Anycubic I3 Mega Zesty Nimble/SKR1.3/E3D V6 Conversion

thingiverse

Hey guys! This is a pretty big deal - my biggest upload yet. In this post, I'll be breaking down exactly how I managed to upgrade the Anycubic I3 Mega with some amazing new components. The benefits are huge: * The printer is super quiet * Print speeds are way faster and more precise * More Marlin features can be enabled, giving you total control over the printer without stalling or overworking the processor * You get more control over SD printing with a higher-functioning touchscreen * Z-height is improved with a smaller carriage * Rigidity is improved with a shorter hotend * Cooling is greatly enhanced, making overhangs easier and safer to print * Flexible filament printing is easily accomplished Here's what I purchased: * SKR 1.3 Mainboard * TFT35 touchscreen * Two fans with air guides * Flex drive for the nimble extruder motor * Hardware for mounting the screen And here's how I did it: 1. Remove the bottom cover and trigorilla board from the printer. 2. Make a note of every connection on the trigorilla board (it uses a lot of similarly colored wires). 3. Transfer all trigorilla wires to the new SKR 1.3 Mainboard, using the photographs as a guide. 4. Route the main power from the PSU to the board and power up the machine. 5. Use the supplied USB cable to connect to the printer and check temperatures and end-stops (m119 while holding down the end stops). 6. Make all necessary adjustments or corrections and consider gluing the leads in place so they don't wiggle out over time. 7. Once verified as working, disconnect from the printer, turn off the power supply, and gently place the board to the side. 8. Remove the stock LCD touchscreen by unbolting it and peeling it out of its housing. 9. Attach the data cable supplied with the TFT35 and connect the other end to the board after running the wire through the opening in the front of the printer where the old screen used to be. 10. Mount the screen temporarily with adhesive or use the drill and 3mm bit to make two holes in the metal case for long hardware to clamp it down. 11. Ensure the connection is proper and not reversed by powering up the unit and waiting for it to connect (this usually takes a few seconds, and if the connection is reversed, the screen won't turn on). 12. Bolt the plate back on to the bottom of the printer and flip it back over. 13. Fully calibrate the printer... PID tune the bed, reset the gantry height using the screws on the Z-axis, relevel the bed with the four corners, and double-check all connections and hardware locations. 14. Print and test, consider using Cura and my supplied profile. 15. Consider liking and commenting for the effort and making a PayPal donation to offset costs and figuring everything out. PayPal.me/jbrow532 I genuinely hope this helps transform this platform for you all and inspires those who are maybe unsure of their machine to question what makes it work and what more it could do! Thanks, everybody! Enjoy!