Control Self-Sourced Ultimaker 2 with RAMPS 1.4/Marlin?

[kreeser1 0]

Hi Ultimakers!

I am a graduate student intent on building an Ultimaker 2 from the open-source files. I have had a ticket open with sales to purchase a list of parts for quite some time (~1 month), and it seems they either cannot help me or do not want my business.

My question is this: If I built a complete Ultimaker 2, can it be controlled with an Arduino/RAMPS 1.4 combination with some fork of Marlin? Or, could it be controlled with the Arduino Mega shield that they sell on their site for the Ultimaker original?

I'm assuming yes, but how would it affect the printer's performance compared to using the intended Mainboard 2.1.1?

Thanks!

Kyle

 

[Dim3nsioneer 397]

Which electronics is supported by Marlin can be checked here: https://github.com/ErikZalm/Marlin/blob/Marlin_v1/Marlin/Configuration.h

You will have to compile your own configuration. Maybe you could use the Marlin Builder: http://marlinbuilder.robotfuzz.com/

There are a few UM2-specific commands in Ultimaker2Marlin such as adjustment of the stepper current which you will not be able to use. However, some UM2 originated commands like the firmware retraction commands G10 and G11 have been also implemented in standard Marlin in the meantime.

From the software (e.g. Cura) you will have to run your printer as an UM Original (RepRap flavor). The printing performance should not be affected. It depends on other things like which hotend you use (I guess you will not have the UM2 hotend).

 

[Daid 284]

I have had a ticket open with sales to purchase a list of parts for quite some time (~1 month), and it seems they either cannot help me or do not want my business.

 

In all honesty, most likely some of the parts you want to buy are critical parts for our production line.

(I'm guessing the display, electronics, head-parts)

Anyhow, you can control the printer fine with a normal RAMPs board with basic marlin on it. You won't have the fancy OLED display. So you should look at it more as an UM-Origonal from the control side.

The Ultimaker2Marlin fork is mostly a fork for the OLED display and menus on there. (The changes for the motor current levels have actually been merged into main Marlin already)

 

[tommyph1208 53]

As you can somewhat gather from the above comments... The open source nature of the UM2, is still a concept that I do not believe really works in practice...

Sure all the schematics, drawings etc. are publicly available, but as soon as it gets more complex than cutting a frame or bending a piece of sheet metal, most "common people" have to give up... Really, I don't think the self sourced and build UM2s is something thats going to happen before China starts producing the copy parts (and complete machines) and putting them on ebay.

I would say (and it is also basically what is stated in the above posts), that you are better off building, what would in practice be, a UM1...

Since you would be making it yourself, you have all the possibilities in the world to customize it, use alternative materials and parts, make it better, prettier etc.

The forums here have a ton of info on customizing the UM1, that are equally applicable to a self sourced build-from-scratch machine... Just have a read through all the threads in the "Modifications and Hacks" section, here on the forum.

 

[nallath 577]

The open source part (at least for the um2) is not so much in the area of; 'hey I want one and it's pretty easy to source the parts', but more in the area 'Hey I want to make some modifications, but I want good drawings of the other parts to make my life easier'.

If you are limited to using only already existing parts, quite a few things would be extremely expensive, difficult or even impossible.