Replacement parts for the Rep 1 Dual

[Chris Fastie]

Two years ago MakerBot donated 10 Replicator 1 Duals to Public Lab. They had been in a demonstration lab and are now dispersed across the country and in various levels of operating order. They are used to prototype and produce things like this camera rig for kite aerial photography.  MakerBot is discontinuing support for the Rep 1 on March 31, so we will soon be on our own to find parts. I have started a list of suppliers of replacement and upgrade parts at the Public Lab wiki: https://publiclab.org/wiki/replacement-parts-for-the-makerbot-replicator-1-dual.  

This list is mostly WRONG now because it is very hard to find suppliers who identify parts as being proper for the Rep 1. I guess there just aren't that many Rep 1s out there compared to the Rep 2 or 2x. 

Below are a few (wrong?) items in the list. These are mostly parts for the Rep 2/2x, and maybe some are viable for the Rep 1. But we need help identifying which parts we can order and expect to use on a Rep 1. If you have links to other suppliers or advice about how the parts on the list can be modified to work on a Rep 1, it would be greatly appreciated. You can edit the wiki (I think a free Public Lab account is needed) or let us know here. 

Thanks,

Chris

Thermocouple (Are these all for the Replicator 2/2x?)

1. From Wanhao

1 m long, lug on one end for mother board
http://wanhaousa.com/collections/hotend-parts/products/thermocouple
$14.00 incl shipping

2. From Fargo 3D Printing
MakerBot OEM replacement for Replicator 2
http://www.fargo3dprinting.com/products/makerbot-replicator-2-thermocouple/
$45.00+ $2.00 shipping

3. From Performance 3D for Replicator 2/2x 
http://www.p3-d.com/products/replicator-2-2x-thermocouple
$44 (solid wire), $66 (stranded wire), $2 to $5 shipping

Heater element (These all seem to be for the Rep 2/2x)
Specs for Replicator 1 dual: 24V 40-45W cartridge, ¼ inch diameter exactly

1. From Wanhao
http://wanhaousa.com/collections/hotend-parts/products/heating-core 
$14.00 includes shipping

2. From Carl Raffle
http://shop.raffle.ch/shop/heater-cartridge/
24V heater cartridge 40W 
$20.00+Shipping $12.00

1. X end-stop cable

1. From Uncle Chuck’s (Will this work on the Rep 1?)
On this page : http://www.unclechucks3dprinterstuff.com/catalog%20parts%2011.htm
• Cable - Stop Switch To Motherboard
• Item # CCSS - 01
$9.75

• 
  

X-axis cable

1.  From Uncle Chuck’s  (Will this work on the Rep 1?)
On this page: http://www.unclechucks3dprinterstuff.com/catalog%20parts%2011.htm
• Cable - Motherboard to Stepper Motor
• Item # CCSM - 01
$11.75

2. Alternate solution for x end stop cable and x-axis cable
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:217494

1. There are more items on the list at the wiki: https://publiclab.org/wiki/replacement-parts-for-the-makerbot-replicator-1-dual.  

2. Thanks.
   

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[adam paul]

Uncle Chuck's has lug style tc for 12$ also.

[Chris Fastie]

Good, thanks. That's at the top of this page: http://www.unclechucks3dprinterstuff.com/catalog%20parts%207.htm

Is that lug (eyelet) style a drop in replacement for the Rep 1? So the Wanhao is good for the Rep 1 but the other two listed (Fargo and P3D) are not?

[adam paul]

They are all good replacements, just more money.

[Scott Lichtsinn]

With the chinese ripoffs of the Rep 1 there is a ton of parts out there, you can literally buy every single part of the Rep 1 off eBay if needed.  There is one seller on there that has all the plastic gantry parts, the rods, bearings, steppers, heater blocks, heaters, thermocouples, etc etc etc...

