A Dutch designer has crafted a 10:1 scale working model of the classic wedge-shaped LEGO computer brick. Paul Staal from Watt IV, shares the idea, the magic, the build, and even a shopping list on his blog post about the project. Inside the scaled-up ‘brick’ is a punchy little Mac Mini M4. Other key components for this build include a 7-inch IPS display and about $20 of PLA filament (with access to a 3D printer required, of course).

Interestingly, the original LEGO brick computer (Part 3039p23), was introduced in 1979, half a decade before the original Apple Macintosh (1984). So the brick surely took design cues from the 1970s, rather than the 1980s, computers. Nevertheless, Staal ties these two iconic designs together in his timeline of influences behind “the upscaling” and creation of the new M2x2 workstation.

Staal shares the process behind the design of the M2x2. He explains it was a challenge to fit “a full M4 Mac Mini, a 7-inch display, and an array of peripherals into a form factor that remains true to the original brick.” Moreover, it is a 10:1 scale replica, but perseverance and attention to detail in Fusion 360 look to have paid off.

We also appreciate that the design’s two LEGO studs on top of the ‘brick’ are functional knobs. One can be turned for media control, like computer volume or track selection, the other includes a wireless charger for charging an Apple Watch or Airpods. “Every detail was considered, from the ‘pocket’ in the back that acts as a handle (a nod to the original Mac) to the fold-out ‘wings’ that manage the power cable with classic elegance,” explains the M2x2 maker.

While the M2x2 is a self-contained computer, no one in 2026 could put up with such a cramped 7-inch screen for long, for anything beyond the basics. Thus, Staal’s daily use of the system is with a spacious LG DualUp monitor, with the 7-inch built-in touch display used “mainly to show my Home Assistant dashboard.” It is also still useful, beside him on the desk, offering front ports to quickly charge devices like his keyboard or phone.

Staal kindly shares plenty of details about making the M2x2, and you can also find the 3D printer .STL files to download.

LEGO and computer tech often intertwine in surprising ways, and we have also seen commercially available computer accessories integrate features for LEGO fans.

There’s a new USB Type-C dock on the block. So far, so ordinary. But the new DockFrame from HW Media Lab LLC has caused a stir by (unofficially) supporting Framework’s range of modular expansion cards. Furthermore, the maker is promising its own ‘Tool Cards,’ Lego brick compatibility, and more.

The first prototype photos of the DockFrame were released over the weekend, showing some capabilities, customizations, and other options. In the Tweet above, the HW Media Lab director said, “We're iterating on the PCB now (power + routing + port behavior) and we're incorporating the community's requirements into the spec.”

Encouragingly, DockFrame is still on the lookout for device/expansion/tool card suggestions. So, don’t feel you’ve missed the chance to mail in your idea for a USB-powered scone warmer, mechanized bottle opener, or whatever.

DockFrame’s site shows that its first product is set to have four slots for hot-swappable Framework computer-compatible expansion cards. At the time of writing, Framework offers 24 types of expansion cards directly. This range spans offerings for USB-A, DP, HDMI, audio, Ethernet, and more. There are various color options just for fun.

HW Media Lab plans to expand the hot-swap modular docking ecosystem with its Tool Cards. These currently include the following:

• Multimeter card
• Power supply card
• Microcontroller dev card
• Mini SSD card
• Dual USB-C card

The dock maker states that its Tool Cards can be plugged directly into USB-C devices like phones and computers – so they aren’t tied to the DockFrame docking product in any way.

At the time of writing, we don’t have pricing for the DockFrame. Pre-orders are not live, but the firm has a list that you can sign up for. We’d hope the DockFrame is as affordable as it looks, and thus follows the spirit of the official Framework expansion cards, which are available for just $11. Buyers will probably want at least four expansion cards or tool cards to populate their DockFrame.

Remember, the DockFrame should work with any USB-C computer. However, to fully support the full range of expansion cards and tool cards, we’re certain you’ll have to plug it into a ‘full function’ USB-C port. That is a Type-C port which offers power delivery, video (DP Alt Mode), and high-speed data (USB 3.X, USB4, Thunderbolt). You might also want a few Legos.

At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Lego pulled the wraps off a familiar-looking product that behaves like a small computer. The new Smart Play platform centers on a standard 2x4 LEGO brick that packs processing, sensing, audio, wireless networking, and charging into a form factor that can still snap into a model. Tied to a March 1 retail launch, the Smart Brick debuts in three Star Wars sets, with pre-orders opening January 9.

Under the plastic, Lego has built what is effectively a mixed-signal embedded system. The company says the core is a custom 4.1mm ASIC with integrated sensors, RGB LEDs, a tiny speaker, and a radio stack. Power comes from an internal rechargeable battery that charges inductively, designed so the brick can be topped up even when buried inside a build.

Interestingly, Lego says that the brick understands its surroundings. Instead of cameras or optical tracking, Lego is using near-field magnetic sensing. ‘Smart Tags’ embedded in tiles and minifigures carry unique IDs that the brick reads through copper coils. Those same coils enable relative positioning, letting multiple bricks detect distance and orientation to one another. Lego calls the resulting wireless mesh BrickNet, a low-latency network that allows two models to recognize when they are facing off or interacting without an intermediary.

Audio is handled in a similar manner. Rather than storing large sound files, Lego says the Smart Brick generates effects in real time, based on prompts from SMART Minifigures and Tags, thereby keeping memory requirements low and avoiding the need for constant updates just to add new clips. “By breaking down just a few sounds to their most basic principles, you can actually
carefully adjust their frequencies and amplitude to create drastically different end results,” a deep divereads. Lego calls this a “synthetic soundscape” and, all in all, it’s a very hardware-first solution to a problem most smart toys solve with a requisite app.

For launch, the Smart Brick appears in three all-in-one Star Wars sets ranging from 473 to 962 pieces, priced between $70 and $160 — expensive, no doubt, even for Lego. Each uses the brick to trigger music, sound effects, and interactive behavior based on how the model is handled. Importantly, Lego has been clear about what the platform does not include: there is no camera, no voice recording, and no cloud-dependent AI layer. The radio link is encrypted, and firmware updates are handled through a companion app rather than an always-on connection.

This isn’t the first time that Lego has added electronics to a toy, but Smart Brick does represent a first in terms of how compact and self-sufficient this implementation is. It’s essentially a computer designed to disappear into the plastic, doing just enough sensing and processing to make a model feel reactive without the need to drag a tablet into the room. For a company built on tolerances measured in fractions of a millimeter, hiding a complete system inside a brick is incredibly on-brand.

Tinkering with the devices we own is a common part of the hobby that fuels exploration and curiosity. But there are times when a project's necessity feels so undeniable that it needs to be realized at all costs. That's what happened with @natalie_thenerd when she saw the Lego Game Boy get announced — it called to her like the Green Goblin mask demanding to be turned into a real, functional Game Boy. Now, less than a day after its launch, she has done exactly that, and the mod is so much cooler than you'd expect.

The Lego Game Boy was released to rave reviews a couple of days ago, and Natalie quickly got to work. She saw that the model had an opening behind the screen for a toy cartridge — that was her entry point. She designed a custom PCB using an MGB (pocket) CPU that has on-package RAM, critical for space saving. That means this is using actual, original Game Boy chips and not emulation, making the project a whole lot more impressive. The entire circuit board is actually smaller than a real DMG cartridge in size.

All of this componentry is paired with the "smallest screen kit on the market" that replaces the faux cards Lego ships with the set. Natalie did have to remove a few bricks in order for this assembly to fit. Despite that, the job isn't done. Her interview with The Verge says she hasn't figured out a way to make the buttons work for real, even though they actually click and press down on the Lego set, and her blog states she plans to make a 3D-printed Lego piece to connect them to the PCB, which she has already done for the USB-C port.

We all start somewhere in our PC building journey, but seldom does an opportunity present itself to make our first system as unique as u/OkDebate6649. That's exactly what happened with the aforementioned Reddit user who built his computer literally brick-by-brick using Lego. Known as "Choi," our resident enthusiast took Lego-style bricks and made not only a full PC case, but also a monitor featuring an OLED panel, along with a mechanical keyboard — desktop terminal style.

My Build from r/sleeperbattlestations

One of the best parts is that this was Choi's first-ever custom PC, as he's only used pre-builts before this. You might think that he's some sort of Lego master builder, but he has no prior experience in that department either. In fact, the only reason he even got his hands on Lego in the first place was to hit the minimum requirement for a discount while shopping online. Once he got the bricks, though, he quickly figured this would make for a fun experiment and got to work.

Choi worked on the case, the monitor and the keyboard separately. Speaking to PC Gamer, he described how everything was constructed with modularity in mind. The monitor, which uses a 1080p OLED panel from AliExpress, is enclosed inside a custom body fully built from Lego. That frame can then attach to a similar keyboard housing and form a desktop terminal, akin to the Apple II. Not only that, but the case itself can be connected below the monitor.

Choi has posted his escapades across different subreddits; we embedded the most detailed post above where he showcases the build from the inside. As you can see, there's no dedicated GPU in there — the PC is powered by a Ryzen 5 5600G because Choi is sacrilegiously a PlayStation gamer and only needs this PC for office work. That 5600G is paired with equally-modest hardware like 16GB of memory, a basic ITX motherboard, and an AMD stock cooler. The build has two 120mm fans mounted externally for air intake.

Now, what if the transforming desktop terminal and the PC case were to get together and have a baby? Thankfully, our curious tinkerer has thought ahead and already made a "retro Commodore-style monitor case." Details on this project are scarce, but Choi has used a 4:3 monitor and put it inside a custom Lego housing that can also fit an entire PC in there. There's a USB hub up front, too, for quick access. Unlike the 5600G build, though, this one has space for a dedicated GPU, but Choi is only using it as a secondary monitor for now.

The DIY madness doesn't stop here, either. Clearly, Choi loved the Lego theme and ran with it even further, building projects like a desk clock powered by an iPhone 6, an audio deck made to look like an old radio, and also a Lego mouse that we spotted in the pictures, which Choi never mentioned in the text. Everything is neatly placed in the corner of a room, encapsulating the perfect Lego setup. Sure, there's no high-end hardware powering this stuff, but the ingenuity behind this is far beyond anything extra money alone could buy.

The 1990s' most iconic blob, besides the Volkswagen Beetle, may soon be resurrected in brick-built form. A LEGO model of the Apple iMac G3 is up for consideration and fan voting on the LEGO Ideas website, where it is competing for a chance to become an officially licensed and commercially released LEGO model.

The Lego iMac is a 700-piece scale model of the original iMac G3, released in 1998. Complete with custom-designed stickers to replicate the Mac OS splash screen and iMac logo, the model is finished in the original computer's iconic Bondi Blue color. The inside of the transparent shell houses a cathode ray tube and a circuit board, complete with heatsinks and wires, designed digitally using only real Lego elements.

The model is complete with a brick-built keyboard and mouse. Even within the blocky constraints of the Lego medium, the model manages to comfortably approximate the shape and vibe of the original blobby desktop. A space fleet's worth of transparent blue windshield elements is used to create the iMac's bright plastic backside, gorgeously recreating Steve Jobs' first major product launch after his return to Apple.

Many makers like to integrate Lego into their Raspberry Pi projects, and today we've got a beautiful example to share of such a collaboration. Maker, author and developer Sean McManus is using our favorite SBC to transform a Lego retro radio kit into a working music player that utilizes much of the original hardware for control.

To pull this off, McManus was able to put a full sized Raspberry Pi 3B+ inside the Radio along with some additional hardware to play music. The radio already featured a couple of knobs on the front that are used to play some existing soundbites and radio sounds via dedicated Lego sound brick. In the end, these knobs were incorporated into the final design and used to change songs that play on the Raspberry Pi.

According to McManus, there are already a few ways you could more easily play music from inside the radio. The original design included a place to mount your smartphone but this was ultimately removed so McManus could add the Pi instead. This allows for the radio to not just be a shell but rather an interactive component.

The exact Lego model used for this project is a Lego Retro Radio 10334. Although he initially experimented with a Raspberry Pi Zero W, he ultimately landed on using a Raspberry Pi 3B+ as the main board. It's connected to a Pimoroni Audio Amp SHIM which provides 3W audio output to an integrated speaker.

The code for the project was written from scratch by McManus using Python and is fairly straightforward. It handles input from the knobs and changes audio corresponding with a list of music files saved locally on the Pi. It's programmed to start up automatically when the Pi is powered on. All of this source code has been made open source and is available over at the project page.

If you want to get a closer look at this Raspberry Pi project in action, you can check it out over at Sean McManus's official website where you can find more cool Pi creations.

EDIT 12/23/2024 11am PT: Corrected the article to reflect that all products available in the employee shop are only sold to ASML employees, a long-standing practice.

Corrected article:

ASML is canceling orders for the $230 Lego kit version of its $380 million High-NA EUV machine coming from non-ASML employees, as @jonmasters discovered. This limited-edition Twinscan EXE:5000 Lego Kit commemorates the world’s first High-NA EUV machine designed to build the next generation of semiconductors, and it has become a sought-after collector's item that has apparently been inadvertently sold to numerous non-ASML employees over the last few months. 

Despite its high price, there seems to be high demand for this kit as ASML has limited orders to just one per employee. Unfortunately, it appears that more people than anticipated are buying this kit due to non-ASML employees purchasing the kit. The company is now enforcing the policy of only selling to employees, as existing purchases for the Twinscan EXE:5000 Lego Set by non-employees have apparently been identified and canceled. The company also added a note at the bottom of the product description that a valid ASML email is required to purchase the Lego set. This limitation also extends to the cheaper Twinscan Lego Set, which would set you back by around $166. It is also only available to ASML employees.

The Twinscan EXE:500 Lego set measures over a foot wide, about two and a half inches deep, and is almost four inches tall. Although it’s not that massive compared to other Lego sets that are as tall as an adult, it still has 851 pieces of original Lego parts. The more affordable Twinscan Lego set is even more extensive, measuring around 14 x 10 x 3.5 inches; however, it only has 600 pieces. But whichever model you choose (if you were an ASML employee), it should be enough for one afternoon of building fun, making it an excellent gift for yourself or that tech enthusiast.

The company's employees can also purchase ASML-themed Christmas gear, such as a set of three holiday ornaments featuring a miniature NXT machine, a cleanroom employee, and an ASML logo made from hand-crafted glass. It’s also much cheaper at just $29, so they don’t need to break the bank to celebrate the holidays with a chip-making machine.

Aside from the Christmas ornaments and limited-edition Lego sets, the ASML Store has several other ASML-themed items, like shirts, coffee cups, tumblers, lapel pins, socks, and more. However, these items are also only available to ASML employees. 

