Best 3d printer board to date

Best 3d printer board to date Hey folks I'm seeking advice for the best 3d printer board as of date. I'm kinda new to 3d printing and Arduino. 1) Reliable 2) Cost 3) Ease of use. I've used an Azteeg X1 3DP and a VIKI LCD previously but have had issues ( can't get VIKI to display anything) https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,380100#msg-380100 Thu, 14 May 2026 16:23:27 -0400 Phorum 5.2.23 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,433744#msg-433744 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,433744#msg-433744 DisruptiveTech General Tue, 18 Nov 2014 11:21:48 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,433694#msg-433694 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,433694#msg-433694

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DisruptiveTech
Quick answer; They're all rubish. I'd like to see a board with 4 stepper drivers, 1 thermistor port, and an 8 bit processor. Something basic and minimalistic could serve a growing niche in the market. Plus, if you get rid of the HBP and bring your power limit down to 60 watts, it would be significantly more cost effective compared with the robust, but ultimately overpriced controllers on the market today.

As for cheap. I don't know how much cheaper you want this board for, but a mega/ramps/lcd/stepper package can be had for about 40usd shipped. IF you simply do not connect the rest of the crap, you can always whittle it down to about 60w... To me any lower price than that, and you are not saving much in the grand scheme of things. For me the biggest expenses were mechanical parts, not the electronics. In fasteners alone I spent about 20usd retail.]]> jaguarking11 General Tue, 18 Nov 2014 09:40:15 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,433572#msg-433572 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,433572#msg-433572

Actually, you only removed about $1 worth of parts from the board ( probably less than that ) ...
That's going to make a trivial difference only in the price of the cheapest boards.

What costs money is the mcu, stepper drivers, and manpower for proper board testing. And you can't remove any of that.]]> arthurwolf General Tue, 18 Nov 2014 04:41:22 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,433475#msg-433475 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,433475#msg-433475 DisruptiveTech General Mon, 17 Nov 2014 20:32:14 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,433158#msg-433158 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,433158#msg-433158

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vegasloki
I'm speaking specifically to a Marlin port, not native Smoothieware. While I use two different kinds of machines in production I build and support 5 machine types with 7 variants total. There are already not enough hours in the day (which is why I'm in the shop right now...) so for me being able to port Marlin files directly is an advantage. Right now, it's mandatory as I've not the time to port the machines to Smoothie and test them. Even at that, except for the two higher end machine types they are value based machines for entry level builds where ease of use, wide community support and most important for the majority of the users I see for those machines, price. I use RAMPS in many cases not because it's the best technology but rather the best solution for that application.

I understand the problem.
Porting Marlin configs to Smoothie is quite easy though : because Marlin is the standard these days, we made Smoothie to be as compatible with it as possible. This means most config options mean the same things, have the same values/units, and do the same things.
One major difference is probably junction_deviation, which we use instead of jerk, and will require fine tuning. But that's only one.
And if you use delta, because we do some things more correctly, there are minor differences there too.
But other than that, it's just copy/pasting.

I understand if you have several machine types, the hour it takes to convert/test per machine can stack up quite fast.

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vegasloki
There are two machines on which I'm working that will ultimately use Smoothie. The first is a Shapeoko being built to bring the CNC routing in house (we use Shopbots at Techshop and they won't let us cut ACP or AL) that should be in the shop cutting before the end of the year. That is just for us. The second is a 300 x 300 x 300 Core XY machine with all high end components. That machine is still prototyping the mechanical aspects using RAMPS because I have a bunch. The Core XY will be self contained, WiFi, cam and I'd like to be able to slice from it but the Pi and BBB arent' quite there in regards to speed. My goal is to have that machine be able to operate as a full capability standalone, begining able to download models (not necessarily from the Internet but from a shared drive/cloud in a shop), fix them, slice them and print them. Much like a traditional CNC machine but instead of using a purpose built Windows box using ARM micro computers.

Nice. I talk to quite a few folks that are working on those kinds of high-end corexy all-integrated-with-slicing machines, sounds like it's the way of the future :) Glad you'll be using Smoothie there.]]> arthurwolf General Mon, 17 Nov 2014 05:29:51 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,433088#msg-433088 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,433088#msg-433088

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arthurwolf
Hey.

