The M2 24V upgrade
Re: The M2 24V upgrade
wow 11000rpm. i guess they would be loud
Re: The M2 24V upgrade
Hey Tim,
in a conversation with Josh about upgrading to 24V he mentioned that the V4 Hot end and Dual extruder requires 24V.
in a conversation with Josh about upgrading to 24V he mentioned that the V4 Hot end and Dual extruder requires 24V.
Re: The M2 24V upgrade
I was sort of expecting that. And that may actually cause me to wait on the 24V upgrade, but having the V4 and/or dual extruder is the best argument for the upgrade. Thanks for the tip.
Re: The M2 24V upgrade
So the dual extruder option announcement has me scrambling for the last answers to the 24V upgrade.
Again, I want to stress that this topic thread concerns only those M2s that were purchased in/around 2012. On such machines, the RAMBo board has a bit of silkscreened text in the middle that says "RAMBo 1.0e".
(1) The yellow circuit breaker on the RAMBo version 1.0e needs to be replaced with an automotive (ATO) fuse. In most places this was referred to only as "an automotive-type fuse", so it took a bit of work to find a RAMBo BOM and track down an actual part number to know that I have something compatible. The BOM lists a Littel Fuse 0287015 PXCN fuse (rated 32V, 15A), so that's a part number I can plug in, to get, for example, Digi-Key part number F4200-ND.
(2) I found no fuse holders that match the 0.5" spaced vias on the board used for the circuit breaker. I found a Rep Rap page suggesting that this should be shorted with a suitable wire (enough to carry the current for the heated bed without burning out), and the fuse should be mounted in-line on the wire. I found a suitable in-line fuse socket at Digi-Key, item F5235-ND. I expect that it is easiest just to solder the wire ends of the in-line fuse holder directly to the board through the holes used by the circuit breaker.
These replacements allow the RAMBo to take 24V in and also solve the fire risk problem caused by the circuit breaker (so much for MEMS technology. . .).
(3) This is unrelated to the 24V upgrade, but the 1.0e board can be upgraded to be equivalent to a 1.1 board for all practical purposes by (in addition to the fuse modification) replacing the 1/8 stepper driver chips with 1/16 stepper drivers. The existing stepper drivers are Allegro Microsystems A4984 devices in a 32-pin QFN package (these are the five small square chips in a row with the text "X", "Y", "Z", "E0", and "E1" above them). These chips can be substituted with the drop-in replacement A4982, which is identical in every way except for the availability of 1/16 microsteps. Note that QFN packages are *very* difficult to solder and you should probably only attempt a soldering job if you have a hot-air soldering station (I have a Kendal 852D+). Even then, you will need to be very careful not to melt any nearby plastic parts. The A4982 can be obtained from Digi-Key, part number 620-1340-1-ND.
The stepper driver upgrade needs to be accompanied by an equivalent change to the firmware. In Configuration_adv.h, the definition of MICROSTEP_MODES needs to be changed from {8,8,8,8,8} to {16,16,16,16,16}.
I have not yet made any of these changes so they should be taken with a grain of salt until I can confirm that they work as advertised.
Again, I want to stress that this topic thread concerns only those M2s that were purchased in/around 2012. On such machines, the RAMBo board has a bit of silkscreened text in the middle that says "RAMBo 1.0e".
(1) The yellow circuit breaker on the RAMBo version 1.0e needs to be replaced with an automotive (ATO) fuse. In most places this was referred to only as "an automotive-type fuse", so it took a bit of work to find a RAMBo BOM and track down an actual part number to know that I have something compatible. The BOM lists a Littel Fuse 0287015 PXCN fuse (rated 32V, 15A), so that's a part number I can plug in, to get, for example, Digi-Key part number F4200-ND.
(2) I found no fuse holders that match the 0.5" spaced vias on the board used for the circuit breaker. I found a Rep Rap page suggesting that this should be shorted with a suitable wire (enough to carry the current for the heated bed without burning out), and the fuse should be mounted in-line on the wire. I found a suitable in-line fuse socket at Digi-Key, item F5235-ND. I expect that it is easiest just to solder the wire ends of the in-line fuse holder directly to the board through the holes used by the circuit breaker.
These replacements allow the RAMBo to take 24V in and also solve the fire risk problem caused by the circuit breaker (so much for MEMS technology. . .).
