After an Azteeg X5 Mini passed the nondestructive test of driving a Monoprice Maker Select, it was time to turn the jury-rigged nondestructive test configuration into a more permanent installation. The first step was to clip off all the old connectors and replace them with proper types to match their corresponding locations on an X5 mini.

MMS Brain 03 - Connector switch

Then our new brain needs to be installed inside the enclosure. Since the old and new control boards are shaped nothing alike, this required new mounts at new locations. I drilled four holes to install half-inch long #6-32 standoffs.

MMS Brain 04 - 6-32 Standoffs.jpg

This position was chosen mainly so the power supply exhaust fan blows air directly onto the heat sinks. A secondary bonus of this position is that the X5 mini's USB port, microSD card, and WiFi antenna are exposed through the opening previously used by the factory brain's control UI screen, which will not be missed.

MMS Brain 05 - New home

A few zip-ties to organize the wires and the printer is up and running on its new brain!

The primary objective was accomplished: the printer no longer smells like burning electronics when heating up its print bed.

The unexpected bonus was the silence while printing. These motor driver chips are far quieter than their predecessors. I used to be able to tell by sound when a print has completed, but not any more. Now I would walk into a room thinking a print has completed because it was quiet, only to see it was still printing away.

The biggest downside of this upgrade is the fact all my previous STL slicer profiles are now obsolete. I have to create entirely new profiles and start tuning them for the new brain. It's work, but I was willing to make this tradeoff for a control board that is so much quieter and doesn't threaten to burn down my house.