Prusa i4 Cooling system modification

thingiverse

After extensively utilizing Prusa i4 for an extended period and closely observing the minor problems people encounter, I must assert that this printer is remarkably well-designed – particularly suitable for beginners. Nonetheless, Prusa i4 has one major flaw. The control board overheats. Most users rectify this issue by adding fans to cool the board. Upon closer inspection, I discovered two issues with the i4 design that are relatively easy to resolve. 1) The control board overheating 2) Certain challenges in maintaining print quality, especially when working with temperature-sensitive materials such as ABS Fortunately, both problems can be resolved with a single solution. Beneath the hotbed, you will find the power supply unit equipped with a cooling fan (its speed adjusts according to heat levels). Above this unit lies the acrylic cover and the rest of the base is covered by the hot bed – PROBLEM! This design prevents the heat from the power supply unit from escaping the base unit. Consequently, all the heat generated by the power supply is redirected within the base, affecting the control board! The second consequence of this design is that the hot air is blown partly onto the table and onto your print. As a result, it affects printing quality to some degree (trust me, if you implement the mod suggested below, you will notice an improvement, and you will have complete control over your settings without external factors influencing them). The solution is straightforward: remove the power supply fan, mount it on top of the base (still connected to its original connection point), and provide a chimney to direct the air away from the table. Furthermore, you need to cut the acrylic cover to ensure smooth airflow – use a Dremel for this task. I believe the images below are self-explanatory. You will require removing the fan connector plastic using a pin (figure it out) and then returning it once the wires pass through the base.