Someone threw this 3D printer in the garbage...

[@MegaDman42]

Honestly, I love the idea of making a printer from hardware store stuff. I would definitely watch that series.

[@bzqp2]

That's how most of us did it back in the day. I still go to HW store from time to time to buy standard 5mm threaded rods for my Z rails xd

[@ravenous14]

Pretty much just a Mendel lol

[@RobertBurik]

Thats the whole point of the RepRap initiative (RepRap is about making self-replicating machines), but as time passed and outofthebox solutions became cheaper, less and less people build their own printers.

[@pinaz993]

Please, Angus.

[@LeonardChurch33]

Same. Seeing a ground-up budget build with a RAMPS board or something like it would be really cool.

[@hieroben]

My vote: Keep this as a museum piece and build a new one from hardware store parts. Would be interesting to see what is possible with today's knowledge and your experience in 3d printing.

[@frankwales]

This. It's an interesting specimen from the past of 3D printing that shows the limitations and problems from a decade ago, and how far we've come through the perseverance of makers and innovations of printer manufacturers. But I think your time would be better spent on things that show what's possible today rather than trying to reinvigorate a relic.

[@abpsd73]

I remember friends trying to build 3D printers like these 8-10 years ago. It makes you appreciate how far the 3D printing community has advanced.

[@jceggbert5]

Indeed. I ordered a $60 open box ender 3 pro the other day and received something that appeared brand new. Works perfectly.

[@jceggbert5]

@povertygames right???

[@KnarbMakes]

Fixing old gear like this makes one really appreciate modern day printers. Great vid Angus!

[@eccomi21]

and even the modern ones have so much room for improvement still. Like what if precision robot arms get affordable sometime soon, and people start going more into the multi planar printing direction. Even with regular designs, you could somewhat easily mount a motor to the extruder to tilt it for 4 axe printing (if that is a thing)

[@drunkskunk00]

I want to see you get this printing reliably well, then keep this as a museum piece, and bring it back in a video 10 years from now. Lets see this thing in a head to head printoff against the latest budget model in 2033

[@misternobody1825]

Exactly, don't turf it, give it to a electronics museum. Love to see it go head to head with a printer from the future.

[@david78212]

Head to head with a budget version? The budget version of today would completely destroy that thing. I have an Anycubic Kobra and it WILL annihilate it... and I haven't really done any real kind of tuning yet.

[@mrw6156]

@@david78212Are you one of those who don't see the point of anything historical ? The point of a head to head is to see how we have and or have not changed and evolved. Won't appeal to everyone but the point isn't to see "annihilation".

[@user2C47]

I have an ancient Anet that can beat this thing, mostly because it has microstepping and because its direct drive setup can retract a little bit. (But trying to pull the filament all the way out will always cause it to jam)

[@cheapskateaquatics7103]

This is reliably printing well. People forget how flimsy and fragile these expensive kit printers were. You would pay over a grand for something made of laser cut wood and cheap parts. The prints he did with this were the best you would have gotten back in the day.

[@JohnPaul-my6ct]

You seem to have picked up the printer that I disposed of 5 years ago. But since you're in Oz and I'm in the Old Country it's not likely. Besides mine was still working when I upgraded to a Creality Ender 3. The frame did have a lot of issues with warping and so on which is why I ditched it; but it did get me started with 3D printing and I loved it! Keep up the good work, and fix the printer!

[@glittalogik]

This was fascinating! And I want you to pursue both paths but I'll happily watch either: - Piece-by-piece upgrade (with a test print after each stage) until you've basically replaced everything and turned this into the Printer of Theseus. - Roll your own DIY model from scratch with as many non-printer-specific parts from Bunnings/Jaycar as you can possibly get away with. (Maybe one or both of them will sponsor the vid?)

[@zebarzebra]

What is Bunnings and what is a Jaycar - never heard of it - I am curious.

[@Lachlanrocca]

Australian hardware store and electrical store

[@bosstowndynamics5488]

@@zebarzebra Jaycar is kind of like what RadioShack used to be except still in business, an electronics/maker enthusiast targeting chain store that sells electronics parts, DIY kits, and these days some 3D printing stuff as well

[@mauricesharp4317]

Bunnings is like Home Depot.

[@jatufin]

You should donate this to a museum. These are becoming increasingly rare, and one in working condition and with a nice video story of yours would be a great showpiece in just ten years from now.

[@cheapskateaquatics7103]

It's not worth it. They were overpriced and garbage when they were originally sold. If you want something to put in a museum that actually changed 3d printing, get an ender 3.

[@TheGiuse45]

​@@cheapskateaquatics7103Anet a8 should be in a museum. The ender 3 was the successor but the anet was the first cheap high volume 3d printer

[@RMRRafa]

That was my first printer. I wouldn't tolerate that level of frustration today, but back then it was like magic to my eyes. It's sill sitting in a corner of my workshop, and I've been planing to restore it to its original glory as a "show piece". I'm sure kids in the future will look at it and wonder at how far we have come.

