LDO Voron Trident After 7 Months - Should You Buy It? |

[@brendanm720]

It's a beautiful build! I like the color combination you've selected. I think your noisy AB steppers could boil down to the fact that they're .9° rotation per step versus the more common 1.8° rotation per step. I've got a 250mm spec Trident with the cheaper SteppersOnline 1.8° motors, and it's been pretty silent. The Hot end and Part Cooling fans are _far_ noisier than the steppers are. My Trident has been a very nice upgrade from the old Flashforge.

[@WINTFOX]

Glad my mod helped. Very nice build :D

[@GearheadCreations]

Thank you!

[@mitsubishimakes]

I wasn't gonna comment but I like your cat

[@GearheadCreations]

His name is Rory :)

[@zac2877]

awww kitty kitty

[@hobbyistnotes]

Nice video, I definitely have spotted few mods that I will do cus of that video.

[@GearheadCreations]

Awesome! Glad to hear that

[@dkgoodrich8899]

Get rid of the stock main board and you’ll watch most of the stepper noise go with it.. Octopus pro boards and motor tuning were the best things for my Vorons, when it came to stepper noise My 2.4 is more quite than my bambu p1s, at 700mms and 30k

[@torquemada1971]

LDO 0.9 steppers are incredibly loud. I upgraded a Taz 6, and the 0.9 steppers with TMC2209 drivers were louder than the stock steppers and non-silent drivers. I honestly wish I left the stock stepper motors.

[@GearheadCreations]

Oh yeah, that’s absolutely the main reason I think. I just haven’t found it to be a big enough issue for me to replace the stock steppers. For the future, however, I’ll definitely stick to 1.8 haha

[@Reds3DPrinting]

badass that you won it! gooals for sure

[@Kotaztrafee]

Currently using a QIDI XPlus and was considering a Voron for two reasons. #1 Open Source. Getting parts from China takes at least three weeks from QIDI and that is the only place to get them. #2 is because I am getting ringing around my text. By slowing down and using jerk and acceleration setting I can reduce it but it won't go away. So I was considering a Voron because it is hailed as a sturdy machine. However, I see on your test cube that you have as much or more ringing than I do. Perhaps you were not concerned with that as was running at high speed because that is standard by which printer seem to be rated these days. I'm printing ASA at 50mm/s but even at 30mm/s there is ringing. So, bottom line I don't see that the Voron is any better than the QIDI as far as ringing is concerned.

[@GearheadCreations]

First off, thanks for the long comment; I really love these types of discussions. Second, yes, the open source nature of Voron is amazing in my opinion. It makes me (nearly) never want to switch back to a closed source machine ever again unless it was for a short amount of time. Thirdly, while the ringing is definitely present, that is under somewhat harsh lighting. Also, like you mentioned, ghosting and ringing just aren’t super important to me on a test print. Therefore, all of my printing was done at up to 250mm/s print speed which is quite incredible in my opinion, given the overall quality and accuracy. Hope this helps!

[@Kotaztrafee]

I'm watching many videos of many printers and getting rid of ringing around text seems damn near impossible. Using the QIDI Print / Cura slicer gives me more strength than Prusa, Orca or Super slicer and my research of Simply 3D revealed that it is a ripoff. I have spent months proving it and trying to find a solution to the weak prints from Prusa based slicers. The Prusa community could not help. I mention this because with Prusa slicer one can really dial in the text area with the layer height and speed modifiers and print the rest of the model as fast as possible. But, like everything in life this is the compromise. So I have to go into production with the QIDI X Plus I guess. I think slicers are what need to improve to make a machine run at full potential.

[@GearheadCreations]

Yeah, I agree. A lot of the time it’s also just like super fiddly parts on the printer that cause visible defects. A semi-loose belt, a backed out screw, or even a lopsided feeder idler. You’ll always be adjusting and servicing everything on your machine to get it to print absolutely perfectly haha. Most of us just don’t have the time for that

[@KJMcLaws]

If you do input shaping, that can also reduce the effects of ringing.

[@pavoldeman1762]

What exactly in the qidi slicer gives your more strength?

[@retroluminico]

Beautiful machine. I have a doubt: Those shock absorbers on the stepper motors won't cause unconsitencies on the motion system?

