So is the Duet worth getting?

So I've had my RAMPS for a couple of years, performs good, but was thinking post Christmas- is it time for an upgrade on my homebuilt printer (2020 extruded v-slot). Already use one of DC42 IR sensors.


I have a few questions which I hope someone can comment on...

1) Once setup, is the print quality that much better? Anyone got before/after pictures of samples
2) How quickly can a RAMPS printer be converted to Duet (with reasonable calibration)
3) I have both 12 and 24v PSU, with 24v on the bed via a relay and 12v on the RAMPS and heater cartridge, with duet assume both are still needed, or can the duet create a 12v rail from the 24v PSU.
4) if a stepper driver goes on the board, how are they replaced?

Is it worth the change going to 32bit from 8 bit?

Thanks in advance.

Quote
Phytone
Is it worth the change going to 32bit from 8 bit?

Thanks in advance.

Yes.

One of the biggest advantages in upgrading is the ease in changing settings. You don't have to recompile and upload. With the Duet, settings are done in Gcode so you can try a change without having to even reboot.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/27/2016 05:35PM by ElmoC.

1. Don't expect a big increase in print quality, although you may see some improvement. There is an example here: [forum.e3d-online.com].

2. Quite quickly because you can use the same motor, endstop and fan connectors if you want. Be careful with the endstop connectors because assuming your endstops are microswitches, you need to use the two outermost pins of the 3 pin connector for the Duet. See
[duet3d.com].

3. You still need both PSUs unless you replace your extruder heater cartridge and fans by 24V versions, then you can run everything from 24V.

4. On board stepper drivers are much more reliable than plug in drivers and are unlikely to fail so long as you don't connect or disconnect motors with power applied. It's possible to replace driver chips but a hotplate and hot air rework station are needed.

As well as the easier configuration, another benefit is the web interface. You can control the printer from a PC, tablet or smartphone and you can upload gcode files to the SD card via the web interface. See [reprap.org].

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Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

The Duet boards are also built to professional standards, unlike most RAMPS boards on the market (unless you buy from that Spanish supplier who makes RAMPS boards properly). Decent PCB, components, connector blocks, etc. make it a 'fit and forget' option as far as the physical aspects are concerned.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2016 04:09AM by David J.

Print quality comes with 0.9° steppers IMHO. An option only for 32bit controllers. RAMPS could run them too, but at a much lower speed.

Its anecdotal, but I found my delta worked better after upgrading from the original RAMPS board. Still can't run my full graphic lcd (not compatible), but the web interface allows me to access the printer from any room in my house (in theory), is so much more convienent to launch prints with then using an SD card or problematic USB interface, includes delta auto-calibration, and some day I hope to recycle an old phone as a camera / lcd display.

I truely hope I never burn out an stepper drive, I cannot replace it myself. But I think the driver is better off once setup on the board itself. Fewer overheating issues and less chance of shorting a circuit manually adjusting the pots as they are all software controlled.

Thanks for the comments. Will think it over for a couple of weeks.

My $0.02 on the first couple of items:

1) Print Quality: I have switched over two delta printers from ramps to Duet. I had been running the full graphics LCD on them, which led to stutters in the prints. In my case, the Duet made a big difference in print quality since it removed that stuttering (which I could have gotten rid if had I switched LCD's as well). On one of my printers, I had really worked on getting it mechanically as sound as possible by removing as much play as possible through better components before I switched it over. The prints look great now. The other printer however now really shows it's deficiencies mechanically. There's a spiral "wavieness" on the external surfaces that is clearly something mechanical I'm going to have to find.

2) Converting was very easy, however you may have issues with cable lengths depending on how you mount your board. It took me maybe an hour at most to disconnect and reconnect everything. Calibration is much easier with the web interface as well.