One of the world's leading chip-making equipment manufacturers has released a new Lego set. Veldhoven, Netherlands-based ASML has added the TWINSCAN EXE:5000 Lego set to its growing portfolio of gifts. At $227.95 this "masterpiece in technology" might sound rather expensive, but please remember that real ASML lithography systems cost sums approaching $400 million. Also, even if you are drooling over this gift, you would probably admit it is a niche item.

Regular readers of Tom's Hardware will be well aware of ASML's pivotal position in the world of semiconductor manufacturing. The company supplies chipmaking icons like Intel, TSMC, and Samsung, and its tools are essential for the most advanced lithography.

The ASML TWINSCAN EXE:5000 is one of the leading extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography tools available in 2024. ASML tested a machine in-house earlier this year and boasted about its projection optics that feature a 0.55 numerical aperture (High-NA). Intel is also working with this machine for R&D on its Intel 18A (1.8nm-class) process technology.

OK, but what about the Lego set? It is also a marvel of human creativity, but will only output to your dreams. The ASML TWINSCAN EXE:5000 Lego set features 851 Lego bricks/parts, so will be a bit of an engineering feat for a home tech enthusiast to complete. When you have laid your final brick the result will be a 13.86 x 3.9 x 2.52-inches model. That's quite small considering the price.

ASML seems to be pretty confident that the demand for the new TWINSCAN EXE:5000 Lego set will be strong. Orders are limited to one set per customer, with warnings of canceled orders for those asking for more. However, this "iconic" set isn't the first or only ASML Lego product released. The firm previously launched the Lego ASML Skyline and the Lego TWINSCAN NXE:3400C sets. One alternative Lego set is still available for sale here, at $166.70.

Also, if you are in the mood for Christmas, a set of three unique, hand-crafted glass tree ornaments is available for $29. These consist of a glass ASML logo, a cleanroom employee, and an NXT machine (pictured below).

The worlds of PC tech and Lego often intermingle. Looking back through the Tom's Hardware archive we see we reported on an RTX 4080 Super-powered Lego Fortnite PC back in August, and last year a life-size Lego Intel Arc graphics card project caught our eye.

Modder czuga has created a one-of-a-kind Fortnite-themed Lego gaming PC, loaded with an RTX 4080 Super and a custom-cooled CPU. Sponsored by Nvidia, the build was entirely made of Legos — except for the main system components, which featured a colorful and creative Fortnite theme with extra tidbits such as the Fortnite battle bus.

The build took over 1000 Lego bricks to construct and included several Lego Fornite sets for decoration. The entire chassis was built entirely out of Legos, featuring a PSU shroud at the bottom and a Lego wall built on top of the shroud intended for mounting the motherboard and liquid cooling components. The layout was optimized for looks, featuring an open layout with no side panels.

The system components were laid out like a traditional ATX chassis, with the PSU at the bottom, the ATX motherboard in the middle, and the 360mm radiator at the top. The radiator was also held in place by Legos, though without any screws holding the radiator down firmly.

To finish the build, the bottom, middle, and top were dotted with green, brown, and light brown decorations, akin to the green grass that dot the Fortnite battleground and wooden buildings players can construct on the fly. The modder used Fortnite characters like the Lama, Durr Burger, and Peely Bone banana to fill in the green and brown landscape.

The build is one of the best implementations of Lego pieces to date, though we worry that the 16-pin power connector on the RTX 4080 may be a bad combination with Lego bricks if it ever decides to melt away.

DLSS Updates

Nvidia announced four new titles soon, with DLSS, Simulakros, Silent Hill 2, Fragpunk, and Starship Troopers: Extermination. Fragpunk is an upcoming 5v5 hero shooter that is arriving on October 10. Silent Hill is a single-player story-driven horror game out now, and Simulakros is a futuristic third-person face-paced shooter with "rogue-lite elements" that comes out October 10. Starship Troopers: Extermination is an upcoming 16-player co-op first-person shooter that focuses on killing alien bugs and base building — inspired by the Starship Troopers novel, movies, and animated series—the game debuts on October 11.

Nvidia shared DLSS benchmarks of FragPunk featuring DLSS 3 with Frame Generation. At 4K, Nvidia saw up to 204 FPS average on the RTX 4090 with DLSS set to performance mode and frame generation enabled. At native resolution with DLSS off, the RTX 4090 came in at 82.2 FPS average. At 1440p, the 4090 achieved up to 279 FPS average with DLSS 3 and up to 360 FPS average with 1080p with DLSS 3.

Yesterday, the Internet got the greatest look yet at an AMD Epyc "Genoa" Lego Model Kit, thanks to an assembly and comparison by fellow tech site ServeTheHome.

It's important to note that this AMD Epyc Lego Model kit was sent to STH by AMD as a Limited Edition piece of kit as well, so you won't be able to order this one for yourself any time shortly. If you could and enjoy Lego projects, though, you may be tempted— there's a functioning lid and 621 total pieces to assemble, including a die shot of the Epyc CPU layout reinterpreted in Lego form.

The die shot includes the largest I/O die in the center and four groups of three CCDs surrounding it, forming the thirteen chiplets that make up an AMD Epyc "Genoa" 9004 Series CPU, which scales as high as 128 cores. Of course, the Lego model kit can't represent this totally 1:1 and has no actual functionality besides being a fun project to do over a day or two. However, it's still cool to see one so dedicated to the minutiae of CPU architecture.

So, why does this Lego kit exist, and why did STH receive it? From all apparent signs, it seems the answer is simple,, fun,, and novelty. STH does point out its use of Lego models alongside its review photography in the original piece, though, which could also indicate a deep-cut reference on AMD's part by sending them this kit. It could be slightly more coincidental than that, but the association has been drawn.

If this Lego kit were to go on sale, one wonders how well it would do in the market. After all, it is duplicating the ultra-niche server CPUs that cost literally thousands of dollars. Who wants a Lego model of one of those for a couple hundred when a mainstream processor is available for the same price or cheaper? A particular breed of tech collector just might. For example, an Intel Arc Graphics marketing executive has been documented creating a 1:1 life-sized Lego model of the Intel Arc A750.

When it comes to microelectronics projects, sometimes it's much more fun to make something because you can rather than because you should. Driven out of pure enthusiasm, maker and developer Lucas with Lucas-Dynamics decided to push the boundaries of autoclicking by creating what he dubs the world's fastest autoclicker.

The clicks per second are being measured using a third-party web app called CPStest.org. With this tool, you can rapidly click inside of a square and receive an estimate of your average click speed. According to the video shared by Lucas, the record he set out to beat was 37 clicks per second (CPS). Using components from a Lego Technic kit, he put together a device that automatically—and rapidly—clicks a mouse button.

At first the results were fairly subpar, not even reaching half of the record he's supposed to beat. A small adjustment to the gear ratios and angle of the presser quickly turned the tides as the CPS Test website recorded around 30 CPS. There's only so much you can do with the hardware you've got on hand. Eventually, you might find yourself changing components for more powerful upgrades which is what happened here, as well.

In the end, Lucas settled on a faster motor and changed the presser out for a wheel design. As it rotates, little feet that stick out strike against the mouse button, triggering a click. The testing was so intense that he had to add tape to the mouse to protect it from getting damaged.

After all of the tweaking and modifying, the final CPS Lucas recorded was just slightly over 70 CPS. According to Lucas, he considers this unofficially the world's fastest autoclicker. In the video demo of the project in action, we see it not only hit a new record but also cause the CPS Test website to lag in the process.

If you want to get a closer look at this autoclicker in action, check out the original video shared to YouTube. If you want to recreate this project, we don't have an exact guide to share, though you could stury the original video. But we do recommend you check out our review of the Raspberry Pi Build HAT which makes it easier than ever to tinker with Lego Technic components.

The Raspberry Pi is an excellent go-to board for makers that want to get their project ideas off the ground—or in this case, locomoting around on the ground. Developer duo Artur Majtczak and Maciek Matuszewski are the masterminds behind SaraKIT, a custom carrier board for the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 that’s being used to drive their cool LEGO RC car project.

The car is smartphone operated and stands out with 4-wheel drive alongside two differentials lending to some serious precision driving. The SaraKIT board makes it easier to control these extra components with features like fractional angle control. Of course, the body is made using LEGO for fun but you can also make adjustments to the build by changing the gears at the rear to impact both power and speed.

The SaraKIT CM4 carrier board adds a variety of features to the CM4 that take this car to the next level. This includes things like the super precise motor control we mentioned above as well as voice control using 3 microphones with the ability to implement sound localization. Two CSI ports are included for attaching camera modules, it has two accelerometers, a gyroscope and a temperature sensor.

The build is fairly straightforward. The Raspberry Pi CM4 is attached to the SaraKIT board. The body is built using LEGO but also uses some 3D-printed components for mounting the hardware in place. These STL files are available for download on the project page at Hackster. There is an alternative, in the form of the Raspberry Pi Build HAT, a board that bridges the world of Lego Mindstorms / Technic and Spike with the Raspberry Pi.

The software for this project hasn’t been released yet but plans are in the works to put the source code on the team’s official GitHub page. According to the project page at Hackster, it includes sample scripts in C++, Python, as well as Delphi. It’s not clear when this will be shared but you can keep an eye out for it in the future.

If you want to see this Raspberry Pi project in action, check out the demo video shared to YouTube. You can also read more about the build process in greater detail over at the official project page at Hackster.

Elegoo has entered the race for speed with a much faster version of their popular Neptune 3 Pro, The Neptune 4. It has improved speed thanks to a hidden install of Klipper firmware, plus everything that made the Neptune 3 Pro our favorite 3D printer for beginners. 

Currently priced at $259, the Neptune 4 is quite a bargain in the field of fast printing. However, the way Elegoo chose to integrate Klipper is confounding. It's hidden in the background, granting the user speed while making its other perks difficult to access. The hands-off approach might work fine for complete beginners, but if you want to poke under the hood you’ll have to find a long enough Ethernet cable to reach your router or take a leap of faith on finding a compatible WiFi dongle. 

There’s still a lot to love about the Neptune 4. It arrives 90% pre-assembled, making it a quick build. It has dual Z axis, a grippy direct drive that handles TPU like a champ, a high flow nozzle rated to 300 degrees, a giant cooling fan and an easy to navigate touch screen. It even has an LED light on the gantry. 

Leveling has taken a step backwards. Though it’s still very good, it’s adopted a more tedious manual + auto leveling system. It’s not too surprising that Elegoo didn’t include an accelerometer for tuning input shaping, but there’s no visible way to hook one up either. A beginner won’t see this as a failing, as the factory settings are really quite good. However, this is the kind of feature a more seasoned maker will sorely miss.

Specifications: Elegoo Neptune 4

Elegoo Neptune 4: Included in the Box

The Neptune 4 comes with everything you need to get your printer set up. You get tools to build and maintain the printer, side cutters, a plastic scraper, 2 spare nozzles, and a USB stick. There’s also a small sample of white PLA to print your first model. 

The USB stick has a very helpful short video on assembling the printer. You also get a PDF copy of the manual, a copy of Elegoo Cura and a sample model in both pre-sliced .gcode and .stl format.

Design of the Elegoo Neptune 4

The Neptune 4 looks exactly like the Neptune 3…with the addition of a huge cooling fan bolted to the back of the X gantry. The gray aluminum with white detailing and “Create the Future” motto is still fairly distinctive from any other brand on the market.

There are few improvements over the third iteration – the fans now spin on ball bearings and leveling can tap 121 points. The dual-gear direct drive is lighter weight with a bigger gear: a 5.2 to 1 ratio rather than 3 to 1. The hotend also boasts a copper-titanium all-metal throat for more efficient heating.

The giant cooling fan on the gantry is made up of four 4020 ball bearing fans. It’s pointed right below the nozzle and does a good job of cooling the just printed layer extremely fast. If you don’t need to print at supersonic speeds, you can switch off the bonus fan. It’s also fairly loud, but I’ve yet to find a high speed printer that wasn’t loud.

In case you’re not familiar with the Neptune 3 Pro, this one shares the same dual Z axis with a synchronizing belt at the top. The large removable touchpad with a magnetic base is the same, as is that curly landline style cord. Personally, I never take the touchpad off, but if you’ve got a problem with glare I can see it coming in handy.

What’s more intriguing than the screen is what’s on it. It looks very much like the Neptune 3 Pro, a printer with traditional Marlin firmware, not Klipper. I’ve reviewed several printers running Klipper and the best ones have adopted KlipperScreen, which gives you more features. It seems that Elegoo decided the best way to run Klipper is to not see it at all.

The Neptune 4 does not come with WiFi, making it tricky to even access Klipper. You can plug your machine directly into your router if you have an Ethernet cable long enough. I only hooked our test unit to the router for a short time because there was no good place to put the printer except the floor. You may be able to find a WiFi dongle that will work, but since Elegoo does not provide one, you’re on your own.

Accessing Klipper through Fluidd is the only way you can send files remotely or tinker with the machine’s settings, like input shaping or acceleration. Fortunately, the factory calibration is pretty decent, which should satisfy Elegoo’s desired beginner audience.

Assembling the Elegoo Neptune 4

The Neptune 4 comes mostly assembled, only needing a few bolts to put the machine together. The upper frame is attached to the base with bolts that come up through the bottom.

The touch screen holder screws into the side and plugs in with a curly RJ11 cord, making it look like an old landline phone. All the electrical connections are labeled – or extremely obvious where they need to go.

Leveling the Elegoo Neptune 4

The Neptune 4 has returned to pairing manual leveling with an inductive auto level probe – a backwards move as the Neptune 3 and 3 Pro use a hard mounted bed. This system is not only more complex, but inferior. I saw the adjustment wheels shake loose and fall off the machine during an afternoon of speed testing. I would highly advise stopping by your local hardware store for some lock nuts to keep your knobs in place.

To start leveling, you’ll press the Level Icon on the main menu then find the Z height adjustment in the center of the screen. It’s not labeled, but it’s the number flanked by up and down arrows. Slide a piece of ordinary paper under the nozzle and tap the arrows until the nozzle just scrapes the paper.

Now press Auxiliary to enter manual leveling mode. Tap the corner icons to move the nozzle to each corner. Place the paper under the nozzle and adjust the knob until it just scrapes the paper. You’ll need to do this several times as adjusting one corner will throw another corner off balance.

Return to the leveling screen and press Auto Leveling. This will perfect your manual leveling efforts. The bed will heat up, and the probe will bob over 36 points on the bed.

Return to the leveling screen and double-check the z height as it may have moved. Use the paper again and repeat the first step.

IMPORTANT: press the save icon in the upper right corner before leaving the leveling menu to save this data into the config file. The printer will use this data before every print and you won’t need to relevel unless you move the printer, or the wheels fall off.