[@GearheadCreations]

Thanks! And yeah, surprisingly I have found no inconsistencies detail-wise on my prints. I think it has something to do with the way the decouplers work: they have two sets of thin metal disks with spacers in between. It does not seem like that is enough dampening horizontally to affect sharp corners and details.

[@KolMan2000]

Should upgrade the toolhead or add aux cooling. Stealthburner is terrible for cooling and weight when you really want to go fast.

[@htw007]

I see every now and then, is it worth buying a Voron? Should you buy a Voron? (2021-2022-2023), every time the same question. In my opinion, it's a YES. For one simple reason. Voron printers-models are upgradeable. Every 3-4 months something new is coming so they implement it on their models. This could be for fun, quality, speed visual effects etc... As an example i will say: look at the first voron and now look at the r2.4. This is evolution. Nice video by the way/ Love the colors and your mods. Can you share some info about your tft screen?

[@GearheadCreations]

Thank you! And yeah, I totally agree. The screen is a BTT screen bundled in the LDO kit. (Maybe tft3.5?)

[@Chispolas]

Hello! I am currently building a Voron Trident printer and wanted to ask... does this mod really work? I have seen that there is some mistake in the installation guide, like one of the m3x30mm screws is a bit short. What is your experience after all the time you have been using it?

[@GearheadCreations]

Hey there! Glad to hear that you’re building a trident! The stepper dampening mod overall works great, but yeah, there seems to have been a slight mistake in screw length for the motors. I was able to fix this by remixing the top bearing covers just by a few millimeters, and now it works perfectly.

[@jeffmcclain]

I want to know more about that internal spool holder. I didn't know there was enough space to fit a 1KG spool?!?!? But it looks great!

[@GearheadCreations]

Yep, it BARELY fits haha. I designed a simple quad bearing roller system that connects to the 2020 extrusion and the electronic compartment cover

[@nevets4546]

Great video, good content and informative 🎉

[@GearheadCreations]

Appreciate it!

[@bolarsen3983]

Great video, do you have spider v2.2 ? need help to upgrade klipper mch

[@GearheadCreations]

Thanks man! Unfortunately LDO uses the Octopus v1.2 board

[@peterlakos4108]

Hi! This is a very nice build for sure! Is this a 250 or a 300 mm version? You actually done quite a few mods that I'm planning to do. Did you follow any installation guide with the umbilical or did you figured it out on your own? Especially on the A drive side, I could see on the video that the toolhead is done with the BTT wire holders. Thanks! Peter

[@GearheadCreations]

Hi! This is the 250mm version. I followed a basic tutorial online for the installation of umbilical which uses BTT’s clip STLs

[@peterlakos4108]

Nice, thanks for the reply!

[@Muddles178]

I’d be interested in what fan yours came with for part cooling. My first fan that I used with stealthburner was subpar, but then after replacing it with the one recommended on the discord, I had to turn down the fan or else it would over-shrink my parts.

[@GearheadCreations]

Impressive! The cooling fan for mine is just an LDO branded 5015 blower. Not sure if it’s just slightly defective or if it’s actually that cheap. What brand is yours, may I ask?

[@Muddles178]

@@GearheadCreations I found it! I started with a GDSTime that was pretty mediocre but then got the Delta BFB0524HH, which has been fantastic.

[@GearheadCreations]

Thanks! I’ll check it out

[@MidMadn]

Are you running your motors in stealthchop or spreadcycle mode? Stealthchop is noisy as hell. You should make sure they are set to spreadcycle in your printer.cfg.

[@GearheadCreations]

I have been running the motors in spreadcycle mode. And you’re absolutely right; stealthchop is crazy loud at high speeds haha.

[@Basement_CNC]

well thats the reason i havent got a trident or 2.4, i WANT one, but i dont print that much to justify a 3rd printer (have a prusa mini &V0.2), nor do i print big models (95%fits on the V0) nor do i have enough spare money to buy one, id rater spend the 1300€ elsewhere😢 but if i ever have a acsual teason that the" i want" changes to "i need" yeah sure ill build one, the v0 was easy and fun😂

[@GearheadCreations]

For sure! And the v0.2 (in my opinion) gives you a pretty good taste of what the trident will be like

[@mcstando]

There's a lot of ghosting on that cube. Otherwise it's very good

[@GearheadCreations]

Yep, I’m thinking maybe the weight of the toolhead has something to do with that

[@mcstando]

@@GearheadCreations lower the accels

[@gokalpcetin2769]

@@mcstando Calibrate* accels accordingly, you might be able to find a higher value that can get rid of ghosting as well, you just should not be ending up on a mode of the system's transfer function

[@brendanm720]

I assumed that he hadn't run Input shaper yet.