I purchased both the Duet and the 7" paneldue for both machines because I'm using them at work and have an "unlimited" budget. Is it worth the extra $250-$300 when I didn't have to pay for it? Sure. For my work applications or for where aesthetics and ease of use are important. Definitely. At home though? Probably not for a tinker, that uses it once a week, that is unless you have a bunch of money burning a hole in your pocket.

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Legrand
I purchased both the Duet and the 7" paneldue for both machines because I'm using them at work and have an "unlimited" budget. Is it worth the extra $250-$300 when I didn't have to pay for it? Sure. For my work applications or for where aesthetics and ease of use are important. Definitely. At home though? Probably not for a tinker, that uses it once a week, that is unless you have a bunch of money burning a hole in your pocket.

I would have to disagree with that a little bit for the tinker at home. Sure, its not a necessity, but it does make things easier while serving or working on the printer. I have 4 CoreXY systems and all 4 now have the Duet 0.8.5 and a PanelDue 7". Originally, I had only 1 PanelDue, and working on a machine with one and without one you really start to miss what you can't do without a PanelDue. Going back and forth to a computer is/was an annoyance which was less than $90 to remove. Only reason I ended up with 4 7" PanelDue screens was the $10 price difference between the 4" and 7" from filastruder.

Even for a home user / tinker, I'd still highly recommend a PanelDue. It makes life easier when changing filaments or when setting your z=0 position with the paper, or when you have an issue and want to move a motor or two, or when you just want to turn the printer on and select a file to print from the SD card.

One other thing to consider, personally, I don't see the value for money in the Duet wifi board over the Duet 0.8.5 board. Some different driver chips and loss of an ethernet port. I perhaps could see it for a Delta printer using 0.9 steppers, but from what I've noticed the noisy parts of my CoreXY systems are the hotend fan and blower which would still be there on a Duet wifi board.

Quote
PDBeal
One other thing to consider, personally, I don't see the value for money in the Duet wifi board over the Duet 0.8.5 board. Some different driver chips and loss of an ethernet port. I perhaps could see it for a Delta printer using 0.9 steppers, but from what I've noticed the noisy parts of my CoreXY systems are the hotend fan and blower which would still be there on a Duet wifi board.

Whether you prefer WiFi or Ethernet depends on your circumstances. The Duet 0.8.5 is a good board, however the Duet WiFi (and the forthcoming Duet Ethernet) offer the following advantages:

* Stepper drivers with up to 256x microstepping and interpolation mode. Lots of people have commented on how much quieter they make the machine. But you are right, if you have especially noisy fans then it makes less difference.

* Software controllable microstepping.

* Lots of other stepper driver features that we are only just beginning to use, e.g. over-temperature warning and error bits, stall detection, configurable decay mode.

* Stepper drivers that can handle more current. Useful for those building larger printers.

* Faster processor (120MHz ARM Cortex M4 with on-chip single-precision floating point) and more RAM (128K vs 96K). The additional RAM will allow us to support firmware features that we can't on the Duet 0.8.5.

* Network processing offloaded from main processor, freeing up both processor power and RAM.

* Higher maximum heated bed current.

* 3 controlled fans instead of 2.

* Increased protection against mis-wiring.

* Power monitor, allowing action to be taken when power failure is impending.

* Connector for an external SD card.

* Daughter boards for interfacing thermocouples and PT100 sensors.

* Additional facilities on the DueX2 and DueX5 expansion boards, such as servo outputs and additional PWM outputs for fans and LEDs.

Despite having all these features, the Duet WiFi still costs less that a Smoothieboard 5XC + 5V regulator, which has similar specifications to the Duet 0.8.5.

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Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

David
Any idea when the PanelDue will be back in stock?

As I've grown accustomed to the RAMPS LCD, if I go down this route , having the right LCD feels right. Yes, I could use a PC, laptop, but psychologically I think i need the LCD....

PanelDue production has been delayed because my usual supplier is out of stock of a particular part. I have alternative parts arriving in a few days time, so PanelDue should be available again by the end of next week. I currently have just one in stock.

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Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

Right, have taken the plunge - order just made....