Duet 3 Mini 5+ : Initial announcement

[Slzer]

Hey, do we have a price range that this is targeting? Will it be similar to the old maestro?

Working out whether to hold out for this or if it will end up out of my price range anyway

[T3P3Tony]

It will be cheaper than the Duet 2 but a bit more expensive than the Maestro. We have not set the final price yet.

[Thalios]

Any updates on this? Waiting on it to upgrade 2 printers

[dc42]

Our best estimate is that we will manufacture a pre-production batch in November and the first full production batch in January. However, this time scale depends on progress with CE certification tests.

[dc42]

Testing of the second generation Duet 3 Mini prototypes is nearly complete. Here's the WiFi version controlling a tool board over CAN.

[A Former User]

@dc42

I would like to purchase a mini board for testing purposes, do i contact Roland to be able to purchase a pre production board?

[jbarros]

@dc42 I noticed that CAN is only using 1 pair and in the past (somewhere) you said testing was in progress to verify the safe wire length while using just 1 pair.
Can you provide the results of that testing, assuming it's in the new board and the tests were finished?
Could do with one less wire pair on the printers I'm building at the moment (with Duet3)

[dc42]

You only need 1 pair between each pair of boards. The case where you need to use 2 pairs but 1 may be enough is when connecting a tool board to the tool distribution board. One pair connects the tool board to the previous board in the chain, the other pair connects it to the next board, or the termination resistor if it is the last board.

[T3P3Tony]

We will only have a limited number of these prototpyes made, once they are all tested and we have a firm number to allocate i will put together a list of testers.

[Veti]

i hope you are planning lots of these to be made, we don't want to have an remake of the nvidia launch

[A Former User]

@T3P3Tony said in Duet 3 Mini 5+ : Initial announcement:

We will only have a limited number of these prototpyes made, once they are all tested and we have a firm number to allocate i will put together a list of testers.

Very enlightening....

When is full production expected, I will contact Roland then.

[T3P3Tony]

@CaLviNx as David says, pre-production November (which will be for open sale, but a limited number) with full production after than.

[T3P3Tony]

@Veti soft launch, invite only presales, artificially inflated prices on the grey market..... its all planned!

[Veti]

@T3P3Tony
i will write the ebay bots

[cabal2000]

@Veti How do I get an invite to the pre-order?

[Veti]

@cabal2000
it will be announced on the forum, once its available. that would be my guess

[nikscha]

Oh boi I am super excited!

• I don't want to be that guy but will there be an easy way to drive DotStars/Neopixels?
  (Edit: I just checked the overview of duet electronics and "up to 60 Neopixels" will be supported by the Mini, no Dotstars though. My guess is they will be controlled using the 12864 display's Neopixel backlight pin?)

• I'm also a huge fan of the smart effector, but as mentioned earlier, it would only make sense to offer a version upgraded with CAN if there's a lightweight stepper motor to go with it:
  The Flex3Drive G5 has an option to be driven by a tiny tiny Nema 8 stepper!

[dc42]

I've written a page on using NeoPixel and DotStar LEDs, see https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/Neopixel_and_DotStar_LEDs. Note the need for an external 5V supply when using them with the Duet 3 Mini. The interface works separately from the NeoPixel LEDs on some 12864 displays.

The reason we don't support DotStar on the Duet 3 Mini is that we ran out of pins. DotStar needs two, but NeoPixel needs just one. In principle you could connect a DotStar LED to the daughter board connector, but you would probably need to level-shift the signals to 5V.

[gmedlicott]

DC42/Tony: Can you post the hole mounting dimensions for the Duet 3 Mini 5+? Better yet, a STEP file of the board?! I'm working on an electrical box for the ExoSlide/ExoCube printer, and would like to be able to mount this new board once available.

[dc42]

Tony will provide a STEP file in due course. Overall dimensions and mounting holes are as for the Duet 2 series. The biggest difference is that the board has been reversed so that if the stepper motor outputs are at the bottom, the power input is on the left, and the SD card, USB and network connectors are on the left. We've done this so that a Raspberry Pi can be positioned next to the Duet and connected without running the cable over or under the Duet or the Pi.