Upgrading MK3S+ to MK4S While Inside Prusa Enclosure. Do I Really Need to Disassemble It All?
Hi all,
I’m hoping someone here can help or has been through this already.
I have a Prusa MK3S+ that’s fully installed/integrated inside the official Prusa Enclosure (with all accessories properly mounted). I recently purchased the MK4S upgrade kit and was excited to start the process, but I’ve run into a planning snag.
All the guides I’ve found for the upgrade assume the printer is standalone. None of them seem to take into account that the MK3S+ might already be installed inside the official enclosure.
From what I can tell, I may need to:
Fully uninstall my MK3S+ from the enclosure,
- Uninstall it from the enclosure and rebuild it as a the original standalone unit.
- Upgrade the printer to the MK4S standalone unit.
- Then re-install the upgraded MK4S into the enclosure afterward?
That seems like a lot of redundant work, especially since most of the upgrade is electronic and mechanical swaps that could theoretically happen in-place?
So my questions are:
- Has anyone done the MK3S+ to MK4S upgrade while keeping the printer integrated within the enclosure?
- Are there any gotchas I should be aware of if I try to do this without uninstalling the whole printer?
- Is there a better guide or set of steps for people upgrading from one version to the next while still integrated inside the officialenclosure?
Thanks in advance. I’d love to save myself some unnecessary disassembly/reassembly if possible.
RE: Upgrading MK3S+ to MK4S While Inside Prusa Enclosure. Do I Really Need to Disassemble It All?
I haven't done exactly what you are wanting, but close. I purchased a MK4+enclosure bundle (this was before MK4S). Instead of building the MK4 and then disassembling the bits I needed for the enclosure, I had both assembly instructions open to see from the enclosure instructions where I would need to deviate from the MK4 instructions. When I was done I had an enclosure with a MK4 inside for my first power-on test. As I recall, the biggest things were to install the power supply brace to the frame instead of the power supply in the MK4 build instructions and then leave the power supply and front display disconnected until the integration steps into the enclosure. It wasn't difficult, but did require that I was paying attention to my progress in both instructions.
I haven't checked the MK3S+ to MK4 upgrade instructions, but I would expect there to be significant disassembly of the MK3S+ so I wouldn't bother restoring the MK3S+ to original state. Just remove it from the enclosure reversing the installation instructions. (I thought I remembered seeing instructions for removing the printer from the enclosure, but I wasn't able to find them with a quick look.)
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RE: Upgrading MK3S+ to MK4S While Inside Prusa Enclosure. Do I Really Need to Disassemble It All?
I have upgraded my MK3S+ that was already installed in an Original Prusa Enclosure to an MK4S about two months ago. You'll have to disassemble practically the whole thing, heated bed, bearings, all the printed parts, all the cabling, electronics box, display, attachments for the belt on the heated bed, smooth rods, motors (if it is an upgrade to an MK4S), extruder, etc. The only parts that stayed assembled on mine were the vertical frame, the PSU replacement bracket on the frame and the extrusions. Imho doing all that inside the enclosure is much more cumbersome than taking the printer out of the enclosure and working on a workbench where the enclosure is not in the way. If you have the quick attachment cable for the PSU inside the enclosure you will also need to order a new one, as the one for the MK4 is slightly different. I would suggest you peruse the upgrade/assembly instructions at least once before starting the work, to get an overview of all the steps that are necessary. It is a lot of work, true, but you'll get to know your new MK4S really well. I enjoyed doing the MK4S upgrade on my MK3S+ (that I had bought and assembled as an MK3S kit before and then upgraded to an MK3S+) and the "new" printer works really well.
Better forget any notion and theories of getting by "without uninstalling/disassembling the printer" ... 🙂