Anet A8 3D Printer Essential Upgrades
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 เม.ย. 2024
- This follow up video shows you the most essential upgrades for the Anet A8 3D printer, as well as some tips and tricks that will help you improve the print quality of this amazingly inexpensive 3D printer.
Assembly and first impression video: • Anet A8 - The best che...
Anet A8 3D printer (affiliate link): rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53...
Thingiverse links:
drag chain mounts: www.thingiverse.com/thing:284...
www.thingiverse.com/thing:235...
www.thingiverse.com/thing:214...
www.thingiverse.com/thing:213...
www.thingiverse.com/thing:232...
www.thingiverse.com/thing:200...
www.thingiverse.com/thing:211...
www.thingiverse.com/thing:167...
www.thingiverse.com/thing:218...
IEC connector (affiliate link): rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53...
Drag chain (affiliate link): www.ebay.com/itm/10-x-20mm-1M...
Anet A8 control board schematic (unofficial): github.com/ralf-e/ANET-3D-Boa...
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![[007] Anet A8 3D Printer - Review, Upgrades and Experiments](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/37MsqteL3gk/mqdefault.jpg)
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Just bought one of these today, and I'm thrilled to find this video. Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you. I haven't got one of these yet, but a recent project on youtube is making me curious. Thanks again.
I just bought my first 3D printer because of this video I'm already eager to upgrade it :)
Just so you know, an extremely rigid frame is EXTREMELY important. Try to print faster and make sharp corners. You will see alot of improvement with a rigid frame ;)
It is really important!
rigid means the nozzle moves less because of the vibrations, rigid = less ondulations on the object
RomanoProductions yes :)
Exactly. It's not about force between the work piece and the frame, its about moving components and the frame. Oscillations and ringing are really annoying.
Those are great tips, thanks for the advice!
I can't believe that frame moved THAT MUCH!!! No wonder everyone is talking crap about these machines compared to aluminum framed machines. This is a MUST upgrade!! I've always believed that plastic can be just as strong as metal in non-wear applications so long as it is thicker. With upgraded joints and perhaps even replacement panels there's no reason this can't compete with any other model. What I am most interested in is upgrading to arduino.. I really want to learn more about this technology
This is a fantastic update on what you went through after buying the A8 and makes me much more confident in deciding to go this route. I can't wait to make the same upgrades. I however have heard that the cable chain actually causes premature failure by flexing the wires astronomically more than if they were just dangling. Yes it looks far better, and except for replacing each wire one by one pulling the pins and soldering each end to silicone wrapped wire I just don't know what to do other than slipping shrinkwrap wire down over each of them to guard the wires for when the plastic eventually does crack and peel away. Idk, Perhaps I'll find out if there are replacement cable bundles by the time I have to worry about it. Speculation at this point for me is simply academic.
I would recommend a PEI sheet to improve the bed adhesion
Please make more videos on home automation projects!😊
That chain from the extruder looks amazing I read bad things about those bit yours is different then most
The first thing i printed out was a set of fittings to make a welded steel frame,my anet was the cheap wood kit and the inertia of the y axis would make it flex crazily leading to huge banding.
Mosfets are a good upgrade as the onboards are barely big enough in the event of a short, they can burn.The original anet was a huge fire hazard.
Drag chains will reduce the chance of cable damage as they spread the flexing away from the ends, so they are not just a cosmetic upgrade, they also lower the chance of fire. The other upgrade i made was y axis tension, mine fits on the end and pushes on the back of the Y rods.X axis tension came with the steel frame upgrade. Search "welded steel prusa" on thingverse,there are a few diferent options.Other upgrades are toothed idler pulleys, make the belt more stable, metal extruder, plastic will fail eventualy,top bearings on the y leadscrews,stop a lot of vibration/resonance and depending on whats suppled with your kit upgraded the steel slide rods, the originals were hollow tubes, and slight undersize for the bearings,replaced with solids and stopped bearing slop.Cosmetic but also safety , printed a proper cover for the power supply and added a switch.
great video thanks
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for having the sense to just BUY drag chain.
you're welcome :)
Always nice to see a video about an A8!
