UM2, upgrading stepper driver

[Hertz 0]

Hi!

I have been toying with my UM2 for a good while, ugrading to a "+", installing the awesome Mark2 kit, and so on. I have also been playing with a cheap chinese printer, where I added the great and modern Duet2Wifi card. I love that, and especially I do appreciate the silence offered! I do like the UM2 intuitive scroll-wheel and screen, and my wife knows how to use it. So I would like to try to simply silence it down, to keep it modern and working all night long. 
So, to change the stepper drivers for say, X&Y to begin with, what model could be recommended, genuine Watterot 2208? And how "drop in" would it be? I got a cheap solder iron and an itch! I guess its a question of de-soldering, soldering the new ones, the right way around, and a minor change in the software?

[Hertz 0]

So, UM2, changing stepper drivers.. No one that can chime in with any advice or experience?

[Curven 28]

Well If you find replacement stepperdrivers for the A4988 it would be as easy as "desoldering de A4988 and resolderind the XXXX" (and eventualy change some things in the firmware). But as you can see on the picture below the stepper drivers are very small. For me this change would need very good soldering skills and would still be risky... An ultimaker main board is quite expensive. (Unless you buy a cheap chinese clone)

Personnaly I would not try it and rather think to change the whole main board (for a Duet2 Maestro for example) but in this case and do not know how much work it is with the firmware...

[Hertz 0]

thanks for your answer, Curven!
So you do believe it is possible? If I fail, or I cant do this, I will just replace it with a Duet3d card anyway (which is what I got on my other machine). So... failure is an option! I am not very experienced at soldering, but I think I could de-solder those, and solder in thin wire, jumper cables and add the steppers on those, like this:

EDIT: Obviously the would have to be soldered straight into the board, as there are not connectors there.. but otherwise like this.

 

That would be a bit messy, but I could accept it.

It would be a solution to keep the machine and user interface as it is, but cut down on the noise. So any of the silent Trinamic ones would work.  Any eventual firmware changes... I guess that might be as complicated again?

Edited October 24, 2019 by Hertz

[Curven 28]

If you can take the risk it will anyways be a great challenge and train your skills. But the soldering spots on the mainboard are really small...

 

As far as I know 2208 (in legacy mode) is a 1:1 replacement for A4988. 2130 is a little bit more tricky, there is something with motor current that cannot go back to the driver or it will be broken. (Sorry for the non technical language... I am french speaking and not from the electronical world...)

[ultiarjan 1,223]

On 9/2/2019 at 2:27 PM, Hertz said:

I do like the UM2 intuitive scroll-wheel and screen, and my wife knows how to use it.

 

Sounds to me you're just looking for an excuse to upgrade to the duet 😛 , you know your wife will learn how to use it in just a few minutes as it's super easy, specially with the "print to duet" plugin in cura....  Also, you'll have the same workflow as on the other machine..  The duet is just the better option imho..

[geert_2 557]

I would suggest you first practice your soldering skills on a broken harddisk or USB memory stick, or whatever else broken equipment with similar small chips. The main risks are that you damage the contacts on the board while desoldering, and next that you make short-circuits while soldering. Search on Youtube for tutorial videos, as there are a few tricks that can help. A video can say more than 1000 words.  :-)

 

[Hertz 0]

Hi guys! I appreciate all the answers and help. 
 

On 10/25/2019 at 8:13 AM, Curven said:

If you can take the risk it will anyways be a great challenge and train your skills. But the soldering spots on the mainboard are really small...

 

As far as I know 2208 (in legacy mode) is a 1:1 replacement for A4988. 2130 is a little bit more tricky, there is something with motor current that cannot go back to the driver or it will be broken. (Sorry for the non technical language... I am french speaking and not from the electronical world...)

 

Ah, so the 2208 are simple drop-ins? GREAT! That is great news :) Merci! Si vous voudrez, je comprends français. Je suis un étranger qui habit en île-de-France.

 

 

On 10/25/2019 at 9:22 AM, ultiarjan said:

 

Sounds to me you're just looking for an excuse to upgrade to the duet 😛 , you know your wife will learn how to use it in just a few minutes as it's super easy, specially with the "print to duet" plugin in cura....  Also, you'll have the same workflow as on the other machine..  The duet is just the better option imho..

 

YES, but also no! I got the Mark2 upgrade installed, and if I can wait a bit longer with the more expensive upgrade and be forced to learn how to re-program the Mark2 part.... Im happy 😉. I got enough on my plate for a little while longer, so one thing at a time.