We did that ! We totally did ! Look at the code, look at the wiki, look at what people say about it, try it yourself !
We have a modular code structure, simple configuration without recompilation, usb composite/ethernet, contributor-friendly code, and lots and lots of of better math/accel/look-ahead/step generation.
What do -you- want us to have ?
:)

I'm speaking specifically to a Marlin port, not native Smoothieware. While I use two different kinds of machines in production I build and support 5 machine types with 7 variants total. There are already not enough hours in the day (which is why I'm in the shop right now...) so for me being able to port Marlin files directly is an advantage. Right now, it's mandatory as I've not the time to port the machines to Smoothie and test them. Even at that, except for the two higher end machine types they are value based machines for entry level builds where ease of use, wide community support and most important for the majority of the users I see for those machines, price. I use RAMPS in many cases not because it's the best technology but rather the best solution for that application.

There are two machines on which I'm working that will ultimately use Smoothie. The first is a Shapeoko being built to bring the CNC routing in house (we use Shopbots at Techshop and they won't let us cut ACP or AL) that should be in the shop cutting before the end of the year. That is just for us. The second is a 300 x 300 x 300 Core XY machine with all high end components. That machine is still prototyping the mechanical aspects using RAMPS because I have a bunch. The Core XY will be self contained, WiFi, cam and I'd like to be able to slice from it but the Pi and BBB arent' quite there in regards to speed. My goal is to have that machine be able to operate as a full capability standalone, begining able to download models (not necessarily from the Internet but from a shared drive/cloud in a shop), fix them, slice them and print them. Much like a traditional CNC machine but instead of using a purpose built Windows box using ARM micro computers.]]> vegasloki General Sun, 16 Nov 2014 20:37:03 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,433063#msg-433063 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,433063#msg-433063

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arthurwolf

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sheepdog43
It just needs a bigger brother now (dual extrusion!), otherwise, we have been quite happy with it.

The Smoothieboard 5XC has all you need for dual extrusion ( and was designed with that in mind ).

It's close, but it doesn't do 1/32 native stepping like the Azteeg X5, which is what we use on our printers.]]> sheepdog43 General Sun, 16 Nov 2014 17:40:21 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,432817#msg-432817 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,432817#msg-432817

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sheepdog43
It just needs a bigger brother now (dual extrusion!), otherwise, we have been quite happy with it.

The Smoothieboard 5XC has all you need for dual extrusion ( and was designed with that in mind ).]]> arthurwolf General Sun, 16 Nov 2014 05:44:14 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,432772#msg-432772 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,432772#msg-432772
Simply put, you would have to pay me (A LOT) to go back to Ramps.
The X5's not even in the same league as the old Ramps boards, they seem archaic compared to this, it really is that much of a step up.

It just needs a bigger brother now (dual extrusion!), otherwise, we have been quite happy with it.]]> sheepdog43 General Sun, 16 Nov 2014 00:27:27 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,432199#msg-432199 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,432199#msg-432199
I had a very positive experience with my ramps/marlin combo on my delta. I also like the modularity of ramps. The price is unbeatable at this point, some are as cheap as 35-40usd shipped to your door. That includes ramps/mega/5 drivers/lcd-clickwheel-sd combo. Being that they are that cheap it makes it a good board for a beginner. As for bulk, wiring etc. Depends on the implementer.

I can say this. The mega is all tapped out as far as horsepower. Its done. No more left.

The only board on the market that seems like a worthy successor is the x5, it seems well thought out for an all in one package.

However I have high hopes for a ramps for DUE combination. That combo can come in the same price range as the ramps 1.4. I like modular components as they give me the ability to hack the hardware. The only thing that bothers me is that no one is even taking the due seriously. It seems that the coders of firmware do not know where to turn... first, there are at least 1/2 a dozen boards out there giving 32bit power. To me this is the turning point and feels like the .com craze all over again. I will not move from ramps unless one of two things happens. My performance starts to suffer too much to make it useful. Or the dust settles and we get a proper successor.]]> jaguarking11 General Fri, 14 Nov 2014 09:51:59 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,432169#msg-432169 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,432169#msg-432169

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vegasloki
I'm holding off on ARM until the firmware selection becomes more available, specifically a Marlin port to ARM. Smoothieware looks promising as well.

Smoothie currently supports all of Marlin's features*, and on top of that has much more new features.
It also is designed to make advantage of the 32bits architecture and added computing power and RAM, in many places.
We have smoother/more precise stepping, better math/acceleration, longer look-ahead, much simpler configuration, ethernet, composite USB ( Mass storage + Serial ), more modular ( easier to contribute to ) code, just to cite a few.
I recently had someone comment that they wouldn't use Smoothie because it was boring as they couldn't find things to add to it :) ( they are wrong of course, we have tons of ideas of new/innovative things to add, and the bigger microcontroller allows for those new things where other microcontrollers are out of space/power ).

