So, after nearly 10 years of faithful service, my shitty ol’ Wanhao i3 Plus is finally ready for retirement. Steppers are buzzing, occasional collisions with the bed, and the heat block just doesn’t… heat as quickly as it used to.
Talking to a mate who does a lot more printing than I, it seems I can’t pass up the Ender 3 V2. The right price for what I typically do, and is backed by a mature community.
I’ve ordered the auto-level kit with it, but nothing else. My i3 already sits in a Lack Rack I made, and it should comfortably take the new printer.
I have a couple of functional print projects on the backburner that were waiting for me to make a move, but wanted to get some advice on mods and upgrades first, that might make the first experience with the Ender even better.
So, asking the more experienced Ender owners out there: are there any essential upgrades, preferably 3D printed, you think I should look at first?
Cheers in advance!
My first suggestion if you have a Raspberry Pi Zero 2w or better is to install Klipper. If that isn’t a route to go down for you then Myers firmware was really good (not sure if it’s still around since I went to Klipper).
I’ve printed so many miss for mine, spool holder moves to the side, filament guides, different spool holders with bearings, new hot end fan assemblies ,small tool holder that slides into the v slots. Covers for the V slots.
It’s a great machine to learn and tinker on, some people don’t like that but I really enjoyed it.
I’ve since switched to direct drive instead of the Bowden tube and added another Z rod and stepper. I have a microswiss all metal hotend which has been fantastic and I have put Noctua fans for the heat break. Also upgrade the Bowden tube to the Capricorn type, it is much better.
A magnetic build plate from Biqu was another good addition.
Almost forgot, I printed risers for the feet out if TPU and that seems to help, I probably would have tried the ones that the squash balls go into but these work fine. In order to print TPU with the Bowden tube you need to print slow.
Also keep an eye on the plastic handle on the filament extruder, they are known to be weak and crack, a good aluminum dual gear is a good low cost investment.
Search on Thingiverse and Printables for mods for the Ender 3 and you will be overwhelmed with your options.
Patience is a virtue, and remember there are no stupid questions and a huge community of people willing to help.
If there is anything else I can do to help, don’t hesitate to ask.
Some great suggestions here - thank you. Will definitely look into Klipper. I already have a dedicated Raspberry Pi running Octoprint for the i3. A quick read of the Klipper website suggests that as a starting point so that’s a quick win already.
My mate also warned me about the plastic extruder handle and sent me a link for the aluminium replacement, so I’ll probably do that early on as well.
I’ll start sifting through the printable mods - you’re right, there’s a lot to choose from!
Cheers.
Maybe -before making the jump to klipper-, use the ProfessionalFirmware, as Myers was no longer active the last time I checked.
That firmware is a nice improvement over the original, but running Klipper will really improve speed and quality.