[Project] Upgrading the A5 to Direct Drive + full metal hotend + auto bed leveling for under 60$

Prokktor

Hi,

since I like tinkering and upgrading at least as much as printing, I am trying to upgrade ( and therefore hopefully improve) my A5.
BEWARE: Its my first printer, I have it for 2 weeks, I have no electronics phd and english is not my native language, so do expect mistakes! (and please point them out before I short circuit my brain or something^^)

What needs improvement?
- the hotend should at least reach 270 C to print all nylons
- the part cooling needs to be more effective
- the long bowden tube makes filament feeding imprecise and needs to go

Prerequisites:
- Community Firmware (1.1.8C) on LCD and MKS Gen L

Stuff to print:

See post 2.

Stuff to buy mandatory :

• BIQU Titan + hotend (30$) (for testing or saving money) (I do not reccomend the BIQU, I now use another that makes feeding the filament easier, yet it has no name^^)

• or a real E3D Titan + hotend for quality

• 
  

• 3D-Touch bed leveling probe (20$)

• or a real BL-Touch for quality

• 
  

• a 24V 40mm fan for coldend cooling

• a 24V 40mm fan for part cooling
  

• or a 12V 40mm fan + 12V DC power supply + PWM compatible MosFet if you want to use 12V fans

• 
  

• short and many long M3 screws and nuts

• or short M3 screws, less long M3 screws and nuts and standoffs

Stuff to buy optional:

•  (this is what else I modified, not required to get the rest to run)

• TMC2130 stepper drivers for instructions watch Da Hai 's Video in the wiki

•  3mm thick elastomer tape with more then 100 C temperature stability for insulating the heatbed (i bought mine in as insulation for heating pipes)

• Cotton and Kapton Tape to insulate the heating block

• 18mm m3 nylon spacers to replace the bed springs, you can buy 16mm for 2mm more Z buildspace if you for some reason reject heat bed insulation

Progress:

The touch mount is for a different hotend but I cut/grinded some stuff away drilled a new hole and now it fits.

The original scorpion cooler and mount parts from thingiverse did not fit neither to each other nor to the titan mount, they where also not the same parts the pictures showed so I tossed them in the failed prints bin and generated some primitive mounting plate in Fusion 360. I attached "the thing" as Fan Holder v2.stl^^

To do (Hardware):

- wait for delivery of silicone sock/pwm MOS FET/TMC 2130 stepper drivers

- implement a "reverse bowden" to prevent the turning spool from pulling up my extruder setup

To do software:

- enable unified bed leveling

- enable tmc 2130 config (still using physical endstop switches for x/y and the bl probe for z)

- update bed size and position values in marlin

Questions and things I am not sure of:

- marlin knows the relative position of the bed leveling probe to the nozzle and the relative position of the bed to 0/0 (which actually will be -X/0) so it should calculate proper probing points, but how do I make sure the nozzle does not hit the metal clamps securing my bed?

- I am still unsure if the 24V/12V fan solution I divised will work. 

- I hope it will properly move the probe to the middle of the bed when homing, because under XMIN and YMIN there is no bed and the probe cannot send an endstop signal (maybe install the probe parrallel to the z min switch to prevent self destruction?)

- My pancake extruder motor is probably made for 12 V, will it run to hot on 24V? 

- If so can I simply move 2 pins on my TCMs to the top and connect a 12V power supply?

- will my dirt cheap chinese clones produce any print quality at all?

Finaly a picture of my progress:

Regards

Martin

Prokktor

Final parts list:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3148733 
BLTouch Mount, you have to cut it to the right form

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2884481 
print only Titan Mount and Titan Angle Mount

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1888438 
Filament Cooler
(if you need bed temps higher than 70C + part cooling (basically only for some PETGs), you shout not print this in PLA)

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2973427
Spool Holder for the top of the printer, much better for direct drive

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:18273
30mm fan tube I printed this 14mm high 

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2003003
30mm to 40mm fan adapter that only need more space on 2 of the 4 sides, extremely practical

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2618559
converter for a clone V6 from bowden to direct drive

Cura Settings:
(differences to my standard settings here:
https://jgmakerforum.com/discussion/421/cura-profile-for-the-a5-and-explanations-for-the-individual-settings#latest)

- reduce retraction to 1mm
- reduce the maximum speed of your part cooling fan if necessary
- retraction extra amount is no longer needed

Firmware edits (Marlin 1.1.8C):
The edits are scattered over the files, use Ctrl F to search for every line.

