ProDesk3D - No software or Drivers, Help!

Hello all!

So basically, I've come into owning a ProDesk3D printer, and unfortunately the company who designed the printer has been bought out. I've already tried emailing the company and they are telling me that they do not have an archived copy of the software (they named ProModel). The previous owner has wiped the software long before ever giving the printer up to me. I've already asked reddit and have spent a little bit over an hour scouring google for an archived copy of this software and I legitimately can not find anything. Does anyone on this forum by chance know where i can find an archived copy of this software or have any sort of solutions? I would really rather not have this printer become a paperweight.

Thanks!



EDIT: Throwing this out there as an update for you guys who have replied. Thanks a ton for the help so far. I'll disassemble the printer when I get off work and see if I can get a pic for you guys. I'd rather not spend another $200 on duet for this thing, but if that's what it needs, I'd be willing to do it as a last resort

never heard of this before - just had a look and as far as I can see, they never got the software working properly and the whole project died without a trace in 2014.

It looks like it mixes 6 seperate filaments - so you might be able to use it as a single or dual colour printer. But anythig else will be a struggle.
If the people who built it couldn't make it work - not sure if anyone else will.

I'll have a look round for the software - but don't hold your breath.

I the meantime have you tried something like slic3r or cura - just to see if it will actually talk to the printer over a usb cable ?

Also contact the duet people: https://www.duet3d.com/
They've built a 6 way mixer printer and had it running at the tct this year - good folks, might be able to help.

But initially I'd concentrate on trying to get it to work as a standard dual print machine.

This is the initial filament feed setup:


https://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordp...9&h=727&crop=1

Apparently it has 14 motors in total.
Wonder what board/s it uses ?

There are so few 3D Printer controller cards out there that will handle 6 extruders that you have few choices.

Choices include
1. You work programming your current controller, as curious said they never got the software working.

2. Convert to a Duet controller with up to 9 extruders

Duet WiFi and Duet Ethernet allow up to 9 extruders using their DueX5 expansion board.
I would think that this could be an alternative to your present controller. With many user forums you should have no problems installing software to make your ProDesk3D function correctly.

Yours could be the first functioning ProDesk3D duet combo.

Who knows maybe your controller is a Duet with a DueX5 expansion board.
Show photo of your controller maybe someone can identify.

the machine dates from 2013 - so not a duet.

If you already asked Crunchbase https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/botobjects you might try 3D Systems, which bought out the company (although I don't think it worked out for them).

https://imgur.com/a/uXkzg

Here's that motherboard. Unfortunately, i've already tried out 3D Systems and they told me that they weren't even given the software by botobjects. Supposedly no one in their tech department has ever even seen the printer up close. I can't really tell what it is and seems like botobjects made their own board for the printer?

Thanks again guys for all of the help again.

If you're willing to sacrifice the 6 extruder thing and just want it working, a $10 ramps/mega combo will probably work and be the cheapest option. I think the RADDS (ramps upgraded for 24V+ some other stuff) can handle your extruder requirements if you add the stepper expansion board and shouldn't be as expensive as a duet.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Trakyan

If you're willing to sacrifice the 6 extruder thing and just want it working, a $10 ramps/mega combo will probably work and be the cheapest option. I think the RADDS (ramps upgraded for 24V+ some other stuff) can handle your extruder requirements if you add the stepper expansion board and shouldn't be as expensive as a duet.

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So, using this setup, I'd be looking at the RAMPS, the Arduino Mega, and the stepper drivers all together? I'm not familiar with the RAMPS and how it interfaces with the Arduino. Is it a secondary processor? Do I still need to code the Arduino itself? Will it work with this printer setup (assuming I convert to a single filament)?

wow it even has a fuse !
definitely custom job.

Never used ramps, but no reason you couldn't run it as a dual extruder, at the very least.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by curious aardvark

wow it even has a fuse !
definitely custom job.

Never used ramps, but no reason you couldn't run it as a dual extruder, at the very least.

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How crazy do you think the coding will get for something like that? At the very least, I just want to get the machine to where it prints "something." Then down the line, I may think about replacing the motherboard with a duet and pull in more colors. I'm not exactly sure how the thing mixes the colors yet.

well I'd be inclined to try repetier or marlin first and just see if the board would talk to the machine at all.

At the end of the day, once you disconnect the existing board you've got the standard cabling all printers have, so can't see any real reason you can't simply start with normal firmware and just a couple of the extruders plugged in.

You won't need to code much for the arduino/ramps, at most changing the config files (lots of guides online on how to do that, not hard and you'd need to do with with any controller board you end up using). Just download marlin, repetier or some other firmware from github or elsewhere. But yes, for the arduino, ramps and driver kit you'd need all three as seperate components. There are plenty of places online to get them as a bundle and they cost about $10 total. They just plug into each other, just be careful you don't plug in the stepper driver boards upside down (easy to do) as they will fry, not an expensive mistake but it sucks waiting for replacements.

RAMPS is definitely your cheapest option just to get it running, and it can run multiple extruders (2-4 I think based off if you use the expansion board, but don't quote me) just not 6 of them.