Core One Kit or pre-built ?
I've had my mini for 6 years or so and it's still working (with a bit of layer-shifting for anything 'tall' ... I've checked the usual culprits - debris / slackness in the belt etc.) so I thought it might be time to upgrade ... and coincidentally along comes the Core One!
Having built my Mini from a kit, I was going to go for the Core One kit but checking on here there seem to be an awful lot of people having various issues building one;belt tensioning / VFA / screw thread stripping / heating / stuck filament, to name but a few (& one I've thought of but I can't see anyone mentioning ... getting the print bed screw torque consistent to achieve a level bed).
I appreciate that people only appear on these forums with problems so I'm only going to see 'issues' but I'd also appreciate some feedback from people who's build has gone smoothly.
Is there anyone out there with a 'perfectly working' Core One built from a kit?.
The obvious solution to alleviate my concerns would be to go for the assembled version but the price difference alone is almost what I paid for my MINI kit and I'll have to learn to dismantle it to fit the camera anyway - I keep thinking I should persevere with my MINI but the lure of multi-filament models and more exotic filament keeps 'calling'.
RE: Core One Kit or pre-built ?
I built mine from kit. I only had one issue with belt tension because angles of X axis were not equal. However, with help of prusa support and guys on forum, it was easily solved. Now I have 85MHz on both sides stable for more than 2 months. Although belt calibration is extremely painful process, I bought digital tension meter which helped me more than tuner app. Apart from this problem, I haven't had any issues so far. Building it was easy and fun.
VFA is not a problem with kit, you will have it on assembled also 🙂
btw: I had mini for 5 years before I switched to Core One 🙂
RE: Core One Kit or pre-built ?
The obvious solution to alleviate my concerns would be to go for the assembled version
My preassembled Core Ones shows VFAs too.
For me, kit vs assembled boils down to
1. How do I value my time? Yes, pre assembled is more expensive but you're paying for someone else's time assembling it. I for one value my time higher than markup on a pre assembled machine.
2. Do I enjoy tinkering? Having just finished converting a Mk4S to a Core One I was reminded that I do *not* enjoy tinkering. For me, it's about design and printing, not futzing around with hardware. But clearly plenty of people who enjoy the assembly process, so your mileage may vary.
3. Do I want to understand how the printer's internals work? For the Core One that is a legitimate point as it's very different from the bedslinger generation. Can certainly help with troubleshooting. Having said that, after my first build I see really zero reason to do another one.
Formerly known on this forum as @fuchsr -- https://foxrun3d.com/
RE: Core One Kit or pre-built ?
Hi,
I build my MK2 upgraded to mmu2 than to MK2.5d and bought the Mk4S KIT and JUST started with the upgrade to CoreOne.
In my opinion the CoreOne isn't that much of a fun to build.
For me the assembled version would have been the better choice
Sascha
RE: Core One Kit or pre-built ?
I bought digital tension meter which helped me more than tuner app
Hi @lancer-enkor
I am ordering my kit later this month (all running to plan) and had been looking at tension meters. I'm interested which one you bought as it sounds like you rate it?
Thanks
Geoff
RE: Core One Kit or pre-built ?
Get the kit! It's not a hugely difficult build and its satisfying once complete! Also you'll be able to complete each step by taking your time with attention to detail.....take a look through my video build guide to determine if its for you or not 😉
Either way, would appreciate if you used my referral link (and gives you some Prusa points too!). No worries if you'd rather not 😉
Kit: https://www.prusa3d.com/product/prusa-core-one-kit?p2p=%40iftibashir_468393
Assembled : https://www.prusa3d.com/product/prusa-core-one?p2p=%40iftibashir_468393
RE: Core One Kit or pre-built ?
I bought digital tension meter which helped me more than tuner app
Hi @lancer-enkor
I am ordering my kit later this month (all running to plan) and had been looking at tension meters. I'm interested which one you bought as it sounds like you rate it?
Thanks
Geoff
I bought something cheap from aliexpress https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005006708130020.html . It's pretty accurate, but the problem is that you don't know the exact value. I tuned the belts close to 85Hz with tuner app and I got deviation +- 3Hz. Then, I fine tuned belts with tension meter to get exactly same value on both sides, which reduced deviation between belts almost to zero.
RE: Core One Kit or pre-built ?
Have a Mini for 5 years that was preassembled. Needed to do some larger/multi-color prints and got the Core One kit.
Everything worked after assembly from the get-go after spending some extra time on getting the belt tensioning equal.
However, after upgrading to firmware 6.3.3, had issues with the display going black and failing to home.
Note that the firmware issues have nothing to do with whether it was a kit or pre-built.
The main advantage (other than price) in building the kit is that you will have intimate knowledge of every single part in the printer for repairs, tuning and upgrades.
RE: Core One Kit or pre-built ?
I bought the kit, it was a fun and relatively easy build! I find it nice to have built it myself, it helps to get a better understanding of how everything comes together in case I want to upgrade or add anything in the future. I have not experienced any faults or any overly excessive vfas (barely noticeable if there are any). And I've been able to print materials that I previously were unable to with my mk3s+ due to the lack of enclosure (and at a way faster speed at that). All in all I'm very satisfied with the printer so far.
RE: Core One Kit or pre-built ?
Thank you all for your advice...it seems like 50-50 ish 😂.
I've changed my mind a so many times after reading the above posts. I don't mind building it from a kit, there are evidently 'pros and cons' but the belt tensioning seems like a bit of a lottery - I might be lucky and get it right with just a few tweaks or there could be weeks / months of issues / re-building. Also, there are many vague references to tightening screws 'lightly' / 'gently but firmly' / 'snug' / do not 'over tighten' in the instructions (both Prusa's and Ifti's). I have visions of having to strip it down in 12 months to re-tighten all the screws/bolts I didn't dare 'over tighten'. However, having said all that it would be interesting, rewarding & cheaper to assemble it myself (& then there's the gummy bears).
The final factor is the delivery delay discussed in other threads. Prusa, although they produce outstanding printers, do not have a good reputation for accurate timelines so I'm assuming their '3 to 4 weeks' delivery for a kit is a grossly over optimistic estimate and they, unlike some other vendors, take payment immediately, not when the goods are despatched. So I think for now I'll opt for the assembled version (I'm not in a rush for it, I just resent Prusa sitting on the money for 6 months or so) and perhaps wait for the status to show 'in stock' (that'll probably give me time to change my mind again 😂).
Thanks again for all your advice.