Whelp... After 7ish years of use the heat bed connector got a little toasty on the OG Flashforge Creator Pro 3D printer. (affiliate link) Good or bad the damn thing still works!
(Yes I was monitoring it, but I didn't notice the damage until I popped the print off ((PSA, yeah you already know this, but don't leave your 3D printer unattended)).
Honestly I'm pretty impressed still with the machine, this is the first real issue I've had with it that wasn't caused by user error...
Good news/maybe bad news, Flashforge has updated the heat board on the newer Creator Pro printers. I have a revision G board, the latest version is a revision J board. I couldn't find a whole lot of info on compatibility between the two heatbeds online, but I was able to contact FF USA and after a short conversation they confirmed it should fit my older printer. Shweet, lets do it!
These are the parts I purchased from FF USA.
Wiring harness - https://flashforge-usa.com/collections/parts-accessories/products/heat-build-plate-line
Right off the bat you'll notice the picture of the heatbed on the FF website looks nothing like the new rev J board that showed up. (Interesting, the board on the website looks a lot like the heat bed on my QIDI Tech 1). Hmm, not what I was expecting but looks like all the wiring matches and it's not like I'm going to break it anymore than it's already broke so lets see what happens!
Doop de doop, got the old bed and wiring out. It's a pretty straightforward deal, literally remove the old wiring and the new wiring pugged right in, everything is the same length and color. The heatbed mounting holes line up with the Z axis plate correctly as well! Only difference so far is the length of the screws holding the heater to the aluminum bed. I swapped in the longer screws from the older bed since I use them to attach clips to hold on a removable bed surface.
OK, all the grunt work is done, moment of truth lets turn 'er on and see what happens!
It verks! Rev G and Rev J heatbeds are compatible! Lets level the bed and get back to printing!
Here's a video of the swap too.
(yes, I'm very "enthusiastic" today... it was an ungodly early morning for me thanks to a crazy wind storm at 4am...)
I do highly recommend the Flashforge Creator Pro for anyone looking to get into 3D printing. This one was my first "real" 3D printer and I still use it regularly!
Here is an Amazon Affiliate link to the newer version of the printer that has the updated heatbed https://amzn.to/3t5gycD
Nothing changes on your end, but as an affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for helping support this blog!
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