This LCD unit supports the screen brightness adjustment feature.Brightness function requirements: MK3, MK3S, Einsy board revision 1.1a (or newer), Firmware 3.9.0 (or newer)...

This LCD display works and fits like original PRUSA MK3 display. The price point for this unit was below anything I could find elsewhere. It’s a perfect match for the PRUSA MK2 and MK3. No complaints.

This smart controller contains a SD-Card reader, an rotary encoder and a 20 character x 4 line LCD display. You can easy connect it to your Ramps board using the "smart adapter" included.

After connecting this panel to your Ramps you don"t need your pc any more, the smart controller supplies power for your SD card. Further more all actions like calibration, axes movements can be done by just using the rotary encoder on the smart controller

It was last Thursday, we were impatiently waiting for our first set of Prusa i3 MK2! Not only did we spam the refresh link on the UPS tracking service every 5 minutes, but our e-mail inbox and our phone was constantly ringing up with clients on the other end asking us the status of their set they bought in the first batch of pre-orders. We decided the day before to print our own pieces of our two MK2 kits in the colors of Voxel Factory. Our Ditto PRO’s from Tinkerine were printing continually for nearly 24 hours with only the change of filaments and tape for a break. As for us, we were anxious to start building it so we had to calm our nerves by slicing each part and then printing them. Obviously that wasn’t enough to calm us. But at least we had the nice smell of PLA floating in the workshop.

Friday morning, Romain arrived with the extruders from Dyze Design perfectly printed to match our MK2 kits in ColorFabb traffic red and sky blue. Nathan and Raouf were already on their seats waiting to start building their first 3D printer. We downloaded the last version of the instruction from Prusa’s Research website and then it began!

Like dozens of times before, we blasted through the assembly steps one by one. But something was different this time. We were dealing with a high quality kit. Rambo mini v1.3a from Ultimachine, no soldering whatsoever, all tools were provided in the box, hot end E3D v6, new MK42 heat bed, proximity sensor for auto bed levelling and a precisely integrated Z axis leadscrew! We are faaaaar from the cheap clones we can find on eBay. In addition to that, the impression of supporting one of the pioneers in the RepRap Project, the now famous Josef Průša and his Czech company Prusa Research, was adding even more joy to our day!

Saturday morning, we only had to install all the electronics and plug in all the cables at the right place. A classic morning workshop like were used to, doing adjustments to little details and giving out assembly tricks. “Look here, the guides for the hot end cables, NO don’t use tie wraps for that, these small pieces serves to guide the LCD controller cables!”

First calibration… not obvious to comprehend. Forums, videos and a few chats with the guys at Prusa Research and finally the version 2 of the calibration GCODE is available. While the serpentine is printing (or not) on the build plate, we have to adjust the Z offset with a function named Live Adjust Z. That’s it, now it works like a charm! We are ready to try out our first piece :-) BATMAN! The piece doesn’t stick super well, so we used a LITTLE bit of 3DLac on the PEI sheet using a paper towel and voila!

Now comes the time to print something other than the GCODE included on the SD card. Being on Windows 10, I downloaded the executable file found on the “drivers” page of Prusa Research’s website. Pronterface, NetFab, Firmware updater, ColorPrint are now installed in addition to a pre-configured Slic3r for our i3 PLUS and i3 MK2 with basic configs for multiple filaments we use. There are few things more satisfying than installing all the necessary drivers and softwares with one click. Minor discomfort: as usual, Slic3r crashes regularly on Windows (7, 8 or 10), but I’m not teaching you anything new here. The default printing configurations are acceptable, but leaves a few spaces on the soft curves and over extrudes on top/bottom.

Tuesday morning – since I don’t know the Slic3r setting or settingsthat’s are affecting my print, I’ve decided to test a piece with basic configs in CURA 15.05.6. “Add a new machine, Other, Custom, Prusa i3 MK2, 250, 210, 200, 0.4, Heat Bed – Check, Finish!” As usual, if you just installed CURA, go in Tools and change the evil and loathsome “Print one at a time” for “Print all at once”. How many extruders and hot ends were slayed by this default config? *Bell rings* The moment of truth has arrived! Will I be able to print parts that are pleasing to my eye (and soul) with our very sexy red MK2?

