Anet A8
The Extruder
The Extruder is an Anet A8, a port of the Prusa i3 that was built by Isaac VonShriltz, Keenan Jones, and Hayden Spitler. After the original builders left the project, Alexander Siewert began working on the printer.
It was built and programmed in Stallings's Computers II class, and is capable of printing in dimensions of 220 x 220 x 240 mm.
Ordering
After searching through the internet trying to find a good price on a printer, we finally settled on this 3D printer, which was purchased for just under $180 with shipping.
We decided to purchase this printer because it combined a large printing area with a decent print quality, at a relatively low price. We would highly recommend this printer to anyone interested in getting into 3D printing, but be aware that you will spend a lot of time both putting the printer together, and to reach a high quality of print you may need to spend money on upgrades.
Assembly
When we received the printer, it came with instruction videos on the assembly of machinery. The videos are
Issues
Throughout it's lifetime, this printer has experienced quite a number of mechanical issues that led to part replacements.
Thermistor replacement
Broken thermistor replaced with NTC3950.
Marlin table, if necessary. Should be available as thermistor 11.
Marlin configuration here, but custom Marlin firmware Skynet v2 might be different.
To determine PID settings, run M303 E0 S200 C8
Mainboard Connectors
One of the major issues with the hardware of the Anet A8 is the power connnectors used on the mainboard. These three connectors are used to bring power into the board and send it out to the hotend and hotbed. The ones included on the board are not rated for the amount of power it uses, which often leads them to burn out.
During a print one day, the power in connector burned out, thankfully stopping the printer before it could start a fire.