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Heater Upgrade Question

Discussion in 'Mods and Upgrades' started by Toro1966, Jul 27, 2016.

  1. Toro1966

    Toro1966 Active Member

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    Hey guys - looking to upgrade the bed heater in the Robo. I actually really enjoy printing with ABS and PETG and the stock heater is frankly insufficient. It heats the center few inches and then rapidly drops off. I have read a couple of threads regarding upgrading the heater - including Waldo's where he upgraded to the much bigger one. That said, I would rather n ot have to add relays and change power supplies if I don't have to.

    So my question is - is there a better alternative to the stock heater that is somewhat plug and play - so to speak?

    I intend on buying a new glass piece from Robo and installing the new heater on it because I like the look of the stock bed but do not want to have to remove the existing heater and mess with the tape.

    Thanks as always for the help and advice!
     
    #1 Toro1966, Jul 27, 2016
  2. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    IMHO, none of the ones that would be plug-n-play will likely get you where you want to be.
    The advantages to the solution @WheresWaldo provided are many.
    If you need a large, hot (and consistent heat) print area then you need to go up a notch.
    Almost all of the ones that can run off of the RAMPS directly are about the same wattage as the Robo one (it is an 11 amp limit).

    If you are going to go the route of replacing it you might as well upgrade to something better.
     
    #2 mark tomlinson, Jul 27, 2016
  3. Toro1966

    Toro1966 Active Member

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    Thanks Mark. I figured that would probably be the right answer. Lol. I have never been good at doing things halfway.

    So the new power supply just swaps in (same form factor) and the bed power is wired straight to it vs the RAMPS board - Correct?

    I assume I just find a spot and stick the relay inside.

    Any issues with the new power or heat on the printer components or RAMPS? Will I need to install a better fan, etc?




    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
     
    #3 Toro1966, Jul 27, 2016
  4. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Assuming we are talking the same upgrade thread (you didn't link it) his comment was:

    "Power supply was same physical size just a 41A model instead of 30A"

    Which makes sense as the style of power supply Robo used is a standard one and you can get larger capacity ones that fit right in for fairly cheap.
     
    #4 mark tomlinson, Jul 27, 2016
  5. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    The RAMPS will actually run cooler since the bed power is coming more directly from the power supply and it will have a fan inside it that handles its needs
     
    #5 mark tomlinson, Jul 27, 2016
  6. Toro1966

    Toro1966 Active Member

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    Thanks Mark - that's the one. Will have to contact him for a link to the one he purchased. I looked and found several that "look" like they would fit, but since he has already done it, will just get the same one.
     
    #6 Toro1966, Jul 27, 2016
  7. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    #7 mark tomlinson, Jul 27, 2016
  8. WheresWaldo

    WheresWaldo Volunteer ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)
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    Hard to tell from the pictures, because they mess with the images, but mine was also 40A and the exact same physical size as the one that came in the Robo, so it just dropped in. Double check the dimensions, is all I would add.
     
    #8 WheresWaldo, Jul 27, 2016
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2016
  9. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Yea, it has the size so you can just measure it: Size: 240 x 126 x 70(mm) L*W*H
     
    #9 mark tomlinson, Jul 27, 2016
  10. Toro1966

    Toro1966 Active Member

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    Thanks Everyone. On a more positive note - Kevin at Robo contacted me today and they are replacing the glass and the heater! Excellent!
     
    #10 Toro1966, Jul 27, 2016
    Kevin Robo 3D and Rigmarol like this.
  11. Geof

    Geof Volunteer Moderator
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    Shout out and a thank you to @Kevin Robo 3D .

    Great to see you guys on the forum.
     
    #11 Geof, Jul 27, 2016
    Kevin Robo 3D, Rigmarol, Ryan TeGantvoort and 2 others like this.
  12. Toro1966

    Toro1966 Active Member

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    Absolutely!
     
    #12 Toro1966, Jul 27, 2016
    Kevin Robo 3D likes this.
  13. Rigmarol

    Rigmarol Well-Known Member

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    Great news and only reinforces my good opinion of the outfit.
     
    #13 Rigmarol, Jul 28, 2016
    Kevin Robo 3D likes this.
  14. MChrisP1

    MChrisP1 Member

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    Toro - May Inquires as to what you finally ended up doing for your setup? What did you use for the new bed heater and did you use the power supply above? Any notes on how it turned out and is working?
     
    #14 MChrisP1, Dec 11, 2016
  15. Toro1966

    Toro1966 Active Member

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    Sorry for the late response Chris. I ended up keeping the original bed and heater and just dealt with it. Since I have been using PLA and PETG almost exclusively, it has been a non-issue. All the best.
     
    #15 Toro1966, Dec 21, 2016

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