[@mrquicky]

The best upgrade for this era printers is ditching the A4988 stepper drivers. Just about any printer's quality will improve with the TMC2208 drivers.

[@OJesusX3]

Well said guys. 😊🌎❤️

[@porksmash]

My first one as well! Fond memories

[@jacobhargiss3839]

Its like habing a model t in your garage.

[@albertbullock2502]

When I first got into 3D printing, roughly 7 years ago, with my Anet A8 kit I almost lost any and all enthusiasm for 3D printing after buying a $5 V6 hotend from Aliexpress. I was so excited for it when it got there, I printed out a great mount and part cooling fan duct (on the stock setup), installed everything, and couldn't even get it to BEGIN a test cube/benchy. Your videos and guides (the first video of yours I watched was ripping assets from video games and printing them) are what kept me going and motivated. Ever since then it's been my hobby, and my joy, and I've gotten others into 3D printing after recommending your videos. Thank you for the reminder of where a lot of us came from, it's great to see where we started and where we are today.

[@robottwrecks5236]

Sailed that boat myself, glad you stuck around!

[@Versette]

Same. My Anet A8's frame even cracked, I got someone to print a replacement frame part, but then the extruder was poorly manufactured and gave loads of issues, so I sold it for nearly nothing

[@BitWalker]

I'd be down to see a hardware store 3d printer, DIY printers are always interesting.

[@Jgreb314]

That used to be called a RepStrap! There are a few on the reprap wiki.

[@ThumpertTheFascistCottontail]

Several times I've thought I'd like to see Angus do a scratch build.

[@cheapskateaquatics7103]

That's pretty much what this is

[@BLBlackDragon]

I would love to see you do a "retro upgrade" series on this machine. - Obviously, the part cooling is the first upgrade anyone back in the day would have made. - The RAMPS 1.5 should be able to take Marlin 2.0, so make your life a hair easier and put in the firmware work. - After that, a new hot end assembly, and a newer style extruder (keeping the bowden). - Then just tune, tune, tune This would a good demonstration on the survivability of older printers. (I say as I'm converting my DIY Sells to a DIY I3)

[@SM64BLJ]

I absolutely loved this video…it was an absolute banger Please do more like this, find some more ditched printers and fix them…this was wonderful..please do continue to upgrade and modernize this relic…it’s so ugly it’s beautiful

[@MakersMuse]

Thanks! It was a lot of fun, i'll keep an eye out.

[@richardduncan9740]

@@MakersMuse it really was a fantastic video 🙏 🍻

[@blakelong6149]

My first printer was an early wood printrbot kit and I was only ever able to get one print out of it in the few years I had it. All the complaints you talked about were so real and I remember there wasn't the level of resources that we have today. I completely gave up on printing until a few years ago when I ended up getting a ender clone. It crazy how much the tech has changed in a decade and how much easier it is to get reliable prints.

[@DJBillyQ]

hello, fellow veteran who got out of the hobby for a few years because getting the printer to work back then was hell! I'm also recently back in the space and can confirm... it's WILD how much things have become more accessible! Congrats on getting back into 3D printing!😁

[@lacrossev]

As ancient as this is compared to recent printers, I just upgraded to an Ender 3 S1 Pro a few months ago, and my original Anet A8 with a 1.0 board was in service until that point, and is still sitting next to the S1 Pro. Ready to print models are great, but if you're not afraid of some trial and error, DIY kits teaches a lot of lessons that are a great foundation to build upon.

[@KhaosNMT]

I completely agree about the DIY kits. I've learned more (out of necessity!) from my experiences with my A8 than I could have ever learned otherwise. I still use that Anet A8 v1.0. I bought it brand new as a kit when I was in college. My roommates and I played with it, upgraded it, and eventually we moved. I had it in storage for about 4 years and recently unearthed it to discover that I only needed to replace the hotend on it. Thing's a beast!

[@19ACE93]

Okay, this was the motivation I needed to get my printer operational again. Really cool to see a printer return to basically as functional as it ever was from such a degraded state. Thank you so much for another great video, and I appreciated the sad dashie at the start/in the thumbnail too. Seemed appropriate for a 2013-era printer haha

[@jek__]

Awww, what a brave little printer! You are a good person for saving this abandoned cutie It would be really cool to see you make a 3D printer out of parts from the hardware store

[@AJRestoration]

I recently saved 2 from the recycling yard, got the bigger one of the two functional again yesterday. What a great feeling!

[@ValTek_Armory]

I honestly don't think you should upgrade much on this machine now apart from the hotend. It is such a snapshot into hobbyist machines in the earlier days of 3d printing

[@jandevries2967]

Now I understand why my restored Prusa i3 didn't work. I had the same issue with a cheap hotend. The prints started good but, after a few layers it would fail. It only started to work after I bought a more expensive E3D V6. It print fine now. Fortunately mine came with a metal frame instead of a wooden one. Thanks for this video, you solved the mystery for me!

