1 Topic by gwfami

  • gwfami
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Topic: Too many Hacks and Mods for us noobs

I've been printing on a stock SD2 for the last 2 months and was quite pleased with the results, but from looking at the forum here I can see what I have been printing is mostly junk.

There are way to many hacks and mods to just jump in, hoping to pick the right one first without having more knowledge than I have right now.

How about someone start a thread that lists the mods and hacks that we should use in order of their importance.  We noobs could certainly use the help.

2 Reply by cckens

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Re: Too many Hacks and Mods for us noobs

What you start with depends on your technical level.  For low techs I always recommend the glass top for the bed and printing a spare extruder mount.

Glass is a cheap effective mod that works for faster workflow.  It takes no skill to clip it to the bed and it just works.

The extruder mount is a must as the acrylic jigsaw just isn't secure enough if you have to remove the hot end to clean it.

As for a thread, there already is one here:
http://www.soliforum.com/topic/3240/the-first-mod/

3 Reply by 2n2r5

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Re: Too many Hacks and Mods for us noobs

cckens wrote:

What you start with depends on your technical level.  For low techs I always recommend the glass top for the bed and printing a spare extruder mount.

Glass is a cheap effective mod that works for faster workflow.  It takes no skill to clip it to the bed and it just works.

The extruder mount is a must as the acrylic jigsaw just isn't secure enough if you have to remove the hot end to clean it.

As for a thread, there already is one here:
http://www.soliforum.com/topic/3240/the-first-mod/

+1

Mod to the level you are comfortable with. If it is a mod that will prevent you from printing if something goes wrong, make sure you have extra parts before you start.

SD3 w/ mods:
Glass bed with QU-BD heat pad upgrade, threadless ballscrew w/ 8mm smooth rod, spectra line belt replacement, lawsy MK5 extruder, Lawsy replacement carriage, E3D hotend, Ramps 1.4 w/ reprap discount controller, DRV8825 drivers, 12v 30A PS, Acrylic case, Overkill Y-idlers, Filament alarm, Extruder fan + more.

2n2r5's Website

4 Reply by Hazer

  • Hazer
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Re: Too many Hacks and Mods for us noobs

I think he was asking more for this:

First mods:
Glass/Tile bed - Easy level- Improves bed level, reduces lifting on ABS, improved stick, easy to clean and more rugged than kapton tape.
Enclosure - Easy level - Improved layer adhesion, protects machine from dust, improved stick.
Calibrations - Easy - Improved extrusion flow, improved circles, better quality, better stick.

Intermediate mods:
Replace Z rod - intermediate - Reduces banding,  increased accuracy.
Replace stepper driver for extruder - intermediate - Sanguino board only. Improved extrusion, reduces moire effect.
GCode extruder fan - intermediate - improves PLA lifting, improves overhang printing, improves bridging
Replace extruder jigsaw parts - easier nozzle removal, required for upgrading hotend.
Replace bed heater - faster heatup times.

Advanced mods:
Replace X/Y carriage: Improves quality (better movement), improved printing at higher speeds.
Upgrade hotend for higher temperatures: Improved printing of Nylon, improved printing at higher speeds.
LCD SD card or Rasp pi: Print without PC attached.

This is just an example and I could be wrong about what would be easy or hard and weight of the benefits, but I believe this is what he is asking for. There is a great lack of summarizing/consolidating this information. Especially on this forum (and the wikis are either outdated or incomplete). There really needs to be a place where this information is compiled. That can be the sticky, and each individual mod can be unstickied. At least, thats the way I see most popular forums are structured.

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5 Reply by 2n2r5

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Re: Too many Hacks and Mods for us noobs

Hazer wrote:

I think he was asking more for this:

First mods:
Glass/Tile bed - Easy level- Improves bed level, reduces lifting on ABS, improved stick, easy to clean and more rugged than kapton tape.
Enclosure - Easy level - Improved layer adhesion, protects machine from dust, improved stick.
Calibrations - Easy - Improved extrusion flow, improved circles, better quality, better stick.