Try to print higher and you will see the limits of the Frame.
To your Support: Which Slicer do you use? On Cura, you can set the gap distance between Support and material. I have good experience with 0.16mm.
To your Mosfet, it's right, the onboard Mosfet can handle the Ampere, nur look closly at the board. Just the bed is needing 12V and about 15A - 18A plus right next to it, additional 12V and 3A - 5A for the hotend. Would not like to send this hole stuff through the tiny chinese board...
But your chain solution looks very nice, guess i will copy it!
Keep on going dude!
Thanks for the detailed suggestions, and thanks for watching!
I think I'll follow suit. with that drag chain, bed leveling, and z support. I added a ball bearing support for the z- threaded rods which helped thing form swaying. I added some belt tensioners as well though being that my print quality at that time was potation, I should probably print them again now for better results. I found adding a glass sheet to the bed REALLY helped my print quality.
I'd like to see a good mainboard housing print if you decide to, be sure to do a video on it!
John Weland zrod bearings on the threaded rod are a bad idea. They need to move freely so they don’t fight for space with the smooth guiding rods. They move for a reason! :)
Patrick Nijkamp noted, I'll fix that, thanks for the heads up.
No problem! Did a lot of research (I have fully modified an ANET A6 over the past year, but upgraded to a creality CR10-S now) and found alot of ... misleading information. Sometimes something works for 1 person, but they actually really have a different problem and this might 'help' a bit. But in a well configured printer the Z-rods are almost always loose at the top. Also with my CR10-S.
You're the f---ing coolest !!
Hi..I am thinking of buying an anet a8 printer.Could you please tell how good can the printer perform in making solid cylinders or holes of diameter 2mm?
I have the same printer and i can recomend to add the external mosfet.
My Printer has the better connectors but anyways they started to desolder themselves!
I noticed this when i added the external mosfets and i had to solder them again.
Excellent excellent
For those still watching this and are considering, no matter what printer you have, you should always plug it into a gfci outlet. If you short out, have a thermal run away, the gfci pops at 0.03 amps, rather than 10 like a fuse. If you live in an appartment like me, you can either buy a single gfci wall adaptor or make your own. Just use a gfci outlet, wire some romex to it, add a male end, put gfci in a blue box, attach faceplate and plug it into a standard outlet.
BUT: The GFCI will only trip if the fault is between hot and ground, which basically means a fault between the high voltage part of the power supply and it's enclosure.
@@user2C47 that is true, so im not entirely sure how well a gfci would protect against thermal run away. Even a fuse might not protect against that.
Smoke alarm. Connect it to the controller (or host, if it's a pi). Also connect PSU enable line. When the smoke alarm triggers, it runs M112 and shuts down everything. Then either put out the fire manually, or have one of those explosive ball things that release their contents when exposed to fire.
How much of your 240mm build height did you loose with the drag chain setup?
About how big is this in overall measurements minus the spool for the filiment?
Excellent video! What slicer do you use with the Anet A8? I've been messing around with cura but can't seem to get the best profile/configuration correct.
I use Cura. I print PLA at 205* C and bed at 70* C.
@@bytesizedengineering Temps also heavily depend on filament but I think for getting decent results, 50mm/s printing should be okay, but maybe start at 30 if you see issues.
Additionally, play around with the extrusion multiplier if you see under-/overextrusion.
Once the basics are working, playing with layer width, layer height, initial layer height for bed adhesion etc can get you stronger/nicer prints.
Get your bed levelled properly first and make sure the extruder can properly grab and push the filament and isn't slipping. If it's not that strong, reduce retraction speed and increase retraction distance to compensate, at least if the increased retraction distance doesn't introduce clogging.
So if anything add fans to the boards to keep it cool at all times?
Excellent delivery and articulate. I'm up against a wall on funds to purchase a printer which has the capacity to print 12" x 12" x 4" minimum. Could you assist me in leading me to the right printer please? Thats 304.8 x 304.8 x 101.6mm the last figure not as important as the Length and Width. PLEASE HELP!!!