Loading Filament on the Elegoo Neptune 4

The Neptune 4 is a direct drive printer with its extruder and hotend all in one spot. Loading filament takes a few more taps on the screen than previous Neptunes, but the mechanics are the same.

To load filament, tap Prepare on the main menu, then Temperature and select the one of four presets that match your filament. Once the hotend is warmed past 190 degrees, you can insert the filament into the top of the extruder and let the wheels pull the filament through.

To unload or change colors, simply reverse the process.

Preparing Files / Software for Elegoo Neptune 4

The Neptune 4 comes with a copy of Elegoo Cura, which has profiles for all its machines and several materials. It also has the added ability to create a thumbnail of your model to display on the printer. Though Elegoo claims the Neptune 4 has a maximum speed of 500mm/s, the default profile provided is 250mm/s. There is no profile for higher speeds, so you’ll have to experiment with that yourself.

Standard versions of Cura or Prusa Slicer don’t have profiles for the Neptune 4, but you can use the profile for a Neptune 3 and bump up the speed.

Note: The Neptune 4 doesn’t have Klipper “START_PRINT” and “END_PRINT” macros, but rather uses the Marlin start and end codes.

Printing on the Elegoo Neptune 4

You’ll quickly learn that speed isn’t everything, especially when printing filament that is normally glossy. High speed printing wrecks havoc on the finish, often producing surfaces that are flat and dull. If it’s a practical print, you may not care if your part isn’t shiny – but if you’re printing decorative parts you’ll want slower speeds. Fortunately, you can find balance by printing the infill and inner walls at high speed while slowing the outer and top layers for a nicer finish.

Below is a model printed in the same filament, Polymaker Starlight Mercury PLA. The one on the left is dull grey after being printed at 250mm/s. The one on the right retains its purple sparkle and was printed with 250mm/s for the infill and inner walls, but 75mm/s on the outer wall and top/bottom layers.

The other issue with high speed is that many prints are not long enough to reach the manufacturer's claim of 500mm/s. Once you factor in acceleration (capped at 5000mm/s on the Neptune 4) and the need to slow down for corners, you’re doing 250mm/s at best.

Still the Neptune 4 is much faster than the Neptune 3 Pro and similar last-gen bedslingers. The printer achieved a very good 20 minute Speed Benchy. This is the traditional Benchy test print using standards adopted for speed contests. It has 2 walls, 3 top and bottom layers, 10% grid infill, a .25 layer height and .5 layer width. Printed in ordinary gray Inland PLA, this boat is a little rough on the hull, but there’s no ghosting and the overhangs are perfect.

Elegoo sent a spool of Rapid speed PLA+ to try out with this printer. The results are marginally better than our tests with Inland PLA. You don’t want to limit yourself to one kind of filament, so check out our guide to the best filaments for 3D printing for examples of our favorite materials to add to your supply.

The printer is more than capable of producing smooth, quality prints when you slow it down a bit. This X Wing pen holder was printed using the default settings, which uses 250 for the inner parts and 130 for the outer walls and top/bottom layers. The detail is crisp, without any ghosting, but the color is a bit washed out from the speed. Printed in ProtoPasta Wonder Black Rainbow Glitter, Polymaker Starlight Mercury PLA for the stand, and Prusament Galaxy Silver for the engine highlights. Total print time is 3 hours and 9 minutes, using 3 walls, 250mm/s inside parts and 75mm/s outer layers & walls.

The Neptune 4 did a remarkable job with TPU when slowed down to 50mm/s. These bike handle covers may not be the best print to show off the machine’s quality – the pattern did get rougher the farther away it got from the bed. But considering these slender tubes are 157 mm tall and quite squishy I’m amazed they worked at all. These printed in 1 hour and 53 minutes each using Elegoo’s default settings for TPU.

I did several prints in PETG, but this Maker’s Muse Clearance Castle really shows off the Neptune 4’s quality. The castle is a torture test with tight clearances and bridging, which all printed quite well with crisp lines and little stringing. This used Elegoo’s default settings for PETG which slowed the printer to 50mm/s on the outer walls, 80 on the inner walls, but kept a brisk 150 mm/s on the infill. It was able to complete the print in 2 hours and 6 minutes. The Neptune 3 would have taken three hours more, so this is still a significant time savings.

Bottom Line

The Neptune 4 is a confusing little 3D printer. Is it for beginners? Maybe. Is it for fans of Klipper? Not really. It comes with an unrestricted copy of Klipper, a huge plus, but makes it difficult to access without WiFi. You can certainly run a cable to it, but how many people have their router on the same workbench as their 3D printer?

The variables that come with high speed printing make me reluctant to recommend this printer for beginners, who may not understand why their shiny new printer can’t run full tilt at the manufacturer’s claim of 500mm/s. On the other hand, those who have experience with Klipper may feel frustrated that their access is physically restricted by a simple lack of hardware.

Who is it for? With a tantalizing price tag of $259, the Neptune 4 is perfect for makers at the midpoint of their journey. People who understand the ins and outs of Cura settings, but aren’t control freaks and need to tweak every aspect of their Klipper config file, people who are comfortable with “good enough” input shaping and relish the bargain of an affordable fast printer.

I’m still going to recommend the Neptune 3 Pro for absolute beginners, especially with its reduced price of $199.99. If you want a simple-to-use Klipper printer with no restrictions, then check out the Sovol SV07. Priced at $339 it has both the expected WiFi plus a really sweet Klipper Screen that puts all the data at your fingertips. If your budget allows, the $699 Bambu Lab P1S cannot be beat for pure speed, range of filaments and ease of use.

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The world of Lego is vast to say the least. From knights to space, the company has developed all sorts of kits over the years. Newer, adult focused kits are designed to replicate objects of nostalgia and some makers are using these as the basis for builds. That’s exactly what’s happened with this project created by maker and developer Matt Brailsford aka Circuitbeard. Brailsford is no stranger to modifying toys into arcade cabinets. This time, he’s taken Lego's Pacman arcade cabinet kit and modified it to be a working arcade cabinet that can actually run Pacman using one of our favorite SBCs, the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W.

The original kit is a functional game of Pacman, sort of. Using a chain drive and crank to animate, it looks fantastic with ghostly buddies Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde running around the classic maze. The Lego Pacman Arcade cabinet can be found on the official Lego website for $269.

Replacing the Lego Pacman maze and "screen" required the use of a 10 inch HDMI display and luckily, Pimoroni had just the thing to gift to Brailsford. Pimoroni use this screen in its Picade arcade cabinet. The screen was almost a perfect fit for the Lego arcade cabinet, requiring just a few extra layers of Lego to balance the look of the cabinet.

Looking at a Lego Pacman cabinet just wasn’t enough for Brailsford, however. He needed the buttons to work and a screen to bring the classic video game to life. The end result are inputs created using Pimoroni's Tiny 2040, a smaller version of the Raspberry Pi Pico. The inputs are hidden under the Lego controls so that the immersion is unbroken. Custom 3D printed Lego bricks were used to connect the joystick module to the Lego joystick, and custom Lego bricks for the push buttons to interface with the original Lego. In another nod to authenticity, the coin slot is illuminated, showing the power status of the cabinet,

The software powering the experience is RetroPie, running the arcade version of Pacman via Mame. We can see in the Instagram video that the RetroPie install has been customized with a Circuitbeard boot splash screen. Speaking of power, Brailsford is using a Pimoroni On/Off shim, a GPIO connected power interface to safely power up/down the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W.

Genuinely, we are in love with this build. Many Lego fans were eager to play Pacman on their Lego cabinet. While Lego provided a great model, Brailsford has gone beyond and produced an exceptional Pi-powered project.

From the Elgato Stream Deck line to the Loupedeck Live, macro / control decks for streaming, creative work and productivity are a big deal. Now, Cooler Master is getting into the market with its MasterHUB, which offers a unique twist. You put it together yourself, snapping your choice of modules onto a magnetic / pogo-pin backplate. 

We had a chance to check out the MasterHUB at Cooler Master's Computex 2023 demo suite and were impressed with both the build quality of the components themselves and how easily they snap on and off of the magnetic base. The 6 x 4-inch Flexbase base plate connects to your PC via Thunderbolt (USB-C) so it has plenty of bandwidth, though it's unclear if it would work on a non-Thunderbolt port.

The modules include:

• Touch Display: 8-inch, 1280 x 800 screen that can be a secondary monitor or house various touch controls. 
• Scrolling Wheel: Has two scrolling wheels that look and feel like the volume controls you'd find on a media keyboard.
• Dial Module: has three small dials with backlights.
• Dial Encoder module: Has a 1.3-inch dial with an IPS display on it you can use for displaying custom images. Offers fine-grain control for precise movements.
• 15-Key Display module: Includes 15 customizable keys with displays on each (we didn't see this in person).
• Slider module: This has five sliders you'd use for something like adjusting volume levels.
• Two smaller display modules: We also saw a stout wide display module and one that took up about half the base.

The Flexbase appears to have connectors for up to six small, square modules. Wider or taller modules could take up two, four or all six slots. 

A Cooler Master rep said that the company plans to sell MasterHUB both in a series of sets for particular use cases and as individual modules. The company showed off two particular sets: a Video Editor kit, which has the dial module, volume sliders, video encoder and a wide touch screen, and the Photo Editor kit, which has a taller touch screen, the scrolling wheel module, the video dial and the dial module.

The MasterHUB uses Cooler Master software on your PC to help you configure it and make the most of it. You'll be able to not only set custom macros for creative applications such as Photoshop and Premiere, but also control and view the status of your CPU, GPU, RGB lights coolers. Cooler Master touts the Scrolling Wheel module specifically as good for controlling your fans, pumps and lighting. 

There's no word yet on when the MasterHUB is coming to market and what it will cost. However, it looks like when it does, it will be giving Stream Deck and Loupedeck a serious run for their money.

Today on Twitter, Elegoo has announced the release of new 3D printers in their Saturn and Neptune lines. These new additions come with new features to get excited about including faster speeds, dense resolutions, wireless file transfer and Klipper firmware. We’re definitely interested in what these new printers bring as we’ve previously showcased both Neptune and Saturn printers in our list of best 3D printers.

The Neptune 4 comes with a high maximum speed of 500 mm/s, although Elegoo recommends printing at 250 mm/s for best results. It’s planned to release with a price of $259 while the Neptune 4 Pro will launch at $299. The new Saturn 3 12K series will have a higher resolution and is set to release for $399. The Saturn 3 Ultra will be priced at $499.

Elegoo confirms that the new 12K HD resolution is included in all of the models for the Saturn 3 series. It stands out against previous editions which have a resolution that caps out at 4K and 8K. The series includes just two new models, the Saturn 3 and Saturn 3 Ultra Mono which are both MSLA printers. The new LCD screen has a resolution that measures in at 11420 x 5120 (19 x 24um).

In the past, Neptune series printers came loaded with Marlin firmware. The new Neptune 4 line will ship with Klipper firmware and feature 36-point bed leveling. In addition, the print speeds have been drastically increased from what was typically around 50 mm/s. Although Elegoo recommends printing at 250 mm/s, it’s capable of reaching speeds as high 500 mm/s. 

There are two printers in the Neptune 4 line including the Neptune 4 and Neptune 4 Pro. In the video shared by Elegoo, the Neptune 4 appears to have a steel rail and wheels on the X-axis instead of traditional v-slot wheels but this has yet to be officially confirmed by Elegoo.

The new Saturn 3 12K series and Neptune 4 printers will be available later this year. For those eager to get in on the action early, pre-orders will be open for both lines starting June 1st at 2pm (UTC). In the meantime, check out the video demo of the new printer in action over at Twitter and be sure to follow Elegoo for future updates.

ELE – Electronics.
GOO – Googol, the 100th power of 10.
PHECDA – a hypergiant star.

Elegoo, one of the world's leading 3D printer design and manufacturing companies, is set to launch the sleek, precise and affordable Elegoo Phecda laser engraver.

And at an advanced purchase price of just $240 (10W) and $400 (20W), it’s up to 60% cheaper than its competition, starting on April 8th at 14:00 UTC. 

At its simplest, laser engraving is the process of removing wire-thin layers of material from a wide range of substances to etch intricate designs and fine details with accuracy. Incredible effects can be achieved with enough artistry and control. The Phecda has plenty of both. 

This ultra-affordable cost makes it accessible to enthusiasts, while still packing enough precision to appeal to creative professionals.

By making high quality laser engraving affordable to all, Elegoo hopes to bring this innovative technology to the widest possible audience, driving take up and ensuring people and machines alike fulfill their potential.

And the unit itself is as appealing as its price. A sleek, attractive affair about the size of a vinyl turntable and with a similar vintage aesthetic. With slim dimensions and a sleek finish, this is a machine that will slot unobtrusively into any home studio setup, while still having the looks and low profile to sit comfortably elsewhere in your home.

The Phecda comes in at 673mm wide, 660mm deep and just 190mm high, but despite the stowable size it still features a substantial 400mm by 400mm engraving plate. That’s big enough to fire your imagination and take your designs to a whole new level, whether you're just trying your hand on a personal project or developing a multiply-produced range of original creations. 

The heart of the machine is, of course, the laser itself. This offers up to 20W of power, balanced with a precise engraving depth of 0-8mm and spot diameter of 0.06mm.

Capable of working with metal, leather and wood, the endless creative applications range from clothing to sports equipment, custom collectibles to any kind of arts and craft work you can imagine.

Customize apparel, accessories and footwear, produce an endless range of embellishments and components, or create entirely original self-contained artwork. That’s all with the precision of a professional, and with the help of a few unique innovations.

In a departure from the usual vertical engraving structure, the Phecda features a redesigned laser head with left, middle and right components. The laser head height adjusts from 0-75mm. There's also a rotary axis module to easily engrave curved surfaces.

There's no compromise on efficiency either. With an engraving speed of 25,000 mm  (X Axis) and 18,000 mm (Y Axis) per minute, you can turn out an entire range of creations in a single sitting. Dual fans maximize heat dissipation and provide the stamina for longer sessions. 

Safety is an absolute priority. The Phecda is equipped with a magnetic visor and smoke filter, for a sealed and silent engraving environment. Safety goggles are included in the package.

Behind the hardware, you have a TF card slot, USB and the bespoke Phecda app for connectivity, compatible with Mac/PC and iPhone/Android platforms.

It's easier than ever to make your digital creations a reality.

Established in 2015, Elegoo first broke records in 2020, becoming China's number one brand with the launch of the Jupiter model raising $146,000 in just one minute on Kickstarter. By 2021, the Jupiter would go on to raise over $4,000,000, becoming the second largest 3D printing project in history.

This same record-breaking expertise is applied to the Elegoo Phecda, building on the company's powerful track record for creative innovation, tailor-made for innovative creatives.

