Best Hacks, Mods, Printables for UMO+

[solid-print-3d 30]

Hi guys,

Been a while since I posted ( Yeah I missed you too )

Super busy... the same old excuse I suppose... but it is true

I had a crazy idea today. I've been buying new and used UM2's to run bulk printing. They're great, I recommend them to everyone, and they hardly ever let me down.

However, I kinda wanted to change it up a bit. Where's the fun in doing the same 'ol thing over and over. Buy a Um2, buy another Um2, and so on...

Tonight I bought TWO UM0+ 's . Why not. They're currently $995, so I can run twice the prints and STILL come in under the UM2+ price tag.

I thought I'd post a new thread, because their are indeed fan boys who love their UMO's and there are fan boys who love their UM2's. UM0 guys don't see the need to upgrade to UM2's, and UM2's guys feel like it's a downgrade to go old school. Up until recently I was probably one of the UM2 fan boys.

Ultimaker is still selling the UM0+, so it must at least WORK... right?

I'm calling anyone out there that has complete mastery of the UM2's and has learned to tune, adjust, modify, hack their UM0+ to run similar to a UM2. There are just SOOOOO many threads now on this forum, that I haven't the time to search through them like I did when I got my first UM2 a few years ago. Besides, I'm sure there are some top dogs out there that could tell it like it is " Download this, Install that, print this... bam, you're set"

-Pat

[neotko 1,417]

The best nonprintable mod you can do it's to add 4 shims to the hotend when assembled, so the hotend isn't tilt because of the peek/coupler pushing the wood. It improves the toplayers just a little bit, but worth.

Also I think upgrading mxl to gt2.

And if you want to get closer to um2, get a um2+ kit, and upgrade your printer. That's what I'll do this weekend. I'm doing slideblocks to install um2 x/y longer shafts, so far everything works but need's one final test this weekend.

https://ultimaker.com/en/community/21074-beyond-slideblocks-for-umo-to-use-um2-shafts-hotend

[solid-print-3d 30]

Get a UM2+ kit and install on the UMO+ ?

[neotko 1,417]

Yea sorry I wrote so fast. I mean that with some printed parts, on a future, you can upgrade a umo+ with the um2+ upgrade since both share the same electronics. Also the price of umo+ plus um2+upgrade its lower than a um2+ and you could get almost the same quality (in exchange of work time modding).

The main 4 differences from umo+ to um2+ are

- Wood frame

- Hotend

- wood geared Extruder

- MXL gear/pulleys

Also um2 hotend using a i2k from 3dsolex can actually print at 290C (modding firmware). Basically you can upgrade the umo+ to last longer and keep improving the print quality. But indeed a um2+ it's muh less trouble/time.

[solid-print-3d 30]

I run tinker Marlin on all my um2's, with GR5's insulators... I can print Poly carbonate at 280 all day with those insulators.

I've read everywhere that they share the same electronics, yet when I install Cura ( 15.04) it gives me totally different options, such as bed calibration, print temps in the menu, etc... So I'm wondering, why if they run the same electronics is there a different UI. Keep in mind, the printers won't be here for 1 more day, so I'm trying to line up parts to print ahead of time.

I don't mind printing add-ons all day long. For example, I could just order a Meduza feeder kit from GR5, install that ( like $19 ). I've got my own flavor of feeder printed and installed now ( SP3D ).

Problem is, as time has passed and the UM has gone through it's iterations, it's hard to tell what the current "best" printable upgrades are.

I see people are printing end caps for the guide rods

I print primarily in HOT materials, so cooling fan upgrades don't interest me since I hardly ever use them.

I've read that GT2 pulley upgrades are a must... not sure if someone already has a package of those ready to go instead of me having to count teeth and order from Misumi

UM2 head on the UM0+ sounds interesting. Would be convenient since I already have a stockpile of UM2 print head parts. I assume there's all sorts of things that need to be modified for that.