The new anet mainboards have fuses built in now. The psu is safe and frame is way better. Juat got mine 2 days ago
Thanks
About that mosfet data sheet. Even that cut down value of 30A is still very generous, as it assumes the mosfet is getting a PERFECT control signal, doesn't account for all internal resistances, and so on. It should still be OK for these application, but anyway.
That is true. I'll say the same thing to you as I did to a similar comment. When I make these videos I have to find a balance between going into great detail and loosing most of my viewers, and keeping the explanations simple with the most important information. It's really tempting to go down deep rabbit holes with lots of detail about the internal workings of semiconductors, but that would overwhelm most of my viewers. I choose to keep my videos at an easy-to-digest level. (read the about page of my channel for more information).
I wouldn't mind a video dedicated to that. I had to watch about 20 videos to try to understand mosfets. I still have the loosest grip on them. An in-depth video from a guy that designs PCBs for a living might be what I need. Either way, thank you for this video. I checked your channel about every other week to see if you had any updates on your printer. I understand you have a job that probably keeps you very busy, and I appreciate your informative videos!
Do you need any firmware such as Marlin to run M/board??
Do you have a link to the drag chain mounts? thanks Nice Vid
Just uploaded and added to description: www.thingiverse.com/thing:2842159
Thanks KH
1:55 You really need to tighten the screws of your frame. I can try to shake my a8 as much as I can and it will never flex that much.
Thanks for the tip!
Great video: what Filament is good to use on this printer
I use PLA, but I think it can print with other filament types. I need to experiment with other types.
I also use PLA. also im aware that this comment is 2 years old.
I printed the main part today - x_axis_drag_chain_mount_1.stl but it was very weak around the motor mount and easily broke in my hands.
I printed at .1 layer height.
Any chance of sharing the fusion 360 files? so I can make it a bit stronger?
Sorry for the delayed response. Just updated the thingiverse page with fusion and step files. www.thingiverse.com/thing:2842159
Update video please????? Are you still using the printer and have you made anymore upgrades? I was thinking about getting this printer to make cases for my raspberry pi projects
If you watch my more recent videos you'll see that I'm still using this printer.
Nice
Thanks for watching!
hmm, i got an A8 just a month ago. My heat bed already has holes wide enough to allow that screw to slide through.
Yeah, it's yet another iteration of the design, if you search enough (forums, reddit and so on) you can find even more differences.
I guess they're listening to the customers after all
Hi, are you in the UK or us? I don't know if this printer would work on the UK mains voltage if it is designed for the us mains
The PSU comes with a switch to change between 110v and 220v.
Make sure you check before plugging in.
Mine was set correctly, but I've heard of some that were not.
so the upgraded power connectors means it won't burn the house down like it did so many times before?
There are many things you can do to make this safer but nothing is better than keeping a close eye when printing.
Is it safe to build an enclosure for this printer because of the temperatures? I would like to print with ABS and I've heard that the best results come from printers with an enclosure and heated bed.
i have done it till i got a all metal frame for it and it didn't fit anymore, but i did a 15 hour abs print and it did fine
I haven't built an enclosure for mine. I'd have to do some more research to learn the pros and cons. I know that ABS does require a stable thermal environment.
great video,
I do like the simple yet concise explanations you make.
Have you any experience with CNC or Engraving machines?
Can this be shoehorned into one with a different head?
Basically id like to be able to print/engrave Traffolyte (or something similar)
Thanks for watching! I have a little experience with CNC machines. Have you watched my video about the topic? CNC machines have to be way more rigid because of the cutting forces on the machine when it cuts materials. Check out the XCarve from inventables. There are cheaper options out there too.
I too want to take the knowledge I learn and build cnc machines.. mini router and plasma cutter.. I don't see how this machine could work for either application. Like byte sized said, this machine doesn't have to deal with the vibration and force that is placed on cnc machines. That said I believe this will work for a laser engraver. I've been wanting to get my hands on a NEJE 3d laser. They are actually cheaper than these printers so there would be no point converting one over when you can get the whole machines starting at $49 for the 1000w and around $150 for the 3500w. Good luck! +St zig
A 15a blade fuse on the heatbed cables and a 5 or 6a one on the power to the rest would make a lot safer. Also, be as sure to upgrade the firmware as thermal runaway is disabled by default.
