[Resuelto] MK4 Wishlist  

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

Ok, let's face it: regarding touch we will never agree.

I agree with this statement. I work for a major global electronics company and a lot of our products now have touch screens. While they may look better, you definitely have to pay more attention to what you are trying to do. It is way to easy to "click" on the wrong menu item when you are attempting to scroll through the menus (and then you find yourself having to backtrack through countless menus to locate whatever you were searching for in the first place).

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

Ok, let's face it: regarding touch we will never agree. So, i guess to please all it's best to add touch screen AND encoder. So everyone would be able to use it's favorite 😀

Not sure. Because then we will be arguing about why the need to have both 😆

Having got a couple of touch screens on printers I find them annoying, because they can never be as big as you would like. I would love to see a better screen for sure, just not touch.

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

I do love my Mk2S and its pretty reliable if you set it up correctly and use the right settings. 😀

A bigger display is always better, but please please please DONT make it a touchscreen! I'm working as an industrial engineer and if you want dependability, be rugged as possible and precise, you gotta use nobs and buttons.
I would like to see about double the display size and full graphic. Color would be nice but to be honest... who sits hours next to the printer watching a fancy color display? 😉 I want a working horse, not a gucci showcase with swarovsky crystals 😆
Maybe add an RGB Backlight, so in case of a faulty situation, the color turns red.
I would also like to see a switchable backlight. Luckily your current display features a 0 ohm resistor on the backside which can be exchanged for a switch. 😎

At the mentioned faster MCU:
I don't have the feeling that the current one is at its limit. The used Mega2560 is capable of so much more. But with some more features added, it might be a good choice somehow.

The mentioned OctoPI:
Not all people want or need that functuality of a RaspberryPI connected to the printer. So why make them pay for it?
Those who want it will buy all the needed components and modify/connect them how they like it.
Maybe just design the Mk4 "OctoPi ready", so you can easily connect power and the ability to power up the printer like with an ATX PSU.
If someone doesn't uses an OctoPi, a jumper shortens two pins and the PSU starts right away. If using an OctoPi, you remove the jumper, dirctly connect it to the Pi and power up your printer remotely. 🙂

More silent would be nice.
The fans and metal linear bearings are way too loud.
I exchanged some of them with plastic bearings but ran into a problem. If you tighten the U bolts on the Y axis, you distord them and they are not round any more adding a lot of friction on the rod leading to stress on the belt and stepper. But if you loosen it a bit so it gets round again, they wiggle around and the heat-bed isn't fixed enough.
So another type of holding mechanism would be fine. Maybe something like on the X-motorend/idleend.

I would love to see the nozzle a bit easier. (Also my OctoPi camera 😉 )

Improved cable management. For my taste, the fixed cables are too much "flying around". Maybe so kind of cable ducts?
But I do like the current one for the moving parts! With the spiral wrapped around, the cables have a large bending radius reducing stress and preventing a cable break. I cant believe what some people do with theses "energy chains" 😯
Yea, they look cool and professional, but this isn't an industry robot! The bending radius is too small and the bending happens on a much smaller length of the cable. Sure you can use them, but then you have to change the cables to super flexible ones especially designed for this purpose!
The chain also adds some weight and drag which also increases stress on the belts and steppers.
But what I would like to see is a better positioning and rework of the cable entrys to the rambo. Luckily the cable for the hotend has a textile cover and I had a look at it, because it was scraching on the housing. I also had a cable break on the thermal sensor of the heatbed.

I would also like to see a 10mm belt as standard.
Just finnished my modification. If anyone is interested, I uploaded my files on thingiverse:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2805552 😎

A servo switched air duct.... uhh... whats that you ask?
After a print I would like to cool the hot end as fast as possible. The logics should be no problem. If the print is finnished and the thermal sensor says "ouch", a servo moves the air duct of the printing fan a bit higher.

Mooooore statistics
Since I'm an engineer, I love numbers and statistics. So added to the overall statistics of printing time and filament lenght, I would love:
.) time and length of last print
.) total time and length for different materials.
.) maybe an energy-meter for the power consumption (again added as total and for each material)

The menu would need a rework.
For example the process of preheating and cooling around a filament-change.
If there is a bigger screen, maybe you add a joystick or cursor buttons for the menu itself and use the rotary encoder just for changing values.

Did I mention hotkeys for quick-access of some functions? :ugeek:

Wow... that was a long post.
I'm hungry now 😆

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

I don't have the feeling that the current one is at its limit. The used Mega2560 is capable of so much more. But with some more features added, it might be a good choice

Oh, this mega IS at it's limit, trust me. With tons of additional features in MK3 it would be better to say that it's already over the limit. That's why they turned off linear advance.

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

Print the display cover on a MMU’d printer. The engraved-look “Prusa Research” looks fine, I presume, in person, but does not look great on photographs. The logo should be filled in using the contrasting color, so black on orange or orange on black.. that would look super slick, and only require a 1 or 2 layer waste block. As a bonus each printer would be sold with a subliminal demo/advert of what’s possible with MMU.

Also, access hatch for adding/removing the Pi without disassembling the whole electronics box.

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

Chamfer the top of the PTFE tube leading into the V^ print head - this will allow for production tolerance misalignments on the position of the extruder driver to the top of that tube.

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

Maybe rather than a touch screen, what we need is a larger full colour display screen with controls next to it? I really hate the current LCD/rotary controls and find them very tricky and annoying to use.

Maybe something like this (Made up image):

Or if the rotary controller has to stay then something like Makerbot's:

I'm sure with some careful and inventive sourcing it could be done cheaply enough to not push the printer out of it's price bracket.

