Cross printer use  

RE: Cross printer use

Hi Noah,

the configuration menu has a Configuration Wizard for exactly the purpose of adding new non prusa printers 

If you chose to build a FrankenPrusa of some sort... you would have to change the   Prusa slicer settings and the Printer Firmware to reflect the changes you had made to the original configuration. 

common 'Franken prusa'  setups include 

Geared extruders   (Skelestruder, Titan Aero, Bondtech etc)  and extruders with 0.9 degree steppers...  I believe the 'eSteps/mm' value can be changed and saved with Gcode commands 

Different Size Build Volume        I believe Zaribo, Haribo and Bear upgrades can be made taller    without too much effort. but need firmware changes as well as Slicer changes...

Different Bed Sizes  are likely to raise a whole host of other issues...       the new bed is unlikely to have the 'sense pads' that Prusa use for XYZ calibration...
As I found when I put a Mk52 12 volt heatbed onto a Mk2 MMU1 printer...
If you ignore XYZ calibration...  
Live Z will be dependant upon your Build surface,  if you use Build tac, Printbite, PEI or similar you should be able to get the Pinda to work, but you will have to change the firmware sense points to avoid magnets if you use them, and to address the larger area of the build plate.
If you choose a glass buildplate, then the Pinda will be useless...

depending upon what other changes you make, you may have to change other parameters. 

 if you change the Z lead screw pitch, you will have to correct the requires Z steps per mm

If you change the X or Y pulley size, you will have to correct for X or Y steps per milimeter

if you change the mass of the Printbed or extruder, you may have to change acceleration , jerk and print speed... the list goes on...

I hope this helps you start to understand  some of the changes necessary

Regards Joan

RE: Cross printer use

I use a modified cr10s as well as my mk3 with Slicer. It’s not hard to set up a new machine profile for the cr10. cr10S_dd_config that is my cr10 profile.  If you decide to load it you will have to increase retraction values quite a bit for the original Bowden tube setup, I converted mine to direct drive like the prusa so I can use much less. 

RE: Cross printer use

@joantabb

Thanks that's a lot of a great info.  Do you recommend any sources that could help me understand all the technical info.  Anything on the sensepads would be great in particular.  For example if the printer had more or no sensepads would that be something I have to change in the g-code or the firmware?

I had one thought of using mk3 heat beds and but a large spring steel sheet and cover it with PEI.  This would probably require me to get a different power supply though right? Or a second one.

RE: Cross printer use

@noah-c3

Hi Noah, 
I think you would probably have problems trying to use two Prusa Heatbeds as a common heatbed. 
keeping them in accurate alignment would be interesting...    🙂

and as you note, would need a larger power supply.

the Prusa Firmwares' use the Pinda Probe as a tool to check alignment !  and to check extruder relative height above the build plate... 

You can see markers for the sense pads on the picture above, (4 circles near the corners)

on the Mk2 printer there were 9 sense pads, arranged across the build surface. 
On the Mk3 there are aparrently 4 sense pads. so Yes, I guess that you can have different numbers of sense pads. 

the Sense pads are discs of copper, etched in the surface of the Printed Circuit material, used for the heatbed. (You can see diagrams of the Heatbed tracks, on the Prusa Git Hub Pages for the Mk42, Mk52 12volt and the mk52 24 volt heatbeds), you could also look at the Prusa Mini heatbed Github page, and this may be your best option because the Mini uses a 32bit processor which is more futureproof... 
About 4 minutes into this video, you can see the printer going through the calibration process 

regards Joan