Configuration.h

#define HEATER_0_MAXTEMP 300

#define HEATER_1_MAXTEMP 275

#define HEATER_2_MAXTEMP 275

#define HEATER_3_MAXTEMP 275

#define HEATER_4_MAXTEMP 275

#define BED_MAXTEMP 120

// Mechanical endstop with COM to ground and NC to Signal uses "false" here (most common setup).

#define X_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.

#define Y_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.

#define Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.

#define X_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.

#define Y_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.

#define Z_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.

#define Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the probe.


#define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT   { 80, 80, 800, 450 }

#define Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN

#define Z_ENDSTOP_SERVO_NR 0   // Defaults to SERVO 0 connector.

#define BLTOUCH

#if ENABLED(BLTOUCH)

  #define BLTOUCH_DELAY 375   // (ms) Enable and increase if needed

#endif

#define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER -10  // X offset: -left  +right  [of the nozzle]

#define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 44  // Y offset: -front +behind [the nozzle]

#define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER -1.00   // Z offset: -below +above  [the nozzle]

// You should probably use a Z offset 0 and later enter the correct value via M851 Z-1.00 or whatever your offset is


(only for TMC users)

// Invert the stepper direction. Change (or reverse the motor connector) if an axis goes the wrong way.

#define INVERT_X_DIR false

#define INVERT_Y_DIR true

#define INVERT_Z_DIR true

// The size of the print bed

#define X_BED_SIZE 280

#define Y_BED_SIZE 266

// Travel limits (mm) after homing, corresponding to endstop positions.

#define X_MIN_POS 0 // thanks DaHai.

#define Y_MIN_POS 0

#define Z_MIN_POS 0

#define X_MAX_POS X_BED_SIZE

#define Y_MAX_POS Y_BED_SIZE

#define Z_MAX_POS 250

// Min software endstops curtail movement below minimum coordinate bounds

#define MIN_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOPS

#if ENABLED(MIN_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOPS)

  #define MIN_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOP_X

  #define MIN_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOP_Y

  //#define MIN_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOP_Z

#endif

//#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_3POINT

//#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_LINEAR

#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_BILINEAR

//#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_UBL

//#define MESH_BED_LEVELING

// Set the number of grid points per dimension.

  #define GRID_MAX_POINTS_X 10

  #define GRID_MAX_POINTS_Y GRID_MAX_POINTS_X

  // Set the boundaries for probing (where the probe can reach).

  #define LEFT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 10

  #define RIGHT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 250

  #define FRONT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 50

  #define BACK_PROBE_BED_POSITION 260

#define EEPROM_SETTINGS // Enable for M500 and M501 commands

#define DISABLE_M503    // Saves ~2700 bytes of PROGMEM. Disable for release!

#define EEPROM_CHITCHAT   // Give feedback on EEPROM commands. Disable to save PROGMEM.

#define NUM_SERVOS 1 // Servo index starts with 0 for M280 command

#define SERVO_DELAY {300}

Configuration_adv.h
(only for TMC2130 users)

#define HAVE_TMC2130

 // CHOOSE YOUR MOTORS HERE, THIS IS MANDATORY

  #define X_IS_TMC2130

  //#define X2_IS_TMC2130

  #define Y_IS_TMC2130

  //#define Y2_IS_TMC2130

  #define Z_IS_TMC2130

#define R_SENSE           0.11  // R_sense resistor for SilentStepStick2130

  #define HOLD_MULTIPLIER    0.6  // Scales down the holding current from run current

  #define INTERPOLATE       true  // Interpolate X/Y/Z_MICROSTEPS to 256

  #define X_CURRENT          750  // rms current in mA. Multiply by 1.41 for peak current.