* with the exception of support for I2C panels, which we are working on.

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RC-CnC
Customer support is huge for me. I build and support CnC routers. I expect the same level of support. smiling smiley
I'm just looking for a no hassle design...smiling smiley

Smoothie has a great documentation ( [smoothieware.org] ) in a centralized wiki, developped by the community and the people selling Smoothieboard. Everytime we get a new question we try to add the answer to the wiki.
We also have a very active community on IRC.
And I answer Smoothie support emails at wolf.arthur@gmail.com very fast, lots of people can attest to that ( maybe somebody here could ? :) ). Usually the same day, sometimes after a few days if very busy.

As you are into CNC routers, Smoothie is used on quite a few of them ( including big ones ), and we have code and documentation specific to them, and more being added all the time : [smoothieware.org]
Supporting CNC routers/mills as well as lasers and 3D printers is one of the primary goals of Smoothie.

You mention "hassle-free", that's also a primary goal, which we even put before performance ( but the bigger MCU and optimized code saves the day for performance anyway. Just saying we could have even more performance, but we don't sacrificie hassle-free to get there )

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answe79
I've recently switched to Smoothieboard, and can just say that i love it. With the "premium" connectors it's a joy to wire. It can also run standalone with the addition of an ethernet jack + 5V regulator. Configuration is very easy to change, no more firmware uploads, just drag and drop onto tyeounted SD drive. Software contorl of current limit is also a big +.

I've only used RAMPS and Smoothieboard, but in my book Smoothieboard is in a different league, there is no comparison.

\o/ \o/

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RC-CnC
anwe79...my only concern is if you burnout a stepper driver you have to replace the whole board.

Actually, Smoothieboard has connectors for external drivers, so if you loose a driver, you can just wire an external one ( and there are some very cheap/easy to wire ones ).
So you don't loose your whole board. You just get a few more wires ( and have to pay/wait for a new driver ).

Also, Smoothieboard's drivers have a lot of cooling area, and as they are A4982, they have more protections that you don't find for example on lots of pololu/stepstick-type drivers ( which happen to also be much harder to cool ).
So you both get much harder to burn drivers, and better current/temperature handling ( Smoothie can go up to 1.9A which is hard to achieve on lots of other setups ).

The only way to burn your Smoothieboard drivers, is to plug/unplug them while the power supply is ON. And even then that is not a guaranteed burn, it's going to depend on the current setting, and luck.
Lots of people now know not to do this ( and we insist very strongly that it is a bad thing to do so in the documentation ).

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anwe79
My only gripe with smoothieboard is that it's not super easy to extend with more drivers, but it's no worse than RAMPS in that respect.

Actually, we break out pins for digital current control of external drivers, -and- it's very easy to configure Smoothie for additional drivers.
You still have to solder an additional connector and wire everything up, but it is a bit easier :)

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vegasloki
No doubt that computationally the newer ARM hardware is more capable than the AT Mega. The part holding up moving to and exploiting higher power processors is the firmware. Most of the firmware ported from exisiting platforms to 32 bit does not offer any feature enhancement.

Oh no !
That's like -exactly- what we worked on a lot, over -several years- with Smoothie.
It was a grbl port several years ago. A LOT of work has gone into adressing exactly what you are afraid of.

We have a shitton of new features, and we have lots and lots of code that is written to take advantage of the higher computing power and additional ram/flash.
We have this huge problem where lots of people assume exactly what you did assume here, and it's so annoying to us, because we have SO MUCH more than that, and people don't know about it.

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vegasloki
Those will require complete re writes to leverage any new power the processor may provide.

We did that ! We totally did ! Look at the code, look at the wiki, look at what people say about it, try it yourself !
We have a modular code structure, simple configuration without recompilation, usb composite/ethernet, contributor-friendly code, and lots and lots of of better math/accel/look-ahead/step generation.
What do -you- want us to have ?
:)]]> arthurwolf General Fri, 14 Nov 2014 08:36:30 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,411410#msg-411410 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,411410#msg-411410
I use it for CNC´s, lasercutters and all my 3d printers.. and I build them all out of OpenBuilds VSlot..

