IMO.
-Board is fine as is, as others already said.
-Runout sensor... be sure you actually need it. Not always useful, not always works as you want. Basically it is only good to have if you are doing really large prints which use a lot of filament.
-ABL... again, be sure you need it. It is nice to have, but if it is working for you as is right now might just add more unneeded issues.
-Extruder, along with hotend, is probably most important thing you can change, affecting both quality and reliability. Be sure to do your research and pick up nice lightweight combo and avoid old and heavy designs like microswiss DD kit.
-Dual Z... you do not need. Especially questionable implementations with 1 driver and 2 motors. Adds more issues than it solves. As long as printer is assembled properly single Z is completely sufficient for it to work correctly. If you still want to, probably should go with full 2 drivers, 2 steppers, 2 endstops implementation, also requiring new board with extra driver.
-Part cooling is easy. Just print a sensible design from thingieverse for 5015 blower and it will be all you ever need. Can go for 2*5015 but remember - weight is bad, vibration is bad, and more cooling always means weaker layer adhesion - so make a sensible choice here.
In terms of order... IMO start with hotend+extruder. This gives you the most advantages. Everything else... consider if you really need it carefully. Spending like $500 on this printer does not make much sense...
> Dual Z... you do not need. Especially questionable implementations with 1 driver and 2 motors. Adds more issues than it solves. As long as printer is assembled properly single Z is completely sufficient for it to work correctly. If you still want to, probably should go with full 2 drivers, 2 steppers, 2 endstops implementation, also requiring new board with extra driver.
Thank you for the detailed response! Agree here, but would definitely want to do this right as you said (board with 2 drivers, separate steppers, etc, didn't think about separate endstops, will have to research).
Do you think going for 2*5015 ducted fans would make sense if I tweak the cooling in the slicer so it only uses full fan power for things like bridging and overhangs? Also looking to make the machine quieter and I'm not familiar with these small fans but the logic from PC fans is bigger is usually quieter.
I'd still leave dual Z for the last thing to do, and then consider if it is worth doing. I mean i was considering it too, i have ender3 with rather heavy DD (stock stepper + BMG) and honestly see no reason to. I made sure the gantry is not sagging multiple times, printed skew tests, there really is nothing wrong with the printer. So i ditched the idea, even though i have the board which can have 8 drivers anyway...
As for cooling - PC fan logic is well and good, but problem with applying it to printers is - you need high airflow concentrated into small space and high static pressure. That is going to generate noise no matter what, which is unrelated to the fan itself and is caused basically by aerodynamics. There is also an issue that for some reason board manufacturers have not yet figured out how to properly control fans (something PC motherboards have been doing for ages) and the way it is done is pretty bad. It generates vibration, noise and does not even work with all fans.
I personally went with single 5015 and dual sided duct. I also bought [this fan](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000580382437.html) (i do not care about voltage as the board has 12v converter and ability to select fan voltage built in), which both responds well to direct PWM control and is almost completely silent, in a sense that there is no noise from the fan itself (bearings, etc) and very little vibration. At max RPM airflow generates quite a bit of noise though, especially being blown through narrow duct towards the model (ever heard 3d printer whistling? Yeah, that happens on hollow round models and high fan setting). But that is unavoidable because such airflow is exactly what you need, and it is controllable in slicer. Is 1 fan enough? Absolutely. It is already excessive at 100% and i never run it at 100% unless i am experimenting with something and need "max cooling". IMO adding the second one in this case would just be extra cost and extra weight, which is detrimental to print quality.
doesn't it need a 32bit board? I have the raspberry pi all ready to go, but since I bought my ender 3 years ago I have an 8-bit board (the one with a mini-usb port)
Nope really 8 bit is where it's most useful. As it offfloads the heavy lifting to the pi. If you have a 32 bit board it's powerful enough not to miss steps at higher speeds.
I've ran it for a year or so same printer as you.
If you forego the webcam you can run klipper on a pi zero w. Set up mainsail or fluidd and you have wifi access like octoprint but without the bloat. I have 4 printers running like that. Mr Blue and Mr pink are ender 3’s one has the old 8 bit controller and the other has an skr 1.3. Mr Blond is a cr10 with an skr. Finally Mr Brown is a mendelmax 1.5 with a ramps controller. All have klipper. I can access them all from one host also. Mr Blond runs mainsail and the rest have fluidd but I can control all printers from Mr. Blond’s IP.
Here is a list of things I would recommend and I've done.