[@Kotaztrafee]

I just commented the same thing. I was looking at Voron for the purpose of eliminating my ringing/ghosting but this video showed me that my QIDI is just as good or better.

[@Horstelin]

Put a dragon burner/rapidburner on it, lighter tool head, more printing volume and better part cooling!

[@GearheadCreations]

Might end up doing that!

[@Shint28]

Do you have a link to that internal spool holder? I'm using the horseshoe one but its chewing up my cardboard spools

[@GearheadCreations]

I actually remixed a pair of 608 bearing spool rollers to attach to a 2020 rail ;)

[@JordanCruzz]

@@GearheadCreations Do you mind sharing this? I just built a 250mm Trident and having a hard time internal spool holder that fits. Thanks

[@m14srv]

This or a k1 max or bambu p1p

[@GearheadCreations]

If you want a machine that is for the most part ready to go and printing nicely, get a p1p. If you enjoy DIY projects, prefer your machine to be open-source, and don’t want China spying on you, go for a Trident. If you want to be frustrated at Creality after a year, go for the K1.

[@brendanm720]

I personally wouldn't touch the K1 with a 30 foot (9.2m) pole. Creality has... QC problems. Some machines are perfect, and some machines come out of the factory...wrong. If you're looking at Bambu, I'd have a peek at the P1S over the P1P. You can print more and different materials on it. (Though, I'm not a big fan of the whole "Phoning home to China" thing, and the maintenance can be rather involved.) The Trident is nice because as technology changes, you can upgrade by just changing those parts out and not the whole printer. The other two options you listed are locked down and you can't really do anything to them without major remodeling. That having been said, you have to build the Trident from scratch and tune it in yourself, which can take some time. If you're not handy and adventurous, this printer may not be for you.

[@jchrzaniuk]

What filament spool holder is this?

[@GearheadCreations]

It’s a remixed internal spool holder that I found on Thingiverse I believe

[@gabeplays9441]

How would you compare it to a 2.4?

[@GearheadCreations]

Besides appearance, the 2.4 and trident have the same print quality, but the trident, because of its rigid gantry, can theoretically reach higher speeds. If you can’t decide between the two, just go with the Trident; it’s simpler and cheaper

[@zac2877]

I am that one crazy hobbyist

[@GearheadCreations]

Haha then you’d love this machine a lot

[@zac2877]

@@GearheadCreations hey hey i want the voron, i know i know stuff, im no moron, hope i find a good deal to score on, hey hey hey, i want the voron

[@GearheadCreations]

Haha you’ll find one eventually

[@wilsistermans1118]

I had a Voron 2.4, but replaced it with a Prusa XL. The Vorons are fine machines for hobbyists, but not reliable enough for continuous use. The print quality is not that good and not consistent. On lager parts I had to many failures because of layer shifts, probably of motors running too hot. Another disadvantage is that the Vorons draw quite a lot of current to get the bed heated. The Vorons are quite noisy, you don't want them working in the room with you. A Voron is a good machine for the hobbyist who prints quite regularly, and likes to work on the printer too.

[@GearheadCreations]

Well said. I will say though, that not every Voron is the same. For many, Vorons produce top-notch prints, but for others it can be a little worse. The idea of a Voron is to build YOUR machine; not “the Voron.” So how well the machine is built will dictate how well it prints.

[@htw007]

I totally agree with you but only if the person who built it didn't have the time or didn't want to make the right adjustments. You have to spend many hours before you can see quality prints. After 80 hours of calibration and tinkering i can say now that my Trident prints very well with no problems and zero failures. Bambu Lab and Prusa are my top companies (before my Trident i had a Bear MK3s+). They produce high-quality printers and their support is great through the community. It's like Plug N Play. If someday i'll get bored i will go to a Bambu Lab printer.