[@jammi__]

My printer is from this era, but I've just kept on upgrading components and improving the frame with reinforcements, and it prints ok and pretty quickly. Anyhow, these problems were considered normal just a few years ago and you could've made yours work by tweaking it a little more until it actually prints ok, and perhaps then upgrading a part at a time up to modern equivalent.

[@licensetodrive9930]

Aww that's so sweet, Angus is taking home & caring for strays :)

[@MakersMuse]

😂

[@wrecksandtech]

I have been trying to actively seek out videos of making dilapidated printers up and running. So far this is the only video I’ve found. I would absolutely watch a restoration channel about fixing up 3d printers. Im really hoping you find another. Maybe make a 3d printer museum to showcase the progression of printer technology

[@user2C47]

And it's probably a good idea to start now, while they're still considered "dilapidated" instead of "retro".

[@gavinthomas214]

Angus, what a great video. I love that you took this thrown out printer and resurrected it for at least a few prints. Wonderful content.

[@Teklectic]

This was a fun one, I can relate to it because I spend a lot of my time fixing stuff from the dump that other people might think is just trash and then I run it in my workshop for years; in fact, if I didn't restore tools and machines I probably wouldn't have half the tools I own! Fixing old junk is pretty much the basis for my channel and it's fun watching other people take it on. Everything I fix has to end up useful, so I say, give it the upgrades it needs to be a useful, modern printer, and try to keep the old fashioned aesthetic; reinforce it, but keep it subtle!

[@lucasdesordi]

I have one of these!!! I built it in a weekend workshop in 2012... a few years later I bought exactly the same replacement extruder you said it shouldn´t exist!! I still have it and it´s not destroyed like this, so I´m transforming in a draw bot with my niece for Christmas. This videos was made for me (from the past), I struggled (and also learned) so much to print with it in the past! It's touching for me to see you restore it. Thanks a lot!!

[@spikekent]

Wow! That felt a documentary on my first ventures into 3D printing lol. I had a version of that exact printer with all the same components and issues. Of course, I spent far more time problem solving than printing, but it was all worth it.

[@BarsMonster]

RAMPS/earliest stepper drivers definitely support micro-stepping, typically 1/16... with jumpers...

[@hansoncrack]

The era where they shoved a glass bead thermistor in the hot end and retained it with a screw.... Just like an ender 3 pro modern day :) I like the printer just as it is. These sorts of amazing finds from history for me. I fix them up as you have and retire them to a personal museum. Maybe tinker with them more from time to time to replace oem parts if available. More of a functional art project approach. Nice video cheers.

[@lbaker3602001]

Just purchased a 3D printer back in August of this year, took me about a month putting it together. Turned 65 in July, 2022. Almost bought one, few years back glad I waited.

[@cavemaneca]

Hey, I have a makerfarm printer! They were a local company here, and I paid about $700 for my kit 8 years ago. Other than some nasty resonance that was fixable it was a great kit for the time. I'm surprised to see that one of these ended up in Australia. I enjoyed seeing you try and restore it.

[@dripfreefpv9695]

Same. Mine is printing right now. Ive upgraded it to the moon. I definitely fought with it alot but its been a great little machine and the fighting taught me a lot. I paid the same as you and at the time it was a great price. It was decent out of the box but I was able to realy soup it up and I think it still holds up pretty damn well.

[@professionalelectronics3158]

Me too... I bought their Makerfarm Mendel Air2 kit, bought his version of the Printrboard, cut my own rods, and printed exclusively in 3mm ABS. (Something I regretted once I built my first Rep Rap Wallace) They were all horrible choices (Sorry Brook, I could never program the darn Printrboard in Linux) plus I had to print tethered because the flash space in the printrboard wouldn't allow for SD cards and LCD. However, I modded it like crazy, even designing bowden adapter and printing fan ducts to retrofit e3dv6 (both heatsink and print cooler) under the x-carriage. I took it apart and planned to put a new board on it and etc because I had so much 3mm ABS (and ninjaflex!) to burn through. But it's still sitting in my office in pieces. I forgot what thermistor was used, so I don't know which thermistor table to use and etc... but I hope to resurrect my Makerfarm Air2 soon...

[@Godzilla032]

Id watch all of the video options you stated. This was the first 3d printing video i have watched in years. I got really into it all about 5 years ago. Great video

[@MakersMuse]

Cheers! It looks like I need to make a trip to the hardware store.

[@Franckie.G]

I would love to see how we could reused part of an old 3d printer to make a dremel/cnc or a plotter or another machine . Thanks MakerMuse for the quality of your content.

[@jacobhargiss3839]

I saw a video doing just that not too long ago. They just swaped the extruder with a mount for a dremel

[@LoeKie_Aus]

Love your Work Sir!! I picked Up In July 2022 a CTCi3 and an ANET A8, Both Projects, for Restoration!!!

