Thinking about using Duet for new build, but have questions
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Hello!
I've been printing for a little while, but mostly using S3D factory files, but have been diving in much more now with designing my own parts using Fusion 360. I've done a couple mods on my Prusa i3 MK2S and am wanting to build a second printer.
I'd like to use the Duet 2 Wifi board but have some questions. For starters, do I need end stops? I see the MK3 doesn't need them as I've just learned it's due to the TMC 2130 drivers. I'm assuming since the Duet has TMC 2660 this would be true too?
What about bed sensors and auto level? I'm only used to what came stock on the Prusa i3 MK2S. I thought about ordering the 24V heatbed, Y carriage, and pinda 2 probe from them, as well as the filament sensor and printing a full bear upgraded MK3 but with longer Z axis using the Zaribo 420 motor kit (MIssumi rods and bearings.) I would most likely build the skelestruder too.
I'm open to suggestions and love feedback. I enjoy tinkering and building, so this is going to be an awesome project.
Thank you!
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I'm sure others will chime in here about their own experiences but in my opinion you should absolutly go with the Duet. Either Wifi or ethernet versions work very well.
I have one DuetWifi running my workhorse IDEX printer. It has a print volume of 450mm X 450mm X 450mm.
I just received my second Wifi board to replace a Replicape board on my small CoreXY printer. These boards have amazing features and are very adaptable to almost any type of machine. They have the bells and whistles like stall detection homing, filament monitors, bed level functions, ect.
The other plus is the ever expanding features that keep getting added quickly to the firmware. Coming from a Replicape type system that creates new boards for firmware that just plain behind in the printing world.
This forum is great too. If you run into issues with setup or printing, someone will usually jump in and help you quickly.
I stress enough how well the decision was for me when I switched over to Duet products. I gained reliable printing time with higher quality prints...
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Regarding stall detection as endstop, yes it can be done with the TMC2660 drivers, but it's also highly dependant on the motors on whether it works well or not. Prusa has chosen motors that are matched to the drivers and tuned the stall detection to get good results. So don't expect perfect results with just any old motor and without doing some tuning. In the end, endstop switches are cheap, reliable, and easy to set up. Stall detection mid print is seperate from sensorless homing, and you can use either or both.
https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/Stall_detection_and_sensorless_homing
It's probably a good idea to spend some time going through the documentation to get an idea of what's possible with the Duet (there are very few limitations)
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@ringo1508 said in Thinking about using Duet for new build, but have questions:
For starters, do I need end stops? I see the MK3 doesn't need them as I've just learned it's due to the TMC 2130 drivers. I'm assuming since the Duet has TMC 2660 this would be true too?
What about bed sensors and auto level? I'm only used to what came stock on the Prusa i3 MK2S. I thought about ordering the 24V heatbed, Y carriage, and pinda 2 probe from them, as well as the filament sensor and printing a full bear upgraded MK3 but with longer Z axis using the Zaribo 420 motor kit (MIssumi rods and bearings.) I would most likely build the skelestruder too.
I'm open to suggestions and love feedback. I enjoy tinkering and building, so this is going to be an awesome project.
Hi and welcome.
I prefer to think of Prusa's printers as not having end stops because it makes them a little cheaper to produce, but sensor less homing will never be as accurate or reliable as using a physical switch. Duet will alow you to do sensor less homing if you rally want to, but for the price of a cheap micro-switch and a bit of wire, you'll have a much more reliable and accurate printer.
Z probe is up to you. You need some way to home the Z axis and a probe is often the most convenient. If you want to compensate for the bed not being level or flat, then you need to measure the height of the bed at various points so a probe is pretty well a must. If you build a printer such that the bed is flat and level and stays that way, then there is no need to perform any form of compensation so a simple switch will do to home Z. That's probably going to be pretty difficult though on an i3 style printer because I believe the bed moves in Y. Is there a particular reason why you want to build an i3 style printer?
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@deckingman said in Thinking about using Duet for new build, but have questions:
@ringo1508 said in Thinking about using Duet for new build, but have questions:
Is there a particular reason why you want to build an i3 style printer?
It's because that's all I know. On the bright side, it has me exploring more options. I do not print a lot. The majority of my prints have been RC planes. I have printed some other things for various other tasks. I enjoy my MK2S printer that I've upgraded, but would like a second in order to print quicker. I also want to experiment with printing taller (in the case of RC planes, being able to print a larger portion with less work after the fact.)
I've toyed with the idea of trying a V slot for the Y axis. I most likely would test this out after I get the printer up and running and can have something to compare the results to (before and after the change.)
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@ringo1508 said in Thinking about using Duet for new build, but have questions:
.................... but would like a second in order to print quicker. I also want to experiment with printing taller ................................
Just picking up on those two points, both will be difficult to achieve with a Mendel style printer which has the bed (and therefore the entire printed object) moving in the Y direction. It's up to you but time spent exploring other designs which have a fixed bed or one that only moves in Z (up and down) might save you from making a decision that you come to regret.
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@ringo1508 said in Thinking about using Duet for new build, but have questions:
I also want to experiment with printing taller (in the case of RC planes, being able to print a larger portion with less work after the fact.)
Delta printers are good for printing tall parts. But are you sure that you want tall parts, not longer parts? Think carefully about which way you want the layers to run, to get maximum strength in the directions where you need it.
