Advice and opinions needed before purchase!

[TechCoarse]

Hello,

I'm thinking of picking up the A30m https://www.geeetech.com/geeetech-a30m- ... -1091.html

And i just need some peoples advice for someone thinking of picking it up like:

Is there anything i should be aware of like setup of this device and such i should be aware of?
Is there anything i should pick up with this printer?
What is your guy's opinions on this printer?

Ive tried looking around for reviews and such to no avail so any tips and advice, even just your experience with using the device would be a great help!

Thanks alot!

[William]

Hi, It adopting open-source GTM32 control board and delivers mix-color objects.

[Mitch95]

Im not sure but i think the A30m is similiar to the normal A30, so here is my opinion:

I got the normal A30, and the Hardware is really good.
But the software is buggy, you can print with it of course, but i bet you will get some bugs from time to time (and probably angry mood).

But hey bugs are not that bad, you can fix it by yourself- or not?
NO, thats the huge issue, the A30 is "Open Source", but since some time ago, they dont release the Sourcecode for the Firmware.
Without the Sourcecode, its not possible to change something or fix it.
For example, the new Version of the original BLTouch (really nice thing) wont work with the A30. Its just some Lines of code to get it work, but u cant change it without the damn Sourcecode.

Like i said, its possible that they release the sourcecode for the A30m, but for how long? The first Firmware updates for the A30 got the Sourcecode too, but after some time they dont did it with the newer ones.

So Dude, its your decision, but I would recommend a Printer with Marlin Firmware, cause thats REALLY Opensourced.
But Geeetech got Printer with Marlin too, so you can support Geeetech and by it from them.
Geeetech is a good company in itself, only at the A30 they messed it up in my opinion

Good Luck

[slipknot28]

I totally agree with Mitch95.

I also have A30 and it is solid made but problem is firmware which is not Marlin.
In Marlin firmware you can change lot of things to make your printer better but with Smartto firmware you can only wait geeetech to release new firmware (if ever).

[_kaktus_]

Hi.



Patience pays off.

The long-awaited new software is being developed.
I think that once it is released everyone will be very satisfied.

At the same time, in-depth tests are being conducted, and many actions are being taken to improve the quality of this printer.

I am curious about the results myself.

[TheG]

I pretty much gave up on the A30 as it's the only printer I have a lot of trouble with. The A10 runs great, as does the Prusa i3 clone (both based on Marlin), but the A30 is a mess and lacks the support for basic functions in the homebrew firmware. I also have quite some issues with weird rippling/wobbling and X/Y being weird, which apparently has to do with bed heating (colder bed = less issues). I'd continue working on it but with their weird firmware it's pretty hard to get anything done as you're basically working against a blackbox. The original hotend also failed within weeks and for the replacement all temperatures had to be manually calibrated again. And it was incredibly loud... After I was exclusively using Geeetech gear for the last 16 months, I went for a CR-10 this week and it does not suffer from many of the issues of the A30. However, it still requires some of the mods the A30 needed as well, like silent fans

If you get an A30, which has the potential to be a great machine, you might also want to get:
* Better stepper drivers (2208)
* 2 x 120mm silent fans (12V) to get the damn loud fans in the electronics box to a reasonable level
* A kit silent hot-end fans, the original fans are incredibly loud
* Better couplers for the bowden tube (get a 10-pack or so...)
* High quality bowden tube

Not sure what of this has been fixed with the A30M, tho, there might be differences. I doubt however that the cheap/loud parts have been replaced by higher quality parts, given the overall very attractive price of the A30 family

[zolakk]

Is there any release date yet for the A30M? The last thing I can find says April but it still shows pre-order on the geeetech page and more importantly for me, it's not available to Amazon yet.