Replicator 2 Upgrade?

[Dan Flemming]

A friend has 2 Replicator 2's with hardly any hours on them.

They print good, but constantly require work to keep them going (he ain't got the time).

They print fairly fast too!

Can these Replicator 2's be fitted with newest boards, better beds, all metal hot end?

It's a shame to let them sit, upgrading them would be awesome!

Thanks,

D

[Patrick Campbell]

My rep2 has metal bed (ground tooling plate) and metal z-stage mods, with a Keenovo heater. https://www.instructables.com/Makerbot-Replicator-2-Aluminum-Z-Axis-Stage-Upgrad/

Bed is 3/32" plate glass, held on with some low durometer, thin silicone pads that have a bit of natural stick to them. Aquanet coated on top. 

The X carriage should be metal. I used https://www.fargo3dprinting.com/products/makerbot-replicator-2-aluminum-carriage/. 

The hot-end is already all-metal. Bondtech extruder is a must have, with a bimetal heat break good for the heat-creeps & heebie jeebies.

I kept the Mightyboard (have done a couple of repairs) and added a 320W AC/DC power supply internally and added an IEC inlet. I also crudely enclosed it for printing ASA/ABS/PETG). Would really like to modify the firmware so it can heat both the hot block and bed at the same time, maybe one day. Other than that, the mightyboard works fine. I use this thing a couple of times a week. 

Having a rigid steel sheetmetal body, these things will perform nicely. Mine has been solid and reliable. Never need to tram the bed (most people mistakenly call this leveling). The remaining plastic bits in the drivetrain should be replaced with metal, but nobody makes those parts anymore I believe. The flexy rods are not ideal, but they work. 

If I get to the point of needing to replace the controller board, I'd probably not invest that effort. It will accelerate me completing my CoreXY build (Ratrig)

Upgrading one is a great way to learn about 3D printers. Your challenge will be finding the available parts.

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[jmpr...@gmail.com]

I have a rep 2 with all the upgrades you mentioned, and it still is a good printer. However, I would not recommend upgrading one today. The cost of upgrading the bed, hot end, board, and what not is going to cost as much as a new printer, not to mention the time required. That is also being dependent on finding these parts as the printer is so old most suppliers have stopped producing these upgrades.

Just a note it has an all metal hot end already.

[perry...@gmail.com]

If they print good, print with them.  

[TobyCWood]

Minimal upgrade/changes…

1. Make sure the cable to the extruder carriage is not cinched to the right side y carriage. It should hang loose and you should make sure it is not bending in one spot or your cables will break.

2. An aluminum extruder carriage 

3. A dual Hobbed gear extruder feeder, ideally the one made for the rep2 by Bondtech

4. A glass bed

5. Beef up the springs under the bed and add stabilizers.

Oh… this should be even before all of  the above…

SAILFISH! Upgrade your firmware to what is the last version of Sailfish.

[Dan Flemming]

Will SAILFISH work on the stock Rep 2 alright?

I'm sure they have never been upgraded...

[Dan Flemming]

Yeah,

The upgrades can get expensive quick!

Neither of these machines have over 70-80 hours on them.

Everything on these machines seems like quality parts except the hot end!

I already put full metal extruder drives on them.

Where the thermistor & heater are located (on that rinky dink piece of metal) really sucks, and they loosen up all the time.

My thought:

If they had a hot end like the Ender 3 v2 I think that would be a BIG improvement (see attached), AND a Glass Bed, it would be enough...

Thanks,

D

On Thursday, June 16, 2022 at 2:42:15 PM UTC-4 jmpr...@gmail.com wrote:

[TobyCWood]

 Wrong. The hot end on the Crealitys are not as good as a Mark 8. Especially if the Mk8 has a microswiss or performance nozzle and thermal tube AND a Bondtech feeder. I.e… Not Chinese knockoff poop.

Dinky piece of metal? You mean the hot block? When assembled correctly it is still a primo design. It gets the least pendulum effect of just about any other hot end design!,, Another very good upgrade for just a few $ is a silicon sock to replace the ceramic tape as the thermal blanket.

Watch the old vids on assembling the mk7 to learn how to do it right. The nozzle against the thermal tube locks the hot block. Do it wrong and you’ll trash it with a leak.

Sailfish is for the Mightyboard. Makerbots fw has all sorts of bugs and problems. Sailfish fixes them and adds functionality. All Rep1s and Rep2s should have it installed. Go to Thingiverse and search for “Sailfish” and read all the instructions very carefully.