I've upgraded to the latest Marlin firmware. Thanks for the tips.
Have you shared your fusion 360 bracket? I could not find it in the links?
Just uploaded and added to description: www.thingiverse.com/thing:2842159
Appreciate it - thanks
I was considering doing the mossfet upgrade I have the new board but after what you said I wont
Patrick Bradley i would definitely add a mosfet, strain relief at the Heatbed and either upgrade the Heatbed connector or desolder it and solder proper wiring directly at the Heatbed.
And a firmware upgrade for the latest safety features is strongly advised! That was the route cause for the most recent incident of this printer.
This thing burned down three houses in the last year and the pictures of it dissolving into a plastic mess are legion! My connector smoldered after hours (!) of use, despite heating the Heatbed to 70C max.
Look at Thomas Sanladerers recent video for additional safety tips:
th-cam.com/video/VK_K6fp4BIk/w-d-xo.html
I have been using mine since Christmas, I never leave it running overnight and I am always in the same room as it longest prints I have done are 5 hours long at a time, no melted parts or broken/loose connections. It could be that its people are not putting the printers together correctly in the first place that is causing fires or defective parts to begin with ?
Patrick Bradley of course that is a factor, but the connector to the Heatbed just isn’t configured right. And strain relief is a must that most Chinese printer manufacturers ignore. That’s not a big problem since the customer can troubleshoot these things - but you really should do this, especially if you plan to use the printer for longer periods of time and/or with more demanding plastics than PLA.
Hey guys, I'm new in 3d printing. What software do you guys or what software was he using to see and edit his 3d models before printing?
The workflow of 3D printing goes like this. First you need a 3D model. You can create your own using 3D modeling software like Fusion 360 or Solidworks, or you can download models already made by others on websites like Thingiverse.com. The files are usually in STL format. You'll need software called a slicer that will convert that into gcode instructions for your 3D printer. A really common slicer (also seen in the video) is Cura. You'll use Cura to adjust the print settings and generate gcode. Finally you'll save that gcode file to an SD card and insert it into your printer. Then using the printer's interface you'll start printing that file. I'm not an expert, but hopefully this helps! And thanks for watching!
witch cable cross section did you use??? U should use at least 1.5mm^2.. yours it Looks Way to small!
I used the same cable that the printer came with. It looks like 14 AWG which can handle 15-18 Amps.
is it possible to use a bigger fan for e3d v6?
Not sure how to help
What is the first step when putting the anet a8 together how can I start printing?
Follow the assembly instructions.
Which software did used to make your own parts
Fusion 360
I will make a video of the snow skies on my rc car
where can I get the parts for the mods
All of the parts were printed using the Anet A8
Dude! Essential for the Anet A8 means:
- MOSFET (really!)
- Heatbed connector upgrade/soldering the wires
- Heatbed cable strain relief
- firmware upgrade for essential safety features
- proper cable management with cable shoes and sufficient cables
This thing can and will burn. Three times in the last year it burned down an entire house. The pictures of it dissolving into a plastic mess are legion.
Look at Thomas Sanladerers recent video for additional safety tips:
th-cam.com/video/VK_K6fp4BIk/w-d-xo.html
I'm a Thomas Sanladerer subscriber! Love his videos, and I've learned a lot. Thanks for the tips!
My conector from the heatbed to mainbord burned down. I strongly recemend to solder a more powerfull cabel diectly on the heatbed.
my friend checkout the new mainboard of anet V1.7 is amazing comes with the Plus A8
any way to upgrade anet a8 v1-5 board to marlin FW
Yes, there are tons of tutorials on how to do this. I followed one to upgrade my firmware.
