Azteeg X3 PRO, nice looking kit.

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Flateric
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Azteeg X3 PRO, nice looking kit.

Post by Flateric »

Just thought I would drop this here.

http://www.panucatt.com/Azteeg_X3_Pro_p/ax3pro.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Really nice board, unfortunately arduino based, but still nice.

8 stepper drivers supported AND you can use a digital trim pot to adjust the current on those polo drivers. That's kinda neato.

These guys always make really high quality boards as well, I loved my X3, I have a X5 on the way.
"Now you see why evil will always triumph! Because good is dumb." - Spaceballs
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626Pilot
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Re: Azteeg X3 PRO, nice looking kit.

Post by 626Pilot »

I just opened mine. Initial impressions: good features, looks nice, but poor documentation and quality control.

There is no assembly guide anywhere on Azteeg's site. There is a crappy incomplete one on the RepRap wiki, and a video on YouTube where I finally figured out how to orient the driver boards. (They can physically fit two ways, there's no obvious marking on the driver boards or on the X3, and it didn't seem like something to roll the dice with.) Panucatt, you really need to put up some instructions on how to orient the driver boards. It's not polite to make us dig that up.

Some of the solder pads on the board won't take solder. I tried two different brands of rosin-core. Some of the pads took the solder just fine, while their neighbors would have nothing to do with it. I ended up globbing a load of solder on these pins and hoping some of it might work. This is a big red X on Panucatt's quality control. I don't know what to do about that except buy a flux pen and try to redo those pins.

Panucatt's website has links to articles and forums, but these are both blank pages. I figured I'd find instructions in one of those two places, but...

The pin headers aren't totally compatible with the connectors that come with the RAMBo, but it looks like you can force fit them. It will just look awkward as hell. They supply a full kit of wires, even endstop wires, so you can just splice on the proper connectors if you like.

I dunno if this thing is even gonna work with half of the solder pads in a questionable state. I'm hoping it will be fine. After that, it will probably be the same as a RAMBo, but with more ports. I just hope it doesn't get flaky and blow itself up over a bad solder joint. If it works, I will use it forever. As annoying as it has been so far, I think Repetier will be just as happy running on it as a RAMBo.
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626Pilot
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Re: Azteeg X3 PRO, nice looking kit.

Post by 626Pilot »

I desoldered all the "globbed" pins, drenched them in flux, and re-soldered them. That worked OK.

I just ordered an Azteeg X5 (ARM-based board) based on advice that Smoothieware has Z-probe calibration that actually works on deltas! So, I'm gonna put this board on the backburner. The X5 is probably going to be my main board. The X3's advantage is that it can run multiple extruders, so if I wind up getting a Kraken I'll put it in. However, any Arduino-based board is old news to me at this point.
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