Longer LK5 Pro - A Bigger, Better Ender 3 (Review and Upgrades)

[@3DPrintSOS]

When you dropped the extruder, I spat out my seltzer water onto my monitor. At least now my monitor is clean...

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

It burst into 10 pieces when it hit the floor 😤 I was like come on, you have got to be kidding me!

[@larrythehedgehog]

It’s always nice to see an upload from you

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

I had a hectic month, but more will be coming soon! Got about 6 printers in my basement waiting for review.

[@curtislysher1500]

Haha, I have this machine for mechanical prototyping and jig making as well. I switched over to klipper, added ABL probe and accelerometer for bed mesh and input shaping. Now I am upgrading the hotend and extruder and possibly the mainboard. Thanks for your video.

[@TuncayAyhan]

@Nathan Builds Robots Great video! Don't forget to tell the audience at 5:55 that the 2nd stepper motor for dual-z is running of the same stepper driver. So no automatic gauntry adjustments.

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

Yes. I saw a good video by "my tech fun", where he compared different dual z setups. If you go with dual-z on a shared drive it works perfectly... as long as you don't touch the printer! So if you can keep your hands off it, it will hold its level. I do like the added safety of having the belt up top, or dual z drivers, but in terms of cost its #1 single z #2 dual z on single driver #3/4 dual driver and/or belt sync

[@TuncayAyhan]

@@NathanBuildsRobots I agree

[@smkole2]

Your channel is so underrated. As always it is a great review. TY

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

I appreciate that!

[@n33oh]

You have the best most unbiased reviews

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

I care more about the engineering behind products than the sponsorships... But I'm running out of bridgest to burn at this rate :P

[@UniDuni3d]

i love the passive agressive comments lol

[@jamisonlm3]

I have the smaller LK4 Pro. I have to agree, it's a good basic printer for someone that doesn't want to spend a while lot of money, but does want to get into 3d printing. One of the biggest issues for me is they're sold as being quiet, but the fans on mine are anything but quiet. Still, I only paid $140 for mine and even with the few issues I've had, I'm happy with it.

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

That is a good price. I found this to be quieter than any of my Ender 3s by a couple of dB, since the power supply and motherboard fans are quiter.. If you want real silent operation you've got to install special fans like the noctuas.

[@minravex9919]

Please can you make a detailed video on the setting steps for the new extruder...thanks

[@craig4451]

why would you want to bypass the filament runout detecion? That's like having fire detectors but pull the batteries so they don't make an annoying alarm?

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

Exactly

[@ObsiVision-Labs]

Hey there, thinking of making the upgrades plus some others. I feel the upgrades you made are crucial though the ones I was thinking to add to the Longer LK5 pro is adding the other Z - Lead Screw and a BL-touch. My question is that with the cost of your upgrades, plus the two I mentioned. Would it make more sense cost wise to just get an Ender-5 Plus? I am deciding between: - buying Longer LK5 pro, adding upgrades from this video and two other upgrades. -buying an Ender5 Plus.

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

If you are looking at getting those upgrades I would seriously consider the Ender 3 S1 Max. It comes with the awesome sprite extruder, bed leveling, and dual z axis. I allude to the S1 Max at the very end of my S1 Pro review and left a link to it in the description. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIe0f6x9mqlphMk I haven't seen any reviews in it yet, but a bigger version of the Ender 3S1 is a recipe for success. I will post a review on the S1 Max next month if you can wait to learn more.