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

I don't have the feeling that the current one is at its limit. The used Mega2560 is capable of so much more. But with some more features added, it might be a good choice

Oh, this mega IS at it's limit, trust me. With tons of additional features in MK3 it would be better to say that it's already over the limit. That's why they turned off linear advance.

I agree, the next iteration needs something more powerful...

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

Maybe add an enclosure and a more capable mcu on the list. Although personally, I would be happy to see an enclosure even as an optional upgrade - but I think ideally the enclosure would have a means to regulate temperature and an interface with the main board so that it could be controlled even remotely with octoprint custom scripts.

Whoops, from the thread title I thought you were looking for any upgrades. I'll leave this here anyway in case you want to expand the survey.

I don't think a touchscreen is necessary because it would drive up cost for not a lot of benefit.

Agree!!

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

Real dual extruder.

So that you can print with two different filaments like on the Ultimaker and BCN3D

linear encoder: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

(if you add a more powerfull mcu)
you could add a linear encoder to avoid shifting at least on the X axis with the sensor on the x carriage, it's almost always because of the x carriage that we have layer shift.
That would make a closed loop control and that would prevent or recover/save(or even stop) the end of the print when a layer has shifted
and that could be very useful (and it's not very expensive and not so hard to do 🙂 )
(speaking from experience, i have often shifted layers when i use 0.10 or 0.05mm layer height)
ps: and still using stepper motor

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

Gen4 improvements and less RepRap.

Better designed and higher precision rigid machine frame.
Large touch screen with on-screen controls.
Better designed mechanicals and more aluminum parts to replace plastic.
Features that deliver and work.
More powerful and faster controller board.
Better quality components.

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

If there was a way to interface an old cell phone that would be great. I have two LG G2 phones that I was going to use for a dash cam. Roadways are filling up with drivers that think they are on a raceway or are the only ones on the road.
Anyway, I'm sure with everyone buying the latest cellphones there are a lot of touch screens out there. Could one of these or even a larger tablet be used and integrated into the mix?
This would cut down on pricing if the CPU and touchscreen were provided by the used cellphone tablet device.

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

With all the fancy new feature requests, the price for the printer will be higher.
Are you guys willing to pay 1k+ for Prusa? I think the main reason why it's so popular is because it's filling the gap between low budget kits and the next higher priced UM3, BCN3D, Makerbot ...

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

To be short: enclosure, 32-bit, touchscreen.

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

Let me be very humble:

1. Modular extruder/hotend configuration
A modular maybe "tactical" extruder/hotend configuration. I really don't like the fixed extruder assembly something like this:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2087128

I'd love to have the chance to quickly swap hotends and extruders. Something like Lulzbot offers.
That combined with special extruders for flex material, etc. would be great!

2. More CPU power on the board
With all the small glitches (linear advanced and Raspberry Pi issues), I guess it would be great to have some more horse power on the board.

3. Larger Bed
A larger bed in the y-axis should be possible. Tevo showed it off with the tarantula.

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

BTW, I don't need a touch screen, it would just make either the kit more expensive or compromise the quality on other side. The benefit is simply not worth it. . .

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

*screen: no need for touch or fancyness....my printers have to work, not to look pretty (although the MK3 is kinda sexy)
*extruder: better aligned path (see thread: flexible filaments) and better guidance to make printing flexibles more reliable
*extruder: a geared extruder with a shorter "push length" think of combining the ideas of bondtec and e§d Titan Aero extruder...that would be superiour. More precision, cooler extruder stepper.
*filament diameter detection and auto extrusion amount adaption related to that. Another thing that would push FDM to another level. Even most (or all ? ) industrial machines that cost over 100k don't do that...WHY???
*Multi Material: Wait for the MMU 2.0 released by Jo. What I've seen 'til now, this could be what a alot of are asking for. Please dont do the two nozzle thing...I hate to align those bastards.
* stiffness: a gantry between z and x axis. Stiffen it up, although the PSU case already acts like a kind of gantry...but a rigid metal triangle placed at the right spot could do wonders
*Y-Axis mounting frog: It features 3 Linear bearings. If you have a bad bearing or rod, you will get some play on the side with only one bearing. Make the frog symmetrical and give it 4 bearings. The side with 1 bearing is always pretty much in the middle, so it's at a spot where the rods could bend the most. with 4 bearings there's no need for linear rails.

overall philosophy: keep it that way!! don't get pushed by some *blingbling* factors. Keep it as simple and modification friendly as it is.

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

I think a newer pixel-based LCD instead of the older character-based LCD would look nice. I hate the CR-10 but that is the one nice thing about it. Also, a 32-bit controller is long overdue. Even though the 8-bit Einsy is doing great, a 32-bit controller is probably a good idea, because it would bring better performance and reliability, as well as support for an ethernet connection.

On the topic of touchscreens, I think that should absolutely not be a thing on any 3D printer. I hate touchscreens with a passion, at least on stationary devices. The only thing I'd ever want a touchscreen on is my phone. The only thing less reliable and user-friendly than cheap touchscreens is positioning wires manually to control the logic pins. Expensive touch screens would add a huge amount to the price tag.

I agree that there should be no enclosure. It'd be too expensive, and most people only print PLA anyway. I'd just say focus on improving existing features. Keep making changes that would make assembly easier, like a better printed part threading method (I kind of hate the square nuts). Also a better power supply is probably a good idea, since the MK3 PSU has some reliability problems, as well as making that really weird clicking/rattling sound (WTF is that coming from?). Maybe put a Noctua fan on the PSU, since that gets pretty warm during normal use.

Re: MK3S / MK4 Wishlist

I would like to see the next model have a Gummy Bear Dispenser
so that after every successful calibration - out pops one a la PEZ dispensers 🙂 😮