I have had one thermocouple failure on my CTC in the last year, but my Rep 1 is still on its original factory thermocouples, at over 2400 hours of use!!  But just to be safe i bought some spares.  The only thing to know on the thermocouples is if you buy any of the ring lug ones off eBay they generally don't insulate the lug from the thermocouple, they just crimp the lug on, a better solution would be to buy a thermocouple without a lug, like the original to the Rep 1, and then glue on a ring terminal with high temp adhesive.  I experimented and made a few with high temp RTV to glue the thermocouple into the ring terminal and then some heatshrink over it to make it look nice and protect the wire insulation.  It worked but the the quickest and easiest way i have found is just buy the cheap K-Type thermocouples on eBay with the crimped on ring terminal and fold a piece of Kapton tape over the terminal then pierce a hole in the tape for the screw, install it and double check really quick with a multimeter that neither wire of the thermocouple has continuity to the heater block and keep on printing!

The heater elements you have to watch out a little more carefully, i bought some that said they were 24v but were 12v heaters, they burnt out in less than a week in one of my printers.  I found another seller that sweared they were 40w 24v heaters and bought some from him, i have a pair of those that have been running nice for about six months now, they haven't been an issue.

I have rebuilt a few clapped out Rep 1's i bought off eBay and Craigslist, i can tear them down and get every part i need from eBay to rebuild them.  Even the Mightyboard itself can be replaced with one from a CTC or Flashforge and then just toss in the Makerbot firmware and your set to go.

I wouldn't worry to much about them being discontinued, in my opinion the Rep 1 was the last good printer they made, after that there seems to be nothing but issues.  I have worked on a few 2nd gens and even a 5th gen, they are horribly unreliable and harder to deal with.

[Chris Fastie]

Thanks Scott, very helpful. I updated the wiki.

I have also put 2400 hours on the original thermocouple and heater cartridge, and I still have the unused ones from the left extruder. But I think it's time to have some spares.

Chris

[Gian Pablo]

Yeah, my Rep 1 has been my most solid printer so far. 

My Rep 2X can match it for print quality, but the Rep1 is more flexible in terms of materials, speeds, temperatures.

Question for you - why are so many of the hot blocks out there drilled out for a 6mm heater cartridge? The OEM cartridges on the Rep 1 are 6.4 mm, so I always end up drilling out the blocks.

[Jetguy]

Makerbot sourced US made cartridges. As such, they are 1/4 inch

China is mostly metric, they figured they can get away with 6mm

Here lies the other problem. The Reprap knockoff movement.

China mass produces these E3D knockoff systems.

Since the 12V cartridges are 6mm, then block were made 6mm

HOWEVER, replicator clone printers have and STILL use 1/4 inch blocks and MOST heater cartridges in the 24V supply have remained true to the standard of 1/4 inch

So Ebay, Amazon, everywhere is FLOODED with 12V related extruder parts because everyone loves to hack a 12V PC power supply and build their crappy fire prone printer.

Just saying, this industry has some problems and they are all interrelated.

Supply, demand, just flat out people being cheap and largely ignorant.

It generates this perfect storm of demand for shoddy parts and supply of shoddy parts.

That with massively sloppy ratings and details leads to people never getting the right part.

Case in point!!!

Last night while building a printer with GT2 2mm belting, I specifically ordered some 40 tooth Gt2 2mm pitch pulleys to mate with 20T pulleys for a 2:1 ratio for a Z axis.

They shipped MXL pulleys with 2.03mm pitch.

Trust me, this DOES NOT WORK. Every 3/4 turn of the pulley, the belt jumps because even as tiny as that 0.03mm sounds, it's cumulative  error!!!!

So yes, I just got burned by shoddy specs!!!!

NOTHING can be assumed what you think it is, TEST EVERYTHING.

Unless you know you paid extra from a known good supplier, even then, you probably should measure, check, and double check ANY 3D printer component you buy.

I trust nothing at this point.

[Robert Gibson]

Chris, I added some part sources to the Public Lab wiki: https://publiclab.org/wiki/replacement-parts-for-the-makerbot-replicator-1-dual on February 18.

[Chris Fastie]

Thanks Robert. That's great information about heater cartridges.

Chris