rambo is hosed-what to replac eit with

[stonewater]

hi guys,

so after a few weeks of looking prodding lurking on forums and asking questions, no one can seem to tell me why my Rambo will not connect correctly to the pc. both of my other printers connect fine. pretty sure the usb to serial chip on the Rambo is fragged. anyway I want to replace it. need advice. I am not a software guy..

Tom C

[Eaglezsoar]

I tend to agree that a new board is needed but the Rambo boards are not inexpensive.
If you can wait the time, Ultimachine who manufacturers the board will repair it for a reasonable charge.
How old is the Rambo card that has the problem, it may be under warranty.

[stonewater]

its over 2 years old.... it is a 1.2 from a V1.... I will see what ultimachine can do for repair. on the other hand if I can get a better performing board for the same price and you don't have to be a software wizard to get it running it might be nice to have something "better"

Tom C

[IMBoring25]

I've heard of some people hitting a speed limit around the periphery of the build platform where the Rambo can't pass steps fast enough. Any of the 32-bit boards should have the horsepower to overcome that. The only one with which I have experience is Duet, which also brings a nice web interface and g-code configuration to the party, as well as non-segmented delta kinematics.

[stonewater]

thanks for the input fellas... a few days of back and forth with ultimachine produced an RMA and a free repair I hope. apparently the ESD ? chip which handles the usb to serial interface can get blown if it is an earlier model. if your serial number does not have a "P" in it then it does not have the protection circuitry that powers it, and if you sneeze wrong or unplug it or plug it in when powered it can get damaged... so my max will be down a week or more..... they are going to add the protection to my board. they were realy great about helping.

there is a command line interface called fix my Rambo https://ultimachine.com/content/mendel-notes and a couple of other software items that may be helpful.

Tom C

[Eaglezsoar]

Ultimachine has been good about fixing the boards, the down times are the bummer. I always try to keep a spare of everything including the Rambo.
You can find deals once in a while on Ebay and if post in our Members Marketplace that you are looking to buy a used Rambo, someone may sell you one.
Best of luck with your solution!