Sadly you kinda misread the Datasheet for the Mosfet
Yes it can handle 30A but only if it's mounted to the PCB through the large ground terminal
Otherwise it will heat itself up to ~400°C (~750°F) and that will probably desolder it :D
I didn't misread the datasheet. The fet is installed on a PCB with a ground thermal plane and also has heat sinks. When I make these videos I have to find a balance between going into great detail and loosing most of my viewers, and keeping the explanations simple with the most important information . I design PCBs for a living and so I'm aware of the thermal limits of mosfets like this. I was trying to illustrate the importance of looking past the first page of the datasheet and reading the app notes.
I don't think the mosfets installed are those in the schematic. They have no markings on them. Mine stopped working after a week. They must be fake copies.
I took out the whole motherboard and threw in the trash where it belongs.
Installed a RAMPS 1.4 + Arduino Mega. Like my Prusa MK2 clone. Also made myself a MightyFan board. easy peezee.
well if you won't say it I will.... EAT IT! lol
He did say that after 8 hrs of printing they we're not hot to the touch.
I've found the same with my later model A8.
I've done 25hr prints with no issues.
I did change the power supply to a old PC power supply I had laying around. Gave me a standard PC power cord and a switch at the same time.
On your switch, if you would split your neutral wire and run a leg to that last terminal on your switch the switch would light up when on!!
Are you talking about the IEC connector switch with the fuse?
Hello have you try to print nylon with this printer?
I have not. I've stuck with PLA for now.
How long did it take to master fusion360?
I wouldn't know, I'm not a master ;-) I took a Solidworks course in college which helps a ton when learning Fusion 360. I would just look for some good tutorials out there. NYC CNC has good ones.
FreeCAD is also fabulous. I can do so much with it. Tuts on YT.
Finally, an electrical engineer. Basically, I am sick to death of people screaming "add this mod" -- simply parroting a bunch of other people for no reason. Mods should improve the printer, or they are not worth making to begin with. As far as rigidity, go back to your physics courses. You do need a stiff frame, as an object in motion tends to stay in motion, combined with for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Basically, inertia of the rapidly moving masses when changing direction will translate to the frame, which will move the other axis attached to it, spatially moving the print in relation to the printhead (hotend). You will get jerk effects, ringing, etc., without a rigid frame. A vibration absorption system is also good (vibration dampener). However, many of the people modding 3d printers are acting as if it is a CNC mill, so be careful of doing something just for overkill value, as there is a point where the frame is rigid enough. For instance, you will see people talk about the precision of ball-screws as if they are the bomb diggity -- when in fact they are the least precise of the linear drive systems available. The are the STRONGEST of the available drive systems, and are highly sought after with CNC machines because of this, but they are not anywhere near as PRECISE as a lead-screw, whether they like it or not. This is due to range of motion with 1 turn of the stepper motor shaft. A ball-screw provides way fewer steps/mm than a lead-screw, which translates to less available inherent precision.
Thanks for the feedback! I think the stock frame does a pretty good job of dampening vibrations. Also you can adjust the acceleration values to help with that. I don't have ball screws on my printer, but I know they provide less back-lash compared to lead screws due to their thread profile. Precision and resolution is a function of thread pitch, stepper resolution, and microstepping, not thread profile.
@@bytesizedengineering One of the cheapest but most effective mods I know of is spending a couple of bucks apiece for anti-backlash lead-screw nuts for every leadscrew on a machine. After that, the point is moot. A nema 17 standard stepper motor has 1.8 degrees per step, when means X steps per revolution. of the shaft. Equivalent ballscrews have a huge pitch in comparison to an average 2mm pitch 8mm dia lead-screw of 3.175mm(for an equivalent diameter ballscrew the lead is 1/8in). Basically, the lead, or the linear length of travel of a leadscrew is equivalent to the pitch, with one turn of the screw giving 2mm linear travel, which is almost HALF the lead of an equivalent .375in ballscrew. A you can see, the pitch on a ballscrew is much greater. Since they are direct drive, the linear motion per rotation (lead) is necessarily greater on the ballscrew, so that doesn't change the maximum resolution. This means that even with microstepping, said ballscrew is less precise than a leadscrew with an anti-backlash nut. This problem is only amplified with microstepping, as it only increases the resolution for a lead-screw as well. Microstepping is not a function of the drive type, it is a function of the stepper controller which adds resolution equally to all drive types. My statement was not made lightly and still stands.
tem como desligar anet a 8plus a meio de um trabalho e retornar noutra hora ,e ke eu keria desligar de noite e retornar de manha e nao sei como poderei fazer se tiver fazendo um trabalho demorado para nao incomodar de noite
Pode pausar uma impressão, mas deve manter a energia ligada e a cama na temperatura certa.
