X Cable Chain for Ender 3 with Micro Swiss NG Direct Drive Kit

thingiverse

**Update** I have recently remixed this design and would recommend the remix over this design. The remix is at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6358644. **Original text** Micro Swiss recently (?) modified their NG series direct drive extruder to have an extension of the stepper motor shaft out of the back of the motor with a D cut. This allows a knob to be attached to the extruder to permit manual loading and unloading of filament. I recently replaced my Micro Swiss "classic" direct drive kit with an NG REVO kit. The advantages of the NG kit is that it has less of an impact on the Z-axis build space than the classic (in my case 20 mm vs. 44 mm) and it eliminates the PTFE liner between the gear teeth and the entry to the hot end. I decided to buy the NG REVO version, which would allow me to more easily swap nozzles if I decide to do so in the future. The cable chain attachments are compatible with the johnniewhiskey cable chain (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2920060). The X-Z cable chain attachment links to the Z-chain and provides the starting attachment for the X-chain. The X-chain cable bracket attaches to the extruder stepper motor and anchors the X-chain. The NG encoder stepper motor is not as deep as the motor on the classic kit (my original Ender 3 encoder stepper motor) and the profile is lower. As a result, I needed to modify my cable chain attachments. The x-axis cable chain attaches to a bracket that goes around the stepper motor. It is a very tight fit and may require some work to get the bracket into place. The mount should be installed with the stepper motor cable disconnected. The bracket uses a 3 mm screw to hold it closed. The other end of the x-chain and the z-chain attach to the x-z bracket that mounts on the Ender 3 encoder stage. Unfortunately, both designs require supports to print. If you are using Cura, I recommend using "tree" supports instead of "normal" supports because I had significantly better results with tree supports. I printed the encoder motor bracket using PETG in case the motor gets warm. The x-z bracket was printed using PLA Plus. The second photo shows the encoder motor bracket that wraps around the middle of the motor. The third photo shows the cable chain when the extruder is at the minimum position (at the x-endstop). The fourth photo shows the cable chain when the extruder is at the maximum position. The fifth and sixth photos show the x-z cable attachment.