[@zachariahthunder4001]

@@NathanBuildsRobots do you mean the ENDOR S1 Plus? I didn’t see a max

[@GeorgeJNicolopoulos]

Started the Z motor upgrade but could not figure out where on the board to plug the seconf z motor into

[@avejst]

Interesting printer But no dual Z lead-screws on a BIG printer, is a no go in my book God updates Thanks for sharing your experiences with all of us 🙂

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

If this was a more expensive printer I'd complain about the single Z. But I see the logic behind it. They are trying to make a dirt cheap 300mmx300mm printer that still has good print quality, and I think they succeeded. Dual z is a pretty expensive feature to add if properly implemented. By leaving it out they can reduce the cost of the printer by ~10% (the difference between a $330 printer and a $365 printer). That reduction in price point is significant. Just freeze frame at 2:51 That Benchy looks better than most 235x235mm single z printers. So if the Ender 3 doesn't need dual z screws, neither does this. I have an Artillery Sidewinder x2, and will have a chance to compare print quality soon, so we can see how big of a difference the dual z makes

[@anthobee]

4:52 idk why I’m laughing so hard at you dropping this 😂 can relate

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

It hit the floor and completely disassembled itself, so it set me back a couple minutes. One of those things where you just have to laugh it off.

[@sevencarlos]

Hey, I can't change the nozzle diameter option in cura 5.2.1, doesn't have any other option in the dropdown menu for the Longer LK5 Pro profile. i'm stuck with 0.4mm profile setting, I actually try to "Hack" this with a different profile from an ender 3 ... and nothing... all this in software... I ran a test withy the phisical 0.6mm nozzle, and it did printed well, but the printing time it's the same as a 0.4mm nozzle, ( 2 calibration cubes, 1- with 0.6mm nozzle 30min print Layer height at 0.2 , 2 cube same parameters with a 0.4mm nozzle and layer height at 0.12 ... same 30min print. ) I guess is the gcode, that doesnt change 0.4 to 0.6 ?? anyone?

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

I always use PrusaSlicer. It has never caused me issues to change the nozzle and extrusion width there.

[@Flarrow23]

Where did you get the jumper to make the printer think it always has filament? I’ve been through three filament sensors, so it’s annoying.

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

Easiest way is to plug the sensor with a piece of filament and hide it. Otherwise you can use a multimeter to see which pins get triggered when you insert filament, and short them together. If you need step by step instructions hop on the discord server and someone will probably help you

[@VastCNC]

Why did you bypass the runout sensor? Great stuff as always.

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

It's a point of failure. I assumed it was more likely to cause a failed print then to save a print. I was probably wrong about that assumption though! Since it would have saved one of my larger prints. I'd just leave it on there, but now you know how to bypass it if you wanted to.

[@Flarrow23]

Where did you get the part to bypass it?

[@bossness5559]

Do you have a suggestion on replacement thermistors for it? Mine has been erroring out recently, and the only replacement longer sells is in the whole nozzle kit.

[@Perkeletricksterservantofrher]

Is the thermistor glued into the hot end ? I want to put creality spider v2 in mine without having to cut off anything.

[@Gomeyy]

Trying to decided on my first printer this be Ender 3 Neo V2 any experience with the neo? Which would provide the best value?

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

I would go with the Artillery Sidwinder X2 Its priced so competitively right now, I think its the best deal in 3D printing

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6XNdmaHdrSejcU

[@Gomeyy]

@@NathanBuildsRobots had actually got a Max Neo last night at $295 do you believe the X2 still beats that one out?

[@AndrewAHayes]

I have to overtighten the excentric nuts on the gantry on my Ender 3 otherwise one side falls and takes the level outside the tolerance of the BL Touch, I am converting to dual independent leadscrews so I can use G34 in the start code to level the bed gantry each time prior to printing, I did it on my Ender 5 Plus machines and they now work perfectly. any chance of you posting the URL for those PEI beds?

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

amzn.to/3jqlWnh I'll add it to the description too. I have not printed on it yet, but it appears to be of good quality. amzn.to/3jqlWnh Their 235mm beds are only $16.99 which is crazy cheap. That is interesting, shouldn't you be able to compensate for it by changing the bed level?

[@AndrewAHayes]

@@NathanBuildsRobots You could but that is the wrong way to go about it IMO, the gantry should be trammed to the lower frame which is a fixed position and not the bed as having two variables involved is asking for further trouble down the line, the gantry changed level on a daily basis on the right hand side so it had to be fixed properly.

