this post was submitted on 27 Jun 2023
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3D Printing

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Hey, I'm a complete newbie when it comes to 3D printing. I have a chance to pick up this printer second hand, and I was wondering what the community thinks of the product. Would this printer be decent for a beginner? Thanks!

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[–] FairLight 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I read the comment about the price. As they say, the baseline is usually 200€/$. So, it depends. The upgrades are quite nice, definitely. You say it has Klipper installed. But I wonder if they include the extra board. Klipper is a huge point here.

So, if it is in a good state (since it is second hand), I think it is a nice price.

However, the Klipper thing has me interested.

[–] redpen 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What's the importance of Klipper?

[–] FairLight 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Oh, trust me, it is huge. I will try to write just a summary. Normal/old/entrylevel printers use Marlin. It is a firmware that understands the code and executes movements. Klipper is a new firmware that runs mostly on high tier new machines OR any other old/normal/entrylevel printer only if you have an extra board. This is a critical difference. Marlin runs on your printer. But klipper runs on two different parts: your printer and an external board. Why? The printer has a simple electronic chip, it is limited. The external board can be a Raspberry Pi, an old phone, etc. This allows Klipper to calculate much more faster. And what is the advantage of having more powerful hardware? That there are some advanced settings and things you can only do if you have Klipper.

So, regarding you, a new user: Klipper is more advanced than Marlin. This means, it can be trickier but also offer higher quality. And most importantly, it usually requires having another device connected. Is that device included?

[–] redpen 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thanks for the easy to understand response. Yes he mentioned that he had to put an old version of ubuntu on an old chromebook to run it, ehich would most likely be included.

[–] FairLight 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I see. That is quite generous from him. Including it in the price, I mean. I dont know how old the laptop is, though.

I am not sure if you both want that, but if you prefer Marlin and if he wants to keep the laptop, Marlin can be reinstalled.