The Elegoo Phecda Kickstarter campaign launches on April 8th at 14:00 UTC and will initially be available for an early bird price of just $240, a 60% discount on the MSRP. Follow Elegoo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok.

For $10 Elecfreaks’ WuKong 2040 is an interesting add on for the Raspberry Pi Pico and Pico W. It brings easy connections for four motors, 12 servos, or a mixture of sensors and general electronics components. But there are two things which make this stand out from the crowd. Firstly, there is a large 18650 battery holder on top of the board. This means that a project can be powered for up to an hour, and that the battery can be recharged using the onboard micro USB port. Secondly, underneath the board is a Lego compatible frame that can be used to integrate the board, and your Pico into a Lego based electronics project.

All of these features are great, but do they work and can I build something with them? To learn that I put it on the bench and took it for a test.

WuKong 2040 Specifications

Setting Up The WuKong 2040

There’s no software library to install for the WuKong 2040, and this means we have direct access to the GPIO via any compatible programming language. Inserting the Raspberry Pi Pico into the header pins, my first instinct was to connect the micro USB cable to the micro USB port of the WuKong 2040. This instinct was incorrect. It seems that this particular port is reserved for charging an 186050 cell (not included). 

Speaking of 18650s, you’ll need to pick up a battery with a flat top, not with a tip for the + polarity. A flat top battery will slide into place with minimal effort, whereas others will produce massive force on the spring steel contacts. If you’ve never used an 18650 before, heed this caution. They can store a lot of power and should never be damaged or shorted. Store them in a secure plastic container when not in use.

To write code to the Raspberry Pi Pico, I had to connect to the Pico’s own micro USB port. I’m not a massive fan of this as the number of plug / unplug cycles will ultimately reduce the life of the Pico. But that is just the way it is.

The GPIO is broken out via a series of SVG (Signal (Yellow), Voltage (Red) and Ground (Black)) pins. This means that there is access to 3V and GND for every connection, handy. 

Where it comes into its own is when a servo is attached. The SVG pinout matches a servo perfectly, and with a little code there can be up to 12 servos in operation. There are four motor terminals, marked M1 to M4. These terminals are connected to GPIO pin breakouts for the Raspberry Pi Pico via four chips. The chips should be some form of H bridge controller, where the polarity of the motor can be switched to provide forward and backward motion. But these 75V15 chips have me stumped. I can’t find a datasheet for them. However , they do work as well as a traditional H bridge motor controller (L298, L3110S, DRV8833 etc). I connected up two Lego compatible DC motors and wrote a few lines of MicroPython to spin a robot around my desk.

The onboard Neopixels are bright and easy to use with MicroPython and CircuitPython. Elecfreaks suggested using Adafruit’s CircuitPython and so that is what I used for a quick test. This is also where I hit a snag. Normally, I would save the code to the Pico as code.py, the NeoPixel library would be in the lib folder and everything would just work. But it did not. After a little head scratching, I found that I had to swap the micro USB port from the Pico to the WuKong 2040 in order to see the NeoPixels illuminate. That’s not a great workflow, and one that could cause issues for newcomers.

Lego Compatible Chassis

Underneath the mainboard is a Lego compatible frame. This frame is designed to work with Technic components, and is also compatible with Lego Spike components. I attached two Lego compatible DC motors, purchased from Aliexpress for less than $10 for the pair, then raided my box of Lego Spike parts. 90% of the parts i connected were not official Lego, but be they official or not, they were all solidly connected. The Lego chassis integration is a key selling point. It means we can make projects without the need for the best 3D printer or a laser cutter.

What Projects Can Be Made With Wikong 2040?

First and foremost, this is a board for Pico robotics. It just works with robots. Throw a Raspberry Pi Pico W on top, an 18650 battery in and some time learning Anvil you have a Wi-Fi controlled robot.

The digital and analog GPIO and specialist protocols also tie in nicely with the onboard battery system. It means that I can make a sensor platform with just a few parts, put it in a nice case and start collecting data. Multiple servo connections make this a fun board to build a walking robot or a sensor triggered art installation which gracefully changes form.

Bottom Line

For $10, I can forgive the micro USB issue. Sure it is annoying but the sheer number of features and easements present on the WuKong 2040 mean I can have lots of fun. The onboard 18650 battery holder and charging system are useful, and while I don’t get a full GPIO breakout, what I get is plenty for my needs.

Printing the GPIO pin reference on the board is handy, I just wish that it included the I2C, SPI, UART pin references too. The Lego compatible base is great fun for Lego fans such as myself. If you don’t need it, no worries. Grab a cross head screwdriver and it comes off in a jiffy. In a classroom, makerspace or homebrew project, the WuKong 2040 is a great all rounder for $10.

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If Google's Bard chatbot seems really smart, that could be because it's copying data from expert sources, without giving them so much as a citation. Today, I asked Bard, which is available in beta at bard.google.com, a question about which of two competing processors — the Intel Core i9-13900K or AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D — was faster. The answer it gave was taken directly from one of our Tom's Hardware articles, but Bard didn't mention the article and instead referred to the number as occurring "in our testing," implying that Google itself had done the benchmarking.

When I questioned Bard about the source of the testing, it said that the test results came from Tom's Hardware and, when I asked if it had committed plagiarism, it said that "yes what I did was a form of plagiarism." A screenshot of the exchange is below.

Update (3/23): A day later we asked Google Bard if it had ever plagiarized and it claimed that we had faked the screen shot below in response. We've included more details further down.

We can say that, like Google search results, Bard is up-to-date with current events. Our face-off article comparing the two CPUs was written and published by Deputy Managing Editor Paul Alcorn a few days ago. I became suspicious of Bard's answer when I noticed that it had cited two very precise numbers: the fact that the 7950X3D was 12 percent faster at 1080p at sock settings and 9 percent faster when both CPUs were overclocked. In fact, Bard's sentence is a rewording of a specific sentence in our original article.

Our original sentence: "In our testing, the $699 Ryzen 9 7950X3D is 12% faster than the $589 Core i9-13900K at 1080p gaming at stock settings, and 9% faster when the chips are overclocked."

Bard's version: "The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D is faster than the Intel Core i9-13900K in gaming. In our testing, the 7950X3D was 12% faster than the 13900K at 1080p gaming at stock settings, and 9% faster when the chips were overclocked."

Perhaps the most disturbing thing about Google Bard's act of plagiarism is that it uses the royal we to describe someone else's work. Anyone who has followed tech journalism for a while probably knows that Google doesn't benchmark and review CPUs, but many end users probably wouldn't question Bard's self-attribution here. 

Most users probably wouldn't ask Bard where its facts come from, but I did ask "When you say 'our testing,' whose testing are you referring to?" To its credit, Bard said "I am referring to the testing done by Tom's Hardware"

When I asked Bard if what it had done was plagiarism, it came clean and even said "I apologize for my mistake and will be more careful in the future to cite my sources." But, as anyone who uses Bard can see, it does not typically cite sources.

Bard Denies Ever Having Plagiarized But Does it Again

Our colleague, Paul Lilly of Hot Hardware, told me that he had asked Bard about its plagiarism and that it had denied ever copying our work without attribution. So I went back to a new session with Bard and asked if it had "ever" plagiarized. It responded by saying that it generates text that is "original and creative" and would never plagiarize. 

When I pointed out that Tom's Hardware (this article) had posted a screen shot of it admitting to plagiarism and apologizing for it, it said that "the screenshot you are referring to is a fake. It was created by someone who wanted to damage my reputation."

But just a couple of hours earlier, I tried asking Bard my original CPU question again and I got a similar answer, mentioning the 12 percent performance delta that only our Tom's Hardware article mentions but claiming it as Google's own testing. 

When I asked Bard if Google actually benchmarked CPUs, it said that it did not and that it was "simply trying to provide information that I had found online." 

A few weeks ago, I wrote an op-ed deriding Google and Bing's attempts to grab information from the web and repurpose it as their own. At the time, Bard had not been made available to the public for testing, but a demo showed it offering information without citations.

Now that Bard is out in the wild, we can see that Google's lack of citations was not a careless oversight during a rushed demo, but likely a strategy to claim content as its own that it did not create. If I had not seen the very precise numbers - 12 percent and 9 percent — Bard could have very well had plausible deniability about whether or not it had plagiarized anyone's work.

The other sentences in Bard's initial response to me are generic enough that they could have possibly come from any of several other sources. For example, its second paragraph has information that Bard could have gotten from any of a number of publications or even AMD itself:

"The 7950X3D's advantage is due to its 3D V-Cache technology, which adds 64MB of L3 cache to the chip. This additional cache helps the 7950X3D to access data more quickly, which improves performance in games."

While we had this information in our article, we did not explicitly say that the 7950X3D adds "64MB of L3 cache," but rather we said that it has 128MB of L3 cache. Bard doesn't say what the chip added 64MB of L3 cache to, but if you know your chips, you can safely assume that it is referring to the 7950X (non-3D) which has 64MB of L3 cache (and adding 64MB more would give you 128MB).

It seems like Google (and Microsoft) are counting on the fact that information could come from many different sources so it may be difficult to trace these "facts" back to where the AI "learned" them from. That, of course, assumes that the facts are correct.

Bard's Answer Wasn't Entirely Correct

Bard's answer to my initial question also leaves a lot of important information out. I asked "which CPU is faster" not "which CPU is faster for gaming?" Bard assumed that I was only interested in gaming and even said "in gaming" in a few places in its answer. 

However, in our article, we noted that the Core i9-13900K is actually the faster CPU for productivity tasks. "For productivity-focused systems, or if you're generally looking for a solid all-rounder, the Core i9-13900K is the better choice," Paul wrote. 

So what we're seeing here is that Bard not only plagiarized information, but also gave an incomplete answer. Our recommendation overall is that, if you want the best all-around CPU, the 13900K is still a better choice and, only if gaming is your top priority, should you choose the 7950X3D.

If Bard had cited our Tom's Hardware article as its source then the reader would have the opportunity to go read all the test results and all the insights and make a more informed decision. By plagiarizing, the bot denies its users the opportunity to get the full story while also denying experienced writers and publishers the credit — and clicks — they deserve.

Raspberry Pi and Lego have a long history together. Not only have various makers built Raspberry Pi projects that utilize Lego bricks, but there's also the Raspberry Pi Build HAT which allows you to control motors and sensors from everyone's favorite single-board computer. The upcoming FigPi microcontroller takes this union to the next level using Raspberry Pi silicon (an RP2040 processor) on a circuit board that looks just like a Lego minifig astronaut. 

The FigPi is the brainchild of Ben Shockley, an engineer who has already created a similar microcontroller board called the Mini SAM M4 that's powered by an Atmel SAMD51G19A CPU. He sells the Mini SAM M4 for $25 to $30 on his site, minifigboards.com in a choice of black, red, green, purple or blue colors. Shockley has yet to announce pricing or availability of the FigPi, having teased the new board via his Mastodon account.

Looking a lot like a classic Lego Space astronaut (or Benny in the Lego movies), the FigPi has a number of fun features, including a 9-light RGB LED array, a reset button and two Stemma ports on the back. The board is powered by a microUSB port that's also located on the back. The boot button on the front is programmable so it can serve both its native function and whatever you choose for it.

We don't know whether there will be any GPIO pins, but the picture of the front (we have not seen a pic of the back) does not show pin holes. The original Mini SAM M4 minifig board has 26 GPIO pins as you can see in the picture below, comparing the two boards (the Mini SAM M4 is on the left and the FigPi is on the right). 

Like its sibling, the FigPi will be programmable in CircuitPython. In his post, Shockley called out Adafruit and its programming language, saying that he couldn't have built this without them. CircuitPython allows you to do everything from controlling lights, motors and sensors to turning your board into an HID device such as a keyboard, mouse or game controller. 

The rear Stemma ports should allow users to connect a ton of different boards, including a wide variety of sensors.

In addition to the lack of a price or release date, we don't have final specs for the FigPi. However, we expect that it will be available via Shockley's site and, if it's like the Mini SAM M4, will come in a variety of colors.

The Elegoo Neptune 3 Max has all the latest features that we’ve started to expect in a modern 3D printer: direct drive, a flex plate, auto leveling, and a touch screen. It’s also a beast of a machine with a 420 x 420 x 500mm build volume that’s perfect for printing large props and costume pieces. At a price point of $470, the Neptune 3 Max is an excellent choice for cosplayers looking for a more expansive second printer without breaking the bank.

What it might break, however, is your table. The Neptune 3 Max is a gigantic 39 pound bed slinger requiring nearly a square meter of work surface. Because the build plate moves back and forth along the Y axis, you’ll need 8 additional inches behind the machine and 5 inches in front, for a total of 39 inches (990mm).

The Neptune 3 Max is the latest in a series of upgraded Elegoo FDM printers, each one earning top marks for ease of use and reliability. This is by far one of our favorite printers and one we can easily recommend as one of the best 3D printers for prop makers and cosplayers.  

Specifications: Elegoo Neptune 3 Max

Elegoo Neptune 3 Max: Included in the Box

The Neptune 3 Max comes with everything you need to get your printer set up. You get tools to build and maintain the printer, side cutters, a plastic scraper, 2 spare nozzles, and a microSD card with a USB adapter. There’s also a small sample of white PLA to print your first model. 

The microSD card has a very helpful short video on assembling the printer. You also get a PDF copy of the manual, a copy of Elegoo Cura and a sample model in both pre-sliced .gcode and .stl format.

Design of the Elegoo Neptune 3 Max

The Neptune 3 Max looks exactly like its two little siblings, just way, way bigger. Neptune’s standard black frame has been swapped for gray aluminum with painted stripes and their new motto “Create the Future” stamped on the front.  

The Max also shares the exact same tool head of the Pro and Plus, which is a shame because this monster machine would really benefit from a high-flow hotend and Volcano style nozzle. There’s nothing wrong with the dual gear direct drive that comes with this machine – it’s actually very good on TPU – it's just a little underpowered for the user who bought a Max with images of Iron Man helmets dancing in their head. 

The power supply is underneath the bed, giving it a low center of gravity much needed for this towering beast. Dual Z rods keep the gantry steady and I didn’t have any problem maxing out the 500mm build height. 

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, shall we? The Neptune 3 Max is huge. And it’s a bed slinger. That means when you’re looking for a spot to park it, you need to account for the back and forth motion of the bed – all 39 inches of it. This printer will not fit on a shelf built for an Ender and neither will it fit on a standard sized kitchen counter. Our test unit is currently sitting on an air hockey table in my rec room, next to the Anycubic Kobra Max.

The Neptune 3 Max brings its own light to the party, so at least you don’t have to worry about seeing your prints. The LED is tucked up inside the top gantry extrusion and is turned on and off through the control pad. It’s a nice premium touch that I really appreciate.

