Anet A2 replacement mainboard

[JohnVella]

Having removed the mainboard on my Anet A2 printer, I have noticed that there are several connectors, (power and need) which are badly soldered. I mean really badly, as in I can push the connectors out from the solder side.

It looks easy enough to repair, and is certainly not beyond my skills with a soldering iron, however... I'm thinking that now may be a good time to look at upgrades.

Yes, I looked on Amazon and found a lot of boards, but I was hoping that somebody here would be able to give me a suggestion for a new board that will work with the Anet A2.

Thanks in advance and, if it makes any difference, I am based in the UK.

 

[Nifty]

Having removed the mainboard on my Anet A2 printer, I have noticed that there are several connectors, (power and need) which are badly soldered. I mean really badly, as in I can push the connectors out from the solder side.

Wow, do you have any pics? That sounds like really poor quality!

Yes, I looked on Amazon and found a lot of boards, but I was hoping that somebody here would be able to give me a suggestion for a new board that will work with the Anet A2.

No idea, but good luck in your search, and keep us posted with what you find!

 

[The Hat]

It looks easy enough to repair, and is certainly not beyond my skills with a soldering iron, however... I'm thinking that now may be a good time to look at upgrades.

I would love to say that I could help, but I don’t know the Anet2 printer from the back end of a bus.

Now there may be some members here who have knowledge and experience of the Anet2 so hang in there and see if they can help, in the mean time I’d re-solder the wires again until you can make a better decision, on what to buy next..

Most of the stuff I use are from Creality and purchased through AliExpress..

 

[JohnVella]

I'll post some photos in the morning, and having investigated further, it's looking as though I will solder all of the joints and try to stick with this board.

 

[Redbrickman]

Some Anets are known for poor joints and some models have bad connectors and soldering. I'd redo all the joints wherever possible and especially check the heater connections and all AC connections are secure.

 

[JohnVella]

I've managed to take a photo, and hope the quality is good enough to show how bad the solder joints are. There are well over a dozen joints which appear to be held in place by magic, so I guess it's time for (soldering) iron man to save the day!

 

[The Hat]

so I guess it's time for (soldering)

Just take your time and apply as little solder as possible and don’t over heat the connectors, use plenty of flux to clean the joints..

 

[Redbrickman]

Another good tip is that when you are finished soldering and it has cooled down use some IsoPropyhl Alcohol and an old toothbrush to clean the excess flux off the joints.

 

[Artur5]

And, for your peace of mind, don't ever use that crappy solder without lead.

 

[FryingSaucer]

I have an Anet A8. I think it has the same mainboard as the Anet A2, though I'm not certain. Soldering looks OK on mine, and I've had no problems with the board. The main concern is the stock firmware on it, which doesn't have thermal protection. So a few years ago, I planned to replace the firmware with Marlin. At that time I considered some alternative mainboards in case anything went wrong flashing the firmware.

One thing I discovered was that not all boards (e.g. RAMPS) have drivers for the stepper motors. You may have to purchase a separate board and find somewhere to fix it on the printer. The Anet board has the drivers on it. Also, the drivers on or off the board need to be suitable for the stepper motors on the printer. I'm not sure whether all drivers are OK for all stepper motors.

Assuming you plan to install Marlin firmware, I think most boards ought to be able to drive the A2. You should ensure there is preconfigured support in Marlin for the new board (there is for the Anet A8).

Another consideration is installation of the board on the printer. The A2 has an acrylic frame with space to fix a new board to if it's a different size from the original board. That may not be so easy on the A2 with an aluminium frame.

I don't know a board to recommend, though there's a very large Anet community out there. I'm sure there will be lots of suggestions. I'm assuming that the main difference between the Anet A8 and the Anet A2 is the better frame, and that the stepper motors are the same. So I think a board that works for the A8 ought to work for the A2.

I never did upgrade to Marlin and have not done any printing for a few years. Yesterday, I got the printer out of the garage and flashed Marlin successfully to the mainboard. I'd previously installed a separate MOSFET to power the bed - the connector on the stock mainboard is not that suitable for the current needed. So now I'm reasonably happy with the stock mainboard. It's cheap, but it does the job. I'd previously done several more safety updates discussed here to the printer. The basic Anet printer lacks some safety features, but I believe mine is OK now.