I guess I'm the last guy on earth using a Melzi 2.0 board in 2024, I have a
Prusa i3 clone 3d printer (Aurora Z605) that I bought in 2013, and apparently
it's a miracle that this 3D printer motherboard survived for 11 years, once I
walked in the dark through the USB cable and accidentally broke the mini oozb
connector, it detached from the board and I had to
solder wires directly to the board, after some time it stopped reading bed temps but I kept using it for PLA 3d
prints only, then it started to do some random disconnects, and finally in
it's last minutes of life the PC did not recognize it at all, I have a second
printer that is still running with the same board using Repetier V1.0.4
firmware and it works just fine.
I went searching online to find a replacement board, something that is close
to a Melzi board, an all in one board with minimum specs no fancy stuff lowest
possible price easy to install and use, I still use USB port to print never
been a fan of printing from SD card and I cannot imagine myself controlling
the 3D printer from a touch screen.
I found this article from All3dp website and it helped me a lot to decide which model to chose and buy, I straightaway found that BIGTREETECH boards are exactly what I'm looking for, with a wide selection and multiple models with different specs to chose from, I was first hesitant between the BTT SKR E3 Mini V3 and V2, I couldn't resist the November Aliexpress discounts and the positive reviews about the V2 board, it was sold only for €15.55 approx €20 shipping included which is way cheaper than Amazon prices and the official BIQU store, so I bought one to test it and regret later I did not buy two, shipping was very quick and it arrived within two weeks.
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Buy from Aliexpress (Affilaite link) |
I'm a big fan of Repetier Firmware, as it offers a configuration page easy for
newbies, I did not know it was not compatible with this board (Although there
is a V2 version that may support this board), it took me a week to figure out
what to do and how configure the firmware and make the printer work this as
this is the first time I use Marlin, I did not know were to start, I
followed tutorials from
www.makenprint.uk (down for the
moment) to install visual studio code, platform IO, and configure the
firmware, with lots of trial and error it took I arrived to make the printer
work.
You can download my configuration.h , configuration_Adv.h and the Firmware.bin
files
here
if you have the same printer, you can edit the configuration files or start
from there and use em as reference, I used
Marlin 2.1.2.1
I also designed and printed enclosure box for temporary use, as there is no
place were to attach and fit the board in the acrylic frame of the Aurora 3D
printer, it is impossible to drill Acrylic so I had to use the existing
holes were the original Melzi was placed, I also used the bottom holes in
acrylic frame to attach a heat bed external MOSFET module, although the board
has a big MOSFET that was made especially to reduce heat generation, an
external one is always a plus to feel more safe and extend the life of your
board, you can buy these from
Aliexpress
(Affiliate link) for a price close to nothing approx $2,5 shipping
included.
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| BTT SKR E3 mini V2 enclosure |
The enclosure box STL files can be downloaded at Cults3D, you will find the box base and the cover with room to mount a fan to cool the board. the native Sketchup file is included if you want to do edits to make it fit your 3D printer frame.
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BTT SKR E3 Mini V2 Enclosure 3D model |
What I like about this motherboard :
- Cheap and high quality, which is too good to be true.
- Silent 3D printing no more music or loud noises during print.
- I can print from USB
Honestly I fell in love with this board, and the quality/price is
irresistible, I bought a second board during December discounts from the same
Aliexpress seller, the price was not the same approx €23 shipping included but
it was still cheaper than Amazon and the official store prices, which is a
very good deal.
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Buy From Aliexpress (Aff Link) |
BTT SKR E3 mini V2 Specs:
Size: 100.75 x 70.25mm
Micro-controller: ARM Cortex-M3 STM32F103RCT6
Ports: USB / SD-card
Power: DC 12 or 24V
Motor Drivers: Built-in TMC2209
Motor Drive Interface: XM, YM, ZAM, ZBM, EM
Temperature Sensor Interface: TH0, THB, 2 channels 100K NTC
PC communication interface: mini-USB-B type
Price: $22 ~ $35
Buy From Aliexpress (Aff link)
Buy From Amazon (Aff link)
User Manual (Instructions, Firmware, Pinout, Wiring diagram...)
Conclusion:
As a conclusion, what can I say, this is strict minimum I was looking for, no BS no fancy stuff, I will probably give it another decade of use, this board has other features like the sensor-less homing BL-Touch support that can be used at any later stage, so if you are looking for basic all in one cheap and quality silent motherboard for your 3D printer, this is the right one.
Reviewed by Moh.G
on
May 15, 2024
Rating:
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