[@marcus_w0]

The4933 Drivers used are supporting microstepping. You can configure it via jumper under the driver board on the Arduino Shield.

[@Sharpless2]

well yeah but the 4933 drivers are just bad in general. The 2208 drivers are a completely different level of good.

[@mozkitolife5437]

Well done, Angus. Your energy and presentation style is highly engaging. This project reminds me of those “Will it start?” vintage car find videos. All the best, from Melbourne.

[@jakegallagher121]

Love the concept of this video. I would definitely watch more videos on fixing, making and improvising printer builds and repairs,

[@yitspaerl7255]

Gheghe, I love this. Takes me back to the time of my first printer. The misery finding out on what material to print. The el-cheapo hot-ends. The electronic fuses on the RAMPS board. The amount of cables that hat to come together in an enclosure way to small. The m6 dual z-axis. ;D Courageous that you restored this Dinosaur and lovely to watch!

[@Infrared73]

That printer is so similar to what I’m using now. Folgertech i3 2020. It works pretty well. I got it in 2016 or so. Never assembled it until COVID lockdowns started. It works pretty well for me and got me to finally learn to use Fusion 360. Would love to see you update the firmware on that unit. The process of figuring out all the variables would be useful.

[@GnuReligion]

That Folgertech i3, if similar to the pics I see with a metal frame, is a huge step up from my Anet A8, also an i3. Be sure to use M503 to dump save the EEROM contents before hacking away at the Marlin configuration files. Saves some time.

[@TheLooney1976]

I have an I3 clone, a Mk2 Toolson edition with the frame made of stainless steel. It uses the same extruder and hotend, although my hotend is an original E3D V6 bowden set-up. It's now controlled using a Re-Arm for RAMPS with TMC2100 drivers. The bed as shown in the video is basically the same as what I have, an aluminium heated bed mounted on a stainless steel subframe with sinter-bronze bearings on hardened steel rods. Prints decently enough for me, now busy with getting Klipper installed and running the vibration tests. The part I love the most is the tinkering, the making, the trying of stuff and seeing your efforts pay off in better and better print. Anyone can go to a shop and buy a kit, build it and voila, I'm probably old-school and love the engineering in it.

[@brightnovastar]

Please find the original owner lol. We need the back story on this printer. And we need to know what they are using now.

[@peterjf7723]

As that machine had probably never been in a fully functional state the original owner may well have just given up on 3D printing.

[@karlnowakowski7866]

Hey Angus, so glad you did this I was really looking forward to seeing it running. 😊 The old prints brings back many memories. I Think you have done this machine justice and is now destined for the pool room as Daryl would say. Love the idea of seeing what you could do to make a printer from the hardware. I remember early on many viewers (including myself 😊) used to comment requesting you to make your own machine. I think the time has finally come 😮😁. Cheers Karl.

[@blackwolfecc]

I’m not gonna lie, but I’d love to see both of those ideas. I didn’t get into 3d printing until the ender3 was released. But I felt the same way at first. Now I’m at the point where I’m building my own 3d printer.

[@RegularOldDan]

I absolutely loved this video - it brings back so many memories. I started with a different plywood kit around the beginning of 2016 and so much of that kit was similar to this model of printer. Repetier firmware, no cooling, threaded rod, cheap clone V6 extruder (but I had no heated bed or LCD and my X/Y axes used a string drive). Later I replaced those threaded rods with leadscrews, replaced the string with belts, made my own part cooling solution... and that thing printed pretty darn well. Oh, and that heat break on the cheap V6 clone? Mine had a super-thin PTFE liner to constrain that larger diameter to one closer to that of the filament. As such, I didn't have jam issues. I suspect yours either lost that liner or never came with one. Lastly, YES, that printer would get thrown out of whack with every change in weather. I lacquered my wooden parts (as it came completely disassembled) to help reduce the ingress of humidity, however, the stresses of the mechanical system and the flex of the wood from moving the machine (along with those t-slots for the small nuts) made for a machine of poor stability. I don't miss that aspect of printing.

[@MakersMuse]

Yeah the metal vs ptfe heatbrake is definitely the culprit! I don't miss troubleshooting to this level that's for sure.

[@matts.8342]

I would love to see a printer made from hardware store parts, especially the enclosure / framework.

[@Clough42]

That was my first 3D printer. You accidentally avoided its biggest flaw when you replaced the bed. The heat from the PCB heater caused the MDO bed to move. On my printer, I could level it, but then the left front and rear corners would rise almost half a millimeter during the first few layers of the print, with predictable results. Later versions of the printer had V-slot extrusions with four wheels on the bed, and this largely fixed the issue. They sold a frame upgrade kit, but it didn't include the electronics, so what you have there isn't a cast-off from an upgrade. The newer versions of the frame had an additional triangular brace for the Y motor as well.