  #define X_MICROSTEPS        16  // 0..256

  #define Y_CURRENT          900

  #define Y_MICROSTEPS        16

  #define Z_CURRENT          900

  #define Z_MICROSTEPS        16

#define STEALTHCHOP

 #define HYBRID_THRESHOLD

#define TMC_DEBUG


Pins.RAMPS.h

#define X_STEP_PIN         54

#define X_DIR_PIN          55

#define X_ENABLE_PIN       38

#define X_CS_PIN           64  //53

#define Y_STEP_PIN         60

#define Y_DIR_PIN          61

#define Y_ENABLE_PIN       56

#define Y_CS_PIN           44 //49

#define Z_STEP_PIN         46

#define Z_DIR_PIN          48

#define Z_ENABLE_PIN       62

#define Z_CS_PIN           40

Samuel Pinches

Wow, following! I'm linking this to the wiki as a "work in progress", looks very exciting!

Andre

For the hotend, most parts chinese clones work well. But chinese are not all the same. I tested some different ones. Best quality were AliExpress/Trianglelabs. Trianglelabs honestly say, all metal is not so good printing PLA, due to the friction PLA  has to bare metal.

So If you want high temperatures but also PLA, you should get an microswiss heatbreak for v6. It has an special coating inside, so you have even less friction than ptfe but alows at least 300°C.

Its even better than original e3d heatbreak. With e3d heatbreak I sometimes got clogging with PLA in my Prusa i3 mk3. With microswiss this problem was solved. Also the coating protects against abrasive filament.

So while you can use coldend, heaterblock, heating cadrige, thermistor and nozzle from China, I strictly recomend a microswiss heatbreak.

You may consider to use a (cloned) volcano heatblock. As the JGAurora A5 is a big sized printer, you may try bigger nozzle diameter like 0.6 or even 0.8, an volcano is highly recommend to melt the plastic fast enough for these diameters. From china you can get a cloned volcano made from Cooper, which has better heat conductivity than the normal used aluminium.

For the nozzle it depends if you want to print abrasives. Microswiss for abrasives is a good idea. If you print a lot and dont change diameter anyway, you may also use a Olsson Ruby. But thats quite expensive (so I did that only on my mk3).

Recommendation: use standard nozzle first and maybe change to microswiss when printing abrasives.

I personaly prefer Bondtech instead of Titan. From China a cloned Bondtech BMG (in AliExpress its caled "Dual Drive BMG") costs about 32$. Make sure you buy  from trianglelabs; the cheaper fystec has definitvly an other cut in the gears (seems like the ones for 3mm Filament).

Prokktor

Thanks @Andre you are most helpful.

I ordered my current clone heartbreak in all metal and ptfe versions, but I will check microswiss for my next project.

Current progress:

Most of the mentioned problems are solved.
All auto bed leveling questions where answered in this video:

The stepper motor never sees anything close to 12V so its completely irrelevant if I go with 12V or 24V, the stepper drivers  take care of that.

I'am still waiting for the dc dc converters and the PWM Mosfets, but once I got all my christmas presents printed I start building :-)

Everything else is here:

Prokktor

Current progress:
TCMs installed. *works*
MosFet and 12V power rail installed *works*
12V controllable fan tested *works*
TCM cooling installed *works*

My PWM Mosfets did not arrive yet so I used a BED mosfet, but it does the job^^

To do:
Cable management and testing!

Prokktor

So it is nearly done.

I quickly setup Bilinear Bed Leveling, took my old PLA profile and only cut retraction to 2mm and reduced the additional re-retraction to 0.

This is my first print, it is dead silent exept for the fans and it seems to print better and probably faster than ever before...


