This guide predates Revo CR. You should now consider using Revo CR instead of Revo Micro as it is a drop-in replacement! You can find the Revo CR guide here.
Before upgrading, please read the following safety cautions.
Preparation
This is a complete upgrade guide suitable for many of the Ender 3 and CR10 machines.
This guide will show the installation on a standard Ender 3 Pro (with no mods) although the process will be very similar/identical for any of the machines listed below.
You should read through the whole guide before attempting the upgrade to ensure you understand exactly what is required to successfully complete it.
This guide is suitable for the following machines as they all use the same mounting plate:
- Ender 3
- Ender 3s
- Ender 3 Pro
- CR10
- CR10S
- CR10 S4
- CR10 S5
- CR10 Mini
It can also be made to work with an Ender 3 V2 by using an adapted fan shroud. You can find this here.
There is also a remix for the Ender 2 Pro here.
The compatible mounting plate:
The upgrade has been carefully designed to reuse the existing fixings on your machine. This means you will not need to buy any additional nuts and bolts to complete it.
If you have a modified Creality machine, you should still be able to follow most of this guide. Some of the earlier disassembly steps will differ though.
If you have a Creality Ender 3 with upgraded cooling/a new fan duct, the way you disassemble the HotEnd assembly will be different from the way shown in this guide. You would still be able to follow the same assembly process once disassembled though!
To start this upgrade, you will need to have 2 parts printed in advance:
Do not begin disassembling your printer until you have printed these parts or you risk being unable to complete the upgrade.
A 3D Printed bracket for mounting your Revo Micro:
All files are available here:
https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/121081-ender-3cr10-revo-micro-upgrade
Recommended materials: PETG, ABS, ASA, Nylon, PC blends, etc. are all fine. Avoid PLA!
40% infill
Print with the 'E3D' logo face down on the bed
No support material
4 Perimeters (Walls)
5 Top/Bottom Layers
A 3D Printed fan duct for part cooling your Revo Micro:
All files are also available here:
https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/121081-ender-3cr10-revo-micro-upgrade
Recommended materials: ABS, ASA, Nylon, PC Blends. You should NOT use PLA.
Higher Temp resistance than PETG is preferable, but not essential.
40% infill
No support material: Tree Supports are pre-added to the STL. Simply snap these off once printed!
A clean model is also provided if you want to add your own supports.
4 Perimeters (Walls)
5 Top/Bottom Layers
To undertake this upgrade you will need:
- 2.0mm and 1.5mm Hex Keys
- Flush Cutters/Cutting Pliers
- A handful of cable ties
- Your 3D Printed Bracket
- Your 3D Printed Fan Shroud
- A compatible Creality Machine
- M2 x 8mm (holding existing blower fan) x1
- M3 x 10mm Pan head (holding existing Heatsink fan) x2
- M3 x 6mm Pan head (holding existing housing) x2
- Revo Micro. Pay attention to your voltage. You need to identify if you have a 12 or 24V machine and buy the corresponding Revo Micro.
Check out our Blog if you are unsure on whether you need a 12 or 24V Revo Micro:
https://e3d-online.com/blogs/news/12v-vs-24v
General Disassembly Instructions
As mentioned at the start, this guide will show the installation on an Ender 3 Pro. However, you should still be able to follow along if you have one of the compatible machines that were listed at the start, as these all use the same x-axis carriage.
1. Start by cutting any cable ties that you have got securing the wires as they enter your HotEnd.
2. Remove part cooling fan and duct.
Keep the fixings somewhere safe as you will be reusing some of them for the upgrade.
3. If you plan to reuse this part cooling fan, you should remove the fan duct from it now.
4. Remove the HotEnd cover if you have one on your machine.
The Heatsink fan will still be attached so be careful not to pull on the wires as you remove it.
5. Remove PTFE Tube from the top of the Creality HotEnd.
Push down on the collet while you pull up on the tube to release it
6. Remove the Creality HotEnd. The heater and thermistor should still be connected at this point. Re-wiring will be handled later.