[@aarongunner1711]

A build from scratch would be pretty awesome ☺️. But would also like to see this guy working with a better hot end and a cooling fan

[@Rohja]

What you are describing are most of the issues I got with my first printer, an Anet A8 about 6 years ago. But at that time I never found a video like this one to make me understand what to fix. 😅 Glad I switched to a Prusa I3 not long after and never looked back.

[@hazonku]

The path forward is pretty clear. You've already invested this much effort so might as well get it printing reliably. But ALSO make a hardware store printer for it to go up against once you DO get it printing. Then compare and contrast. Also, I literally LOL'ed when you brought up the SD card & very professionally stepped around divulging the contents. I would have absolutely said, "Waifus. This nerd was trying to 3D print anime waifus."

[@AKA0214]

My first printer was the MakerFarm Pegasus 12. Very much like a Voron kit, just a box of parts and aluminum extrusions. So cool to see an older one brought back to life! I resurrected it for the start of the pandemic. It cranked out over 3500 ear savers 24/7 for front line workers and health care workers. I still have the printer, just deciding what to do with it. I started upgrading to Marlin 2 and testing (it was originally setup with 1.1(?) and RAMPS 1.4). Definitely go with the hardware store, would love to see what you come up with to improve the frame and printing :)

[@Summer_Lilac]

The zombie printer is great! If you wanted to squeeze some more content out of it you could have a video showing us how things have changed since the start of hobby 3d printing. For example all the hacks and little things that people would do. A video on making something from absolute scratch would be interesting. A fun gimmick would be something like a tech tree. For example to make a hotend you need to make a version of your own and show why its so hard to make them and to get an official one you need to print something like a cube or your maker coin. "So we made our own hotend however they are really dangerous and should never be done. Here's the print I made with it so lets change it out for an E3d one." Idk it would be interesting to me.

[@DJBillyQ]

when I first built my RepRap Prusa Mendel (over a decade ago), we would take a nozzle, wrap it in nichrome wire, a thermistor, and some Kapton tape, then seal all that up using some fire cement. It was so goddamn janky that I never made it past PID tuning... 😅

[@Summer_Lilac]

@@DJBillyQ A perfect example of why not to make your own. But the spirit to try anyway.

[@theimpatientbrewer]

I have a 2016 CTC i3 pro B, it's still working, but as you say the stepper drivers are original, I did change the main board to a Geeetech GT2560 and added a bed leveling probe. I also put the same V6 clone hotend on, but using direct drive. It prints reasonable, but I am now in the process of building a very big core XY, which will have closed loop drivers on the XY motors and a 32 bit main board. This video made me realise just how old my printer is.

[@Dalenthas]

I'm glad that you've put as much time as you have into this project, but I can't imagine putting any more time or effort into it would be worth it.

[@visitor1809]

time ... and money

[@geekdomo]

I gave away one of my old Ender 3s to a friend that likes to tinker. It was in literally 40 pieces and he not only managed to get it all back together but is printing quite well with it.

[@ashylapis6656]

I love to see you try to get this old printer as good as high end modern printer and while keeping as many original parts as possible.

[@HoffmanEngineering]

I have 2 Makerfarm Prusas in my attic. They were amazing first printers back in 2014,and what got me started in the hobby. A great look back down memory lane.

[@WoodworkJourney]

That reminds me a bit of an Anet A8 I had for years. I’ve been through a couple but now have a Neptune 3 that I picked up second hand - I know I’m old, but modern Budget machines and slicers are like magic!!! The A8 was a struggle every single print, the Neptune has been working all weekend with barely a second thought lol

[@joshmellon390]

I absolutely love that you did this. I hate seeing tools that people would otherwise have loved be disrespected.

[@Mau_DelS]

wow after an year trying to understand why my printer wasn't working after retraction i finally understand why (which was also my final though). Always very informative and nice videos!

[@Gunbudder]

7:53 in the future, a thread chaser is a way better choice for chasing threads compared to a die. a chaser is designed to push the metal back into shape whereas the die will cut the bent threads making them weaker and shorter

[@MakersMuse]

Never heard of them, look useful! Bit pricy to buy just for this little project though.

[@cahePL]

there is something immensely satisfying about repairing old junk and making it work. great video, very entertaining :).

[@CreativeEngineering_]

Almost bought one of these years ago. ended up buying a wooden maker bot clone of the one you showed at the end, a flashforge creator. converted it to bowden with double drive extruder , auto bed leveling , a mks main board and a e3d hot end. Been using it for 9 1/2 years. its fast and prints great.

[@chrisbennett9391]

Wow, this is a blast from the past. I had a the 10" version of this exact printer from MakerFarm. It certainly had some issues, BUT it was a good printer for quite a few years. I bought mine in 2012 and it wasn't bad for the time. With an added part cooler and the original direct drive, it was quite good for the time. My dad still has it and uses it periodically. Glad to see another one in the wild up and running.