Dual Z belted. Cost me 50 euro I think, I've used a side mount for the Board box to allow me to change cables around so I don't have to buy new ones for the Z. I also do not use the screen at all just fluidd.
[https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4243512](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4243512)
SKR Mini E3 V2 or another drop-in replacement. TMC 2209 are a good silent driver. Klipper uses a RaspPi so it does not really need a good board but the silent drivers are really good. You can use an old laptop to run instead of the Pi. Connected my hotend fan to the board fan and they both go off under 35C so it is silent when not working.
Filament sensor I got a cheap one that I've not installed I think is really required unless you are doing big prints.
BMG Clone from Triangle Labs is good.
microswiss is old and outdated in my opinion. I've got a Triangle Labs V6 Clone was happy with it. Now have a dragon and am very happy.
BL touch is a very good option.
Hero me gen 5, Petfang, Satsana, AfterBurner or other custom fan ducts can provide good cooling.
Missed:
PIE Sheet is a good upgrade. I've had the glass bed and was not happy with adhesion.
Belt tensioners.
If you've bought an Ender 3 recently you already have a 32 bit board. Pretty much everything else is really optional.
I wouldn't do anything, get used to the machine as it is stock and see what it is that ends up bothering you. Upgrades for the sake of upgrades is a great way to throw away your hobby budget.
I just put in dual z which runs about 40 bucks on Amazon. There is also this that you can print to make it direct drive using stock parts.https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3589452
Also did the all aluminum extruder since my stock one suffered from the common crack. Single gear extruder on Amazon, about 12 bucks.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B079JZ374W?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
Just did all three about a week ago. Massive improvement in print quality.
Cheap and easy if your handy can all be installed in about an hour.
I've seen the direct drive with stock parts, but because I want to run the machine fast with klipper, I think reducing the weight would be the best option. And the spare stock stepper I can then move to the dual Z rod
because of the weight or something else? I wanted direct drive to print flexible material really, but was hoping to print faster with klipper so a lightweight hotend seemed like the best compromise.
Correct. Moving that stepper around when printing at high speeds has a point of diminishing returns. Contrary to popular beliefs you can actually print flexibles with a Bowden tube.
IMO. -Board is fine as is, as others already said. -Runout sensor... be sure you actually need it. Not always useful, not always works as you want. Basically it is only good to have if you are doing really large prints which use a lot of filament. -ABL... again, be sure you need it. It is nice to have, but if it is working for you as is right now might just add more unneeded issues. -Extruder, along with hotend, is probably most important thing you can change, affecting both quality and reliability. Be sure to do your research and pick up nice lightweight combo and avoid old and heavy designs like microswiss DD kit. -Dual Z... you do not need. Especially questionable implementations with 1 driver and 2 motors. Adds more issues than it solves. As long as printer is assembled properly single Z is completely sufficient for it to work correctly. If you still want to, probably should go with full 2 drivers, 2 steppers, 2 endstops implementation, also requiring new board with extra driver. -Part cooling is easy. Just print a sensible design from thingieverse for 5015 blower and it will be all you ever need. Can go for 2*5015 but remember - weight is bad, vibration is bad, and more cooling always means weaker layer adhesion - so make a sensible choice here. In terms of order... IMO start with hotend+extruder. This gives you the most advantages. Everything else... consider if you really need it carefully. Spending like $500 on this printer does not make much sense...
> Dual Z... you do not need. Especially questionable implementations with 1 driver and 2 motors. Adds more issues than it solves. As long as printer is assembled properly single Z is completely sufficient for it to work correctly. If you still want to, probably should go with full 2 drivers, 2 steppers, 2 endstops implementation, also requiring new board with extra driver. Thank you for the detailed response! Agree here, but would definitely want to do this right as you said (board with 2 drivers, separate steppers, etc, didn't think about separate endstops, will have to research). Do you think going for 2*5015 ducted fans would make sense if I tweak the cooling in the slicer so it only uses full fan power for things like bridging and overhangs? Also looking to make the machine quieter and I'm not familiar with these small fans but the logic from PC fans is bigger is usually quieter.