Problems:
- the cheap Titan is difficult to feed with filament, i can not implement the reverse bowden because i need to grab it right over the titan and fiddle it in
- after 40% into the first print it simply stopped, like it gets no more data from the usb... dont know why yet
- the cable management still looks like a toddler did it :-)
- those throats are little over 1$ per piece, so I ordered a handful and I am still using a ptfe throat (its pla...)


So far I am extremly happy, 1st try was much better than expected^^

Samuel Pinches

Nice work!!

itisnot_me

If you are using the blue cable that came with it switch to a different like cable. The blue cable that is shipped with it is faulty. I didn't know this until much later. I have been printing from the USB stick with no problems. Also it helps with power out function.

Prokktor

Progress:
- removed old Filament Spool Holder and old Extruder Assembly
- redid cable management
- installed new printed spool holder, better suited for direct drive

Features:
- my printing space is now 282x266x250 (Y could be bigger but I removed the space occupied by blue tape and metal clamps, cant print there anyways)
- pay attention to the Tamiya tool in the bottom right, no better way to quickly change a nozzle^^

Problems:
My TCM software set values are
700mAh
900mAh
900mAh

At X600 and Y800 I get layer shifting problems, but at Y900 the Motor has 63C on the outside after a simple 40min calicat... I am currently printing a Nema 17 Fan Holder and I will install that later today.

The surface of my prints is less smooth than with my original A5 config, the layers are much more visible equally in X and Y direction  ... still working on that and any hints are welcome.
So far I thought of:
- hotend assembly to heavy --> cant be that would not affect the Y Axis
- to much cooling (can that be)
- over /under extrusion --> changing flow does not help


All other aspects of printing are improved, so overhangs, bridging, speed, noise and bed leveling are much improved over the original A5 setup.

Samuel Pinches

I think the bed springs are a source of wobble. You can add spacers to help preload the springs more. Or, you can replace the bed springs with solid nylon (or printed) spacers if suitable length.

Samuel Pinches

Also, I don’t think cable ties are sufficient for holding the x axis.

Plus, there may be some wobble on the x bearings too.

Prokktor

@Samuel Pinches
Thanks, I definitely plan to replace the bed springs, so far I only added some washers.
The x bearings seem fine and I am not a AutoCad professional so I dont really know how to improve this part of my build.

Progress:
I had some problems with clogging, that seemed to have 2 reasons:
- I increased retraction to 3mm... that was totally dumb... I set it to 1mm after discovering it leads to problems and I have no stringing at all with pla...
- the JGAurora 30mm coldend cooler is not working reliable... sometimes it makes crazy noises and does not spin very fast, but I do not have any powerfull 30mm fans... so I used double sided tape to glue in a sandwich of 40mm fans, there is simply no space to do it any other way (not that I could think of one)
- I can now reliably print PLA with ptfe and with all metal throats
- I installed a powerfull 40mm Fan in the hole below the Y stepper motor, the motor never went above 40C since then^^

Problems:
I am totally unhappy with my TMC2130s.
When set to: 650/900/900 mAh I sometimes get layer shift on the Y axis even at speed 60, but increasing Y or Z to 950 leeds to crazy noises like an airplane landing on a carrier without landing gears^^
So what can I do?
I cannot print anything above PETG because the cooling of my clone V5 is not sufficient, i would need 30mm x 30mm x 20-30mm fans that are 24V and rather powerful... does anyone know of some?

To Do:
I have a clone V6 (bowden) lying around, so I will print this adapter
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2618559
and replace my clone V5... just to see how it works.

Probably a firmware bug:
If I change the mAh of the TMCs with M906 Y950 M500, I have to turn the printer of and on again to see the effect. Using it right away or even changing midprint leeds to strange behavior...

PS:
I just remembered: I have some M3 copper standoffs, maybe I can use them to replace the bed springs... will check tonight^^

Prokktor

Progress:
I printed https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:18273 in 30X30X14mm (in 26 minutes^^), that solves my cooling problem, but it takes up arround 1 cm of X movement. I could switch places between cooling and 3D Touch Sensor, but that would blow the hot air on my (PLA)Titan Mount, no problem for PLA prints, but once I print nylon, the air will get hotter...