[neotko 1,417]

About umo+ going um2+ hotend, I started a post that I'll update probably tomorrow with the final steps. It's very easy, specially if you are confortable with adding mods.

https://ultimaker.com/en/community/21167-ultimaker-2-plus-kit-on-ultimaker-original-plus

Indeed if you need high temps umo+ hotend won't do any good since it can go up 255C max, it can go 260C but the peek starts to suffer, and even with the new umo couplers that 3dsolex it's making, unless they come with a solution to change the peek to other think it won't be able to go that high. That's one of the reasons I'm upgrading to um2+ hotend two machines, because tfm/t2fk or wherever the name it's, of the couplers, can last many more print hours and I seen a nice bump on the print quality.

The GT2, I bough them on china, along with the belts, about that the best post for info it's https://ultimaker.com/en/community/15874-mxl-vs-gt2-print-results

Ofc if you can buy gt2 pulleys that sure will be better. But you can get gt2 pulley/belt set from any ultimaker distributor and they fit on umo+. The belt that um2 uses it's longer because it has a spring system inside the slideblocks, but the ones on the post don't need any spring, I been printing on my most used machine for 7-8months now with gt2 and the tension it still perfect. And the belt's are very cheap to replace if someday they go wrong.

There are many many upgrades you can do. If you want to print and print I would definitely go um2 hotend on a umo+ but mind that since they are wood frame they are more noisy than the um2 frame. Ofc, if you get a umo+ at 995 and a um2+ upgrade for 400 or so without taxes, that it's an almost um2+ for just 500 less. Ofc that 500 less are belt, pulleys, frame and work hours to assemble and make then work. I went that path and I'm quite happy since I learned a lot on the process. Mind that I never touched a printer, even less a pulley until a year and a few months ago

The umo+ feeder it's very very strong, much more than um2 and probably has more torque than um2+ just because the gear ratio. But ofc the umo+ gear it's mostly wood and it's the most noisy part, I never used it more than a few months since I changed my printers to 1.75mm and I use gear-less IRobertI feeder. (1.75 needs less heat to push the same speed than 2.85mm). But that's other history...

[neotko 1,417]

Oh about the firmware, you can adjust almost everything from the ulticontroller, it's a less fancy controller, but the default let's you change any motor steps, yerk, everything. And with the @amedee firmware builder you can get more juice out of it. Ofc it's really less fancy, but it does the job just the same.

About the firmware:

https://ultimaker.com/en/resources/20983-ultimaker-original-custom-firmware-builder

And other umo+ mods

https://ultimaker.com/en/resources/tips-tricks/upgrade-tutorials

[jhertzberg 19]

Since you mention that you print hot, I wonder if you are considering enclosing the print area. If you do so, you may want to consider moving the x/y motors out of the enclosure, using Nick Foley's Motor Corner or one of the remixes from Chopmeister or ataraxis. You should switch to GT2 belts while you are in there.

Edited May 24, 2016 by Guest

[solid-print-3d 30]

All great advice guys. I'll put this to good use.

-Pat

[solid-print-3d 30]

Well, We got our UMO+ assembled

I'm so spoiled on the UM2 that I know right off the bat what needs to be modified.

-Pulleys

-Feeder

-Print Head assembly

-Firmware

Pretty much what everyone says could use a little tweaking on these.

Just got done with an order for 150 x 6 hours prints, and these did well ( .8 nozzle Black ABS).

Will definitely have to spend some time researching the best tweaks for these... for now, they will handle the "blocky" big, simple geometric prints. One thing I did notice is that circles don't seem perfectly circular... I'll have to check pulleys I suppose?

[neotko 1,417]

I would try to check how square box it's your wood frame. I know I did some hammer time on mines until the panels did fit fully.

Thinks I modded on my umo+

- Misumi shafts x/y/z

- gt2 belt/pulley

- Twisterblocks by chopmeister. But slightly changed with some bolean so I didnt loose 1-2mm print area.

- IRobertI feeder (I use 1.75)

- Dual fancap with really powerfull 40x40x20 fans

- um2+ on one machine and other with a um2 hotend. And I'm in the process of changing the third printer also to um2. It just prints a little bit better.

I think the key upgrade it's the gt2 (all my umo+ pulleys had eccentricity). The circles difference could be just that the weight of the hotend it's bigger so it needs a little slowdown.

