Want to upgrade to Mini Rambo board.

Hello,

I hope its not taboo to talk about clones here, but I do intend on upgrading to legit Prusa parts, so I hope its kosher...

I have two i3 clones that I want to upgrade the board to the Mini Rambo board, in anticipation for the Prusa dual/quad extruder coming out later this year, but I really don't know what else I need. At online stores, I'm seeing specific LCD screens and such, and I'll probably have to get a new power supply for one of them (from screwing up a 300x200 bed mod). So, I'm confused as to if I need other parts to go along with the board, what parts those would be, or if the board is just a drop in, and I don't need anything else.

My two clones are Monoprice Maker Select and Wanhao Duplicator i3.

Thank you!

Clone is a hard word for something published as OpenSource. Especially when this RepRap forum is all about replicating things..

A link to the mini Rambo would be useful.
In general those boards are compatible, but you might need to change stepper motor connectors, endstop connectors, even thermistor connectors can be different.
Also make sure you have crimp on wire sleeves for the power wires. ( bed and extruder as well )

Indeed, I guess I was being too careful.

This is the Mini RAMBo board: [ultimachine.com]

The kit comes with endstop switches, and wiring harnesses, but stuff like the LCD screen and power supply is what I'm worried about. Especially since there are some parts of the Maker Select/Duplicator that are off spec a bit, like the Y-Axis rods being closer together.

The mini Rambo is not suitable for more than one extruder. Would that work with the dual/quad extruder you are expecting soon?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/2017 10:51AM by o_lampe.

Yes, Prusa's dual/quad extrusion solution using an external 2- or 4-way splitter to 2 or 4 Bowden feeders. The concept is that the extruder only has one nozzle, and only one of those motors will be operating at any time. When the extruder needs another filament, one Bowden feeder retracts that filament, and then another feeder pushes the next filament to the extruder. It goes back and forth like that. Its pretty cool. It will be slower, and not quite as on point as Ultimaker 3's dual extruder, but water soluble PVA support is a big deal for the stuff I do!

Somwhere I read said it needed the Mini RAMBo board, though (tbh, with how often some of these clones' boards go out, upgrading to one would be a smart idea regardless).

You could read more on it here: [www.prusaprinters.org] Real awesome stuff.

Quote

When the extruder needs another filament, one Bowden feeder retracts that filament, and then another feeder pushes the next filament to the extruder

That's what I was talking about: you need two "feeders" for two filaments. And guess what a feeder is? A stepper motor... and you would only have one for extruding with the mini Rambo )

If you want more extruder motors look for the "Rumba" board or any RAMPS will provide at least two extruders ( when using one Z-stepper )

I suggest actually reading what I wrote and the article. I never said multiple feeders would be operating at the same time. I also suggest reading the article about it, as it was written by Joesef Prusa himself, before you continue talking about something you clearly don't know about. Here it is again: [www.prusaprinters.org] I suggest reading it before you talk more about it.

Also, the help I need is in regards to what else I need to upgrade the boards in regards to other parts. Obviously the Mini-RAMBo kits come with its own end stop switches and such, but I'm concerned about LED screens and anything else really. Wanhaos and MonoPrices aren't exact clones and certain parts about them are off-spec from the Prusa design. Its the first time I'm upgrading the board and was hoping to pick the brains of those who did this with their Wanhao/MonoPrices.