So I’m pretty happy with my Mini now that I got it’s quirks figured out, and learnt alot about materials, slicer settings, etc. I’ve decided it’s time to build my own printer from the ground up.
I have a full electronics and computer background, so I’m not afraid of getting my hands dirty.
I’m having a hard time figuring out what kind of printer to build though… another Cartesian, Delta or CoreXY. My biggest reason for wanting to build a new printer is to customize it to my liking, such as a larger build area, greater diversity and more stable (structurally).
For those that have a 2nd or 3rd printer, what did you decide to go with, and how happy are you with them?
My second printer is a Taz. My first one is an AO-100. Both are somewhat modified from stock at this point. I’m really happy with my printer at this point. I have a few more things to do to it, but it does everything I ask it to with no complaints and super high quality now.
Honestly, I wish I would have bought the Taz instead of the Mini, but the price difference scared me off.
So far in parts for the new printer, I have a Smoothieboard (ordered from Uberclock), 5 stepper motors (ordered from Lulzbot) and a 24v E3D V6 1.75mm hotend (ordered from Ultibot). Just haven’t decided what to build yet.
Maybe too late now, but I strongly recommend the Duet electronics over Smoothieboad. Firmware support is phenomenal. Configuring everything through G-Code and the WebUI is especially pleasant. Also, support for more hardware including the Duex, PanelDue, and differential optical probe is awesome.
I didn’t hear about the Duet until after I ordered the Smoothie. I was actually looking for at the time a board who’s brains could run off a Pi 2 (combined Octoprint server & controller in one).
Well, if you stick with Smoothieboard, it will be interesting to compare experiences. Duet has a slick web interface too, highly extensible considering it consists of just a bunch of HTML and JavaScript served from the SD card.
I did the same thing. I bought the mini and currently building another so that I can modify it and print larger things. The benefit I see is being able to easily repair them knowing exactly how things work. I have had great success with my mini however finding the parts to build another became quite the challenge.
@mirage335: are you running your Taz with a Duet? I’ve migrated 5 of my delta printers to Duet and love love love it. I left one on Smoothie just to keep current with new Smoothie developments but I rarely run that printer since Duet is so much easier/less friction for me. I am seriously considering migrating my Taz 4 to Duet too. I’m curious if anyone has already and if you were able to reuse the nice electronics box from Taz. Also which firmware branch you’re running.