are not what you need
software upgrades, yeah..

you are not tied to the software that was available when that printer was new. Things have dramatically moved forward since then

I got my first SD4 in 2015, and joined this forum very shortly after getting it to learn as much as I possibly could about it, the software used to run it, and as much as i could about everything else related to it. lol

my first attempts were not great, but being the stubborn snot that I am, i stuck with it, and worked out what worked best for me and my printer.

while a 32 bit board will run faster, the printer itself will not really utilize that due to mechanical constraints.

Learning to use what you have - albeit with better software - will help you far more than spending money on unnecessary "upgrades"

now, I am guessing you were saddled with Pronterface for control software... and in 2010, i have no idea what you were using for slicing, lol

Repetier Host is much better for controlling the printer..
I personally prefer Slic3r for slicing my models.. and yes, that is the correct spelling for it.
Cura is an option, and has gone thru some MAJOR changes since I started.. altho I never really understood it so never used it.. the way they set up their settings was just too weird for me.
There are other options, but those are the most common free ones.

Materials have also come a long way in the intervening years..
do not buy the cheapest material you can get, you will regret it (yes, there is a direct correlation between failing miserably and success)

to start with, i would suggest getting some decent quality PLA.. it will be the easiest to work with.

prints warping in the corners and coming loose are frequently from not having the nozzle to bed height set properly, and/or improper temperatures.

Lots to learn, and plenty of folks that are willing to help you learn it. all you have to do is ask

well, if we are going to recommend specific brands..
my recommendation is Veracity, sold by Filatruder...
https://www.filastruder.com/collections … 3433251911

Yes, i have personally used the stuff, and yes it is very good quality.. and about the only brand I know of that provides you with manufacturing info for the spool you purchase... each one has a unique ID number AND it is made here in the USA

I also use their ABS and Pro PLA, so...

Completely agree!
Veracity IS made in the USA, by Keene Village Plastics, based in Ohio.

Another decent brand is Coex - made in Green Bay, Wisconsin (a couple of hours from me)

Sweet, Thank you both for the very specific advice. We were sick thru the holiday's, so we took a break from, well, a lot of things.  We bought a new roll of PLA filament from Protoplant, once we get the software installed, we should be able to test it out.
We are going to buy one from https://www.filastruder.com, and test it out as well.

I found  the old software on an old HD. It's;
Ponterface
Python
Replicator G
Skeinforge

This stuff was a nightmare to install, and get it synced. I remember it took me about three weeks to get a first print.

As well, we decided, (and completed) the setup of a very solid older computer with XP Pro on it to run the printer with.

+ 1 on using RH host. slicers have improved a bit in the last 10 years so no advantage to using vintage software and computer.
Also be careful using a laptop with longer print if the thing goes to sleep you will lose your print. This happened to a buddy of mine on his FT 5 so check your laptop settings.

There are a few reasons for the XP Desktop.
I built it in 2008, and installed Vista. It always ran very smooth, and quiet.
The following are in relation to software, and hardware of its time period.

1.    It cost a bit, because I built it for SolidWorks 2008.
2.    It is upgradable. None of our other computers are.
3.    I have all the software, so no expense required there.
a.    XP Professional with the registration key. I will need to register it online.
b.    I have SolidWorks 2001 as well, with the registration key, and is not required to be registered on line.
c.    I have a stout CAD graphics card in it.
d.    I have Office 2000 to install on it, with the registration key, and I believe it is not required to be registered on line.
e.    I was given Cubase System 4 never used, nor installed. It requires XP for it to run properly.

4.    As it is separated from all of our personal laptops (LT), we are free to use our LT’s wherever while prints are in process.

I have been preforming live music for over 3 decades, written many songs, and I really want to record and distribute my music before I can no longer physically use my instruments, or vocals. Being that I have the software, and hardware ($900) when it was purchased, then never used, I am itching to get it all set up and move forward with it.