[@tigerchills2079]

Really impressive how you got the correct assessments to repair it until it finished its first print job. I own a printer and I'm just glad that it prints fairly okay. If anything brakes, I'm screwed. I would call this project a success. If you go any further than this you might have just built a whole printer from scratch. Maybe this printer is still good as a first printer for some young enthusiast joining the community.

[@nowoneknowsme]

There once was someone who spend a livetime to get this printer working, but failed. So he threw the printer out to vent his agony. Than Angus came and got it printing in, whats looks like, an afternoon. And he made a video about it. And then, there is me, sitting at home with a printer like this, still running after six years, heavily modified, withe next to no original parts left. But it woks!

[@kalashin1529]

Nice way of showing how 3d printing envoled the past few years. Your knowledge Made this "repair" possible. Nice Video, finally Something Different :)

[@MyklCarlton]

Nice work! Also - creeping ever closer to the magic 1 million subs! Great work.

[@MyklCarlton]

A new build with today tech and materials would be excellent!

[@BrencelJ]

Awesome video. I used to have 8" model and I did a lot of upgrades on it and at the end it was printing quite well it even had autobed leveling and all. I even build an ecloser for it. But at the end I wanted some more reliable printer and switched to prusa mk3s+. The old printer I gave to a friend. It still works and still prints.

[@robertmoyer8084]

I thoroughly enjoyed this video. It reminded me of one of those car videos where they find a junker and see if they can get it to run. I'd love to see you take this to the next step - what here is worth saving, scrap the rest, and modify it to today's standard. As someone who would like to tinker with a yard sale find like this, please show me what it would take (and if it's even possible).

[@loclhst]

The issue at 13:34 where it makes the buzzing with prusa slicer might actually be fixable. I had a similar issue a while back when they introduced a new feature that inserts your machine limits into the gcode. Look at Printer Settings > Machine Limits > How to apply limits, and set this to anything but Emit to G-code. Alternatively, update the limits on this page to what your printer limits are. When this impacted me, it was buzzing like crazy because I had left the default machine limit set up which ended up being something super slow.

[@SebastiaanSwinkels]

I still have a CTC Bizer Replicator clone in the basement. Bought one, got two, one smashed to bits during shipping. The working one was a nightmare in terms of reliability, no matter how much time and money / new parts you'd dump into it. I'm glad people new to the hobby don't have to deal with those anymore.

[@Taematoe]

I still have my I3 Pro B acrylic frame printer that cost about 450.00 usd at the time. Took me ages as my first build. It has the ramps 1.4, heated bed, direct drive. Found out the original ramps was bad so had to wait for a new one and a rod was bent. I have since moved on to better machines. Fun to watch you fix one.

[@zdanee]

I have and still use a fully home built Prusa MK2 clone. I did not use plywood, it's 4mm thick CNCd metal and a bit better stepper drivers on the same RAMPS 1.4 board, the rest is printed on a friend's A8 (a true fire hazard if I've ever seen one) and vitamins from the hardware store and an old ATX PSU and my own quick swap roll holder. I have optical endstops, auto level, cooling, self-lubricating sliders and a RasPiZ for Octoprint. I use a similar bowden extruder, but I modified it to have very little space so I can easily print with TPU. It's a bit slow and the volume is a bit small but it's been my printer for many many years, and frankly, for home use I don't need more. I've been meaning to modify it for multi material printing but had been too lazy to actually do it and during the holiday season I can't afford to take it apart for weeks.

[@jhsevs]

2:55 You can tram the gantry with double Z motors on a single driver. I used to do it the simple way by just ramming the Z axis to the top of the printer in the start gcode, then using ABL with a sensor to account for the rest. I know someone who works at a landfill station. A few years bback he contacted me to give me an Ultimaker 2. It was only missing a main board and a power supply, other than that it was pristine.

[@mcbeardface]

Well done Angus. Great to see a reminder of how bad it was back then. This thing belongs in a museum or at least your corner shelves with the Frabrikator mini 3D you have

[@ajosepi1976]

I am still running a PrintrBot Metal PLUS from 2015. I have changed the hot end and control board, but other than that it is stock. The only stock part that actually failed was a stepper. That thing is a TANK! This "dump printer" was on the other end of the spectrum. I think building a hardware store printer would be awesome.

[@christiansantiago3007]

I remember these kits. I remember thinking it was too much money for a wooden frame. Amazing you can get a decent 3d printer for $180. Cool vid.

[@nunopereira6092]

Back in 2015 i bought a P3steel, basically the same design, but with a laser cut 3mm thick stainless steel frame. It's really heavy. Only recently did i replaced the original ABS printed parts, and went for a full Prusa MK3S+ printhead, along with a spare 32bit SKR 1.3 board and TMC 2208 drivers, coupled to a Meanwell PSU. It actually prints well now, after years sitting and collecting dust in a corner.

[@raspberryjo]

It works Bravo! 👏 My first printer was pretty similar but in acrylic. I think It has the same hotend ... I understand now why I have (nearly) never succeed to print anything on it 🤣 Thank you very much! 🥰

[@ruthie23]

I found a Ultimaker Original on its way to the trash at work. I took it home and rebuilt it. Great way to learn all about 3D printing. It's still running.

