Bondtech extruder compatible with MK3S+? Firmware chagnes necessery? Worth it?  

RE: Bondtech extruder compatible with MK3S+? Firmware chagnes necessery? Worth it?

It should be. 

RE: Bondtech extruder compatible with MK3S+? Firmware chagnes necessery? Worth it?

Isn't the MK3/S/+ in essence already using a bondtech extruder?  How exactly would the official bondtech extruder upgrade kit for the i3 MK3S  be any better than what's in Prusa's stock  MK3S configuration?

I'm not asking rhetorically.  I'm asking because I really don't know, but would like to.

RE: Bondtech extruder compatible with MK3S+? Firmware chagnes necessery? Worth it?

@dimprov

I believe the add-on bondtech has a geared system, as opposed to the direct drive that the stock bondtech has. 

RE: Bondtech extruder compatible with MK3S+? Firmware chagnes necessery? Worth it?

Posted by: @dimprov

(...) How exactly would the official bondtech extruder upgrade kit for the i3 MK3S  be any better than what's in Prusa's stock  MK3S configuration? (...)

In theory it should be better because it is lighter (much lighter) and has geared extruder (more precision) and has no heat creap.

But this is theory. This is why I'm asking if this is really that much of an improvement.

RE: Bondtech extruder compatible with MK3S+? Firmware chagnes necessery? Worth it?

@hooch

There are some benefits I have noticed.  It is better with some filaments such as flexibles, less jams, and the Bondtech is easier to disassemble if there is a jam.  I have had zero jams in over a year on my Bondtech.  

The pain is you have to wait for Bondtech to update their firmware, unless you edit and compile yourself.  

RE: Bondtech extruder compatible with MK3S+? Firmware chagnes necessery? Worth it?

What changes are made to firmware? Is there more then E-steps (that can be done using gcode)? Will bondtech work with Prusa original firmware with just steps changed?

RE: Bondtech extruder compatible with MK3S+? Firmware chagnes necessery? Worth it?

Posted by: @hooch

What changes are made to firmware? Is there more then E-steps (that can be done using gcode)? Will bondtech work with Prusa original firmware with just steps changed?

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that it limits the z-height by a few mm. And that the firmware adjust for that too.

This is what is on the Bondtech site for the firmware:

Summary of Bondtech Specific Changes

• Variants for Slice Engineering’s High temperature thermistor (SE_HT-thermistor).
• Adjusted Load/Unload filament sequence.
• MK3/MK3s: Changed microstep resolution to 16.
• MK3s/MK25s: Correct Z_MAX_POS adjustments to allow XYZ Calibration.
• MK3s/Mk25s: Adjusted mmu.cpp to correct values for E3Dv6, Mosquito and Mosquito Magnum together with the Bondtech extruder when preforming can_load and mmu_load_to_nozzle.
• With multi language support.
• Full speed enabled for custom fans.

RE: Bondtech extruder compatible with MK3S+? Firmware chagnes necessery? Worth it?

Posted by: @cwbullet

@hooch

There are some benefits I have noticed.  It is better with some filaments such as flexibles, less jams, and the Bondtech is easier to disassemble if there is a jam.  I have had zero jams in over a year on my Bondtech.  

The pain is you have to wait for Bondtech to update their firmware, unless you edit and compile yourself.  

Do you mean that every time Prusa releases a update for either of Prusa's two Einsy firmware lines (one for MK3 and one for MK3S/+), there's some delay and then Bondtech releases their own Bondtech fork of the Prusa firmware update?  How long is the delay typically?

If so, that's a very nice convenience for Bondtech to offer to what I'm guessing is a fairly small user base.

RE: Bondtech extruder compatible with MK3S+? Firmware chagnes necessery? Worth it?

@dimprov

The delay is days to a week.  There was one that took 3 weeks.  

RE: Bondtech extruder compatible with MK3S+? Firmware chagnes necessery? Worth it?

Anyone know if these variables are still those that need to be updated in stock prusa firmware if we want to just compile the firmware ourselves vs wait for Bondtech to release the updated firmware?

https://github.com/BondtechAB/Bondtech_Prusa_i3/blob/master/Firmware/3.8.1/README.md

Doesn't look like they include these changes in later revs after 3.8.1.