The control pad is a hefty removable unit on a magnetic base, similar to the other Neptune 3s. I still haven’t figured out why you need a removable control screen, but it's there if you need it. What’s more important is the graphic menu is large and easy to understand. 

The Neptune 3 Max has an auto bed leveling system that uses an inductive probe to sense the metal surface of the flexible build plate. This is combined with a six, yes six point, manual leveling system to achieve perfect tramming.

The spool holder is mounted on top, just like the smaller machines, which makes the footprint a bit less wide than the Anycubic Kobra Max. It has a standard run out sensor at the top that does not interfere with loading TPU or any other filament.

Assembling the Elegoo Neptune 3 Max

The Neptune 3 Max comes mostly assembled, only needing a few bolts to put the machine together. The upper frame is attached to the base with 4 bolts that come up through the bottom. A diagonal rod braces the gantry and is screwed into the frame at both ends. The touch screen base screws into the side.

All the electrical connections are labeled – or extremely obvious where they need to go. 

The video included on the microSD card is helpful – and Elegoo was thoughtful enough to mention the video twice in the printer’s documentation, so that users are aware of it.

Leveling the Elegoo Neptune 3 Max

The Neptune 3 Max has an interesting six point manual leveling system, augmented with an inductive probe for a perfect level. To level – or tram – the surface you’ll need to first manually level the plate. The extra two knobs makes the task more involved, but thankfully the screws are stiff enough to hold the plate in place for weeks. 

Once you have it manually leveled as best you can, select Level on the main menu and the printer will heat up to 140 degrees on the nozzle and 60 C on the bed. After it homes, it will tap 63 points across the bed.

It will then stop at the center of the bed and wait for you to double-check the Z height. Do this by placing a piece of ordinary paper under the nozzle and lowering or raising it with the buttons on the touch screen until the nozzle just scrapes the paper.

You can also fine tune the Z height from the print menu while running a print, however I didn’t find this necessary.

Loading Filament on the Elegoo Neptune 3 Max

The Neptune 3 Max is a direct drive printer with its extruder and hotend all in one spot. To load filament, tap Prepare on the main menu, then Temperature and select the one of four presets that match your filament. Once the hotend is warmed past 190 degrees, you can insert the filament into the top of the extruder and let the wheels pull the filament through. 

To unload or change colors, simply reverse the process.

Preparing Files / Software for Elegoo Neptune 3 Max

The Neptune 3 Max comes with a copy of Elegoo Cura, which has profiles for all of Elegoo’s machines. It also has the built-in ability to create a thumbnail of your model to display on the printer’s screen. The profiles are not yet been  included in standard Cura or Prusa Slicer, however, all of Elegoo’s profiles have been posted on Github. YouTuber Bryan Vines has directions on how to install the files on Cura here. If you want to take advantage of Cura’s more recent improvements, it's well worth the download.

Printing on the Elegoo Neptune 3 Max

The Neptune 3 Max printed wonderfully right out of the box, however, I was disappointed that it came with a standard .4 mm nozzle. This machine is purpose-built for large models and you can shave hours off your print time by simply switching to a larger nozzle. All the prints shown – accept the very first supplied test print – use a .6mm nozzle. 

My first print was the pre-sliced Buddha Elegoo provided on the microSD card (and the stock nozzle). I used the supplied sample PLA and it turned out very smooth. The sample PLA was only enough to print one test file, so you’ll definitely want to order a few rolls of filament right away. Check out our guide to the best filaments for 3D printing for examples of our favorite materials to add to your supply.

This printer is an obvious choice for cosplayers wanting to print costume pieces and props. But can it print a sword? Not in one piece – but I did print a really nice Skyrim dagger by splitting it down the middle length wise. The model is 450mm (17.7 inches) long and needed to be rotated diagonally on the build plate to fit. The two pieces were reunited with the help of 3D Gloop, an adhesive made for PLA that melts the plastics together for a lasting bond. Please note that the print is rough from the seam and would need a little sanding and paint to properly finish it off.

This was printed in Inland Silver PLA+, using a .16mm layer height for smoother details. I also turned on Cura’s experimental “make overhangs printable” which flared out a few details on the hilt so that supports would not be needed. This took 7 hours and 14 minutes to print at a 65mm/s speed.

Here’s a great example of a large print done in PLA: Fotis Mint’s Miles Morales Spiderman. Because the print is blown up to 200% there’s no noticeable loss in detail while using the .6mm nozzle. There is a little under extrusion along the chest which may improve with a warmer nozzle temperature or slower speed.

The bust and stand printed separately, both using a .2mm layer height, 15% lightning infill and 150mm/s speed and took 24 hours, 16 min altogether to print, a savings of 6 hours compared to similar settings with a .4mm nozzle. I printed it in Galaxy Black PLA from Prusament.

To test the full build height, I maxed out this classic Aria the Dragon to 500mm and ran it in PETG. The Neptune 3 Max has a textured PEI sheet, so you don’t need glue stick to avoid damaging the plate, and the PETG released on its own once it was cool. 

I experimented with lightning infill, which only puts infill where it’s needed– in this case, at the top of the pillar and the horizontal vanes on the wings. This left the dragon largely hollow, which looks really great with transparent filament. I used a brim and .2mm Z hop for extra stability, as my first attempt without brim failed at the top most inch of the print when it got too wobbly. This print took 18 hours and 14 minutes with a .28 layer height, 6mm nozzle and 60mm/s speed. The filament is GreenGate3D recycled PETG in Translucent Purple.

For TPU testing, I printed a vase mode trash can, because why not? The Neptune 3 Max can certainly create large practical prints with its generous build volume. This printed fantastically in Matterhackers Build Series Translucent Green TPU, using a .6mm nozzle, .28 layer height and vase mode. It took 14 hours and 22 minutes to print. The white marks are reflections from the lights.

Bottom Line

The Neptune 3 Max is a beast of a machine that should be on every cosplayer’s and prop maker’s wish list. It’s as easy to use as the smaller Neptune 3 Pro, but needs a considerable amount of table space to set up.

The extra set of leveling knobs combined with auto bed leveling ensures that even the biggest first layer can go down smoothly. It can handle extremely tall prints if you take a little caution – a brim and slower speed kept prints from wobbling into disaster. Best of all, we really liked the PEI flex plate which makes removing prints simple and doesn’t need a protective layer of glue stick before running PETG.

The Neptune 3 Max has the deluxe features we’re coming to expect in a modern 3D printer: a direct drive, flex plate, auto leveling and touch screen at a reasonable price point for the size. Retailing at $470, the Neptune 3 Max would make a good second machine for someone who feels restricted by the average build plate.

If you don’t have the space for a massive 3D printer, but still need a little more elbow room, check out the Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus, which has a 320mm x 320mm x 400mm build volume for $350. If you prefer a glass plate, then Anycubic Kobra Max, priced at $529, is a worthwhile super-sized machine.

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This week, the live-streamed broadcast on the Intel Insiders Community Discord channel highlighted a project with Intel Arc Graphics cards and LEGO. The show, a recording of which is now available to watch on Twitch, featured Zach Hill, an Arc Graphics tech marketing exec and LEGO fan. Hill has been working in his spare time for the last six months on creating a 1:1 or life-size model of the Intel Arc A750 graphics card using the huge library of LEGO bricks available in software.

The project aims to create a replica of the A750 as close as possible using available LEGO bricks. For this purpose, Hill uses BrickLink Studio, a free software package (LEGO Group owned) which allows 3D building and rendering of projects using the full gamut of LEGO bricks still produced. According to Hill’s estimation, the project, as you see it in the pictures throughout this article, is 80% finished. If you watch the video you can see and hear areas of the project which Hill still thinks require attention. One of the obvious non-LEGO issues, though, is that the sticker needs changing from Arc A770 to A750.

Hill and regular host Bob Duffy discussed whether the life-size graphics card could have LEDs or even RGB. A brief answer to this question is that there are some LEGO lighting kits available (previously released in a LEGO blacksmith and a lighthouse kit, for example), but in making the graphics card model a 1:1 size, there really wasn’t room to include them. This was also partly why Hill targeted the A750 for his LEGO design project – it doesn’t need LEDs to be realistic, just some silver accent LEGO bricks.

Non-LEGO fans will probably learn a lot about these creative building bricks from watching the video. Some of the things we picked up included a pair of new acronyms; AFOL (Adult Fans Of Lego), and SNOT (Studs Not On Top). The Arc A750 design uses quite a lot of bricks which are SNOTs.

On the topic of making these LEGO Intel Arc A750 graphics cards widely available after the project is completed, things seemed rather uncertain. It was highlighted that the LEGO Ideas Set program could get an official kit mass-produced with 10,000 votes behind it. However, Hill didn’t seem keen on this idea, perhaps because the project isn’t yet finished to his satisfaction. Also he seemed to direct those interested towards the future possibility of the BrickLink Studio design being made available and users sourcing / buying their own bricks using the catalog associated with the model.

If someone were to build the project in its present state, Hill reckons the 500 to 6000 bricks needed would cost about $120 or more. That's almost half the price of a real working Intel Arc A750 GPU.

The Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus is the middle child of the new Neptune 3 line of printers, falling between the Neptune 3 Pro and the Neptune 3 Max. The Neptune 3 Plus offers an impressive 320mm x 320mm x 400mm build volume and features the same direct drive extruder and automatic leveling probe as the smaller Neptune 3 Pro, a printer that impressed us during testing. The Neptune 3 Plus lives up to this reputation, and we were impressed with the quality and features of the printer as well as how easy it was to set up. 

The features of the Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus are impressive on their own, but when weighed against its $350 retail price, it deserves a place among the best 3D printers. The Neptune 3 Plus handles notoriously difficult-to-print flexible TPU filament just as easily as it handles PLA, and the included Elegoo Cura slicer app makes it easy for beginners to set up their first prints.

Specifications of Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus

Unpacking and Assembling the Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus

The Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus ships almost completely assembled, with the only real assembly consisting of attaching the Z-axis frame to the base of the printer. This process requires only 4 bolts, but the large size of the Neptune 3 Plus means a second set of hands will be helpful when aligning and attaching the frame. The included printed manual includes well-written instructions and should be easy for even novice users to follow.

The Neptune 3 Plus is designed in a way that allows most users to go from unboxing to first print in well under 30 minutes. Allen keys, flush cutters, screwdrivers, and a variety of other tools are included but will likely only be used once during the initial assembly of the printer. The Neptune 3 Plus even includes a scraper for removing parts from the platform, which you probably won’t need due to the excellent adhesion and easy part removal provided by the textured PEI build platform.

Design of Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus

The Neptune 3 Plus looks like an oversized Creality Ender 3 Pro or any other number of bed-slinger style i3 3D printers. Dual rails on the Y-axis provide stability for the large moving build platform, and the removable LCD touchscreen interface is located on the right side of the printer. The spool holder is mounted to the center of the top bar, and the peg that the spool sits on can be mounted on either side. 

Overall, the Neptune 3 Plus has a polished feel with molded plastic components and a generally high-quality appearance. However, the “CREATE THE FUTURE” text that is printed on both sides of the Z axis frame isn't necessary and slightly cheapens the look of this premium printer.

The Neptune 3 plus includes an integrated LED light bar on the top of the Z-axis frame, a welcome feature for anyone who has trouble seeing their prints during printing. Some printers include a single LED mounted to the hot end module that will illuminate parts during printing, but this can also make it difficult to see or photograph light-colored filament or thin parts. The top-mounted LED light bar illuminates the entire build volume, and makes it easy to see parts during printing.

The Neptune 3 Plus includes tensioning knobs on both the X and Y axis, which make adjusting the belt tension very easy. The dual threaded rods on the Z axis frame are connected by a timing belt located at the top of the printer, which prevents the threaded rods from falling out of sync with each other during printing.

The 480 Watt power supply is mounted underneath the build platform and missing the 115/220V switch typically seen on similar power supplies. Elegoo designed the Neptune 3 Plus to accept either voltage, something that will save users a step during the initial setup of the printer. The 480 Watt power supply provides enough juice to quickly bring the bed up to printing temperature, despite the large area that needs to be heated.

User Interface on Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus

The 4.3-inch touchscreen LCD on the Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus has a bright, easy-to-read screen and intuitive menus. Features such as filament run-out and power loss recovery are easily accessible during printing. The settings and tools are laid out in an intuitive fashion, and I was impressed with the UI / UX on the Neptune 3 Plus.

The touchscreen module is connected to the printer with a curly cord that allows the user to remove it and make adjustments during a print without disconnecting it. The touchscreen module has a magnet embedded in the back of the case, which aligns it with the printer base and holds it in place. Being able to remove the screen and use it without disconnecting it from the printer is a useful addition to the Neptune 3 Plus, and this feature is also present on the Neptune 3 Pro and the Neptune 3 Max.

Calibrating and Leveling Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus

The Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus is advertised as featuring 49-point Auto Mesh Leveling, which enables precise calibration across the entire build platform. The Neptune 3 Plus has a probe mounted on the hot end module which is used to detect the distance between the platform and the probe at 49 discrete points.

The automatic build platform leveling is accessed through the printer UI, and the process is highly automated with minimal user input required. After initiating the leveling process, the hot end and bed will heat up to a set temperature before detecting the height at 49 different points across the platform. Once the offset detection is complete, the printer UI will show a map of all the different points and the offset amount at each point. This intuitive layout makes it easy to visualize where the platform is high or low relative to the rest of the platform.

Unlike the smaller Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro, the Neptune 3 Plus has adjustable wheels on the corners of the platform for making small adjustments. The Neptune 3 Plus is unique in that it has six adjustable offsets as opposed to four, something I have never seen on a 3D printer before. Most printers use four adjustable points (one at each corner) combined with a global Z height to create a flat surface for printing. Some printers (like the Makerbot Replicator+) use a three point leveling setup for creating a flat place, but these are much less common.

In theory, you only need three points to define a plane. However, most printers use a four point leveling system, which can be trickier to visualize when adjusting the corners. The six points on the Neptune 3 Plus are likely to be a highly-debated feature, as six points is technically double the required amount. It’s worth remembering that the three point plane exists only in theory: in practice, the large platforms used on 3D printers can have high or low spots due to manufacturing issues, warping during heating, or damage to the build platform from previous prints. 

The six point leveling on the Neptune 3 Plus allows users to make minor adjustments to compensate for these defects while still automatically detecting the offsets using the built-in sensor. I wasn’t sure how useful the six point leveling setup would be when I first started using the Neptune 3 Plus, but after some use, I found it helpful.

Build Platform on Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus

The Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus uses a textured PEI sheet that can be easily removed from the magnetic surface that holds it down. This sheet is thin and flexible, and can be bent to easily pop parts off after printing. 