(3) This is unrelated to the 24V upgrade, but the 1.0e board can be upgraded to be equivalent to a 1.1 board for all practical purposes by (in addition to the fuse modification) replacing the 1/8 stepper driver chips with 1/16 stepper drivers. The existing stepper drivers are Allegro Microsystems A4984 devices in a 32-pin QFN package (these are the five small square chips in a row with the text "X", "Y", "Z", "E0", and "E1" above them). These chips can be substituted with the drop-in replacement A4982, which is identical in every way except for the availability of 1/16 microsteps. Note that QFN packages are *very* difficult to solder and you should probably only attempt a soldering job if you have a hot-air soldering station (I have a Kendal 852D+). Even then, you will need to be very careful not to melt any nearby plastic parts. The A4982 can be obtained from Digi-Key, part number 620-1340-1-ND.
The stepper driver upgrade needs to be accompanied by an equivalent change to the firmware. In Configuration_adv.h, the definition of MICROSTEP_MODES needs to be changed from {8,8,8,8,8} to {16,16,16,16,16}.
I have not yet made any of these changes so they should be taken with a grain of salt until I can confirm that they work as advertised.
Re: The M2 24V upgrade
Tim,
Not sure what "answers" you are scrambling for. Everything in your post looks right on to me. I agree with the strategy of putting the fuse holder wires in the holes vacated by removing the yellow circuit breaker. And you've got me beat when it comes to soldering. I've hand soldered some 0805s and SO chips. Don't have a hot air rework station.....
Dale
Not sure what "answers" you are scrambling for. Everything in your post looks right on to me. I agree with the strategy of putting the fuse holder wires in the holes vacated by removing the yellow circuit breaker. And you've got me beat when it comes to soldering. I've hand soldered some 0805s and SO chips. Don't have a hot air rework station.....
Dale
Re: The M2 24V upgrade
Those *were* the answers I was scrambing for. I think I am ready for an upgrade now. But, now I have invested in an E3Dv6 all-metal hot end, and continuing that little experiment is at odds with the new MakerGear dual extruder. I may end up making a custom firmware version that can switch between the two setups. Regardless, I will be charting new territory. . .
Re: The M2 24V upgrade
Wow, you're going to do a QFN rework? That's some high level DIY skills, Tim.
(It's not a matter of small pitch size that's the issue; QFN hides the contacts underneath the body, so it requires a hot air station or reflow oven.)
(It's not a matter of small pitch size that's the issue; QFN hides the contacts underneath the body, so it requires a hot air station or reflow oven.)
Re: The M2 24V upgrade
I worked for a chip design and manufacturing startup, so yeah, I'm full of surprises. . . including de-encapsulating a chip with car battery acid and other tricks. I suppose most people would just spring for a new RAMBo. They are actually quite cheap considering the number of components on them.
Re: The M2 24V upgrade
Bottom line is. . . basically you can forget about replacing the motor drivers. The pads on the motor drivers are very large specifically to make a good heat sink, meaning that removing the chips is only really possible if you can get the whole board up to the temperature needed to melt the solder. For that, you would first have to remove all of the plastic components from the board. So. . . not worth it. Easier to buy a new version 1.2 board.
The fuse replacement, though, was easier, although that too was a challenge, as the leads from the circuit breaker were tightly wedged in the holes, and the holes firmly soldered on both sides. I clipped the leads but could not get the leads out of the board. Eventually I just settled for soldering the fuse holder wires to the board without using the holes, and it worked well enough. I soldered to the back side (easier access), and there was enough space between the circuit board and the wall of the enclosure to have the fuse over top the board, but still in the enclosure.
The fuse replacement, though, was easier, although that too was a challenge, as the leads from the circuit breaker were tightly wedged in the holes, and the holes firmly soldered on both sides. I clipped the leads but could not get the leads out of the board. Eventually I just settled for soldering the fuse holder wires to the board without using the holes, and it worked well enough. I soldered to the back side (easier access), and there was enough space between the circuit board and the wall of the enclosure to have the fuse over top the board, but still in the enclosure.
Re: The M2 24V upgrade
I've finally gotten around to picking up the 24V upgrade on a mid March 2013 M2. Are there any firmware changes or mods to the Rambo needed? Thanks in advance.