Mk 1 to Mk 2 upgrade
Simple question - is it worth it? Do you like it guys? I've had many problems with Mk 1 but I still find it kinda okay and I'm considering buying either upgrade kit or a whole printer and upgrade the first one later so I have 2xMk2.
Re: Mk 1 to Mk 2 upgrade
Marcin
I have both Mk1 and Mk2. Both are currently working almost perfectly with the only problems being of my own making.
Some users have experienced difficulties both with the upgrade and new Mk2, but I have no idea how representative those users are.
There are still some firmware issues with the Mk2, which should be resolved over the next few months so at present I think an upgrade would not be the best option for you. Either wait a couple of months and then upgrade or buy the complete Mk2 kit and maybe upgrade later however, I quite like having both Mk1 and Mk2 as it gives me options which I would not have with two printers the same.
Peter
Please note: I do not have any affiliation with Prusa Research. Any advices given are offered in good faith. It is your responsibility to ensure that by following my advice you do not suffer or cause injury, damage…
Re: Mk 1 to Mk 2 upgrade
I have an MK2 and an MK1 that I upgraded to an MK2. I noticed that when doing the upgrade it was much harder to get the X and Y axis squared versus the straight MK2 build. Once I had that done it is printing absolutely great.
Re: Mk 1 to Mk 2 upgrade
The actual dismantling and building was easy and without any problems apart from a couple of missing parts that were easily sourced.
I've found the MK2 to be a lot better than the MK1. It used to take me ages to calibrate the bed, then every print would take about 3-5 attempts before it printed right. Now, with the MK2, I just turn it on and tell it to print, no muss no fuss! The quality of the final printouts are a lot better as well. I have to say it was worth every penny of the price! I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone!
Re: Mk 1 to Mk 2 upgrade
With the MK1, it took me some time to figure out that removing a part usually caused enough shifting of the machine to move a corner of the bed by 100 microns up or down, enough to ruin the first layer of the next large print. So I learned to recalibrate the bed before every large print, and even then, my calibration was never perfectly consistent. I also came to realize that my glass sheet really was warped slightly, but I figured out exactly what the shape of it was and used that knowledge to orient the glass and binder clips strategically. (Small prints never required so much effort, though.)
My MK1 is now an MK2 and those problems are gone. I no longer need to know the exact shape of the bed because the software auto-corrects well enough for a very nice first layer, no matter how large. It's clear to me now that auto-leveling is vital for a good experience in 3D printing.
I also very much appreciate the larger print volume, more rigid frame, and even heating of the MK2.