MSP Trick

Comparison between air compressor foot (mounted) to the stock foot (held)  If you look at the FFCP's rubber feet, they are definitely lacking compared to some other more modern printers. I believe if I can remove some of the resonances and vibration by adding a better quality foot, maybe I can change my resonance compensation algorithm down and run higher accelerations. I initially started to design some feet out of TPU, and use a washer inside to spread out the weight, but I've been pretty busy with my Voron project. As a result, I decided to spend $10.00 on air compressor feet and drill the holes in the bottom of the printer out a bit bigger to fit larger bolts. Anyway, here's what you need to do it: M6 x 1.0 x 25mm Bolts (x4) M6 x 1.0 Nuts (x4) #6 Washer (x4) ( This kit has all the hardware listed above, and an appropriate allen key) Air Compressor Feet (x4) 10mm Wrench Pin Punch  (Actually super important) Mallet / Hammer (For hitting the punch) Drill Bit Set  (I ass

 I've been using my Creator Pro for a few years now at this point, so as you can imagine I know the machine pretty well. Over that time, I've identified some weak points on the machine, and I'd like to post them since FlashForge still sells the same printer. Firmware updates have stopped, due to the original control board's limitations. No more new features that other newer printers have, like pressure advance and resonance compensation. The ATMEGA 2560 on the control board is an 8-bit microcontroller that runs at 16mHz. Newer control boards are usually 32-bits and run at over 100mHz, allowing computations associated with higher print speeds, and more advanced movement. Connectivity is lacking compared to new printers. The rear USB port on the printer only works with a specialized version of ReplicatorG, an extremely out of date slicing program. Therefore the only way to print is with an SD card. Some have used SD cards with wireless connectivity built in to access them

You can't wire the LED strip to the SKR Mini E3 v3 or similar because the NeoPixel output only supplies 5 volts. Other boards may have 12 volt LED power, but you'd need to step that up to 24 volts with a DC-DC buck converter. If you look up in the top front rim of the FlashForge Creator Pro, you'll see a circuit board with a bunch of surface mount LED's. They require 24 volts, so in lieu of a way to control them, I connected the 24v input directly to the power supply 24v output, and grounded the 3 other wires also on the power supply's ground. To figure out which wire is which, look at the RGBBoard in your printer and look for the 24v printed on the circuit board as shown below. Follow the wire down and connect it properly.  FFCP RGBBoard V1.2 By grounding different combinations of wires you can make the light different colors. You can ground all three for white, which is what I did. I'm sure there's a more involved way to control the color but I haven't

 If you can't tell from my blog posts, I'm definitely still using my Creator Pro in 2022. It's enclosed in a pretty strong metal enclosure, will print basically any material besides PEEK, and has dual extrusion capabilities for basic multi-color or multi-material printing. If you have one in 2022 and it's been properly maintained over time, I think it's fair to say it will hold up and continue printing for quite a long time. But what if you see a Creator Pro on Marketplace, Amazon, eBay, or a friend is selling one? In that case, it still may be a good idea if the price is low enough. Brand new on Amazon they sell for $299, and I've seen them used for around $200. At $200 it's very tempting if it's in good shape, but upgrading it to run Klipper will cost something as well since anything that matters runs a modern 32 bit firmware in 2022. I'd estimate it would cost someone with none of the tools on my build sheet about $150 to upgrade the printer to Kl

 MakerBot released their Replicator 1 Dual 3D printer back in 2012 as an open source design. It soon became a sensation in the 3D printing community due to the widespread adoption and the spread of other companies who used the same formula, capitalizing on the open source nature of the product. MakerBot Replicator 1 Dual FlashForge wasted no time, coming out with the Creator. It was basically a carbon copy of the Replicator 1 Dual, but with FlashForge logos, and I assume a slightly different price. Both of these early printers had plywood frames, which made them cheaper but limited structural rigidity. Notably, the CTC Bizer was another clone of the FlashForge Creator, as was the Monoprice Maker Architect. FlashForge Creator Later in 2012, MakerBot improved on the initial formula by adding a version with a metal body. This version was called the Replicator 2, and only had one extruder. MakerBot Replicator 2 The PowerSpec 3D Pro is a clone of the Replicator 2, with one extruder as well.

 My blog has gotten a lot more visitors (relatively speaking) since I posted my FFCP control board mod, and as a self respecting DIY enthusiast no project can ever be done, so I thought I'd make a post talking about my aspirations for the machine. There's such a large owner community of MakerBot Replicator machines that I'm sure there's a spot here for me to help modernize them to save waste and rejuvenate some honestly supremely capable printers. Anyway, here's my list of to-do items: Test the pre-drilled MK10 heater block personally. It will work, but I'm not sure how hard it will be to remove the ceramic heater from the stock heat block without stripping the allen screw. Convert to e3d V6 hotend. I bet there's better flow rates that can be achieved with a V6 hotend, and it also has an all-metal heat break, allowing printing of higher temp materials than the standard PTFE (teflon) Bowden tube setup. I'm not sure if I should leave it as a direct extrude