Edited May 28, 2016 by Guest

[solid-print-3d 30]

Did you have to change the blocks to install the UM2 Printhead? If so , is that's all that's needed to install the UM2 printhead?

[neotko 1,417]

Did you have to change the blocks to install the UM2 Printhead? If so , is that's all that's needed to install the UM2 printhead?

 

No need. But if you planto change to gt2 it's a must.

For um2+ upgrade its very straight forward. But if your board it's 2.1.4 it needs the experimental (updated yesterday by @amedee) firmware builder so the 5v fan turns on.

I did a manual step by step.

https://ultimaker.com/en/community/21167-assembly-manual-um2-upgrade-kit-on-ultimaker-original-plus

If your board it's 2.1.4 as soon someone can test the new firmware it will be a fast step to do.

Also, check the youmagine link for the pdf and msgs from one user that already did it.

[solid-print-3d 30]

Just read your tutorial. VERY nicely done. Wish there were more like it!!

[flowalistik 181]

I upgraded my UMO+ with the Ultimaker 2 printhead and feeder motor and if I have some time in the future I'll install the sliding blocks upgrade, as it's really sad for a maker to see part of the printing bed inaccessible.

The printhead and feeder upgrade is really easy compared to the blocks upgrade, so it can me done in a different moment.

[SandervG 1,518]

Haven't read every post on this thread, but from the bat I would probably suggest is a heated bed as a must have, add dual fans and enclosures to minmize draft. Maybe the pulleys too. I never felt the urge to upgrade the feeder.

And in our Resources page you can find a few nice upgrade tutorials with valuable contributions by @Neotko

If you want to go crazy, have you ever looked at a Z unlimited?

[neotko 1,417]

Haven't read every post on this thread, but from the bat I would probably suggest is a heated bed as a must have, add dual fans and enclosures to minmize draft. Maybe the pulleys too. I never felt the urge to upgrade the feeder.

 

Thanks @SandervG

Btw he bough 2 UMO+ brand new. It would be interesting since he might want to use UM2 hotends if Ultimaker can give me a hand with the UM2+ mod on UMO+ because:

I asked @amedee if he could add it, and woa he did it so fast, but this needs to someone to actually test it on a ultimaker 2.1.4 board

The Experimental Builder it's on:

https://bultimaker.bulles.eu/experimental/

And after choosing Ultimaker Original + this will pop. It need's to be 'on' so the generator makes a firmware so the hotend fan works umo+ 2.1.4 boards.

Could anyone at Ultimaker give it a try to see if a 5v sunon fan starts when the hotend reach 40-50C ?

Thanks!

There's also a user on youmagine that has done the um2+ mod and has 2.1.4 board, the fan didn't start by default, hopefully he can test it too.

Edited May 30, 2016 by Guest

[solid-print-3d 30]

Does anyone know the correct steps per mm to set the UMO+ to if you're using the UM2 style setup extruder motor?

Basically, I bought a stock knurled wheel and mounted the UMO's feeder motor in the same spot the UM2 motor is in, along with a UM2 style feeder, but I'm still using the UMO motor ( not sure if it has a different step count or if Marlin is sending signals for a different step count)

I set the step per mm to 282 ( same as UM2) but it looks to be heavily over extruding.

I'm going to try 141 steps per mm in case its a stepper motor steps per degree thing, but then I would assume there was a jumper or something in marlin I could change to bring that back up since I lose the gear reduction.

THANKS!

[neotko 1,417]

Umo+ motor with a gear-less feeder needs half steps than um2 (not plus) motor.

Basically um2 it's 0.9 400 steps/rotation and umo+ 1.8 200 steps/rotation

[flowalistik 181]

i installed the Ultimaker 2 feeder motor on the UMO+ and as I had some under extrusion problems I set the Esteps between 225-275. It's not precise, and in my case it depended on the model I was printing.

If you want the exact Esteps, go to github and check the UM2 firmware (configuration.h), you will find the exact Esteps for the Ultimaker 2 feeder design.