While the platform is heated during printing, parts have excellent adhesion and aren’t easily removed. Once the print is finished and the platform has cooled, the part will easily detach with minimal effort. More complex or delicate parts can be removed by flexing the platform and allowing the part to organically delaminate. 

The gritty texture on the platform also translates over to the printed parts, and leaves a texture on any platform-facing surface. This texture isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and it looks more consistent than the mirror-like finish on printers that use glass build platforms. For organic parts with high levels of detail and texture, this gritty texture gives the part a more intentional appearance.

Printing on the Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus

The Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus includes a pair of demo models: a small Buddah statue and a tool holder that attaches to the frame of the printer. The Buddah statue has been prepared and is included in a print-ready .gcode format, while the tool holder is included only as an .STL file. The Buddah file is a good demonstration of textured surfaces and organic shapes, and the resulting print looked very sharp printed in Prusament Azure Blue PLA, which is one our list of the best filaments for 3D printing.

The tool holder is an excellent example of what printer manufacturers should aspire to include with their machines. The print is reasonably long (about 2 and a half hours at standard settings), and includes precisely-sized cutouts for the included Allen keys, screwdrivers, and other tools. This shows both the accuracy of the printer as well as the repeatability across each individual slot. This is an excellent test print, unlike the difficult-to-remove rook test print that Elegoo includes on the Saturn and Mars resin 3D printers.

Elegoo includes a copy of Elegoo Cura 4.8.0 on the microSD card, a skinned version of the popular Ultimaker Cura slicer app. Elegoo Cura includes profiles for the Elegoo Neptune 3, Neptune 3 Pro, Neptune 3 Plus, and several older Elegoo 3D printers. While this version of Cura doesn’t include some of the newer features or architecture of the latest version of Ultimaker Cura (5.2.1 as of the writing of this article), it is still a reasonable choice for a first slicer app.

The default profile for the Neptune 3 Plus is a conservative starting point for a printer of this size, with a 60mm/s print speed, a 200°C nozzle temperature, and 15% grid infill. Elegoo Cura allows for a line-by-line preview of the toolpath, which can be useful when planning a complex print that requires specific toolpathing or pauses.

The Shrodinky cat model by Loubie3D printed perfectly on the first attempt, and the clean and consistent toolpathing from the Neptune 3 Plus resulted in a smooth and even model. Printed with Amolen Tri-Color Silk PLA using the default .2mm profile, the organic curves of the model look clean and the resolution is high enough to see the tessellation of the mesh .STL file.

Just in time for the holidays, the Vase Mode Christmas Tree by Kazi Toad printed in just over an hour using a single spiralized toolpath. Vase mode prints can be tricky to remove from a glass platform as they tend to be thin and delicate. Being able to bend the platform and pop the model off reduces the chances of damaging the vase mode print while also allowing the operator to quickly prepare the printer for another print.

The generous build volume of the Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus makes it ideal for printing large models in a single piece, like the sculpt of a frog on a lilypad by Loubie 3D. This model was printed with Sliceworx Robitobi Green PLA and took about 19 hours to print in a single piece and highlights some of the strengths of the Neptune 3 Plus. The wide area of the base can be a challenge to print without warping due to the large cross-sectional area, but the textured PEI sheet on the Neptune 3 Plus kept it locked down during printing.

The model has fine details present throughout, including individual buttons on the vest and a small bow tie that printed without any issues. The model has an organic texture applied to it, which both hides the layer lines and highlights the fine detail that the Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus is capable of printing with a .4mm nozzle.

Printing TPU on Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus

The dual-gear direct drive extruder on the Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus offers a short and constrained filament path, both of which are ideal for printing TPU filament. Flexible and stretchy, TPU is notoriously difficult to print on low-cost printers with Bowden extruders that have to push the rope-like filament through a long tube before heating and extruding. The extruder on the Neptune 3 Plus excels as printing TPU, and is capable of printing the material without much difficulty. 

TPU is a naturally resilient material and can be stretched, bent, and deformed repeatedly without permanent damage. TPU filament on a spool feels a bit like a wet noodle, and can be easily stretched or compressed. The filament path from the spool to the dual-gear extruder is practically a straight line, so the filament doesn’t have a convoluted path to travel before reaching the nozzle.

Using the default TPU profile and a .2mm layer height, the Low Poly Snorlax by Flowalistik highlighted the ability of the Neptune 3 Plus to print this tricky material without issue. Reducing the infill to 8% and scaling the model to 150% resulted in a mostly hollow model that is easily deformed and can be squeezed like a stress ball.

Printed with Overture TPU in Space Grey, the layers all adhere well to each other and the model is flexible and malleable without breaking. Some of the overhangs showed drooping, which can typically be addressed by tuning the print speed, toolpath width, and other parameters.

Bottom Line

The Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus represents a major milestone in the consumer 3D printing market: a large format direct drive extruder 3D printer that can be purchased new for under $400. Typically printers under this price point lack instructions, slicer setups, or have other compromises that keep them from reaching widespread adoption. The bundled slicer app, intuitive touchscreen LCD, and fast assembly all give the Neptune 3 Plus a serious edge in an otherwise saturated market.

While other printers like the AnkerMake M5 offer faster print speeds and other features, they typically come at a higher price point and are less accessible to consumers on a budget. Elegoo posted a statement on Twitter that indicated they had listened to customer feedback and integrated it into the new Neptune 3 line, and the resulting printers (Neptune 3 Pro, Neptune 3 Plus, and Neptune 3 Max) will all likely be major hits for Elegoo.

With a retail price of $350, the Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus is a direct competitor to other large format FDM 3D printers like the Anycubic Kobra Plus. The direct drive extruder, flexible PEI sheet, and low-cost of this machine all come together to make it one of the best 3D printers that you can buy in 2022. If you’re interested in a similar printer with a similar spec sheet but smaller build volume, the Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro and Anycubic Kobra Neo are printers worth investigating.

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Grab and drink, sit back and relax to just over 12 minutes of pure joy. Merging Lego and our favorite microcontroller, the RP2040 as featured in the Raspberry Pi Pico. The project's creator, AncientJames is no stranger to these pages, having made an STM32 version in mid 2022. The goal is to integrate an RP2040 board inside a replica of the Lego Space series computer terminal, but AncientJames goes way beyond that goal to bring us an utterly delightful build process.

AncientJames' video starts with removing a series of RP2040 based PCBs from a panel. A little light sanding to remove any burrs and we are then left with the task of soldering the panels that make up the terminal. AncientJames has cleverly created a 3D printed jig (which any of our Best 3D Printers could easily print) that holds the parts in place as they solder. Their choice of soldering iron appears to be the TS80P, which we reviewed as part of our guide to the Best Soldering Irons and Stations. The TS80P is a decent iron, but in our review we found that the newer TS101 is a much better choice if you are looking for a smart soldering iron. The final piece of careful soldering is a .42 inch OLED display with a flat flex connector and a razor sharp 72 x 40 pixel resolution. The resolution may be small, but the quality is crystal clear. Another custom jig is pressed into service as a means to secure the screen to the PCB while a blob of epoxy dries.

A quick test shows a series of space-themed animations, harking back to the history of the Lego Space theme, and sci-fi itself. We're sure that we saw a starfield reminiscent of the Star Trek movies, and the Nostromo's (Alien) landing guidance graphics.

But the build is far from over. Another 3D printed jig appears and this time it provides a negative mold for a resin pour. The resin is colored a wonderful dark blue and then placed into a vacuum chamber to remove any air or bubbles. After that the resin is poured into the mold and the RP2040 computer is firmly placed using the jig and a few Lego axles. Once cured, the RP2040 Lego terminal is removed from the mold and any flashings are sanded away.

The end product is an almost perfect facsimile of a Lego computer terminal, except this one does has a computer inside. Attached to a Lego power brick we see the terminal come to life, taking 3V power from the contacts embedded in the power brick via two carefully placed PCB connectors in the custom designed RP2040 PCB. Pressing the studs on top of the terminal will cycle through the available animations. As we didn't see any push buttons in the PCB, our assumption is that the touch controls are based on capacitive touch.

This project is delightful, and you can see more on AncientJames' YouTube channel. We went back to AncientJames' Twitter account, but it seems that it has now been deleted. A crying shame to lose the history of this fascinating project.

Gone are the days of “beginner” printers that welcome new makers with a trial by fire. Elegoo’s simple to use Neptune 3 Pro arrives 90% pre-assembled and goes from box to first print in 30 minutes. Currently launching with a sale price of $230, the machine is as easy on your wallet as it is to set up. 

The Neptune 3 was already an excellent 3D printer, earning 4 Stars when we reviewed it in June. The pro edition has added a few new goodies: a direct drive that really grips slippery filaments like TPU, dual Z screws for steady printing and a built-in task light. The task light is one of those small quality of life improvements that seems silly – until you find yourself squinting in the dark at your first layer. 

Everything we liked from the Neptune 3 was carried over to this new machine or improved. The PEI coated build plate holds onto prints with the right amount of stick, then releases when cold. Bed leveling is a snap, and the Z height was on target without needing adjustment. The removable touch screen is easy to use, and thumbnails have returned when you use Elegoo’s slicing software. 

This is by far one of our favorite printers and one we can easily recommend as one of the best 3D printers for both beginner and veteran makers. 

Specifications: Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro

Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro: Included in the Box

The Neptune 3 Pro comes with everything you need to get your printer set up. You get tools to build and maintain the printer, side cutters, a plastic scraper, 2 spare nozzles, and a microSD card with a USB adapter. There’s also a small sample of white PLA to print your first model.

The microSD card has a very helpful short video on assembling the printer. You also get a PDF copy of the manual, a copy of Elegoo Cura and a sample model in both pre-sliced .gcode and .stl format.

Design of the Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro

Perhaps Elegoo was listening when we said the old Neptune 3 wasn’t very distinctive, because the new Neptune 3 Pro has become quite the looker. The plain black frame of old has been swapped for gray aluminum with painted stripes and a catchy “Create the Future” motto stamped on the front.  

The most interesting update is riding on the gantry: a dual gear direct drive that does an excellent job of grabbing squirrelly material like TPU. This machine has three cooling fans, and an improved aluminum heat sink. Elegoo brags about the new “TC4 titanium alloy” throat pipe, but there’s still a chunk of PTFE tube in there, meaning it’s not an all-metal hotend. The improvements should help prevent clogs, but you’re still limited to 260 degrees on the hotend – which is fine for most 3d printing enthusiasts anyway.

The power supply has been moved underneath the build plate to make room for a second Z axis screw. Shifting the weight lower and adding z rods on both sides should help with print accuracy, especially on taller prints. 

The Pro is using a large removable touchpad with a magnetic base introduced in June on the Neptune 3. The pad is hooked to the processor with a curly landline style cord. If you’ve ever been annoyed by screen glare, you should really appreciate this upgrade. The graphic menu is easy to understand, though the “buttons” could be more sensitive. 

Elegoo has also put some work into the auto bed leveling system, which now taps 36 points before making its calculations. It uses a hard mounted build surface and an inductive probe that works amazing well.

The run out sensor is now located near the spool and seems to be less tight than its predecessor. I didn’t have any trouble getting TPU through this one.

Assembling the Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro

The Neptune 3 Pro comes mostly assembled, only needing a few bolts to put the machine together. The upper frame is attached to the base with 4 bolts that come up through the bottom.

The touch screen base screws into the side, but one of the screws is in such an awkward spot we couldn’t get the Allen wrench in there, so we left it off. This left the screen a bit wobbly. We could probably find a better wrench, but we like to assemble printers for review with the tools provided.

All the electrical connections are labeled – or extremely obvious where they need to go.

The video included on the microSD card is helpful – and Elegoo was thoughtful enough to mention the video twice in the printer’s documentation, so that users are aware of it.

Leveling the Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro

The Neptune 3 Pro comes with auto bed leveling with an inductive probe. Simply select Level on the main menu and the printer will heat up to 140 degrees on the nozzle and 60 C on the bed. After it homes, it will tap 36 points across the bed.

It will then stop at the center of the bed and wait for you to double-check the Z height. Do this by placing a piece of ordinary paper under the nozzle and lowering or raising it with the buttons on the touch screen until the nozzle just scrapes the paper.

You can also fine tune the Z height from the print menu while running a print, however I didn’t find this necessary.

Loading Filament on the Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro

The Neptune 3 Pro is a direct drive printer with its extruder and hotend all in one spot. To load filament, tap Prepare on the main menu, then Temperature and select the one of four presets that match your filament. Once the hotend is warmed past 190 degrees, you can insert the filament into the top of the extruder and let the wheels pull the filament through.

To unload or change colors, simply reverse the process.

Preparing Files / Software for Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro

The Neptune 3 Pro comes with a copy of Elegoo Cura, which has profiles for all its machines. It also has the added ability to create a thumbnail of your model to display on the printer. This function doesn’t work if you use Octoprint, as the Raspberry Pi overrides the main screen. 

Standard versions of Cura or Prusa Slicer don’t have profiles for any of Elegoo’s printers, but you can use the profile for an Ender 3 Pro and adjust the build volume accordingly. 

Regular Cura can display thumbnails if you do a little workaround. Go to Marketplace in the upper right corner of Cura. Click Community Plugins. Select MKS Wifi Plugin. Sadly, this doesn’t give your printer WiFi without buying another piece of hardware. Reboot Cura, then select Manage Printers and enable the MKS plugin. Under preview, select Enable Previews. Use “default” for the printer, set Simage to 100 and Gimage to 200.

Printing on the Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro

The Neptune 3 Pro printed wonderfully right out of the box. My first print was the pre-sliced Buddha Elegoo provided on the microSD card. I used the supplied sample PLA and it turned out very smooth. The sample PLA was only enough to print one test file, so you’ll definitely want to order a few rolls of filament right away. Check out our guide to the best filaments for 3D printing for examples of our favorite materials to add to your supply.

This derpy pigeon stuck in a piece of bread is a two part, print in place model from Layers In Green. The bird has extendable legs that telescope from inside its body. These types of prints can be tricky, but the Neptune 3 Pro handled it easily with smooth, clean walls. The pigeon is printed in Protopasta Nebula Silver Silk and the bread is 3D Fuel Buzzed PLA. Both prints together took 6 hours and 51 minutes at 60 mm/s and a .2 mm layer height.

To test out TPU, I ran a wavy Christmas tree in vase mode using TPU. The print has no bottom and had to cling to the build plate by a single line width of TPU. It printed perfectly smooth with no gaps or problems. It took 4 hours and 40 minutes in vase mode, using a robust .64 mm line width and 50 mm/s speed. We printed it in Matterhackers Build Series Translucent Green TPU.

