by RetireeJay » 2017-Apr-Mon-17-Apr
I found the E3D V5 to be a worthwhile upgrade. If you get the V6, you'll have to make an adapter because it's too short to work with the original extruder/hot end geometry.
I recommend bracing the Y table with aluminum angle irons to prevent it warping with heat, humidity, and pressure from the Y belt tension. There are posts about doing that.
I don't use and don't want an auto-leveling probe, but I did change the way the Z zero is sensed; that hidden screw with the jam nuts is nearly impossible to work with. You won't want to do what I did, but there are some other old threads about better Z adjustment (see Plexus, for example). It's really not that hard on a Plus to shim the bed so it's parallel to the X-Y plane, and once you have it, the geometry stays stable for months at a time - so there's no need for the auto-leveling probe. Also, doing this allows you to use glass on your bed, which is very flat.
I'm not sure if you can find injection-molded gears, or maybe metal gears; those old herringbone printed gears are pretty rough. Printrbot sold injection-molded gears for a short while and I got lucky enough to buy one set when they were available. You might ask them if they have any old unsold stock.
I'm perfectly happy with using 3mm filament. I have several nozzles, but the 0.4mm one is my workhorse.
My Rev D board died, and I'm on a Rev F4. At the moment, I'd say keep away from the Rev G board because it's not as well supported. Partisans say it can run faster and smoother, but the same can be said of a Jaguar versus a Toyota; did you ever hear the one about Jaguar owners needing two cars because one would always be in the shop?
Printrbot Plus operational January 2013
Brass threaded rods (5/16" X 18) & nuts for Z axis
GT2 belts & pulleys
Cable chain to reduce probability of fatigue failure in wires
E3D V5 Hot End, 0.4mm nozzle, also 0.8 and 0.25 in use occasionally
PB fan mount + 40mm fan -- using printed mount adapter, not the E3D supplied fan
Injection molded extruder gears
Optical Z "endstop" (custom designed and built)
Have used many pounds of T-Glase filament. Now also doing some work with Ninjaflex SemiFlex
Print on glass with Scotch Craft Stick or other glue stick