[@tyrannicpuppy]

As a complete newbie into this scene, this video finally cleared up why every 3D Printer review I have watched goes on and on about the 'silent stepper drivers' on the machine they're reviewing. When I first got my Ender 3, I couldn't fathom what all the fuss was about. With it in another room, I couldn't even hear the thing unless I really focused my hearing. And so I figured how much worse could the old versions have really been? But just the short clip here explains what the difference is in a big way. And that's without getting anywhere near rigidity and other flaws in the frame. I want to say thank you. To all of you that suffered through these years to bring us things like the X1C now. I know I do not have the patience or attention span to work with something like that. I'd have given up in no time. Now I can buy a printer that is plug and play and requires only the most basic upkeep. A true appliance that anyone can buy and use. We would not be here today without the souls that withered and suffered through the DIY era. You made 3D printing a hobby that people like me can enjoy instead of backing out of through sheer frustration.

[@jamiebeckf]

Brings back memories of building one of these back in the day and spending time printing spares and upgrades for itself.

[@lui5gif]

This was a trip through memory lane! I actually bought one of those hotend clones for my old Anet A8 and now I'm really glad I never got around to "upgrading" it 😅 I think it'd be cool to see you build the modern equivalent of these hacker printers. One of my favourite videos of yours is the fallout "fabricator", I really learned a lot about modelling for printing from your process there.

[@darrellhisey5489]

Had a similar i3 clone with an acrylic frame several years ago. Honestly, I spent so much more time troubleshooting weird issues with it than actually printing that I ended up giving it away and waiting a few more years for the printers to get better overall. These things were plagued with issues back then. Respect for pushing through on one this bad.

[@TentoesMe]

Set it on a shelf as a curiosity. That's where my wooden 2 head Replicator is now. I found it in a junk shop for 50 USD including 3kg of ABS filament. I actually used it quite a bit. Everybody was saying at the time, "You need a temperature controlled environment," but the thing worked the best out in a shed where an overhead door was usually open. A few years ago, on Angus' recommendation, I got the Sidewinder X1, which I still use.

[@SpeedyPhotography]

Love the video! I was given a Tronxy Prusa I3 clone that had an acrylic frame. I spent a couple of weekends squaring, tightening, and re-wiring the printer. Keep in mind that at this point this was my second printer and I'd only been into 3D printing for about a month. I learned a lot from this project! It took some experimenting and tweaking, but I was able to get decent prints from it. The printer was a workhorse during the pandemic printing Ear Savers for our local first responders and medical personnel. It's old enough not to have thermal run-away protection, so it only printed while we were home and NOT asleep. Because of the fire hazard, we named the printer "Blaze". I later gave the printer to a friend of mine who has two really smart kids who use the printer for school projects.

[@patregan]

This was my first printer, and it was a beast. Those tall, loud, angry motors. The beast of a 3mm Wade's extruder used the same big, tall, overpowered steppers. The only thing I miss from those days is how much stiffer 3mm TPU is. There is one incident I had with that printer that I will never, ever forget. I was printing something with a slightly tangled spool of 3mm glow-in-the-dark ABS. I was sitting across the room playing video games with my headphones on when I heard the loudest bang you have ever heard from a printer. The tangled spool stopped unwinding. That stupidly powerful Wade's setup didn't slip, and it kept pulling that filament tighter and tighter. My spool was hanging off the top of the printer, and I can only assume that the extruder was putting more and more tension into the wooden frame as it refused to slip on the filament. Until the 3mm ABS filament snapped clean in half. It was loud, and the printer physically moved a couple of inches when all that tension was released. I am surprised a little bit of poop didn't come out. This was by far the scariest noise I have ever heard from my desk.

[@gregtan9791]

This brings back memories. My first printer was a MakerFarm i3 10" which I bought about 8 years ago. It had a Magma hot end and a Greg's Wade's extruder (with the herringbone gears). Mine came with plastic tubing to couple the Z axis motors to the threaded rod, so I think the metal couplers in the video are an upgrade. After about 2 years, I bought the Pegasus upgrade kit which replaced the laser-cut frame with 2020 V-slot and rollers. You could use the wooden motor mounts like in the video, or pay extra (like I did) and purchase the metal motor mounts instead. I'm pretty sure that upgrade also changed out the threaded rod for ACME lead screws. I upgraded it quite a bit. I changed the hot end to an E3D V5 and then an E3D V6. I changed the extruder to a Titan as soon as it was out and then later switched to the Titan Aero. I added bed levelling, first with a servo controlled microswitch, then an inductive probe and finally an BL touch. It was still in use as my only printer up until 2 years ago when I built a RatRig V-core and the disassembled it. I thought I might have had the only one in Australia as the shipping it here was very expensive. I ended up shipping it to a hotel to coincide with a US trip so I could bring the kit back as checked baggage to save on shipping costs.