I love having one card to setup the firmware rather than uploading thru arduino

for my machines they´re all currently here..
www.3d-seed.com]]> davebass General Wed, 24 Sep 2014 09:00:32 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,387405#msg-387405 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,387405#msg-387405
The concept of Smoothie is the opposite of the current method of dealing with programming embedded devices for 3D printing. It's more like a BBB where the interface is more user friendly and able to access the power of the environment more readily without using obscure methodologies. I would reckon that eventually, particularly as we see devices like the Arduino Tre come on line that the Arduino IDE will move toward offering a different interface rather than that of the traditional text file/compiler.]]> vegasloki General Thu, 24 Jul 2014 20:23:52 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,387228#msg-387228 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,387228#msg-387228
Reasonably priced (under $100US), easy to use, reliable, good support, open source...some companies are building their printers with the board, so it must be pretty good.

With the Extrudrboard expansion you can use 3 extruders.

I suggest getting the board directly from Printrbot and not a third party in case there are quality/support issues.]]> DonaldJ General Thu, 24 Jul 2014 11:54:32 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,387185#msg-387185 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,387185#msg-387185 MrDoctorDIV General Thu, 24 Jul 2014 10:25:53 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,387001#msg-387001 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,387001#msg-387001

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MrDoctorDIV
What's the currency? A simple Google search shows far less than $110.

Oops! My bad. I was converting something else right before writing that into British Pounds, and forgot to change the units on my calculator back to Euros. RRW's Minitronics is $87.50 at today's exchange rate.

Here is the sample Smoothieware config.txt file for an Azteeg X5 Mini on a Delta:

https://github.com/Smoothieware/Smoothieware/blob/edge/ConfigSamples/AzteegX5Mini.delta/config

Copy it to a microSD card, pop it into the Axteeg board, and power up the printer. No Arduino software, flashing firmware, etc. The best part is that Smoothieware presents the printer's SD card as a removable drive over the printer's USB cable, so you can edit the file, make changes, and reboot the printer to make them live.....]]> vreihen General Wed, 23 Jul 2014 20:39:47 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,386865#msg-386865 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,386865#msg-386865 Google search shows far less than $110.
Makes sense. Modifying firmware is simple enough for me with Repetier's online config tool, but I might like Smoothie's way better. It's definitely on my list of boards for my build.]]> MrDoctorDIV General Wed, 23 Jul 2014 14:10:56 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,386728#msg-386728 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,386728#msg-386728

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MrDoctorDIV
How would you guys compare the Azteeg to the Minitronics? Mini is cheaper, but has more outputs, so I'm obviously missing something as to why Azteeg is more popular.

Azteeg X5 Mini is 32-bit, runs Smoothieware, includes a microSD slot, and costs $109 USD. The Minitronics from RRW is 8-bit, runs Marlin (or possibly Repetier), and costs $110 USD at today's exchange rate. One is looking ahead to the future, the other is just another re-package of the past. I have a Megatronics 2.0 and an Azteeg X5 Mini, and as much as I like the packaging and design of the Megatronics board I'd take the Azteeg over *anything* AVR-based after seeing my delta printer pauses from being out of CPU resources go away with the 32-bit processor. Smoothieware is a joy to configure. All you need is notepad and a microSD card reader. Save the file (and firmware) onto the microSD card and pop it into the slot on the board. No Arduino compiler, editing include files, compiling/uploading code, etc.

Or, if you want to look at it another way, Azteeg X5 Mini is a stripped Smoothieboard, and the Minitronics is a stripped Megatronics or similar board. Both are simplified to provide what is needed for a production printer, not to be hacker-friendly. YOur best bang for the buck is still the X5, as long as you don't need additional outputs.....]]> vreihen General Wed, 23 Jul 2014 07:54:26 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,386601#msg-386601 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,386601#msg-386601 Minitronics? Mini is cheaper, but has more outputs, so I'm obviously missing something as to why Azteeg is more popular.]]> MrDoctorDIV General Tue, 22 Jul 2014 21:38:30 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,386597#msg-386597 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,386597#msg-386597 RC-CnC General Tue, 22 Jul 2014 20:59:19 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381396#msg-381396 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381396#msg-381396

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sheepdog43
I do agree, lacking the second power rail on the X5 is a bummer, and something I hadn't noticed before (I'll have to deal with that). If it works as well as I think (and all signs point to that), I would put it as the best deal out there, at least for delta owners.

My DC/DC SSR just arrived yesterday. Building my own second power rail for the heated bed is one of my goals for this weekend.....]]> vreihen General Fri, 11 Jul 2014 06:17:22 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381328#msg-381328 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381328#msg-381328 vegasloki General Fri, 11 Jul 2014 03:01:59 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381298#msg-381298 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381298#msg-381298 On a Cartesian, it's perfectly fine, it may be a bit limiting on a delta to some extent if you want to push things to the extreme, but most delta owners never encounter an issue. It's a pretty bulky package by the time you get a fan on it and there are some very poorly made boards out there, but bang for the buck they are tough to beat.

