TH3D EZBoard Lite Board Upgrades Ender and Creality CR-10 3D Printers

TH3D EZBoard Lite Prototype

The basic setup of Creality 3D’s very popular Ender and CR-10 series 3D printers now have a drop-in board upgrade that is poised to rival printers that cost many times more than the Creality models. The original board only utilizes the ATmega2560 microcontroller, the A4988 stepper motor drives, with those cheap Chinese capacitors. The board runs Marlin 1.x open source firmware.  This setup is very close to the Arduino Mega 2560 and the RepRap RAMPS 1.4 board which are some of the most common and simplest board combinations in the world. The upgrade from TH3D, is the EZBoard Lite, makes some very important changes to the overall board ability, scalability and functionality. The physical process of upgrade is simple and easy. The outcome is an increase in speed and functionality that is comparable to 3D printers costing 5 to 10 times as much. Features Easy Drop-In Installation No Soldering No […]

Review of Zonestar Z6 Low-cost 3D Printer

Zonestar Z6 Build

Ugh…I don’t like calling these reviews. I like to say that I am sharing my experiences with the products. I have a fair bit of experience under my belt using 3D printers now but still don’t consider myself an “expert”. I think that I have had about a dozen come through here.  Anyway on with the show. Today we are going to look at a very economical 3D printer: the Zonestar Z6. I have to say I wasn’t expecting much. I read/ watch a lot of reviews about 3D printers and sub $100 printers aren’t typically very good. Gearbest recently had the Zonestar Z6 on sale for $99 that Jean-Luc recently posted here on CNX Software but is currently $120. Let’s see how it prints. Some assembly required I designed a spool holder but not very good. The whole printer rocks when the full spool is on it. The tiny […]

Zonestar Z6 Entry-Level Portable 3D Printer Sells for under $100 (Promo)

ZONESTAR Z6 3D Printer

From time to time promotions come up for 3D printers, and if your budget is just around $100, Zonestar Z6 3D printer might be an option as it is currently sold on GearBest for $99.99 plus a few dollars for shipping. ZoneStar Z6 3D printer specifications: Display – LCD screen Storage – microSD card slot Nozzle – 0.4mm Printing accuracy – 0.06mm XY-axis positioning accuracy – 0.11 mm Z-axis positioning accuracy – 0.0025mm Build Size – 150 x 150 x 150 mm Print speed – Up to 150mm/s (MAX) Filament Diameter – 1.75mm Supported Materials – ABS, Flexible PLA, HIPS, PETG, PLA, PVC, Wood USB – 1x USB port Power Supply – Input: AC 110/220V, output: 12V, 10A Mechanical info Dimensions – 28.00 x 30.60 x 35.40 cm Weight: 4.0000 kg Frame material – Aluminum Extrusion Platform board – Aluminum Alloy The company recommends Cura, Repetier-Host, or Simplify3D software to […]

Alfawise W10 is a $300 Resin (SLA) 3D Printer

Alfawise W10 resin 3d printer

Most 3D printers on the market work with filaments using fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology, but in the past we’ve also seen 3D printers using resin and stereolithography apparatus (SLA) technology. The latter is supposed to enable more detailed, yet faster prints, but storing and keeping the liquid resin is a bit more challenging than simply handling filament. In the past I had come across two resin 3D printers in the news, namely the infamous Peachy printer, and the $99 ONO 3D printer working with a smartphone, which was introduced in 2016, but the company is still working on the printer, and most backers have not received their rewards. But today, I’ve come across another resin 3D printer with Alfawise W10 that’s available  for $299.99 plus a few dollars for shipping. Alfawise W10 key features & specifications: Display – 2.5″ full color LCD display Storage – microSD card slot Build […]

Tis the season so they say

donate

Hey Karl here with a short post…I know everyone on here has their hobbies and thanks to Jean-Luc, and Gearbest I have been able to explore 3D printing for nearly 2 years. I want to express gratitude towards 3 extremely active individuals who help 3D printing, and donate a lot of their time.  They help and rarely get showcased on their own. Thinkyhead aka Scott Lahteine You may not know Scott but I’m sure his code is in your 3D printer. Over the past two years I’ve opened a couple issues on Marlin on the Github page and he has helped out both times. I’m writing this today to encourage everyone to contribute to Scott’s Patreon. Marlin is at the cusp of releasing 2.0 which brings a lot a change and a lot of work. One thing that all the printers I have reviewed have in common is Marlin firmware. […]

Geeetech A20M Review – A Dual Extruder, Color Mixing 3D Printer

Geeetech A20M 3D Printer Samples

Hey Karl here with a 3D printer review. I know it has been a while for a printer review and grateful for Gearbest sending the review unit. They shipped me the Geeetech A20M a single nozzle, mixing, dual extruder 3D printer. Man that was a mouth full. It is a follow up to the A10M which is similar but a smaller build volume. The A20M clocks in with a 255x255x255mm build volume. My last foray with a multi material printer was a Tevo Tarantula and it was mildly successful. I didn’t realize that this was a mixing extruder and the implications. I have done some very cool looking prints due to the fact that it’s a mixing extruder. QC Issues I always come to expect some QC issues with these low cost printers. But I have to say that this printer has had the most. Let me list with fixes […]

Alfawise U30 3D Printer now Offered for $166 (Promo)

This time of the year is normally a good period to buy 3D printers at a discounted prices ,as we’ve seen in the past with the popular Anet A8 model, which again is sold for $139.99 plus shipping right now, or if you are based in Europe as low as $129.99 with coupon GB23CC4. Another potentially interesting deal is the new Alfawise U30 3D printer which can be bought on GearBest for $165.99 plus shipping ($7.57 here) with coupon GBBFEX017. The 3D printer is also said to offer safety features, support for left handed people, and resume after power failure or running out of filament. Alfawise U30 main features: 2.8″ full color touchscreen placed on the left or right of the printer frame Storage – micro SD card slot, USB port Build volume – 220 x 220 x 250mm Nozzle diameter – standard 0.4mm nozzle Print speed – Up to […]

Creality Ender 3 3D Printer Sells for $169.99 (Promo)

Creality Ender 3 3D Printer

From time to time I come across good deals for 3D printers, and a recent promotion for Creality Ender 3 3D printer appears to be one of them. Creality Ender 3 has gotten some pretty good reviews – see video embedded below – in the sub $200 market, and GearBest is now offering the 3D printer for $169.99 including shipping from their Los Angeles warehouse. That deal is only available to the US however, and if you purchase it from the China warehouse (CN-099) price is $179.99 + shipping. That’s still a pretty good price though, as the official Aliexpress store offers the printer for $208 with Fedex shipping. Creality Ender 3 specifications: Modeling Technology – FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) Printing Speed – 180mm/s Filament – 1.75mm PLA, TPU, ABS Layer Thickness – 0.1-0.4mm Nozzle Diameter – 0.4mm Printing Accuracy – ±0.1mm Working Mode – Online or SD offline Nozzle […]

EDATEC Raspberry Pi 5 fanless case