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

@@AndrewAHayes you definitely have a point. The prints end up skewed in a single z screw setup. Most ppl don't notice 1 or 2 degrees. Ignorance is bliss 😊

[@thecaptainplus]

Single leadscrew??? What where they thinking?!

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

I thought the same thing when i first saw it. But look at the print quality - it doesn't look like it's suffering from the lack of the 2nd leadscrew. If you watch Aurora Tech's video, she added a 2nd leadscrew to this machine. It looked like a pretty simple upgrade, since the board already has the header for the 2nd stepper motor. Just print out 2 pieces and plug it in.

[@christopherschadrich8485]

Hi what slicer do you use and can you advice on some settings that are used like speed and if with cura some experimental settings or super slicer and prusa slice are an alternativ? I have my LK5 Pro for around half a year and love it its easy to understand and user friendly for newbies like me. Thank you in advance

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

I use Prusaslicer. If you install Prusaslicer, run the configuration wizard, and add the "CR10-V2" profile, you can use that quite effectively. I have an article where I went over a similar setup on the Ender 3 S1 www.nathanbuildsrobots.com/testing/ender3s1

[@MoeReefs]

Switch over to G10 FR4 build surfaces. You wont regret it. You can get different sizes from mcmastercarr . 1/16 inch thickness is best.

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

I'll check it out. Thank you for specifying which thickness to get, you'd be surprised how often people forget to mention details like that!

[@MoeReefs]

@@NathanBuildsRobots I have been printing 24/7 for over 3 years now. Making a living off of it. Keep the videos coming. Your comedy is gold.

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

@@MoeReefs nice. I have about 12 printers that sit idle most of the time. Any ideas on how I can put them to use and help fund the channel?

[@MoeReefs]

@@NathanBuildsRobots Ok I will try to sum it up in short. Find a hobby niche. Find a common problem in that hobby. Design the solution. Easier said than done obviously. It would be near impossible to do for the 3d printing community because everyone would just rip you off. The 3d print community has a terrible culture of thinking because its 3d printed they are entitled to someone's unique designs for free and worse, they rip it off and start selling it. You should work off of what you have here. You got a talent for these how to and review videos. Get sponsors. Sell half or more of the 3d printers as they are paper weights not running. Start a shopify online store and start making some t-shirts and hoodies that say "Im smart, I can figure it out myself" or " More mm3 Volume!". Stuff like that lol. Honestly it would probably be a lot less stress selling t shirts.

[@anthonyplana8140]

I saw the video from makers muse about G10 FR4 and he said that for printing nylon specifically, its probably better to use the 3mm or 1/8", because the nylon trying to warp up could cause the sheet to warp if you get it at 1/16". At 3mm or 1/8" you lose the ability to flex your prints off but I think most of the time the prints are gonna be cool by the time I get to them so it shouldn't be a problem. I wonder if at 3/32" it's still able to be flexed but strong enough to resist warping force from nylon.

[@CCoburn3]

I got one of these. It didn't come with all the parts. There was absolutely NO customer support. And less than a week in, I'm having to replace the hotend because the build quality was so shoddy that the hotend was destroyed. Stay away from this piece of garbage.

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

Love to hear people's experiences. Sorry about your printer

[@CCoburn3]

@@NathanBuildsRobots Yeah -- hopefully, I just got one assembled on a Friday afternoon. Still, there are plenty of other high-quality printers in the same price range. So letting them sort out their problems might be a good idea for now.

[@chaicracker]

❤

[@MrCcfly]

and same time you need like week to level that thing plus on every print new leveling ,, waste of time and $

[@NathanBuildsRobots]

I just leveled mine once and have printed over 2 kg of filament on it. It comes with yellow bed springs which should hold level pretty well. Are you having issues with this printer?

[@MrCcfly]

@@NathanBuildsRobots well i understand that you are payd to promote this junk so it is ok ,but you cant hide it is junk

[@Special_FX]

@@MrCcfly not junk if it works tbh