Has anyone swapped the Printrboard for a Duet?

[foster]

I haven’t made any progress reviving my Printrboard G2 (different thread). I’m wondering how complicated it would be to get my Simple Pro up and running again with a new board. Since Printrbot is closed, maybe I should consider a different board, rather than trying to find another g2 or even a rev F.
Thoughts? If anyone has put in a Duet, I’d like to know the process.



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[cbxbiker61]

I'm running an Einsy board with Marlin/OctoPrint. It's a real nice setup for me. I made a thread for the Einsy board. If you want to do an Einsy board swap let me know and I'll make my adapter plate model available. I can also fix you up with Marlin 1.1.9 for it. OK, mine is Simple Metal, so there would be some differences.

As far as Duet goes, the config should be pretty straight-forward since it's contained in a text file. No need to recompile firmware when you config.

[WayTooManyHobbies]

I haven't used a Duet, but when my Printrboard died the replacement was a RAMPS setup. I think this was fairly common, even before Printrbot's demise.

[foster]

Interesting. I knew of the Duet, but am not familiar with other options yet. Could using Ramps be a less expensive option? I found this at Sainsmart: Mega 2560+A4988+RAMPs 1.4 3D Printer Kit
Can’t include link yet, but the basic kit is $40.
Software wise, seems like it’s doable. As far as connecting things, is it possible to reuse the power supply and connect the extruder to a board like that?
I’m wondering, from a hardware perspective, if this is closer to plug and play, or building from scratch? Or would Einsy vs Ramps be more straightforward?


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[cbxbiker61]

None of your options are "plug and play" due to the need to change connectors to match the connectors on the controller board. Really you need to decide what "features" you want.

In the case of the Einsy board you get an extremely well designed board that is Ideal if you want to run Marlin. It is 24V capable and incorporates TMC2130 stepper drivers for smoother/quieter operation.

Personally I don't like the "generic" nature of RAMPS boards, but certainly they can work. The advantages of plug in stepper drivers is overblown since a well designed board like the Einsy will not blow stepper drivers. The main reason why some of the plugin stepper drivers blow is down to the fact that they use the barbaric trimpot method of setting stepper current.

[WayTooManyHobbies]

The Einsy is a good option, albeit expensive. We have a Prusa Mk3 at work which uses that board, and it is very nice.

The RAMPS alternative is definitely a bit hokey, but it is also undeniably cheap. As cbxbiker61 pointed out, none of the alternatives will be an easy plug-n-play.

Other options that may be worth examining are the Smoothieboard and the Azteeg boards. These are roughly comparable to the Duet, with 32 bit micros and support for all the bells and whistles.