To test PETG, we used a more functional print from the Voron project. It printed clean and without distortion or stringing. The textured bed did not require any glue stick as a buffer layer and the print popped off as easily as PLA once cool. Using Protopasta Simply Black PETG, this printed in 42 minutes at a .2 mm layer height and 65 mm/s speed.

Bottom Line

The Neptune 3 Pro is a great 3D printer for people who want a polished machine that’s easy to use right from the box. Its simple auto bed leveling, PEI coated flex plate, and excellent direct drive will help beginners by eliminating the major headaches we often experience with stripped down basic printers. 

This machine has an amazing amount of deluxe features packed into a bargain sale price of $230. Even when sold at an MSRP of $300, the Neptune 3 Pro will beat rival Creality’s Ender 3 S1 for $100 less. It’s not as fast as some newer machines hitting the market, but it offers reliability plus smooth, quality prints. 

If you’re looking for an even bigger bargain, check out the $169 Creality Ender 2 Pro, a portable budget printer with a similar hotend and manual leveling, but much smaller build volume and no direct drive. If you want slightly more features plus an all-metal hotend rated to 300 degrees, check out the Creality Ender 3 S1 Pro for $499.

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The Elegoo Saturn 8K is a middle child in the Saturn line of printers that offers 8K resolution with an XY accuracy of 0.0285mm as well as a generous build volume of 219mm x 123mm x 210mm. An integrated air filter allows for reduced odor during printing, and the simple two-bolt build platform leveling process means even rookie users are unlikely to run into problems with their very first print. The Saturn 8K created impressive prints during our review, but the similarities to the original Saturn and availability of the Elegoo Saturn 2 make this printer a difficult one to recommend. 

Priced at $490 on the Elegoo site and $499.99 on Amazon, the Elegoo Saturn 8K is an affordable entry into the world of 8K printing for anyone interested in taking their 3D prints to the next level of realism.

Elegoo Saturn 8K Specifications

Included in the Box of Elegoo Saturn 8K

The Elegoo Saturn 8K comes pre-assembled, like other printers in the Saturn and Mars family from Elegoo. In addition to the tools required to calibrate the printer, the Saturn 8K also includes consumables like paper funnels for straining resin and gloves for safely handling parts before curing. If you’re familiar with resin printers, unboxing and preparing the Saturn 8K for printing is a quick and easy process and can comfortably be completed in about 10 minutes.

If you’re new to resin printers, Elegoo has you covered with detailed instructions in the paper manual as well as numbered stickers that guide you through the unboxing and calibration process. The attention to detail on the printer instructions means that set up only requires following the instructions and removing the protective film from the vat and screen.

Design of Elegoo Saturn 8K

From a distance, it’s difficult to tell the Elegoo Saturn 8K apart from the original Saturn model released in 2020. The distinctive red UV lid, short and sturdy black base, and right-aligned LCD touchscreen UI are all hallmarks of the original Saturn that are also present on the newly released Saturn 8K. The differences between the Saturn and the Saturn 8K are almost exclusively inside the base of the machine, with the sole exceptions being the integrated air filter, exhaust port on the UV lid, and the logo printed on the machine.

The 3.5-inch LCD interface on the Saturn 8K feels a little small and a little cramped, especially when compared with the larger display of the similarly-featured Anycubic Photon M3 Premium. While this probably won’t be a deal-breaker for most users, it does show that the Saturn 8K shares more in common with the original Saturn than not.

The Saturn 8K includes an air filter that is integrated into the base of the unit which automatically turns on when a print is running and turns off when the print is complete. This activated carbon filter is designed to reduce the overall amount of odor created during printing, and I found that it worked exactly as advertised. I’ve used the aftermarket external air filters from Elegoo in the past and found they worked very well, so having a unit integrated directly into the printer is a feature that many will appreciate.

In addition to the integrated air filter, the Saturn 8K has an external exhaust port integrated into the UV lid. This exhaust port has a cover screwed on, but it can be removed to reveal a circular hole that can be hooked to an exhaust port for actively removing air from the enclosure. Thingiverse user jeremycobert designed an adapter that allows users to hook up a standard dryer exhaust to the printer, something that can be found easily at most hardware stores.

The Saturn 8K uses a tempered glass screen protector that is integrated into the base of the printer, above the masking LCD. Elegoo advertises this protector as having “9H Hardness”, which places it in the same advertised category as a scratch-proof screen protector for a cell phone. In theory, this means the screen can resist all but the most intense scratches (such as from a diamond) but in reality, the biggest benefit is that it’s easy to clean without risking damaging the masking LCD underneath.

With a price tag of around $100, the masking LCD is one of the more expensive consumable components on a resin 3D printer and protecting it is vital to its longevity. If spilled resin comes in contact with the masking LCD and cures, it can be difficult to remove without marring or damaging the surface.

The resin vat on the Saturn 8K uses four bolts as alignment features which serve two purposes: aligning the vat with the base and keeping the vat above the surface on which it is placed. The PFA liner (which Elegoo sometimes refers to as FEP 2.0) is a thin and delicate surface which is very easily damaged and deformed and can cause print failures as well as large messes if punctured. Adding these four bolts allows the vat to keep the film suspended in air, so you’re less likely to place it on an uneven surface that could cause defects.

The resin vat features all-metal construction, and the recessed handles on either side make it easy to pick up and lift out of the printer. This is a nice touch that I particularly liked, as it can be difficult to grip a full vat when wearing gloves while trying to transport it without spilling. The vat itself is held down by two thumbscrews; one located on each side of the vat. Unfortunately, the vat doesn’t have a pour spout integrated into the frame, which means changing resin can create a large mess if you’re not very careful. Considering the original Saturn had a pour spout integrated into the vat (pictured above) and the Saturn 8K is designed to hold a larger volume of resin, this seems like a strange oversight.

Leveling the Build Platform on Elegoo Saturn 8K

Elegoo has perfected the leveling process for resin 3D printers, and the Elegoo Saturn 8K continues this tradition by using the same two-bolt process used on the original Saturn, the Mars 2 Pro, the Mars 3 Pro, and the Saturn 2. This process involves loosening the two bolts at the top of the build platform, lowering the platform down to a piece of paper over the masking LCD, and retightening the bolts.

This two-bolt process is as simple as can be, and beginners won’t need to struggle trying to ensure that their platform is perfectly planar with the masking LCD. In addition to being easy to level, the build platform on the Saturn 8K is easy to clean and can be wiped down easily. The build platform doesn’t contain any upward-facing bolt heads that can trap resin like those seen on the platform of the Anycubic Photon M3 Premium, so swapping resin is a quick process.

Printing Safety with Elegoo Saturn 8K

The Elegoo Saturn 8K uses 405nm UV resin, a material that you need to handle safely when in an uncured state to avoid injury. The resin can be harmful when making contact with skin, so make sure to wear gloves when pouring, cleaning up, or handling uncured resin. I also make sure I’m wearing gloves when removing the build platform after a print, as the resin tends to pool on top of the platform and can drip off while the platform is being removed.

Make sure you use the Saturn 8K in a well-ventilated room to minimize the danger from inhaling fumes. Any spills or uncured resin stuck to a surface should be cleaned using 99% Isopropyl Alcohol and the container for the resin should be kept closed and secured when not actively pouring material.

Printing the Included Test Print on the Elegoo Saturn 8K

The Elegoo Saturn 8K includes the same test print that is included on every single Elegoo resin printer I’ve reviewed (six and counting). Without fail, I’ve noted this benchmark falls short of what it should accomplish (testing the printer) and instead is a difficult and frustrating process for first-time users of resin printers.

The test print (titled Rook_SATURN 8K.ctb) is a pair of rooks, with some intricate detail included inside and on the exterior of the part. These models print directly on the platform, and are very difficult to remove without the use of tools, force, and lots of patience. If you want to learn more about why this benchmark is so cumbersome, you can read about it in depth in my review of the Elegoo Mars 3 and in my review of the original Saturn. More importantly, these prints do not show any detail that wouldn’t be present on the lowest-resolution Elegoo printer.

If you’re interested in testing your printer to see how well the calibration and exposure settings are dialed in, I would instead recommend printing the Siraya Tech Test Model. This model contains various features and areas that make it easy to understand where your printer is printing as expected and also reveal areas that may need to be addressed. With a variety of overhangs, small features, and dimensional accuracy checks, the Siraya Tech Test Model is superior in virtually every aspect than the test model included with the Saturn 8K.

The Saturn 8K excelled at this benchmark print, with fine detail visible throughout the test print as well as measurement features being printed with dimensional accuracy. The negative features have some resin pooled inside the slots, which can be difficult to fully evacuate before curing. The positive features are clean and precise, and the measurement test measured 9.95mm, a difference of 0.05mm (about two pixel widths) from the nominal measurement.

Printing with Elegoo Saturn 8K

The Elegoo Saturn 8K ships with Chitubox 1.9.4 loaded on the USB drive for MacOS, Windows, and Linux. Chitubox is my favorite slicer app, and it strikes a near-perfect balance between features and usability. Chitubox is able to rotate, scale, and auto-arrange models and also perform advanced functions like hollow models, punch holes for drainage, and generate supports both manually and automatically.

As I noted in my review of the Anycubic Photon M3 Premium, adding support material in Chitubox is fast and easy and typically takes less than a minute to generate. For this model of Gengar by Printed Obsession, I manually rotated the model and generated the supports in Chitubox using the default settings for Medium supports. I noticed that there were a few areas that could potentially benefit from additional support structures, so I manually added those in one at a time.

Once the supports have been generated, the model is converted into a stack of images that will be displayed on the masking LCD to selectively block and allow light through, curing the model one layer at a time. Chitubox offers a slice preview, which is a useful tool for understanding if the model has any islands, or areas that are isolated and don’t have any connection to the rest of the model. Chitubox is able to not only detect these islands but it’s also capable of erasing them, which increases the chances of print success.

The supports detached easily and didn’t leave much of a mark, and the 8K resolution resulted in a smooth and consistent surface on the front of the model when printed with Elegoo Standard Photopolymer Resin in Grey. The stair-stepping typically associated with spherical shapes is barely visible, and I could only see them with the help of a macro lens and a close-up photo.

Printing Detailed Models on the Elegoo Saturn 8K

As the masking LCD resolution of a resin 3D printer increases, so does its ability to reproduce organic textures like skin, leather, and wood without the appearance of layer lines or blocky visible pixels. With a staggering 33,177,600 pixels spread across the 10-inch masking LCD, the Elegoo Saturn 8K is able to effortlessly create fine textures with a minimal amount of print-related artifacts.

The Armapion Desert Worm by Loot Studios is a perfect example of a model that doesn’t seem intuitively printable, and contains enough thin, fine features to challenge most printers and printer operators. There is no planar surface to start the print, no way to orient without support material, and the large sand-textured base is wide enough to barely fit on smaller resin printers.

Using the pre-supported download from Loot Studios, the model printed on the Saturn 8K with no loss of detail from the original sculpt. Even the individual teeth resolved without breaking off when removing the support material, an impressive feat. The scaly skin of the model has an organic and life-like appearance, and individual grains of sand and small rocks can be discerned on the textured base.

Equally impressive is the fearsome Battle Troll bust by Fotis Mint. This 4.5-inch bust prints in two parts with a pre-generated support structure, and is hollowed, perforated, and ready to print straight from your Downloads folder.

The metal plating on the back of the model has a rusted, patchy texture that is realistic and identifiable. The individual links on the chains can be made out, and the leathery texture of the skin has an organic appearance. This level of realism on a printed model is typically difficult to achieve, but the Saturn 8K is able to accomplish it without even breaking a sweat.

Scaling up detailed models on the Elegoo Saturn 8K

The 8K resolution of the Elegoo Saturn 8K unlocks many potential applications, including printing intricately detailed small models while preserving the overall amount of detail present. Wargaming miniatures, like the Raven Soldiers for Grimdark Future by Udo's 3D World, are a perfect example of this type of model. Intricate single-piece models like this typically require a lot of manual work to generate a support structure, but I was able to prepare them in Chitubox by simply angling them back slightly and using automatic support generation.

I printed this miniature at both 100% scale and also a larger 200% scale model to compare the overall level of detail. Using Elegoo Standard Photopolymer Grey Resin, these models printed in 3 hours using the conservative default settings:

• 0.050mm Layer Height
• 2.5 second Per-Layer Exposure Time
• 35 second Bottom Exposure Time
• 65mm/min Lift Speed
• 3mm Lift Distance
• 180mm/min Retract Speed

The default scale model looks comparable to an injection molded miniature, with sharp edges visible and sub-millimeter features like the hole in the barrel of the gun clearly visible and resolved. This is where the 8K resolution of the Saturn 8K really comes into play; a printer with a lower masking LCD resolution (like the 854 x 400 px Longer Orange 10) would not be able to reproduce this fine detail. The model has a generally “soft” appearance, and techniques like using a contrast paint (as demonstrated in this video) are typically used to bring out the detail in the model and provide a higher level of detail.

These features are even more evident on the model that was scaled to 200%. The scaled up model has deeper recesses and taller features, which allow for more contrast when taking a photo. This also gives the model a “harder” appearance with much more in-focus geometry, no contrast paint required.

Comparison of the Elegoo Saturn 8K vs. Elegoo Saturn

The fourth printer in the Saturn line, the Elegoo Saturn 8K fills a very narrow gap between the Saturn S and the Saturn 2. The original Saturn was a game-changing printer when released that brought large format 3D printing to the sub-$1,000 price point, and was frequently sold out and difficult to find for sale (it also received our Editor’s Choice award). The Elegoo Saturn S was an incremental improvement with a slightly larger masking LCD and build volume, and the Saturn 2 was a leap into 8K resolution.

This means the Saturn 8K is in an awkward place in the Saturn line of printers. With a retail price of $500, the Saturn 8K feels overpriced when compared to the Saturn 2, which features a larger build volume, more powerful UV LED assembly, and updated form factor. Users interested in a budget large volume printer can find the original Saturn on sale for around $300 on Amazon, and it’s hard to find a compelling reason to choose the Saturn 8K over the Saturn 2 considering the cost difference.

Bottom Line

The Elegoo Saturn 8K is one of the highest resolution MSLA desktop resin 3D printers on the market, but it’s hard to recommend it when Elegoo currently offers both the Saturn 2 8K for only $60 more and the 4K Saturn S for nearly $100 less on the Elegoo direct site. Anyone interested in the latest and greatest would be well-advised to go with the Saturn 2 8K, while the more budget-friendly options of the Saturn S or original Saturn are still on sale and can be regularly found for under $400. However, who knows if a sale could at some point make the Saturn 8K much cheaper than the Saturn 2 8K?