 

On 10/29/2019 at 2:13 PM, geert_2 said:

I would suggest you first practice your soldering skills on a broken harddisk or USB memory stick, or whatever else broken equipment with similar small chips. The main risks are that you damage the contacts on the board while desoldering, and next that you make short-circuits while soldering. Search on Youtube for tutorial videos, as there are a few tricks that can help. A video can say more than 1000 words.  :-)

 

 

Thanks! I will start with dismanteling a Melzi board and some other useless pieces of e-scrap I got lying around. Cant be THAT hard!

 

Is there a maximum recommended length for the jumper cables for the drivers? Ill need to start figuring out how to mount them. I am leaning towards heatpaste-glueing them to a big piece of aluminim heatsink, itself glued to the bottom plate.

[Curven 28]

Actually just reallized something... 2208 is 1:1 replacement for A4988 when it is in this form...

Not sure if the outpout of the chip is 1:1 so there might be some work to do to figure out the pinout of both A4988 and TMC2208. You should find this in the tech specs.

 

p.s: Merci de la proposition, mais en dehors du forum francophone je fais de mon mieux pour écrire anglais, c'est plus pratique pour les autres utilisateurs et cela m'entraîne un peu.

 

[Hertz 0]

Oh, good catch! I will need to verify that.

I guess that its no idea to try and install the smallform version of the driver? 

 

Bien pris! 😉

 

[Hertz 0]

UPDATE: After practising desoldering small components for a few days, I am confident to say that I would just screw it up. So that seemingly easy solution was not that easy! So in the Duet Wifi goes. I already started wiring it in. Just need to find or create a good Config, and make things neat and tidy, as they where.

[JasonBroker 1]

On 11/18/2019 at 6:47 PM, Hertz said:

UPDATE: After practising desoldering small components for a few days, I am confident to say that I would just screw it up. So that seemingly easy solution was not that easy! So in the Duet Wifi goes. I already started wiring it in. Just need to find or create a good Config, and make things neat and tidy, as they where.

I have make it come true. super easy! by some wires and two 2208 or other drivers. do some soldering job and done.

If you are still interested in it I will make a post of how to do it.

Frankly, There is a tmc2208 version um2 main board selling on eBay.

Only 120 bucks, drop-in replacement and work perfectly.

All ripples have gone!

Edited December 4, 2019 by JasonBroker

[conny_g 251]

2 hours ago, JasonBroker said:

I have make it come true. super easy! by some wires and two 2208 or other drivers. do some soldering job and done.

If you are still interested in it I will make a post of how to do it.

Frankly, There is a tmc2208 version um2 main board selling on eBay.

Only 120 bucks, drop-in replacement and work perfectly.

All ripples have gone!

 

Do you have a link to that offer?

 

 

[JasonBroker 1]

On 12/4/2019 at 10:19 PM, conny_g said:

 

Do you have a link to that offer?

 

 

https://www.tindie.com/products/18790/ this might help you.

[HiddenTroll 0]

On 12/4/2019 at 12:23 PM, JasonBroker said:

I have make it come true. super easy! by some wires and two 2208 or other drivers. do some soldering job and done.

If you are still interested in it I will make a post of how to do it.

Frankly, There is a tmc2208 version um2 main board selling on eBay.

Only 120 bucks, drop-in replacement and work perfectly.

All ripples have gone!

Hello,

can you tell me how you did that? I would very much appreciate that!!

[conny_g 251]

On 12/6/2019 at 1:39 PM, JasonBroker said:

https://www.tindie.com/products/18790/ this might help you.

 

There are no products in that shop any more.

[jayred 0]

Hi,

 

I have not done the modification in lack of of courage - but I thought about it and did some research I'd like to share:

 

some guy replacing the stepper drivers on an ender board:

->https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COx7qoW9blE

 

Original Infos from trinamic:

->https://blog.trinamic.com/2018/04/15/how-to-replace-an-allegro-a4988-with-the-tmc2208/

 

In the example on the page it looks like some capacitators have to be changed too

 

some additional general infos on changing to tmc22xx:

-> https://github.com/superjamie/lazyweb/wiki/3D-Printing-TMC22xx-Quick-Guide

 

good luck

[jayred 0]

On 12/4/2019 at 12:23 PM, JasonBroker said:

I have make it come true. super easy! by some wires and two 2208 or other drivers. do some soldering job and done.

