TRONXY CRUX 1 Review

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Originally published at: TRONXY CRUX 1 Review | 3D Print Beginner

It’s no secret that I love small 3D printers, so I was very interested in reviewing the TRONXY CRUX 1 because it seems to be a great alternative to the popular Kingroon KP3S V3 which is one of my favorite small format 3D printers. The TRONXY CRUX 1 has similar…

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Hey, nice review, I got mine a few weeks ago. Do you think that replacing the fan by a 4020 would reduce the stringing ?

Thanks

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The biggest issue is the heat break. Upgrading that part will solve stringing

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Could you please give me other alternatives than the SliceEngineering one ?
It’s really expensive (25-30% of the price of the printer shipping included)

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I am not sure if there are alternatives in this case.
You might be better off replacing the entire extruder with one that also has a bi-metal heat break.

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I found those two bi-metal heatbreaks, they seem to be compatible with the M6 thread on the Crux 1.
Would they be able to reduce the stringing ?

Thanks

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Considering the price, you could try one and report back.
They should work

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Ok I have to make sure that the Crux1 heatbreak is 26mm long and not 30mm before ordering.
By the way, what made you think that the heatbreak was the reason of the stringing on this printer ?

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Experience :slight_smile:
And the fact that the heat break doesn’t have any kind of proper heatsink as it’s only a fan blowing air on a piece of metal.

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Hello!
Thank you for the detailed review. Based on what you said here, and the price I was able to get this machine for, I purchased a Crux 1 as my first 3d Printer. I’m hoping it will arrive this Saturday.

I have not had any luck finding guides or downloads to get a Firmware update for this machine. Can you advise on this?

Also, another review I watch suggested that since this has no Cura profile that you would use the Kingroon KPS3 profile and then change the retraction settings. Do you happen to know what retraction settings worked for you with this Printer for PLA? I’m just trying to get as close as possible to have a starting point before I dive in and start tinkering with settings after my first few prints.

I have also read the other comments here about replacing the Heat break. Do you know of any guides where one could see how this is done? How do I tell what length (26mm or 30mm) I would need for the Crux 1?

Thanks in advance. Your content has been great for me to start learning basic 3d printer concepts before my first printer arrives!

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Hi,

I am not sure if there is a firmware update available, but the stock one seems fine.
I am not using Cura so I can’t advise on that, but the KP3S profile should be fine. You can tune the retraction based on the needs of the filament, but about 2mm should be good.
I haven’t upgraded the heat break but there’s a comment above from a user that found some alternatives.

Thanks

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I ordered it, I will install it when it arrives (in about 10 days) and let you guys know. I checked, it’s a 26mm heatbreak.

I also managed to install Klipper on the crux 1, it works but I need a ton of work to print reliably with it.
If someone is interested to work with me on tuning klipper for the crux 1, please let me know.

1 Like
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Thank you for your reply!

Some other reviews reported that certain GCode to turn off the heating on the bed was not working in the stock firmware. Apparently it was fixed in a later version. Did you encounter this issue?

What slicer are you using? Is there something better for the Crux 1?

I went ahead and purchased the Heat Break that other user found as well. Since it was so cheap I just went ahead and am hoping for the best. I also purchased some new nozzles at the same time since I know the Crux 1 only comes with 1 in box.

Are there any other upgrades you would recommend?

Really appreciate your time and assistance.

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I’m not really in a position to help with tuning (as I am a total beginner with little technical expertise), but I would be interested in following your progress to learn a bit more if that would work?

Would you be able to help me tune a slicer profile at all? I’m a little lost amidst all the settings, and the community for the Crux 1 seems super small right now so I haven’t been able to find many resources.

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Yes i can help you, i can share my Cura profiles

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That would be amazing. Thank you so much. I’m not sure what communication method you would prefer but my email address is redacted if that works? But I’m fine with whatever would be easiest for you. Really appreciate it!

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Please use private messages if needed. Don’t post your personal email publicly :slight_smile:

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Just a quick heads up: I contacted Tronxy and there is an update to the firmware to version 2.17.1. The Update did not come with any notes on the changes (as far as I can tell), but it definitely is a new version!

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Hey, I finally received the bi-metal heatbreak from aliexpress. So far, I cannot see any improvement regarding stringing. Should I screw the zircornium part all the way into the heat-block ?
20221101_112750

Thanks

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Hello,
The copper side needs to be screwed further in the extruder to dissipate the heat.
In the current configuration, half of the heat break is not cooled.
This will make that half hotter and will soften the filament before it reaches the nozzle.

Of course, you will also need to re-tune retraction for good results.