7. You should now have the empty carriage left over.
It's fine for all the wiring to still be connected at this stage. We will swap this over later once the Revo Micro has been mounted.
For now, just rest the whole wiring loom on your print bed. We will come back to this later.
Revo Micro Assembly
1. Attach the printed Mount part to the X-carriage.
Use the two M3 x 6 screws that were previously holding the casing in place.
2. Attach your chosen fan shroud.
Use two of the M3 x 10 screws that were previously holding the casing in place.
3. Remove the Nozzle from your Revo Micro
4. Unscrew the M12 Nut from your Revo Micro, we won't be needing it for this install. Hang on to it though in case you decide to update your mount at some point in the future!
5. Remove the Fan and Shroud from the Revo Micro Sink
6. Remove the HeaterCore from the sink, carefully pry it off the spring.
7. Screw the Revo Micro sink into the mount using your fingers.
You should be able to create a strong enough fixing just by tightening the sink into the printed part.
8. Re-attach the HeaterCore
9. Screw the Revo Nozzle into the assembly.
10. Attach the fan shroud to the heatsink ensuring the fan is clipped in.
11. Connect the Bowden tubing to the top of the Revo Micro.
You will need to remove the collet clip, press the tubing in, and then put the clip back.
Wiring
1. Start by unwinding the rest of the wiring sleeve to expose the loose wires for the heater, thermistor, and two fans.
2. Take the blower fan and slot it into the fan shroud. You will need to slot it in at an angle.
Make sure you run the cable over the X-axis and not under it.
The fan shroud is designed to be a tight fit to the Blower fan. If your fan feels loose though, you can use an M2x8 screw to help secure it as shown below.
3. Connect the Heater and Thermistor extension cables using this diagram.
4. Connect the 5V regulator to the heatsink fan.
Make sure you pay attention to the wire colours. Red to red, black to black. Fans have polarity so it's important not to get this wrong!
The Revo Micro fan is 5V, do not attempt to connect the fan to a 12V or 24V input without the regulator board or it will get damaged.
5. Next you will need to unplug the old heater, thermistor, and heatsink fan wires from your mainboard. Replace them with the new heater, thermistor, and heatsink wires.
It is essential that you plug in the fan the correct way around. It has polarity and may be damaged if plugged in the wrong way around.
Polarity on the heater and thermistor doesn't matter.
The location of the heater, thermistor, and fan will vary depending on your mainboard. If in doubt, you can follow the wires from your old HotEnd to see where they plugin.
6. You should now re-wrap the wires, starting at the exit to your mainboard housing, going all the way back to your HotEnd.
7. You can use cable ties to help secure the wires and to keep the bowden tube and wiring loom together.
Firmware
Thermistor Parameters
You will need to update your thermistor from the stock Creality thermistor.
Follow the firmware guide that corresponds to your board. They are linked at the end of this guide.
Maximum Temperature:
The maximum temperature of your printer is likely to be limited to 240 degrees if you have a stock Creality board. This is because the PTFE tubing in your old HotEnd would begin to degrade above 240 degrees.
If you wish to use your Revo Micro above 240 degrees, you will need to change the maximum temperature to 285 degrees in your firmware.
Offsets:
Ideally, we would aim to have the nozzle in exactly the same place before and after the upgrade so that there are no changes to offsets needed in the firmware.
The nozzle is in the same place in X and Z, but has moved by 4.75mm in the Y direction (the direction that the bed moves in) This offset in Y was unavoidable due to the difference in shape between the stock Creality and Revo Micro heatsinks.
You may choose to sacrifice 4.75mm in the Y direction and not bother changing the offsets.
If you do want full use of your build volume in Y though, you will need to account for it in your firmware or slicer.
If you have a stock (unmodified) mainboard and don't wish to upgrade to a newer board, there is a guide for modifying firmware here.
We also have more specific guides for RepRap and Marlin 2.0 here if you have an upgraded mainboard.
Before attempting your first print, you should PID Tune your new HotEnd for best results.
Please note, when heating up your Revo for the first time, you may notice small amounts of smoke coming from the nozzle. This is just residue burning off and is nothing to worry about.