Sovol SV06 extruder mount for Anet A8 and Anet A8 Plus 3D printers V2.0

prusaprinters

Since I'm applying whatever changes I make to the 10mm version of this carriage to the 8mm version, I decided to combine version 2.0 in a single location here to ease my maintenance.  Please keep that in mind with regards to the carriage you choose to download and print as it's a significantly lengthy print.  The 8mm carriage fits the stock configuration for both the A8 and A8 Plus.  If you've upgraded your X axis with 10mm rods & bearings, you'll want to print the 10mm version.  The files are named “SV06_To_A8_LM8_X_Carriage_V2.stl” for the 8mm version, and “SV06_To_A8_LM10_X_Carriage_V2.stl” for the 10mm version.The two different carriages assemble slightly different from one another.  For the 8mm version, I included the 15mm cut-outs to use snap rings for retaining the bearings in the carriers, and added a file named “SV06_To_A8_LM8_BG_Spacer.stl” that sandwiches in between the two bearings in both top and bottom carrier.  You'll want to install one bearing, insert the snap ring, then, from the other end, drop the spacer inside and make sure it seats against the first bearing.  Install the second bearing, and the snap ring.  The process will be repeated for the second carrier.  As for the 10mm version, I eliminated the snap ring cut-outs as I wanted to keep the carriage length stock, which is 62mm, but decided to use the longer 60mm long 10mm bearings, so there just wasn't enough material to add positions for the snap rings.  The 10mm bearings are instead simply a friction fit. My classic Anet A8 is in the garage awaiting a steel frame upgrade, so I'm using my A8 Plus as a test bed for these upgrades.  The photo's I'm posting with this design are of my A8 Plus that is now using 10mm linear rods and bearings, but the 8mm version of this design will install on either the A8 or A8 Plus in their native states.  Note however, that the belt connector design I incorporated into this carriage is for the classic Anet A8 and as such, the direction of travel on the X axis for an A8 Plus will need to be reversed as the A8 Plus's factory design intends that the X axis belt be connected to the top at the carriage, rather than the bottom, as is the case for the classic A8.  Since you'll most likely have to rebuild firmware anyways to accommodate the new hotends location relative to the bed, simply reverse the direction of travel for the X axis in “configuration.h” for Marlin.  I'm unsure where you would make this change if you're using Klipper firmware.  Of course there is always the more mechanical method for reversing the X axis stepper motor rotation by swapping the two pairs of wires at either end of the motors cable.My initial thoughts on installing a SV06 extruder on my Anets was that I'd orient the Sovol extruder in the same fashion Anet installed their extruders into the steel carriage.  When I had the SV06 extruder in my hand, I could see clearly how the filament release lever was not going to work within that confined space of the steel carriage, so I started experimenting with carriage designs that would orient the SV06 extruder as it is on the SV06.I wanted to continue using Juh's “Anet A8 Lightweight and Unobtrusive X-axis Cable chain” design, so included cutouts for the M4 nuts to be dropped in the top of the carriage for attaching Juh's carriage mount and my remixed “Double Wide” fence.  I only included nut cutouts for the top.  Having incorporated the bearing carriers into the carriage, the lower nut hole for Juh's carriage mount is no-longer accessible, so I left that bottom hole round, which will allow for a 4mm screw to be directly threaded into the plastic to hold Juh's mount firmly in place.Since I much prefer touch type sensors over inductive sensors for bed leveling, and because I'm using the screw holes on the right side of the extruder for attaching it to this mount design, I put the BLTouch mount on the left hand side.  I'm using a Creality style MK8 heat block with the 3mm screw holes, a short Sovol SV05 bi-metal heat brake, and a brass MK8 nozzle.  All three of those parts will be taller if you're using a Sovol hotend.   The Creality MK8 heatblock with 3mm mounting holes for attaching it to the heatsync is NOT perfectly alligned with the screw holes for attaching it to the extruder, however, the Sovol extruder screw holes are 2.5mm, so the slight difference in hole location falls with the 1/2mm discrepancy.  Note also that genuine Creality MK8 heatblocks and most aftermarket blocks for Creality hotends have mounting holes tapered for flat head screws, and won't work directly with the Sovol extruder.  As you'll need a heatbrake anyways for assembling the extruder, it may be best to buy a SV06 hotend to go with the extruder.The part cooling fan duct and mount I've included here is Sovol's design for the standard SV06.  If you intend to use Sovol's SV06 Plus hotend, you'll have to get or make a duct that will work with the tall heatblock.I included a few models from Sovol's github, to include their extruder knob and extruder release lever, for no purpose other than to allow the end user to color match his/her printers color scheme.  Both the release lever & knob come with the bare Sovol extruder, so those two prints are completely a matter of preference.This design is still a work in progress, and by that I mean, I need to come back and add printing and installation instructions soon.