If you are still interested in it I will make a post of how to do it.

 

That would be nice! I am curious, how that works.

 

kind regards

[Torgeir 242]

Hi Folks,

 

 I've just found something you all have been searching for..

This board:

 

https://www.tindie.com/products/mmm999/ultimaker-pcb-control-board/#product-description

 

Looks like this:

 

 

 

Do not know anything more than found on this site.

But you have to order the SilentStepStick

Like this one, you have to solder the connector pin yourself.

https://www.elfadistrelec.no/en/silentstepstick-tmc2208-36v-step-dir-uart-trinamic-tmc2208-silentstepstick/p/30100509?queryFromSuggest=true

 

But maybe all this can be ordered at this same site.

 

Good Luck

 

Torgeir

 

[Curven 28]

Actually what you show is the mainboard of the ultimaker Original (non +) It works on 19V an is not suitable for a heated bed. You Can put 2208 stepper drivers on it.

 

I upgraded on to work with 24V but never tried it with a heated bed, went to Bigtreetech SKR 1.3 and will configure marlin 2.X to benefit from all the new stuff and 32 bit board.

[Torgeir 242]

Hi Curven,

 

Thanks for this info, never had an UMO, so..

 

Thanks

 

Regards

 

Torgeir.

 

[Torgeir 242]

Hi Folks,

 

 How about this tread?

 

 

Thanks

 

Torgeir

[friedl_basson 5]

hi @Curven - 

 

On 10/31/2019 at 9:20 AM, Curven said:

Actually just reallized something... 2208 is 1:1 replacement for A4988 when it is in this form...

Not sure if the outpout of the chip is 1:1 so there might be some work to do to figure out the pinout of both A4988 and TMC2208. You should find this in the tech specs.

 

p.s: Merci de la proposition, mais en dehors du forum francophone je fais de mon mieux pour écrire anglais, c'est plus pratique pour les autres utilisateurs et cela m'entraîne un peu.

 

 

Dit you get this working? 

 

I have some experience with the TMC (2208, 5160) series drives as replacements for the DRV series.  We used them quite extensively to drive NEMA23 motors in a dispensing system we designed.  Replacing the DRV with TMC became a very obvious necessity quickly to eliminate the stepper motor 'wining'.    If I recall correctly, the 2208 and 2130 should be drop in replacements in the form you mentioned yes.  

 

Unfortunately it seems it wont be that easy on the UM mainboard as they are in component form rather than driver expansion boards. TMC5160 wont work as it relies heavily on SPI connections which I assume UM does not use in this case as they are using DRV-series?

 

I am tempted to do the same, the TMC series is whisper quiet.   

 

Regards, Friedl.

[katod 0]

Hi all, I also want to replace the A4988's on my Ultimainboard with TMC2208's, and I'm wondering if you could help me with some advice, because I think I'll be able to swap the QFN28 chips with a basic hot-air tool, but  I'm not sure about the rest of the configuration:

 

 - as I see on the Trinamic application note they are compatible pin-to-pin with each other, but some adjustments are necessary on the board.

 

Now , my questions are:

 - do I need to program/configure the TMC2208 prior to mounting it on the Ultimainboard, or it will just work in legacy mode by default?

 - do I need to replace/rewire some-other components on the board as well?

 

I compared the Ultimainboard schematic with the application note from Trinamics and this is what I came up with so far:

 

- so one capacitor needs to be removed , another-one changed, but I'm not sure about the resistors, can anyone help with some advice, the extract from Ultimainboard schematic with my  intended changes are shown below, but I'm wondering if I'm on the right track or if I'm missing something, any help is highly appreciated:

 

[shai 1]

Has anyone attempted this? I'm about to give it a try with TCM2208 but still need to figure out how to modify the VREF output. @katod did you happen to finish your modification? How did you decide to remove C56?

 

I found this application note from Trinamic on how to do the swap: https://www.trinamic.com/fileadmin/assets/Support/AppNotes/AN045-How_to_replace_Allegro_A4988_with_TMC2208_01.pdf

 

And this is what I have so far, but I still need to figure out the VREF as mentioned (and possibly other resistors/caps?). I plan to run all my motors at 500mA for my UM3, but not sure if that is enough or the same as what Ultimaker has set their motors at? Anyone know?

 

 

Edited April 25, 2022 by shai