I checked the X gantry and I dont think the cable ties contribute to any wobble in a meaningfull way, if something wobbles its the 8mm X and Z rods that get slightly bent when I shake the assembly, but I can do nothing about that.
(my next printer will have 10mm or 12mm rods^^)

Problems:
The M3 standoffs do not work because it is impossible to remove the 4 bed screws without destroying the bed :-(

To Do:
The second Titan clone I ordered for spare parts has arrived, and it is of much better quality then the BIQU Titan, so I will replace the whole thing along with the V5 clone.

Der_Muck

I think not only the rods are a problem, the whole upper frame is to flexible. Maybe to flexible with the rods to use a direct drive, yes. I add on my A5 extra 2mm steel angles on the side, now its better as before with the frame. Change the original stepper motor belts to. They are too flexible.
In our company we have a 15000 euro 3D dual printer and it has a bowden feed. A direct drive is not the solution of a good print. As i read other forums, direct drive users change to bowden feed, thats funny hehe. I think for myself its the best to make moving parts as light as it get and reduce the length and the diameter of the bowden tube. When you want to go the other way, you must make the frame, rods and the bed more stabil but I dont think thats rational and easy. 
Yes a light V5 or V6 would be great but in combination with a bowden as i think.
On the other hand, wouldnt it end in the same as the JG A5 head now is?

I use the 1.8.8 print PLA, PETG and ABS without a problem. Ofcause the printer could print faster but my JG prints better than our 15000 euro company printer, that bet I won with my A5 lul  

So when you have a problem next to the tuning work, you must go back to solve the problem first before tuning and working on that. Otherwise it will make more and more work to get to an end.

Prokktor

Yes I think a short bowden ist the optimal setup. The extruder should be where the X Axis motor is. But I do not think thats a practical mod for the A5. 

If I shake the extruder all the movement I see is beding the rods, of cause there are other culprits but the thin rods seem to bee the biggest problem.

I will continue to mod this until I can print the parts for my hypercube evolution, preferably in nylon.

Progress:
- inserted the V6 clone, the new titan seems to work fine

Problems:
- none I a currently checking how fast I can print a benchy^^

Todo:
- waiting for the nylon spacers to replace the bed springs
- setting up UBL instead of Bilinear, just to see how that works

Der_Muck

Isnt the bed mount self the problem? I tryed to change the springs but went back to the original because the bed mount is to flexible. The springs are ok. The rods are a problem with more weight, yes, thats true.

Prokktor

Thats what I thought too, but I can do something about the springs and they are more or less useless with automatic bed leveling.

I do have a welding tool, but I dont feel proficient do do anything about bed mount^^

Prokktor

So here is a Benchy printed with Speed 80:

(This was printed with temperature fluctiations in the hotend, surface quality is much better now)

Prokktor

So here are pictures of the final assembly.
I will update the original post with all the parts I did not initially plan to use :-)

Prokktor

The good and the bad:

positive:
- you can print everything here from PLA, for printing Nylon/ABS you can simply remove the part cooling fan in seconds, its 1 screw and a JST connector
- it prints way faster than the original A5 could, the only limiting factor seems to be the Y layer shifts maybe thats the TMCs fault, but I did only test speeds up to 100 and I do not know what happens beyond
- changing fillament is extremely easy, once I forgot to insert filament before starting the print, I managed to do that between homing and the brim without pressing pause^^
- its a full metal heatbreak, so no limits there, but I did not check how far the A5 heater gets me
- the a5 takes up less space on the table with the spool on top
- the part cooling is extremely strong now
- the cheap 3dtouch seems to be extremely reliable
- you can fix the bed, no more fiddling around with thumb screws

negative:
- more parts, so more stuff to check when something goes wrong
- the part cooling fan duct is so large, its hard to see whats going on under there
- you have only 280x280x250mm of buildspace left*
- the extrusion is not as constant as it was before, so the surface of the printed parts is not as perfect, maybe its a setting in cura or I simply need a more expensive heatbreak **
- no more filament runout sensor

