MK2 to MK2.5 Upgrade Guide  

MK2 to MK2.5 Upgrade Guide

As there is no guide to upgrade from MK2 to MK2.5 I thought I would document the process I used so that others could follow if they are doing this upgrade as well.

I ordered the MK2S upgrade and the MK2.5 upgrade kits.

Printed Parts

Once you receive the kits you will need to print parts required using the supplied filament. If you ordered both kits like I did, you will get two rolls of PET-G filament. This is more than enough filament. I printed two copies of everything (except the RAMBO parts), had a few first layer failures and an extra extruder-cover because I broke it removing it from the bed, all from one roll of filament. I printed two copies just incase I broke something during assembly (I didnt but its nice to have spares)

I found PET-G hard to print with initially, but once dialled in I produced some fine looking prints, some stringing but nothing too bad. I recommend using window cleaner to clean the bed. In the UK I dont think we have Windex branded window cleaner but I bought some generic cleaner from Morrisons and it worked really well. I also initially turned the print speed right down for the first layer, or at least until the intricate details were done. I turned it down to around 30%. This might not have been required after cleaning with the Window Cleaner. I also had to adjust my Z height.

You will need to print:

From the MK2S STL ZIP
Y-distance.stl - Use the PET-G profile in Slic3r set to .02 layer height. Infill set to GRID

From the mk25_upgrade_gcodes.zip
MK25_Extruder_parts_PETG_11H.gcode
MK25_RAMBo_parts_PETG_8H.gcode

Once all your parts are printed, check them over, tidy any stringing and check the all the holes are clear.

MK2 to MK2S
https://manual.prusa3d.com/c/EN_upgrade

Complete the following sections of this guide

0. Disassembly - I preformed the steps 1 - 7. I did not dismantle the extruder at this point. I felt it would be easier to keep track of the parts if they were still assembled. They will get disassembled later but I just did it when I needed them.

1. Y Carriage Drilling

2. XYZ-axis reassembly

MK2S to MK2.5
https://manual.prusa3d.com/c/Original_Prusa_i3_MK2S_to_MK2.5_upgrade

Complete the following sections of this guide

3. X-axis reassembly

4. E-axis assembly

5. Heatbed assembly

6. Electronics
At the end of Step 19 you will likely have a few missing connections for motors etc. Use the following illustration to reconnect them

https://d17kynu4zpq5hy.cloudfront.net/igi/prusa3d/duCsG1ZS4kUCyrCe.huge

7. Preflight Check
Prusa support suggested doing a Factory reset after upgrading the firmware. I am not sure if this is totally necessary as I would have thought the firmware flash would wipe any settings, but I guess it cant hurt. Instructions on how to do a factory reset are here:

https://help.prusa3d.com/l/en/article/SYvbQ66IXF-factory-reset

Final Thoughts

I am not sure why there is no official guide for this process, it wouldnt be hard to put one together.
I found the build significantly easier than the original Mk2 build but maybe that was because I am more familiar with the printer in general. I didnt have any real problems with fitment or anything putting it together.

Read the guide carefully, study the pictures and read the comments. Sometimes the comments suggest doing the steps in a slightly different order to make it easier. Be aware that sometimes the comments suggest changes that have already been implemented so it can be a little confusing.

I hope this helps anyone doing this upgrade path.