I can't print stl files on my Anet A8 3D printer but only gcode files. Why is that?
I don't know of any 3D printer that will print STL files. You need a slicer software to convert the mesh stl file into g code instructions. 3D printers only know how to read g-code instructions
@@bytesizedengineering Thankyou, this helped a lot!😃👍
Don't trust datasheet currents for mosfets, the thermal dissipation and max temperature is what limits the final current
I wouldn't say don't trust datasheets. I would say look closer at the conditions in which the measurements were taken. Read the asterisk at the bottom of the page. You are correct in that the current depends very much on the junction temperature.
Support doubling print time? ehhhh I dunno...probably have support speed too low...
i want to let you know that the anet board does not have any protection for if the thermistors come loose, a major fire hazard.
the only way to fix this is to install a different firmware, marlin is the current de facto firmware for the a8 (thanks to the skynet firmware for adding support for the anet board to marlin)
this will void your warranty.
Yes, upgrading to marlin firmware is a good idea. I have since done this to my machine.
You measure the weight of two different elements (in the second you removed some fragments). Pretty crazy ;).
Yeah, he removed the supports. That was the entire point.
now go for the next project: take care of your beard. Clean the edges and bring a little form into it. Nice video, thank you!
LOL! Can he print a neckbeard shaver with it?
why not drill the threads and use just the wing nuts?
Those wingnuts are such a bigger pain in the dick than they seem. I know it sounds kind of silly. But for real, those tiny bits of metal are pure evil.
The wingnuts are a huge pain. The way I did it works well for me. I'm sure there are other/better ways it could be done.
Good video. Since the AC side uses a lot less amps than the DC side, I think a 5 amp fuse may be better, not sure but you may want to check that.
That's a great suggestion. I could probably get away with a smaller fuse on the IEC connector. I know my outlets are connected to a 15A breaker in the panel, so I chose a 10A fuse with that in mind.
why did you print the PSU cover up-right? Just lay it flat face-down and you don't need any supports. If you print it on GLASS it will also look a lot better than what you did..
Because he wanted to test the supports
It was a learning experience. Thanks for the tips!
Buy a Prusa i3 to get a really big upgrade of quality of your prints :) I had Wanhao Duplicator i3 before, now I have original Prusa i3. It's a big difference! Like a wow!
I would LOVE a Prusa i3, but don't have the money to buy one right now. Maybe they could send one to me? (Wishful thinking). Thanks for watching
You can make an a8 or any other i3 kit just as good or better than a prusa for much less, just depends on how much work you wanna put into it
Update?
Still using this printer. I just moved out of state and the movers didn't pack it very well and one of the frame pieces broke. I'm pretty sure I can fix it with some acrylic glue.
anet a8 has a 20 amp psu not a 10 amp one
Please guys do a firmware upgrade else if he thermoster falls out it will burn down.
LOL.....I ended up strapping down my A8 to a patio stone with a cargo strap and spreader bar. Prints nice now. Those stupid T braces are designed by people who learned physics from watching Bugs Bunny & Roadrunner cartoons.
Your x belt tensioner is crap...it puts to much horizontal force on to the z axis...
There are way better solutions putting the force away from the z axis to the non bendable x axis...
Can you give me an example of what you are talking about, maybe a link? Thanks
jesus christ, just install auto leveling
auto bed leveling isn't necessarily just as long as you have patients it is fine
The best upgrade you can make is to build another printer from scratch. Unless you've got money to throw away.