BigTreeTech BTT002 V1.0 32bit Controller for i3 3D Printers

With the constant improvements, upgrades and new models of 3D Printers being introduced to the hobbyist market each and every year, we’ve been impressed at just how well the classic Prusa i3 designs have stood the test of time in terms of print quality. However, although there are loads of different models with various types of improvements and refinements, the one area that hasn’t seen too many upgrades is the 3D Printer controllers used for these types of machines. This is precisely what makes the BTT002 Motherboard from BigTreeTech such an exciting addition to our catalogue, as it’s designed to help Prusa i3 MK3S owners bring their favourite 3D Printers into the new age with modern features, more functionality and an overall better 3D Printing experience.

The BigTreeTech BTT002 V1.0 is a fantastic board designed as a drop-in upgrade for Prusa Research (by Josef Prusa) Prusa i3 3D Printers, and does an amazing job at replacing the classic RAMBo Motherboard with a revitalised and modern controller. It offers awesome features that many of the more recent Creality Pro Series models offer, and even incudes some extras that the most recent models don’t even have yet. This makes it one of the single best upgrades you can get for your Prusa i3, as it not only gives the 3D Printer more processing speed and power – with a beastly 32bit CPU at the helm – but also opens up loads of possibilities for further 3D Printer Upgrades as well.

What are the Key Features of the BigTreeTech BTT002 V1.0 Controller?

With so many cool features and upgrades, it’s hard to pinpoint the very best factor about this motherboard. As such, we’re eager to share the top three key features that we think give this motherboard the true value-for-money it offers, and which we think are going to change the game for all Prusa i3 owners – hopefully setting a new benchmark for how all modern Prusa i3 based 3D Printers should be designed:

• 32Bit Power for the Classic i3 Design – Although we love the classic Prusa i3 design, and still build many on a monthly basis to ship around South Africa, we must admit that, over time, the original Prusa i3 style has been somewhat neglected in terms of upgrades, with a lot of focus going towards Melzi based designs from Creality and other leading brands. This is why this particular BTT002 Motherboard is such a refreshing upgrade to get in stock, as it is designed to be a relatively hassle-free drop-in upgrade to bring the classic i3 design into modern times. It not only features a whole bunch of awesome extras, but can also give your Prusa i3 MK3S a powerful 32bit brain, offering not only faster processing speeds, but overall better performance and capabilities too.
  
  
• Modern Features and Wide Compatibility – When considering the features of the original Prusa i3 design, there aren’t many that come to mind aside from build volume upgrades and dual z-axis support. This is all about to change, however, as the BTT002 opens up a whole new world of upgrades and expansions. To start, the BTT002 supports multiple types of displays now, and instead of simply offering LCD2004, it can now support the more functional LCD12864 displays, as well as the awesome new TFT28 and TFT35 Touch Displays too. Additionally, this board also features dual z-outputs for dual z-axis setups (but without any wire splicing or splitting required), substantially more support for stepper drivers like the TMC2130, TMC5160, and TMC2208/9, and even some specialised ports for RGB LED Lighting, WiFi Capabilities and other future expansions that we’re excitedly looking forward to.
  
  
• Improved Board Layout & Power Delivery – When looking at the older Prusa i3 RAMBo motherboards, it’s easy to see that these boards weren’t necessarily optimised as well as they could have been, and with new 3D Printer features, firmware and other variables advancing at quite a rapid pace, the older motherboards may soon struggle to keep up. Fortunately, the BTT002 Motherboard caters to this, and has been designed with a beautiful board layout and power delivery system that will undoubtedly age well. It not only caters to all of the fancy features of modern 3D Printers, but even has reserved ports and extra functionality for potential future upgrades too. This means that BTT002 is likely to age well, ensuring that your favourite 3D Printer doesn’t become obsolete, but will instead be able to keep up with all of the new models and whatever new features they bring to the industry.

All of these amazing features are equipped onto a single board with a sleek form factor and beautiful design, and they are ready to modernise your Prusa i3 MK3S and give it the competitive edge to keep up with leading models from current times. In fact, with extra reserved ports for future upgrades and more than enough processing speed and power to handle whatever 3D Printing brings, this board will not only bring your Prusa i3 up to modern times, but will also prepare your favourite 3D Printer with the power it needs to handle whatever is still to come in 3D Printing tech’.

Please Note: Although our in-house DIYElectronics Prusa i3 3D Printers are based on the original Prusa i3 design, this board is not directly compatible, but is instead meant to replace the Einsy RAMBo V1.2 on the Prusa Research (by Josef Prusa) Prusa i3 MKS3 3D Printers. If you’re looking for a good replacement or upgrade for one of our in-house DIYElectronics Prusa i3 3D Printers, then be sure to check out the BigtreeTech SKR V1.4 Turbo, as this features the same ports and connectors as our in-house machines, making them more compatible and overall much easier to install and operate.

Additional Resources:

• As a great place to start, it’s a good idea to visit the BigTreeTech BTT002 V1.0 GitHub Page, as this contains a wealth of information, including the user manual, firmware, datasheets and schematics, and other useful resources that are sure to help.
  
  
• Next up, this is the fantastic BigTreeTech Thingiverse List, which offers awesome STL files for enclosures that incorporate the BTT motherboard and other BTT Displays and upgrades into popular 3D Printers, with designs that cater to all kinds of machines, styles and tastes.

As one of the rising stars in the world of 3D Printer Component Research and Development, BigTreeTech have certainly hit the ground running, entering the market in 2015 and spending their early stages primarily learning, researching, testing and developing, before producing some truly impressive results. From simple but effective upgrades to standard parts, all the way through to completely custom parts that no other brand offered at the time, BigTreeTech now have an incredibly diverse range, with almost no area of 3D Printing being left out.

Some of BigTreeTech’s most notable additions to the world of 3D Printing include the SKR Motherboard Range for numerous different 3D Printer models, the awesome TFT Touch Display Range with fancy features like dual-mode operation, as well as their very impressive Stepper Driver Range that cater to all tastes and preferences under the sun. And of course, to top it all off, BigTreeTech also have a sister company named BIQU, and we must admit that they have been producing some pretty impressive (and low price) 3D Printers, with the BIQU B1 possibly becoming a new rival to the Ender 3.

Of course, it’s easy to see that BigTreeTech are modern masters of 3D Printing R&D, and while we do still have a lot of different parts that we want to test out from them, so far we’ve been extremely happy with what they’re capable of producing – all while fitting into same kind of hobbyist budget that they used to operate on as Makers and Tinkerers themselves.