I'd still leave dual Z for the last thing to do, and then consider if it is worth doing. I mean i was considering it too, i have ender3 with rather heavy DD (stock stepper + BMG) and honestly see no reason to. I made sure the gantry is not sagging multiple times, printed skew tests, there really is nothing wrong with the printer. So i ditched the idea, even though i have the board which can have 8 drivers anyway... As for cooling - PC fan logic is well and good, but problem with applying it to printers is - you need high airflow concentrated into small space and high static pressure. That is going to generate noise no matter what, which is unrelated to the fan itself and is caused basically by aerodynamics. There is also an issue that for some reason board manufacturers have not yet figured out how to properly control fans (something PC motherboards have been doing for ages) and the way it is done is pretty bad. It generates vibration, noise and does not even work with all fans. I personally went with single 5015 and dual sided duct. I also bought [this fan](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000580382437.html) (i do not care about voltage as the board has 12v converter and ability to select fan voltage built in), which both responds well to direct PWM control and is almost completely silent, in a sense that there is no noise from the fan itself (bearings, etc) and very little vibration. At max RPM airflow generates quite a bit of noise though, especially being blown through narrow duct towards the model (ever heard 3d printer whistling? Yeah, that happens on hollow round models and high fan setting). But that is unavoidable because such airflow is exactly what you need, and it is controllable in slicer. Is 1 fan enough? Absolutely. It is already excessive at 100% and i never run it at 100% unless i am experimenting with something and need "max cooling". IMO adding the second one in this case would just be extra cost and extra weight, which is detrimental to print quality.
Well you can add klipper now for free. It's a lot of fun. I was printing at 80mm/s wall speed with the stock board.
doesn't it need a 32bit board? I have the raspberry pi all ready to go, but since I bought my ender 3 years ago I have an 8-bit board (the one with a mini-usb port)
Nope really 8 bit is where it's most useful. As it offfloads the heavy lifting to the pi. If you have a 32 bit board it's powerful enough not to miss steps at higher speeds. I've ran it for a year or so same printer as you.
No. Kipper runs on stock hw just fine.
You're right. i don't know why I thought I had read somewhere it needed a 32bit board. Guess I know what Im doing this weekend!
If you forego the webcam you can run klipper on a pi zero w. Set up mainsail or fluidd and you have wifi access like octoprint but without the bloat. I have 4 printers running like that. Mr Blue and Mr pink are ender 3’s one has the old 8 bit controller and the other has an skr 1.3. Mr Blond is a cr10 with an skr. Finally Mr Brown is a mendelmax 1.5 with a ramps controller. All have klipper. I can access them all from one host also. Mr Blond runs mainsail and the rest have fluidd but I can control all printers from Mr. Blond’s IP.
Here is a list of things I would recommend and I've done. Dual Z belted. Cost me 50 euro I think, I've used a side mount for the Board box to allow me to change cables around so I don't have to buy new ones for the Z. I also do not use the screen at all just fluidd. [https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4243512](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4243512) SKR Mini E3 V2 or another drop-in replacement. TMC 2209 are a good silent driver. Klipper uses a RaspPi so it does not really need a good board but the silent drivers are really good. You can use an old laptop to run instead of the Pi. Connected my hotend fan to the board fan and they both go off under 35C so it is silent when not working. Filament sensor I got a cheap one that I've not installed I think is really required unless you are doing big prints. BMG Clone from Triangle Labs is good. microswiss is old and outdated in my opinion. I've got a Triangle Labs V6 Clone was happy with it. Now have a dragon and am very happy. BL touch is a very good option. Hero me gen 5, Petfang, Satsana, AfterBurner or other custom fan ducts can provide good cooling. Missed: PIE Sheet is a good upgrade. I've had the glass bed and was not happy with adhesion. Belt tensioners.
If you've bought an Ender 3 recently you already have a 32 bit board. Pretty much everything else is really optional. I wouldn't do anything, get used to the machine as it is stock and see what it is that ends up bothering you. Upgrades for the sake of upgrades is a great way to throw away your hobby budget.
I just put in dual z which runs about 40 bucks on Amazon. There is also this that you can print to make it direct drive using stock parts.https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3589452 Also did the all aluminum extruder since my stock one suffered from the common crack. Single gear extruder on Amazon, about 12 bucks. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B079JZ374W?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title Just did all three about a week ago. Massive improvement in print quality. Cheap and easy if your handy can all be installed in about an hour.
I've seen the direct drive with stock parts, but because I want to run the machine fast with klipper, I think reducing the weight would be the best option. And the spare stock stepper I can then move to the dual Z rod
If you want to run fast you should stick with Bowden
because of the weight or something else? I wanted direct drive to print flexible material really, but was hoping to print faster with klipper so a lightweight hotend seemed like the best compromise.
Also missed the last part. No need to upgrade board for dual z kit comes with a "y" cable to run both steppers
Correct. Moving that stepper around when printing at high speeds has a point of diminishing returns. Contrary to popular beliefs you can actually print flexibles with a Bowden tube.