Intermediate mods:
Replace Z rod - intermediate - Reduces banding,  increased accuracy.
Replace stepper driver for extruder - intermediate - Sanguino board only. Improved extrusion, reduces moire effect.
GCode extruder fan - intermediate - improves PLA lifting, improves overhang printing, improves bridging
Replace extruder jigsaw parts - easier nozzle removal, required for upgrading hotend.
Replace bed heater - faster heatup times.

Advanced mods:
Replace X/Y carriage: Improves quality (better movement), improved printing at higher speeds.
Upgrade hotend for higher temperatures: Improved printing of Nylon, improved printing at higher speeds.
LCD SD card or Rasp pi: Print without PC attached.

This is just an example and I could be wrong about what would be easy or hard and weight of the benefits, but I believe this is what he is asking for. There is a great lack of summarizing/consolidating this information. Especially on this forum (and the wikis are either outdated or incomplete). There really needs to be a place where this information is compiled. That can be the sticky, and each individual mod can be unstickied. At least, thats the way I see most popular forums are structured.


There is a place for it. http://soliwiki.com

SD3 w/ mods:
Glass bed with QU-BD heat pad upgrade, threadless ballscrew w/ 8mm smooth rod, spectra line belt replacement, lawsy MK5 extruder, Lawsy replacement carriage, E3D hotend, Ramps 1.4 w/ reprap discount controller, DRV8825 drivers, 12v 30A PS, Acrylic case, Overkill Y-idlers, Filament alarm, Extruder fan + more.

2n2r5's Website

6 Reply by justsomeguy

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Re: Too many Hacks and Mods for us noobs

Every mod solves a problem or makes an improvement to the performance of the machine.  You haven't told us what problem you want to solve.  Or do you just want to mod to be one of the cool kids?

For example, the glass bed mod is great if you are having problems with prints sticking to the bed or your bed is warped.  However, if you are trying to solve z-banding, and your prints already stick well, it's a waste of time.

What is your biggest performance issue you want to solve?  That will point you to the most important mod - FOR YOU.

7 Reply by IanJohnson

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Re: Too many Hacks and Mods for us noobs

Also don't let Intermediate or Advanced mean "too hard for me".   When I first got my printer i had no experience with soldering or wiring stuff, but I wanted the benefits of a gcode-controlled fan on the nozzle badly enough to learn.  The new skills have helped in both making other mods, as well as troubleshooting and fixing problems that have come up, like broken wires or bad connectors.  Each new mod or fix I have tackled made me more comfortable with the printer and confident in my ability to handle anything I would want to do to it.

8 Reply by solijohn

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Re: Too many Hacks and Mods for us noobs

2n2r5 wrote:
Hazer wrote:

I think he was asking more for this:

First mods:
Glass/Tile bed - Easy level- Improves bed level, reduces lifting on ABS, improved stick, easy to clean and more rugged than kapton tape.
Enclosure - Easy level - Improved layer adhesion, protects machine from dust, improved stick.
Calibrations - Easy - Improved extrusion flow, improved circles, better quality, better stick.

Intermediate mods:
Replace Z rod - intermediate - Reduces banding,  increased accuracy.
Replace stepper driver for extruder - intermediate - Sanguino board only. Improved extrusion, reduces moire effect.
GCode extruder fan - intermediate - improves PLA lifting, improves overhang printing, improves bridging
Replace extruder jigsaw parts - easier nozzle removal, required for upgrading hotend.
Replace bed heater - faster heatup times.

Advanced mods:
Replace X/Y carriage: Improves quality (better movement), improved printing at higher speeds.
Upgrade hotend for higher temperatures: Improved printing of Nylon, improved printing at higher speeds.
LCD SD card or Rasp pi: Print without PC attached.

This is just an example and I could be wrong about what would be easy or hard and weight of the benefits, but I believe this is what he is asking for. There is a great lack of summarizing/consolidating this information. Especially on this forum (and the wikis are either outdated or incomplete). There really needs to be a place where this information is compiled. That can be the sticky, and each individual mod can be unstickied. At least, thats the way I see most popular forums are structured.


There is a place for it. http://soliwiki.com

Don't be afraid to mirror things on our official wiki - wiki.solidoodle.com

Former Solidoodle employee, no longer associated with the company.