I just went through my second Rambo board. the first one was a defect in manufacturing and Makergear was prompt in replacing. The second one was my fault don't ask it was a stupid mistake but at $180 it's an expensive replacement for the alternatives out there. I've been looking at the Smoothie board for just under $100. Has anybody out there used it on another printer or put a smoothie board on their M2. I've been on their website and it seems very well documented and straightforward. Please chime in if you have any thoughts comments or experience.
Thank you
Smoothie board anyone?
Re: Smoothie board anyone?
Electrically, it seems suitable. Uses a Cortex M3, which is much more powerful than the Atmel chip on the RAMBo. One concern is that the MOSFET outputs only go up to 12A, vs 15A on the RAMBo, I don't know if that is sufficient for the heated bed.
Your main issue, however, would be that it does not (and cannot) use Marlin, and has its own custom firmware.You will need to spend some time configuring it for the M2. It seems to be a port of grbl, which I've heard good things about in regards to motion control, but because the rest of it is specific to this board, you will be living on the bleeding edge.
In short, it is not a drop in replacement. If you have the ability and desire to bring it up on the M2, it may serve you well, and I would love to hear more about how it turns out for you. Personally, I wouldn't invest the time, effort, and uncertainty for $80 savings unless it was a project that interested me in its own right.
Your main issue, however, would be that it does not (and cannot) use Marlin, and has its own custom firmware.You will need to spend some time configuring it for the M2. It seems to be a port of grbl, which I've heard good things about in regards to motion control, but because the rest of it is specific to this board, you will be living on the bleeding edge.
In short, it is not a drop in replacement. If you have the ability and desire to bring it up on the M2, it may serve you well, and I would love to hear more about how it turns out for you. Personally, I wouldn't invest the time, effort, and uncertainty for $80 savings unless it was a project that interested me in its own right.
Re: Smoothie board anyone?
Thanks for the heads up on the amp issue. If the Smoothie has real time instead of look ahead on the motion control I think I'll do it. But in the mean time the RAMBO is on the way. I really bothers me how the machine jerks around at faster print speeds. Guess I'll have to do some research on acceleration and jerk control...
Re: Smoothie board anyone?
the smoothie is supposed to be a decent board and faster as jin said but many people say the firmware isnt quite there yet. apparently they are really working hard on it though. from what i have been reading its really just minor stuff that will increase print quality a little. for the acceleration, set yours to around 1000.
Re: Smoothie board anyone?
I left it at the stock values, will change to 1000. Thanks for the tip.
I ordered a RAMBO and am having problems with it, left a plea for help in tech support. viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1798
If this turns out to be another RAMBO failure the Smoothie is alot less expensive to replace at under $100 than another RAMBO for $180.Bought it from Matterhackers and didnt check the warranty so I may be SOL. I asked for help from Ultimachine as well but they haven't replied in the last five days. I would rather be at the bleeding edge of technology than my bleeding wallet.
I ordered a RAMBO and am having problems with it, left a plea for help in tech support. viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1798
If this turns out to be another RAMBO failure the Smoothie is alot less expensive to replace at under $100 than another RAMBO for $180.Bought it from Matterhackers and didnt check the warranty so I may be SOL. I asked for help from Ultimachine as well but they haven't replied in the last five days. I would rather be at the bleeding edge of technology than my bleeding wallet.
Re: Smoothie board anyone?
I know it's been a long time since I posted. With technical support from the forum and Ultimachine it works great. The guys at Ultimachine really stand behind their board. No wonder Rick chose the RAMBO. The M2 is so well supported I'm really glad it was my decision to get it.