New releases

Hi,

I was wondering if there was any standard or typical release cycle? Perhaps for a Mini 2. I am interested in a Mini, and planning on buying one in about a year. But if there is unlikely to be any new releases in the next 1-2 years, I might as well just get a Mini in the next couple of months.

If there isn’t a major release cycle, what about for the subversions (eg: 1.0x)?

Thanks!

I believe there is a Mini 2 in the works. The Lulzbot site is down right now so I can post any info links. :confused:

You can see all the current mini development efforts here as they happen:
http://devel.lulzbot.com/mini/
“Gladiola” was the Mini 1.04.

The next one is Hibiscus which looks like it has some incremental changes to X and Z , and will be using a Titan Aero hotend so far. It has the code name “mini 2” in many of the documents. There was talk they might be thinking about adding an LCD as well, but I don’t see a cutout for that on the electronics enclosure at this time.

Awesome! Thank you for the insight and links!

I personally dig through the devel files to see what the devs are up to.

TAZ 7 and Lulzbot Mini 2 seems to both be using the new E3D Aero extruder. This tells me that AO hexagon hotend may be getting phased out.

One of the biggest change I noticed is Z axis is belt driven and there are now two vertical smooth rods per side. I personally dont know how this will affect print quality, speed or reliability. On one hand, the mini 1.04 gladiola now is a proven design that works. On the other land lulzbot may be onto to something great with this redesign. Still an unecessary risk IMO.

The chassis for mini 2 looks exactly the same so an LCD isnt currently integrated. In fact, under the mini accessories folder there’s a new 3D printed LCD addon the hangs on the the front top left of the printer. You can probably make your own if you have a soldering iron and some headers.

In short.
There are some major redesign for the new generation of lulzbot printer. OP if I were you I would wait and see the reviews. If the mini 2 v 1.0 has a lot of problems that wont be addressed until v 1.1, you can probably get a good deal on a mini gladiola. Unless you absolutely need a printer now, Id say just hold out.

The #1 cause of Z wobble is leadscrew side load force. Using belts instead of leadscrews eliminates that side force and will improve print layer alignment. Using a geared stepper motor prevents the head from crashing into the bed in a power failure. It also gives you some interesting X axis correction options. The downsides are potentially slightly less Z layer resolution, the fairly uncommon nature of the arrangement, and mass on the X rail becomes a very important consideration. That and a loose belt is going to ruin your whole day.

Sounds like a plan! I can definitely hold out for a while to see where things go. Cheers!

The M2 certainly looks interesting! I’m running a Foxglove and a Gladiola and love them both. I must say the improvements on the Gladiola are awesome and are forcing me to upgrade the Fox, which thanks to the open design are easy and fun to do. I even ordered a Titan Aero print head to take it up another notch. The Gladiola, on the other hand, has been printing perfectly right out of the box. So buy now or wait, I think you’ll be happy either way because the Mini’s are a product that delivers the goods! :slight_smile:

What were the substantial upgrades from foxglove to gladiola?

I have a foxglove, and it has been great. But if the gladiola is a step up…

I have one of each. The Gladiola basically beefed up much of the printed hardware such as idler latch, y-idler, cable flex-channels, mounts, etc, installed motor dampers (quieter), and upgraded firmware. It starts prints faster and is definitely a step up. I started upgrading my Foxglove now because it’s at the point where parts are showing some age and wear. I installed IT-Works version of Titan-Aero extruder on it (2.85mm version) and that is a huge upgrade. Lightweight and clog-free performance even with fussy co-polymers (haven’t tried PLA). Prints like a dream and it was a relatively pain-free installation. Also installed the new Modular Bed. Very happy with that too. Much more even heat spread and less “cool spots” so less warping.