Taz 2 evolved to 4

[unxetas]

I missed this post, but thanks for the feedback, glad they turned out well!

I'm going back to my day job on Monday so unless there's a big group buy kinda thing, this is the end of my Taz4 end plate making career!

[mar363636]

Has any one tried making those plates from balsa wood?

Planning on upgrading to Taz 4, but from Taz V1.

...is this hopeless?? lol

[piercet]

Balsa wood is flat out not going to work. R/C aircraft grade plywood on the other hand would probably work fine.

[AbelArdis]

Can you guys send me in the right direction as to where I can purchase all the parts to upgrade my taz 2 into a taz 4 (mostly heated bed upgrade) as well as a bill of materials (parts to print/STL files to download via links) for the various changes made to the Z-axis hysteria. I want to do it all and make sure i'm not missing anything. I realize i cant upgrade my rambo holster, but that's ok.

Thanks a lot,
2Con

How much did this end up costing you?

[piercet]

How much did this end up costing you?

Doing this years ago would have been cheaper than it is now, but its still doable. Here are the expected cost breakdowns:
If you have a Taz 2, it should be 24v, but you will want to check. If its not 24v, you will need a meanwell 24v 500w PSU - $90, and housing and parts (~$30-90), you will need an all metal hexagon hotend ($~70-ish) or one of the newer ones, you will need a heated bed assembly with PEI ($120) you will need the X end plates ($35 for a set lulzbot.com sells them) the leadscrews ($150 a set new, less if you can find them used, check the lulzbot facebook forum for options, the Taz 6 ones are interchangeable here) the leadscrew nuts ($35 a set) some miscellaneous hardware (the new endstop target bolts and springs, the heat set inserts, a wire harness for the limit switch that is relocated, etc. expect to pay another $50 for all that)

The Rambo board you have is fine, it will take the newer firmware, if the existing power supply is 24 you can keep using that, if you have the rubber mat under glass style heated bed you can just stick a $35 PEI sheet on top of it and use it. CHeck itworks3d.com for some of the parts. They are starting to get rare though. You may find it easier to go to 6 spec if you can find the bed base plate, but that adds $75 in costs for the bed pieces (rubber corners, washers, standoffs, etc.) but removes the need for the X end plates.

I find that a Taz 3 is the ideal conversion piece. I'm currently converting 3 of them to my Taz 5-modified spec. I think I might own most of the used parts out there not currently attached to a Taz.

[AbelArdis]

Thanks for the reply. I was given this printer and am not sure if it is a taz 2 or 3. I was told by the person who gave it to me that it was a 3. The screen says its a taz 2. I think the previous owner made some modifications so I'm not exactly sure what I'm working with. See attached pictures



It looks like I have a 12v power supply so I will have to upgrade that. I have a heated bed that i think the previous owner put on. Would you reccomend upgrading it?

Thanks for the help.

[mwester]

If you're going to change the power supply to a 24v system, you'll probably need to change the bed as well. There are ways to get a 12v bed working, but at a minimum that means you'll need two power supplies (one a 24v and the other at 12v for the bed). With a heated bed as large as the TAZ unit, the current draw is a significant concern for cabling and connectors; you'll probably be happier overall with the 24v bed.

[AbelArdis]

Can you tell if my machine is a TAZ 2 or 3?

[piercet]

Can you tell if my machine is a TAZ 2 or 3?

No, it's a taz clone of some sort. Its mostly 3 spec from the printed parts, But it has a printed case, not a metal case. I suspect its a home built one that was never a factory taz to begin with. If its got a 12v bed, nozzle and power supply its essentially a taz 1. If it has a 24v setup, its a taz 3 for all intents and purposes. If it isn't 24v, that should be your first area of upgrade, followed by going to either taz 5 or taz 6 leadscrew setup. The threaded rod on the pre taz 4 setups and the older style nozzles really do hold quality and speed back. You are also going to likely want to consider swapping the igus bearings out as the printer may be somewhat warn if its taz 1 age. At least for the X and Y ones.

[Brent.I]

If you take your heated bed off and flip it over, it will say 24v if it is indeed a 24v system. As your PSU is 12v, I would suspect that has not been upgraded.