Thanks... I think there was a good description of that process in the Solidoodle Wiki.

for flashing the board, yes.

if you are upgrading to an E3D you WILL need to update the firmware with the correct thermistor table settings, as well as max temp setting.

The stock thermistor (not thermocouple - two very different things) is table 1, the E3D will need table 5.

it is a relatively simple procedure to make the needed changes and then flash them to the controller board.

Thanks... I think there was a good description of that process in the Solidoodle Wiki.

The stock thermistor (not thermocouple - two very different things) is table 1, the E3D will need table 5.

it is a relatively simple procedure to make the needed changes and then flash them to the controller board.

You can't tell the software because it only sends commands and g-code, but you can tell the firmware that you are using a thermocouple w/ or w/o a conversion board. Marlin has a config file with numbered options for this, Repetier-Firmware has some MAX conversion chips in the drop down menu. Unless there is a command to change this that I am not aware of, you'll have to recompile and re-upload the firmware to the printer board.

As for the thermocouple itself: The lettered "type" determines the metals (and hence range and sensitivity) that are used. All K-type thermocouples should read the same until they fail.

There are also plenty of thermoresistor options as well, but thermocouples are linear and consistent, so long as the temperature reading is at the junction of the two metals.

OK, well, the thermistor that came with my hot end says " NTC3950 thermistor"...can you tell from that what type it is?

As for the thermocouple itself: The lettered "type" determines the metals (and hence range and sensitivity) that are used. All K-type thermocouples should read the same until they fail.

There are also plenty of thermoresistor options as well, but thermocouples are linear and consistent, so long as the temperature reading is at the junction of the two metals.

Question for all you experts out there... Can I assume when I replace the hotend that the thermocouple may not be the same type, and temps may be way off?  How do I address that issue? I can measure the actual temps of the hotend and make a chart of the supposed temps versus the actual temps, but is there a way to tell the software (Repetier host) what type of thermocouple I'm using?

another vote for the E3D here..
I have two SD4s, both completely upgraded to Lawsy carriages, E3D v6 hotends and Hale heatbeds... LOVE them! They are my workhorse printers without a doubt.

for calibration it is more about the settings used than it is the model... you can use a solid cube, set slic3r to 1 perimeter, 1-2 bottom layers, 0 top and 0 infill and actually get more accurate results than using a specially designed model

for proper calibrations you may want to take a read through these.. I gathered up all of the information I had gleaned from this forum in various places , and put it together in a couple of blog posts...

Part one: http://northwoods3d.weebly.com/blog/fil … ion-part-1

Part two: http://northwoods3d.weebly.com/blog/-fl … coming-out

Thanks, very useful info, and a great description of the process. I found right away when I tried to calibrate that extrusion was a problem...The mark I made at 100 mm kept stopping and starting, so definitely a problem with the feed gear slipping on the filament. The gear looks fine, no wear, but I remembered that I have a spare extruder with gear from spares that I ordered from Solidoodle. I thought I would change out the gear, only to find that the setscrew is stripped, so I'll have to cut it off. I have some new gears arriving tomorrow anyway, so I'll do it then. In the interim, I stretched the tension spring out to about 50% more length... may not last forever, but should do for now. I recalibrated the extruder and am doing some test prints now. Here is one I am printing now:

Looks pretty good, and I'm not getting a lot of filament chips, so we'll see.

I'm a big believer of printing on blue painter's tape.  I don't have to mess with glass plates, ABS slurry, or glue stick.  NinjaFlex, Nylon, PLA, ABS, PETG, and POM all stick to it very well.

for calibration it is more about the settings used than it is the model... you can use a solid cube, set slic3r to 1 perimeter, 1-2 bottom layers, 0 top and 0 infill and actually get more accurate results than using a specially designed model

for proper calibrations you may want to take a read through these.. I gathered up all of the information I had gleaned from this forum in various places , and put it together in a couple of blog posts...

Part one: http://northwoods3d.weebly.com/blog/fil … ion-part-1

Part two: http://northwoods3d.weebly.com/blog/-fl … coming-out

I put an E3Dv6 and HobbGoblin on my SD4 (among other upgrades), and so far, can print any filament from PET-G to NinjaFlex.  My SD4's print quality is better than the vast majority of the stuff I see on Thingiverse.

Regarding your overall question - your Solidoodle is actually just as mechanically capable as the machines you linked, if not more so after your upgrade to the Lawsy set of carriages. The frustrations you're experiencing now are simply a result of Solidoodle cutting corners to save on cost. Those cheap machines are tempting, but bear in mind machining capability hasn't had some dramatic improvement in the last two years. Those machines just cut costs in more ingenious ways than Solidoodle. I can almost guarantee any machine under $1000 is going to require modification to make it production quality.