[@brendanm720]

I am sorry to hear that you had a bad time with your Voron. My Trident has been nothing but reliable and consistent... I don't think I've ever had a layer shift or the motors running too hot, but I'm not printing speedboats, either. The only time It's not reliable is when I do something stupid like put a maglev fan in for HE cooling (They fail, causing heat creep and a jam), or break the zip tie mounts off and the HE heater wire droops down and catches on the part (which causes the heater to not work). I realize that a 2.4 is an entirely different beast with a ton more moving parts (which is why I built the Trident). Your Printer was a different model with different quirks. I do agree that the bed does take a lot of electricity to run, but so does the bed on any 3D printer that has one that heats up -- the variation on bed thickness is pretty much the only thing that will make that number vary. Your Prusa has a thin bed (comparatively speaking), so it won't take as much juice to warm it up. I don't find My Voron to be noisy, and while I was tuning it, it lived on my workbench right next to my office desk. The fans added a bit of noise, but you couldn't hear the motors much. TBH, the reason it's in the garage now is because I found the fumes to be a bit much for a 10'x12' room. Vorons are definitely for someone handy who prints a lot and wants a $$$$ printer for $$$. A well built Voron shouldn't need any more or different maintenance than a Prusa (of any model), an Ultimaker, a Makerbot, a Flashforge, or any other well built and well designed commercial option.

[@Pappagar]

mine was only noisy until i PWM the controller fans from 1.0 to fan_speed: .66@@brendanm720

[@akierum]

Buy a qisi x max 3 instead with heated chamber cant go wrong

[@GearheadCreations]

Here’s why I’d much rather get a Voron over a Qidi X Max 3: Vorons are built better and don’t look like a plastic toy. Vorons can actually be upgraded and modded. Vorons already have a heated bed that can heat the chamber adequately.

[@akierum]

@@GearheadCreations If vorons that great then why not a single company makes them, sells them give 2 year warranty?

[@GearheadCreations]

Because Voron is not a company; it’s an open source design community. Qidi designs and manufactures their printers, while Voron only offers BOMs and schematics for their machines, outsourced to companies such as LDO

[@akierum]

@@GearheadCreations But you can make money on opensource right, their license allows this right, so nobody want to sell next best thing since sliced bread?

[@GearheadCreations]

I don’t think I understand what you’re saying, sorry

[@almonster2066]

With the X1C and K1/K1 Max out there for about the same money or less, there's no point in building a machine that's about 30 to 40% slower with comparable print quality. My Trident is literally 40% slower than my X1C and requires a lot of tuning to get it to print at the same quality (and it's still not there). If you want to tinker buy one. If you want to just hit print and get a nearly perfect print everytime - go Bambulab X1C. If you don't have that budget get the K1 Max or K1. These kits from LDO should cost about $400 now and the Fystec kits (nearly as good) have come down in price to about $599 or less. Don't waste your money on LDO - the value isn't there.

[@GearheadCreations]

Sorry to hear that your trident isn’t performing as well as expected. I’ve found that there is a LOT of tuning to be done to get everything printing quickly at good quality- but that’s exactly the reason why I love Voron. It’s a project. Buying a 3D printer only to find out that there are no mods to be done to it would just be boring (at least for me) haha. But yeah, I’d have to agree; if what you want is a reliable, fast, good quality machine, Bambu Lab is where it’s at. Because of the huge maker scene though, I won’t expect Bambu or Creality to take over completely. They just don’t fully meet the requirements that a lot of makers are looking for if that makes sense. Plus, once you build a Voron, you basically have the freedom to do whatever the heck you want with it

[@almonster2066]

I still like my Voron but I'm not into tuning for hours on end and fixing things all the time. I'd rather spend my time in F360 designing and printing is just proving the model works. I'm not into tuning for the sake of tuning to go fast. I expect it to work when I hit print. I simply need that reliability and my Vorons do deliver but not nearly as fast as the X1C. I just need them to make bigger ones.@@GearheadCreations

[@GearheadCreations]

@@almonster2066 and that is completely understandable. As it stands, my trident is a “print-and-forget” type of machine. It’s super reliable and rarely messes up. But that absolutely comes with time. Having a Bambu and a Voron on hand for the sake of reliability is not a bad idea at all

[@jthedarkwolfxtreem]

Kitty