[@ajaybnl]

I had same printer "Anet A8", It gave me troubles daily for 10 years. Now, I disassembled it to use its parts for other projects. My new Creality Ender 3v2 Never gave any trouble.

[@diydad7704]

My first printer was an ANET A8 off ebay that i upgraded with lots of self-printed parts and a Marlin 2.0 firmware. In the end i replaced it with an Ender 3 clone that prints way better and am now thinking about how to reuse the stepper motors, electronics and rods. I've recently seen a fun looking PET-bottle to filament converter, maybe i'll try that. Thanks for the video and the trip down memory lane. 👍

[@Skyra_0]

I would love to see a budget printer build series!!! Also, nice thumbnail👍.

[@oldsjunkie1]

I like rescuing discarded Deltas. Something about bringing them back into service is extremely rewarding and printers are MUCH cheaper to do this with than the cars I've been saving for decades...

[@franciscoorlandineto6343]

Please, persist. I have a generic 3D printer and been struggling with retraction for a very long time. It was very enlightening to see you deal with the same problem. I would like to see a upgrade path.

[@JosephCooperNightcore]

i had a similar printer back in 2016/2017 from GEETECH made with laser cut acrylics with T shaped joints. it was very frustrating to use, but i managed to print a little lithophany i still have today. I'm very glad I later bought an original Prusa

[@jeroddunn]

The hot end and assembly that shipped with that kit was solid. You should’ve just printed one up. This was my first printer, and it was a delight to see you find one and restore it. :)

[@LazerLord10]

That's a familiar looking printer. Can't quite remember if we had one at our maker space back then, but I definitely remember those mendels and their wacky Wade extruders.

[@joserestrepo9387]

great video as always! 2 things: 1. To the guys who say "keep it as is, its a museum piece" I would say this is not the printer to use. see if you can get an original Prusa I3, not a clone as any comparisons would be unfair 2. As to what to do, I would make a video to convert it to something 2022 based (Voron legacy maybe with a plywood body?) this is helpful to those who have these old clone printers in the garage and now have a reference on how to bring them back to life. keep printing!

[@micheleb9501]

I have an Anet A8 that is almost identical to this in my corner of shame! It was my introduction into 3d printing, found it on marketplace for $75. The frame is wood and all warped and bent, but with some tinkering I was able to get quite a few good prints out of it. I don't think it's nearly as old as the one you found, because I didn't have any retraction issues. It was the warped frame and bending rods from trying to get the belts tight that finally made me set it aside for my first Ender 3 V2. Now I have 3 Enders (love!!) and am much more experienced with the hobby. You've got me wondering if I should pull out the old A8 and see if I can find a rail set kit to build a real frame and get it going again. Great video!!

[@jacksonsmith4648]

Oh man. This brings me back. These came out right when I first got into it, I was still in high school so I was on a very tight budget. In no particular order, here's some memories: - Those stepper drivers should support much better microstepping than that (16x IIRC), usually with jumpers under the drivers. on the RAMPS board. - I remember keeping the threaded rods snug was a complete pain. Lost quite a bit of quality from them working themselves loose. - I think I remember Marlin had weird EEPROM bugs in it for quite a while around that era. I just wound up reflashing regularly for any kind of tuning - I got very fast at menu diving on the Marlin LCD menu after a while - One of the biggest upgrades I ever did was getting a *genuine* e3d v6 hotend, those things were awesome! The glass bead thermistors was all we really had back then because the proper thermocouples were CRAZY expensive, and needed a custom amp board to be usable. The e3d way beat the hell out of the other options, which was to literally bond/tape them in place. Yuck. - Octoprint was a game-changer. Came out a year or so into me owning an i3 clone - The number of cooling fan mounts I tried was insane. They all sucked. The radial blowers worked best but were insanely loud. - All the slicer options were terrible by today's standards - The smell of cheap hairspray - Having a second bed covered in kapton tape for ABS - The gut-wrenching sound of one of your axis motors losing steps mid-print (if you know, you know) - Literally super-gluing a print back to the bed because it was a really long one and I was losing my sanity trying to keep it stuck - Z-wobble was the bane of my existence and I never managed to fully beat it on that printer I wound up donating that printer to a local middle school, but I have some truly great memories with it. It definitely required patience to operate and it was rare you got anything usable your first attempt at a print, but man back then it was the wild west. Nobody *really* knew what they were doing, and that's what made it fun. For anyone in the community back then who reads this, I hope this sparks some memories. For new folks, welcome to the community, and I hope you see some of the effort that went into making this hobby what it is today.

[@torisevt]

I have one Prusa i3 clone printer made of plywood and some plastic mounts from few years back. This model has been in good storage. No corrosion and minimal dust. It's still under repair for probe mount and endstops for X and Y. RAMPS 1.4 was changed to Duet 2 WiFi.