The Prusa i3 MK2 are now available for pre-sale at Voxel Factory! We wish you will have as much fun as we did assembling, calibrating and using the printer. :-)

I"ve followed Josef Prusa"s work for several years and even built a couple of earlier i3s with friends. Two recent developments caught my attention and I just felt compelled to check them out myself. The first development is a sensor and compensation system that actually corrects for skewed X-Y geometry on a Cartesian printer. The second is a new dual/quad multi material upgrade.

The i3 MK2 with the geometry correction is available now but the multi material upgrade is pre-order with shipping expected to start in January. I put in my order for the printer and quad upgrade about 4 weeks ago. The printer arrived, on time, last Thursday. I got busy putting the kit together on Friday.

Here"s the traditional "open box" photo. The kit is very well packed and everything survived the trip from Czechoslovakia in tact. The printed Assembly Instructions and 3D Printer Handbook were an unexpected surprise and was an early indication of the focus on usability that Prusa puts into these kits.

Once the machine was assembled, it was time to commission it. Here"s where Prusa"s attention to usability really shines. The firmware is pre-installed and, more importantly, is customized to tightly integrate with the probing system and calibration. When you first turn on, the firmware recognizes a new printer and guides you through an integrated Self Test that checks stepper motion, hot end and bed heaters, fans and end stops. Very clever and very helpful. My printer completed the Self Test without issues.

Once the initial check completes, calibration is the next step. Again, this is simply a matter of selecting an option from the LCD panel. The printer runs through its paces scanning each of the nine probe points that are manufactured into the heat bed itself. Again, very clever and tightly integrated. Upon completion I was informed that I had slight skew but that would be removed by the compensation. So onward I pressed.

Calibrating the probe is probably the most difficult step and it is quite easy with the docs and videos Prusa provides. Once Z height is calibrated, it can be easily tweaked - even in the middle of a print - from a panel menu and using the knob to move the nozzle up and down. The included calibration gcode simply draws simple back and forth lines on the bed as you tweak the height until the first layer looks good and sticks well. Very simple and it really makes this critical calibration simple for even beginners.

My first print was the Prusa name tag as recommended. It came out perfect with an excellent first layer and no stringing or blobbing (the gcode was provided). My second print was a case for a Raspberry Pi to run OctoPrint to control the i3 MK2. I used KISSlicer and again, the print came out really nice.

Next I decided to try the new Prusa Edition of Slic3r. Apparently, Prusa has been working to improve, add features and reliability to Slic3r. Frankly, I"ve had so many bad experiences with Slic3r that I rarely use it. But Prusa"s Edition is a different beast. This new version has a really interesting Cubic infill type that results in better 3D rigidity. It is very cool and I can see using this for some of my work. Another really nice feature is "Ensure wall thickness", which looks ahead and determines how much support and walls are needed UNDER upper layers in order to print nicely. The example Pumpkin Head print really shows the spectacular results.

Overall, I am quite pleased with the gcode and prints I"m getting with Slic3r Prusa Edition. I"ll continue to use it for the i3 MK2. Prusa has committed to continuing development and rewriting the app in C++ for performance. It should be interesting to watch what comes out of this development.

The Prusa i3 MK2 kit is a great 3D printer for a very reasonable price. There really were no compromises in its design and components. As refined as the actual printer design is though, what really sets the i3 MK2 apart from every other printer - kit or pre-built - that I"ve seen/used/built is Prusa"s holistic approach to ensure a great user experience from the time the box is opened to the the completion of the first print. Details like integrated Self Test and sophisticated calibration in the firmware to support this experience should pay dividends with happy users! I can hardly wait for the quad multi filament upgrade.