Marlin Firmware on Makerbot Replicator?

[MidWestMade]

Hey everyone,

I currently run Sailfish Firmware on my Makerbot Replicator 1, a friend of mine using a whole lineup of different 3D printers (non-Makerbot) showed me some of his clean/crisp prints, and claims it is due to the “amazing” Marlin firmware. I am convinced, however in order to make the upgrade is the Marlin firmware compatible with Makerware?, or will I need to start using another software like Simply3D?

[FranSolano]

How can you update the firmware?

[ccyclone]

I do not believe there is a version of Marlin that is compiled to run on Makerbot hardware (Mightyboard). You’d need to change the electronics to a RAMPS or Rumba or other hardware.

That said, I do not think the firmware is the magic reason one print is better than another. You can easily locate people that are firmly convinced that Sailfish produces better prints than Marlin. (For instance the coders for Sailfish say exactly that). In my experience the differences (due to the different firmwares) aren’t noticeable. Most differences are due to differences in printer hardware and slicing options. A Makerbot support group might help you troubleshoot print issues.

[H3D_Solutions]

I have a Makerbot Replicator 2x at my school that I “converted” to run with Slic3r instead of the stock Makerbot Desktop. My print quality has gone up exponentially with this upgrade and I’m actually using the stock Prusa i3 version of Slic3r! What you have to do in order to use the slicer is run the gcode through a converter to format the gcode to .x3g (which is what the replicator 2x needs). To do this I downloaded a converter from kpn3d (https://knp3d.com/software/#knp3dconverter). Next, in the post-processing script in the slicer software you copy and past the location of the converter. It should look something like this C:\Users\Thomas\Google Drive\MAKERBOT REPLICATOR 2X\SOFTWARE\GCODE TO X3G\knp3d\KnP3D+Converter.exe. This will run the sliced file (gcode) through the converter and give you an .x3g file to send to your printer (I use an sd card). This adds steps to the printing process but it is worth it because you can use whatever slicer you want. Also, there are some slicing software out there that can export different formats right away. I think Simplify3d can do this. Good luck and hope this helped!