I got a $144 printer and I’ve spent $30 dollars on it. (Springs, metal extruder and dampeners )
I got a gift of a glass bed.
I traded some wheels to get someone to buy a silent board and some fans, which I’ve said multiple times is a necessary to upgrade for my situation because this thing is in the living room of my very small apartment and can be heard everywhere and is driving my wife nuts.
Yes I’m having fun print cosmetic stuff
All of which are things that have been recommended me by friends who have had 3D printers much longer than me.
I’ll stop posting about my experience here. Thanks for the help.
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The guy gives you his honest feedback to help you out and save time and/or money and you get pissed?
He just mentioned the cable chain being an issue.
We’re all friends here offering advice. No butthurt intended.
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The linear rail upgrade, https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4008699 which was posted here earlier is an additional 180$. A Raspberry Pi for Octoprint is another 40$. If you add this together with the 105$ of upgrade you mentioned, that’s 325$ and you can go even higher if you get OG BMG and v6 for example.
I wouldn’t consider those necessary upgrades but I see your point 
I’m using Octoprint since July. So it’s cool, when you have 2 or more printers at home for control and a centralized data structure. Just upload and print it. For multiple printers you need multiple instances, if you use one rpi. And if you have a nas at home, it is even better.
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No he didn’t.
He posted a wall on text starting with
Only two upgrades I’m doing not on his list are the silent board and dampeners.
Once again I’ve said multiple times because I live in a 700 square-foot apartment with paper thin walls. It’s loud.
I’m well aware my tool tray, screen back cover, slide-out tray, and bed handle are all cosmetic.
And I’ve mainly been doing them for practice.
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Loading a filament into the MMU2S took 2 minutes per slot. uff.
I see you’re fiesty this morning so I’ll exit this convo here. You’re a friend I’d like to not lose.
You made the decision to not quote his entire sentence that started with “I honestly think” though.
The ikea lack table is only $5 and might help with smell if you can cut acrylic sheets…
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It’s on the list but with a 100+ mile move weeks away I’m not looking to assemble any furniture.
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Is there a cable chain design that works better then others? Unnecessary?maybe. cool as shit? Definitely!
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This is not the most feature packed or best component upgrade. Or the cheapest. But it is by far the easiest to install.
The skr mini would be my recommendation as well since it’s 32bit
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My components are arriving soon and I’ll be getting to work.
While the Ender 3 is a great cheap printer, there is little reason to avoid upgrading. Print quality will reach a plateau and your upgrades will become very incremental. My recommendations are always to promote consistency so you can hit print and walk away.
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Mine was doa… 
Waiting on replacement
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Exactly why I got this. Until I know more about these printers I’m a basic bitch.
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I was only raising my opinion it’s not worth spending to much on upgrades with a list of ones I thort made some of the more noticeable advantage at a reasonable price. Instead of some of the $70 mother boards suggested. What you do is up to you. the hole spirit of 3D printers is to do your own thing. Sorry you took this in a way other than I entended.
I have got steeper motor smothers and notcha fans and I can barely tell the difference in noise. in fact I’d say my heatsink runs a little hotter by a few degrees in that respect you could call it a downgrade as much as it’s a upgrade.
It’s a case of been selective in you upgrades the Ender 3 is a prity well rounded printer with nothing that’s massively a bad part (excluding the print head home point dropping plastick in the PCB fan 
On the early a models)
If you play with acceleration setting in your slicer and drop the hot end fan down to 60-80% and run print speeds under 50mm/s I found I reduced the noise quite a bit. Keeping the printer away from direct sunlight, windows, radiators, drafts was more important than tweekeimg slicer settings. I found this out the hard way.
Capricorn tubing helped me ilimnate stringing with out having to wipe in print or combining big z hops with max retraction of extruder that made a lot of noise and still got some nasty stringing some times.
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Yeah I got the 35$ board for a reason. No point in buying a board that cost half the price of what I paid for the machine.
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There is not such thing as spending too much in upgrades for the printer because of its cost. All 3D printer components can fit all 3D printers. The only thing that makes this an Ender 3 is the combo of components.
All of them could be bolted to longer aluminum extrusions and a bigger bed and you can expand from Ender 3 status to a 300x300 printer or essentially anything.
Upgrade in an order than makes sense. And gives you opportunities for future use.
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Finally got mine set up! So stoked. Printing a test dog and looking at first upgrades. I think stiffer springs and a glass bed are first on the list. Got all 4 corners nicely leveled and noticed the center was still a smidge lower, but seems to be printing ok so far. Seems like a very precise and solid unit, especially for the price. 
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