When in doubt, just buy a Ramps, you really can't go wrong with it.

I'm installing an X5 now.
The X5 steppers are stronger, and have voltage and thermal protection, they should be more difficult to burn out compared to most others. I believe there are some new LCD's coming for it. A big bonus on the X5, you don't have every cheap pdb manufacturer in China copying it and installing junk electronics on it like you do with Ramps systems. There is a definite quality difference between the X5 and the various Ramps boards I have, or worse, the Ramps-FD I have. The manufacturer on that cut every possible corner.

I do agree, lacking the second power rail on the X5 is a bummer, and something I hadn't noticed before (I'll have to deal with that). If it works as well as I think (and all signs point to that), I would put it as the best deal out there, at least for delta owners.]]> sheepdog43 General Fri, 11 Jul 2014 00:27:39 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381278#msg-381278 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381278#msg-381278

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vegasloki
Smoothie is a 32 bit app but in reality we are probably a year or so out from seeing anything other than some performance enhancements from a 32 bit platform. Smoothie supply can be constrained, it's not priced at a cost driven price point and the dev community is no where near as large as some of the other more established platforms.

The Azteeg X5 Mini *is* priced fairly for what it contains. The street price is $109, and it comes with 8825 stepper drivers that do 1/32 microsteps. Sure, it is lacking the fluff of an ethernet port like the Smoothieboard has, but I can't touch a 32-bit RADDS/Arduino DUE combo for that price and have seen non-China RAMPS setups priced higher.

My only gripes with the Azteeg X5 Mini are that it doesn't have a separate power rail for the heated bed like the RAMPS and some other boards, and that Smoothie's LCD support is limited to the full-graphics LCD and requires custom cabling that looks ugly.....]]> vreihen General Thu, 10 Jul 2014 21:21:55 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381159#msg-381159 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381159#msg-381159

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anwe79
My 2 cents:
Also, the Arduino platform it's running on is just about maxed out, there is little headroom for more advanced future features.

No doubt that computationally the newer ARM hardware is more capable than the AT Mega. The part holding up moving to and exploiting higher power processors is the firmware. Most of the firmware ported from exisiting platforms to 32 bit does not offer any feature enhancement. Those will require complete re writes to leverage any new power the processor may provide. Smoothie is a 32 bit app but in reality we are probably a year or so out from seeing anything other than some performance enhancements from a 32 bit platform. Smoothie supply can be constrained, it's not priced at a cost driven price point and the dev community is no where near as large as some of the other more established platforms. I think over time this will change but right now trying to future proof a platform decision for 32 bit is still early in the game.

Many here focus on the technical prowess of a solution rather than the practical implementation. Those are two different goals. The overwelming majority of people just want to be able to get the solutions up quickely, easily and cheaply. Those are far greater market drivers than potential for enhancement or processing power at this stage.]]> vegasloki General Thu, 10 Jul 2014 14:29:16 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381130#msg-381130 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381130#msg-381130 RC-CnC General Thu, 10 Jul 2014 13:01:50 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381126#msg-381126 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381126#msg-381126
I'm not afiliated with anyone by the way.

/Andreas]]> anwe79 General Thu, 10 Jul 2014 12:35:14 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381125#msg-381125 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381125#msg-381125

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RC-CnC
anwe79...my only concern is if you burnout a stepper driver you have to replace the whole board.
Panucatt has Azteeg X5 mini

Yep that may be a concern, but they are actually quite hard to burn out. The only thing that will surely kill them is to disconnect the motors while powered. They have both short circuit protection and overtemp protection, so you can abuse them quite a bit without any real worries.

Personally I can solder well enough to be able to replace one by hand but I realize most people won't want try that.

The modular drivers have much worse cooling than board mounted drivers. I had massive heat problems with RAMPS and stepsticks (granted, probably the worst modular drivers from a thermal view), no problems at all with the smoothieboard. No fan necessary.

My only gripe with smoothieboard is that it's not super easy to extend with more drivers, but it's no worse than RAMPS in that respect.

/Andreas]]> anwe79 General Thu, 10 Jul 2014 12:29:33 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381118#msg-381118 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381118#msg-381118 Srek General Thu, 10 Jul 2014 12:12:53 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381109#msg-381109 Re: Best 3d printer board to date https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,380100,381109#msg-381109 Panucatt has Azteeg X5 mini]]> RC-CnC General Thu, 10 Jul 2014 11:52:04 -0400