What’s Special About Ender 3?

Occasionally, when I am cruising through a Facebook 3D printing group to find answers to questions or wanting to help others looking for answers, I get the feeling that Creality Enders are all the rage. I see what seems to be endless announcements of new Ender 3 purchases. I own a different Creality printer and when I see the announcements I wonder if people know what they are in for. I have seen many complaints about the printer; especially a couple of years ago. It turns out that I am the one with the limited imagination. I failed to see the printer’s potential. Enders are open source, starter printers and if it had been around when I bought my first printer in 2016, I would never have sold it or given it away.

My first printer was a RepRap Prusa i3 clone. I gave the printer away shortly before I received a Creality CR10 mini printer. I wanted to give that printer away this year out of frustration, but I remembered that I gave away the RepRap, after making modifications, due to its acrylic frame. The frame warped in the printer enclosure. Replacing the acrylic frame at that time with a metal frame cost around $150.00. It was more sensible for me to buy a printer with a metal frame. I came to my senses this month about the CR10, realizing I could practically build another printer on the frame I already had. Frustration be gone! I am never selling or giving away this printer.

I learned last week, in a Facebook group, that someone created a MMU2s clone for Enders (see page 5 of this post), meaning it could work on the CR10 as well. While researching this post, I learned Ender’s 220 mm square bed can be extended to 400 mm. I thought something like that should be possible, but I never thought it would ever happen. Open source leads to boundless imagination.

Creality offers a series of Ender printers. I asked myself which one would I buy now as a first printer. My answer is the one which costs the least, Ender 3. Other pages contain information, videos, and links that I hope are helpful for present and future Ender 3 owners.

General Information About Enders

YouTube channel, Teaching Tech, revealed in an upload on September 11 that all Enders will have 32 bit boards. This means it will become less problematic to install BL Touch. Teaching Tech’s video is below along with two other videos explaining the differences between Ender 3, Ender 3 v2, and Ender 3 Pro.

1. Creality 32 bit V4 board guide – Ender 3 V2, BLtouch & more
2. Creality Ender 3 – V1 Versus V2
3. Ender 3 Pro VS Ender 3 – Detail Comparison

Creality 32 bit V4 board guide – Ender 3 V2, BLtouch & more

Creality Ender 3 – V1 Versus V2

Ender 3 Pro VS Ender 3 – Detail Comparison

Pages: 1. Introduction & General Information; 2. Build Videos & Information; 3. Repair Videos & Information; 4. Modification Videos 5. Print-it-yourself Modifications; 6. Modification & Repair products

Post Pages

1. General Information
2. Build Videos and Information
3. Repair Videos and Information
4. Modification Videos
5. Print it Yourself Modifications
6. Modifications and Repair Products

Build Videos and Information

A number of build videos are linked below as I find it is good to watch many different versions of assembly. Builders come from different backgrounds and offer tips that can be missed otherwise.

1. Creality Ender 3 – Quick Start Guide
2. How to Build Ender 3
3. Creality Ender 3 V2 – 3D Printer – Unbox and Setup
4. Creality Ender 3 Pro – 3D Printer – Unbox and Setup
5. Ender 3 Build, Evaluation, and Discussion Take 2
6. Ender 3 assembly, Squaring and Leveling

Creality Ender 3 – Quick Start Guide

How to Build Ender 3

Creality Ender 3 V2 – 3D Printer – Unbox and Setup

Creality Ender 3 Pro – 3D Printer – Unbox and Setup

Ender 3 Build, Evaluation, and Discussion Take 2

Ender 3 Assembly, Squaring and Leveling

Pages: 1. Introduction & General Information; 2. Build Videos & Information; 3. Repair Videos & Information; 4. Modification Videos 5. Print-it-yourself Modifications; 6. Modification & Repair products

Repair Videos and Information

1. Ender 3 V2 – How to Clean the Nozzle
2. Ender 3 V2 – Motor Not Rotating
3. Ender 3 V2 – Flash Firmware
4. Fixing Bad 3D Prints
5. Creality Ender 3 – Hot End Strip, Reassemble, and Modification
6. Ender 3 – 32 Bit Upgrade Guide and Testing
7. Fix Your Creality Ender 3 and Upgrade the Bed Level
8. Fix Your Creality Ender 3 with New PTFE Tubing

Ender 3 V2 – How to Clean the Nozzle

Ender 3 V2 – Motor Not Rotating

Ender 3 V2 – Flash Firmware

Fixing Bad 3D Prints

Creality Ender 3 – Hot End Strip, Reassemble, and Modification

Ender 3 – 32 Bit Upgrade Guide and Testing

Fix Your Creality Ender 3 and Upgrade the Bed Level

Fix Your Creality Ender 3 with New PTFE Tubing

Pages: 1. Introduction & General Information; 2. Build Videos & Information; 3. Repair Videos & Information; 4. Modification Videos 5. Print-it-yourself Modifications; 6. Modification & Repair products

Modification Videos

1. Ender 3 – 7 Easy 3D Printed Upgrades
2. How to Install BLTouch on Ender 3 V2
3. Ender 3 BLTouch Kit
4. Ender 3 BLTouch with SD Card Support and No Wires Cut
5. Ender 3 Pro 24 Upgrades
6. Direct Drive on Creality Ender 3 for Under $30
7. Ender 3 Upgrades – Printable Essential Upgrades
8. Ender 3 Conversion to 400 x 400 with the Ender Extender Kit
9. Lockdown Ender Mod Experiments
10. SKR 1.3 – TMC2208 UART V3.0

Ender 3 – 7 Easy 3D Printed Upgrades

How to Install BLTouch on Ender 3 V2

Ender 3 BLTouch Kit

Ender 3 BLTouch with SD Card Support and No Wires Cut

Ender 3 Pro 24 Upgrades

Direct Drive on Creality Ender 3 for Under $30

Ender 3 Upgrades – Printable Essential Upgrades

Ender 3 Conversion to 400 x 400 with the Ender Extender Kit

Lockdown Ender Mod Experiments

SKR 1.3 – TMC2208 UART V3.0

Pages: 1. Introduction & General Information; 2. Build Videos & Information; 3. Repair Videos & Information; 4. Modification Videos 5. Print-it-yourself Modifications; 6. Modification & Repair products

PRINT IT YOURSELF MODIFICATIONS

Pages: 1. Introduction & General Information; 2. Build Videos & Information; 3. Repair Videos & Information; 4. Modification Videos 5. Print-it-yourself Modifications; 6. Modification & Repair products

Modification & Repair Products

Facebook group – Ender XL Builder’s Club

Pages: 1. Introduction & General Information; 2. Build Videos & Information; 3. Repair Videos & Information; 4. Modification Videos 5. Print-it-yourself Modifications; 6. Modification & Repair products