*  actually its 280x266x250 because of the metal clamps and blue tape on newer versions of the heat bed
** It was temperature fluctuations, problem is solved

Prokktor

Yesterday I had my first test of nylon printing, with mixed results:

Problem 1: 1st print did not even start, the temperature was constantly changing between 258C and 271C and never stayed long enough at 265C to make the printer start

Solution 1: Redid the PID Tuning, now it startet printing but I still saw temps as low as 259C during printing...

Problem 2: I mixed PVA glue with water and coatet the bed with it, but the print curled up after a few layers.

Solution 2: Next time I use more PVA Glue and I will print at 80C bed instead of 70C.

Problem 3: There was an audible *click* *click* from the nozzle, so my fresh vacuum sealed Nylon CX12 must be wet.

Solution 3: Buy something more expensive than Hobbyking Nylon or but that spool in the oven^^ But that was the least of the problems^^

Problem 4: The Mesh for the heated bet is at least 0.25mm different in some places at 70C then it was at 50C.

Solution 4 : Redo the Auto Bed leveling.

But I got a nice lower half of a cable tie, that was as indestructible as nylon ought to be. So it was at least a partial success. :-)

Preparations for the next try:

I now ditched the silicone sock and packed the heating block in cotton and kapton tape.

Steps to undertake when switching from PLA to Nylon:

- redo the PID Tuning, but is that not useless because once filament flows through the block the necessary PIDs will be completely different?
- redo the auto bed leveling
- remove the part cooling fan (its from PLA^^)
- coat the bed in PVA glue

I will report once test 2 has commenced^^

Prokktor

I inserted a list of all printed parts and the firmware edits in the second post.

Prokktor

Yesteray I printed some PLA and the objects where printed perfectly, all the surface imperfections are gone :-)

It was temperaterure fluctuations in the hotend!

The cause was probably the clone PT100, the heating element was a little loose and could be removed without loosening the screw and the cooling is a lot stronger with 2 40mm Fans which made it more difficult to heat the block. Apart from that the heat insulation with cotton is much more complete now than the silicone sock was...

Prokktor

This is my insulated heating block, 2 layers of cotton on top and bottom, 1 layer on the sides. and kapton tape to hold it together. Plus 5 holes of course^^ to attach all the stuff.

Takes about 5 min to build, I made a few spares right away^^

May look ugly but extremely effective!

Jacob_Vaughan

Hey! I'm looking at this as a way to upgrade my printer just to a Titan. I mainly need it becuase my A5 is my only printer that can handle it without losing to much and will improve on my "sketchy" prints. I've taken mine apart many times to fix it

Thomas Witman

I read through all of this and have to say I'm disappointed!  First of all, you used parts from many Thingiverse contributors but didn't bother to thank or name them.  Mine are the two most critical ones  for mounting the entire assembly to the bearings and mounting the pancake stepper and Titan extruder while providing clearance for the big gear.  I don't really see what you contributed except a step by step learning experience!  My Thingiverse file provides a complete working setup that is still producing great prints but it's not mentioned in the WIKI.  

Samuel Pinches

Hi @Thomas Witman  - thanks for your designs that you have shared online. I don't think @Prokktor meant to offend - it's a compliment that your design is the best one on thingiverse. I would have been upset if people just stole STL files and uploaded as their own, but @Prokktor has not done that here, he has linked to your item's page. Personally, I'm in the "time poor" category right now, so I think there is value in seeing a full guide with explanation.

I have not linked your design on the wiki directly, but I have already added it to the collection of thingiverse upgrades for the A5 a long time ago, which I have linked on the A5 wiki. The wiki is editable by anyone - you're more than welcome to register and add a link or upgrade guide there if you would like.