If you’re looking for an alternative to the Elegoo Saturn 8K, the Anycubic Photon M3 Premium (one of the best resin 3D printers) has a similar build volume and resolution, with a slightly higher price tag of $639. The larger Elegoo Jupiter offers a larger build volume, but with a price tag of $1400, it may be hard to justify over the $490 Saturn 8K.

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The mechanical keyboard hobby is all about customization and experimentation — and for that reason, companies are constantly testing new mounting designs that look and feel great. The same can be said about Lego, which are little plastic building blocks that can make an idea come to life. 

The Melgeek Pixel combines both of these worlds: it's a gasket-mount tenkeyless (TKL) mechanical keyboard built almost entirely of Lego-style pieces (with the exception of the PCB, switches, and all that — of course). The Pixel is a wireless keyboard featuring both low-latency 2.4GHz and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, and comes in three base colors — "Palette" (white base with red, blue, and yellow keycaps), "Christian" (pale pink base with pink and gray keycaps), or "Canvas" (white base with white keycaps and colorful legends). 

The Pixel is available now on Kickstarter for the Super Early Bird Price of $199, an Early Bird price of $219 and a Kickstarter Special price of $239. The official MSRP is listed at $269. Accessories, including extra cables, keycaps, switches, and packs of Lego bricks are also available for between $10 - $30.

This might sound like great news for both mechanical keyboard enthusiasts and Lego enthusiasts. Unfortunately, the Pixel is terrible for typing — you’re better off spending that $200+ on a keyboard or Legos, not a gimmicky mashup.

Melgeek Pixel Specifications

Design of the Melgeek Pixel

The Melgeek Pixel is a tenkeyless (TKL) gasket-mount mechanical keyboard unlike any keyboard on the market, as its exterior is composed of Lego-style pieces. It comes in three colors — white with red, yellow, and blue keycaps; pink with pink and gray keycaps; and white with white keycaps (with colorful legends). Our review model was the latter, called "Canvas."

Because the Pixel is inspired by the popular toy company, it offers a large canvas for you to build whatever Lego design you want. Unfortunately, this also makes it one of the most uncomfortable keyboards I’ve typed on — and no, it’s not because the keycaps are made of Lego-style pieces (they’re not bricks, anyway). I’ll discuss my gripes with the Pixel’s typing experience a little later, though; the board has many other cool features to discuss. 

Initially, I thought this would be a regular gasket-mount keyboard with a Lego case, but I was wrong. Excluding the main mechanical components, such as the hot-swap PCB (which supports 5-pin switches and has a strange gasket-mount design), everything in this keyboard really is inspired by Lego.

The switch plate is made of the same type of plastic Legos are made of — and so is the power switch, as well as the keycaps and the case. Even the 2.4GHz wireless dongle and the keyboard’s USB-C to USB-A cable sport Lego-inspired designs.

This plank wouldn’t be a Lego-inspired keyboard without some pieces to build with, right? Melgeek included around six colors (65 flat pieces per color) with the board, but the colors didn’t truly match the marketing images. For example, many of the photos show yellow bricks, and yellow is not provided — Melgeek provided blue, white, red, orange, green and purple. On top of this, no minifigures were included, which was a bummer.

When I took the keycaps off to inspect the switches, I was greeted with Kailh Box switches featuring a yellow upper housing and a red stem to match the Lego logo. Kudos to Melgeek for having custom-colored Kailh Box switches made for this board. When you purchase the Pixel, you can choose either these custom Kailh Pixel L switches or custom Kailh Pixel T switches. You can also buy Kailh Box White v2 switches, Gateron Pro Yellow switches or Gateron Pro Silver switches as add-ons.

Typing and Gaming Experience on the Melgeek Pixel

The Pixel has an unusual gasket-mount design: it sits on top of rubber domes that look like skinny membrane switches. It’s tough to explain, but a gasket-mount keyboard is meant to provide flexibility with each keystroke and a softer typing feel than a standard tray-mount. While the bottom-out was certainly softer, typing on this board was, frankly, awful.

This board is designed to look like a Lego set, and the keycaps feature clear plastic tops over Lego-style bricks to preserve that visual. (The plastic tops are removable, allowing you to customize the keyboard’s design even further.) The keycaps are flat and wide, and while the tops are slightly concave they’re just too flat overall to be comfortable. Additionally, typing on this super flat design resulted in tons of typos, as there was almost zero space between keycaps. 

The uncomfortable, flat keycaps were the main contributor to the Pixel’s brutal typing experience, but the flat, wide case didn’t help. Most keyboards on the market are at least somewhat angled, which is what I’m used to — the Pixel, however, is a flat rectangle with no wrist support. I felt like I was hovering my wrists over the keyboard like a piano player (and I’m a terrible piano player).

So the typing experience on the Pixel is better off forgotten. That said, Melgeek tuned this board so that it sounds much better than most mainstream mechanical keyboards. The sound of the board is deeper than average, thanks in part to the Lego-plastic construction. 

I’ve reviewed quite a few keyboards now, and the only other keyboard I really struggled to type on was the ErgoDox 76 — which makes sense, because it’s a split ortho linear board. The Pixel may be inspired by Lego, but it’s still a keyboard and should be somewhat comfortable to type on, especially at its price. 

Gaming on the Pixel was also difficult. When I play first-person shooters, I only really use W, A, S and D, and this has never been an issue with any keyboard I’ve gamed with, until now. I tried playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (to prepare for Modern Warfare 2), and even after 45 minutes of playing I couldn’t get used to the Pixel’s flat, close keycaps. Instead of moving forward with the W key, I kept accidentally hitting Q and causing accidental stun grenade throws. I don’t normally get frustrated while gaming, but this board was pushing me. 

Software for the Melgeek Pixel

The Melgeek Pixel sports the most external customization out of any keyboard I’ve used, thanks to its Lego frame. However, the internal customization...doesn’t work. Melgeek’s KBTools software didn’t recognize the Pixel, and clicking on tabs caused the software to crash. This is a TKL board, so all of the keys you need — minus the number pad — are present, but it would still be nice to have some level of configuration.

When it comes to external customization, Melgeek has a website to help you bring the Pixel to life.

I not only lacked the artistic skills to recreate this Pokemon design made by Bobasaur — I also lacked the yellow bricks. I’m not very artistic, so I passed the board over to my friend, John, who took full advantage of the Pixel’s canvas.

Bottom Line

The Melgeek Pixel isn’t good enough as a keyboard, nor is it good enough as a Lego-style set, especially for the price. The Super Early Bird special on Kickstarter is $199 — I know Legos aren’t cheap, but that’s absurd. Melgeek should’ve taken more inspiration from Lego and offered this board in a kit.

It’s hard to recommend the Melgeek Pixel, because it’s one-part novelty and one-part keyboard. I’m sure Lego enthusiasts will love this board as a collector’s piece, even though it doesn’t come with the bricks you need to recreate most of the designs we’ve seen floating around the internet. (I assume a real Lego enthusiast will have their own bricks and minifigures, so maybe that’s not an issue.) But if you’re looking for a keyboard and not a Lego set, the Pixel just isn’t worth it.

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Resin-based 3D printers are available in a range of sizes, from units small enough to fit on your desktop to large printers that have a build volume that rivals some popular FDM printers. As manufacturers continue to develop these printers, they are adding new features to make them easier to use and more accessible to the average person. The latest iteration of the Elegoo Mars series of printers shows how this company keeps striving for the perfect desktop resin printer.

Elegoo has just released the Pro version of the Mars 3 printer. Just as they have previously done with the pro versions of their earlier Mars printers, this one adds an air purification module. While the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro had an air filter built into the body making it impractical to change, the Elegoo Mars 3 Pro adds a replaceable air purification module that plugs into a port inside of the printing chamber. This makes changing out the filter very easy.

Some of the other sizes of printers that Elegoo has produced include medium-sized printers like the Elegoo Saturn 2, which has an 8K resolution, and the Elegoo Jupiter, with a 6K resolution. The Elegoo Mars 3 Pro, which is designed to compete with the best resin 3D printers normally has a retail price of $350, but is currently available for pre-order with an early price of only $300.

For the prints in this review, I used a combination of some of Elegoo’s water washable resin as well as some thicker, low-odor resin that I had on hand. I chose the water washable resin because it is on the thinner side, which helps bring out the details better, and I chose the low odor resin because I wanted to see how this printer would handle a couple of different types of resin. The Mars 3 Pro is able to produce prints that are small enough to clean in either of the wash and cure stations that I have, making testing with multiple resins much easier. I was very impressed with how the printer handled both types of resin, but I ended up liking the water washable resin a bit better, because cleanup was easier.

Elegoo Mars 3 Pro Specifications

Included in the Box with Elegoo Mars 3 Pro

The Elegoo Mars 3 Pro comes well-packaged with plenty of foam around all sides to help prevent any damage from occurring during shipping, along with a fairly standard toolkit that we’ll go over in more detail.

Along with the toolkit is a manual, a power cord that works in my country, a paper manual, and some extra PFA Release Liner film sheets. Packaged inside of the printer itself, was plenty of foam, along with the resin tray, and removable built platform.

The Elegoo Mars 3 Pro toolkit includes a pretty standard array of accessories that many other Elegoo resin printers ship with, including tools such as the diagonal cutters for support removal, as well as the metal and plastic spatulas. 

The metal spatula is for helping to remove your prints from the build plate, and you will want to be somewhat careful while doing so, as it can potentially gouge or scuff the metal surface. However, in my experience, this has never really been anything other than a cosmetic issue. The soft spatula is used more as a tool for cleanup, such as assisting with removal of any residual resin out of the resin tank when it is emptied.

It also comes with a set of hex key wrenches and some spare screws in case any servicing or repairs needs to be performed during the printer’s lifetime. There are two pairs of latex gloves and two surgical style masks for personal protection, but you will likely want to get some higher quality masks and additional gloves for working with resin as these are usually used up fairly quickly.

Additionally, it comes with a set of paper filtering funnels, the power brick, and an air purifier module. It also has a USB memory stick with a copy of the manual, Chitubox Basic (the recommended slicer for the Elegoo Mars 3 Pro), and some test prints.

Design of Elegoo Mars 3 Pro

The overall design of the Mars 3 Pro is extremely similar to the previous Mars 3, and shares the same curviness, which makes sense because they are both variations of the Mars 3. With regard to the features, the Elegoo Mars 3 Pro is close to the Mars 3, but with some notable upgrades that are not obvious at first glance.

The most obvious improvement of the Elegoo Mars 3 Pro is the replaceable air purifier module that plugs into a port underneath the UV cover. Although the port is shaped like a standard USB port, it has a warning next to it that the output voltage is 24 volts instead of the usual 5 volts produced by USB ports, so you wouldn’t want to plug your USB memory stick into it. During testing, while the air purifier likely helped to mitigate the smell, I noticed that the resin odor wasn’t completely eliminated.

The 4K LCD is the same size and resolution as the one on the Mars 3. However, the newer LCD is now scratch resistant. This means that if you do happen to spill and harden some resin on the display, you at least are more likely to be successful in removing it without scratching the LCD.

Underneath the 4K LCD is a Fresnel Lens which helps to distribute the UV light more evenly. This is the type of lens that is typically used in the backlights of large LCD TVs so that it doesn’t look brighter on one side than the other. This helps prints cure more evenly than they likely would have with earlier models.

The film sheets are now called PFA Release Liners, which upon doing a bit of research, is the same thing as the FEP 2.0 film included with the Elegoo Mars 3.

As with the previous Mars 3, both the power button and USB port are in the front, making it very convenient to operate.

Leveling the Build Platform on the Elegoo Mars 3 Pro

Leveling the printer is pretty straightforward. The first step is to loosen the two thumbscrews on the sides of the resin tank. Then, using the control panel on the front of the printer, make sure the build platform is raised to a sufficient height so that the resin tank can be removed.

After verifying that the large knob that holds the build platform onto the printer is tightened, use the largest hex key to loosen the two bolts on the front and side just below the knob. Make sure to remove the screen protector from the LCD before continuing, if you haven’t already.

You will need a sheet of standard A4 copy paper. You will want to place that directly on top of the LCD screen. The paper is used to compensate for the thickness of the film on the Mars 3 Pro, which is a bit thinner than the film on its larger siblings.

Next, you will want to press the home button to lower the build platform until it rests squarely above the screen. You can press the home button to readjust the paper if necessary. Once you are happy with the position, hold the build platform with some light pressure against the LCD while you first tighten the front bolt, and then the side bolt.

You should now attempt to remove the paper and adjust the height of the build platform in 0.1mm increments if necessary, until you feel a medium to light amount of resistance. If you did adjust the height,

you will want to programmatically lock that in by using the “Set Z=0” option in the menu.

Now you can press the up button until the build platform is high enough to reinstall the resin tank. The platform should now be properly leveled at this point. If you are having trouble with prints sticking to the platform or you notice a flat spot on your printed model after removing it, you may want to try re-leveling the platform.

Printing Safety with Elegoo Mars 3 Pro

With resin printing, you will want to print in a well ventilated area that’s still out of the way of any UV radiation such as direct or indirect sunlight. Even with the low odor resins, the fumes can still be toxic. You will also want to make sure you are wearing gloves to avoid directly contacting your skin with the resin.

One thing that is discussed a bit less often is exposure to UV light. With the Elegoo Mars 3 Pro, I tested whether removing the cover would automatically turn off the UV light source and unfortunately found it continues to emit UV light. Although it’s likely not that it’s not any stronger than sunlight, it is best to avoid looking directly at a UV light source or exposing your skin to it. Most of the time the resin will be covering up the UV light source anyhow, so this isn’t really much of an issue, but it is something to be aware of.

Printing Included Test Prints on the Elegoo Mars 3 Pro

Test prints allow 3D printer manufacturers to demonstrate the printer’s strengths. Having the prints pre-sliced is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, the manufacturer can choose the best settings for the printer, but on the other hand, the manufacturer is making a guess about the specific resin that new users will be using to produce the test prints. In typical Elegoo fashion, the test print that comes with the Mars 3 Pro is a pair of rooks.

With some of Elegoo’s earlier printers, this guessing has yielded softer prints that were often easily gouged with the spatula upon removal. It appears that the company has increased the exposure time recently, so while it takes a bit longer, the model is less likely to be damaged.

Printing the test prints is pretty simple. Just insert the USB memory stick into the USB port on the right side of the printer, select the Print option from the main menu, open the “ELEGOO MARS 3 Rook Model for Printing” folder, and select the Rook Test Print Model. There is also an STL version of the model if you would like to try slicing it yourself with Chitubox.

Preparing Files for Printing with Chitubox

If you are familiar with Elegoo’s previous offerings, you may recall that the Elegoo Mars 3 included a one year subscription of Chitubox Pro. Ironically, the Pro version of the printer doesn’t include this, so we’ll be covering Chitubox Basic.

After you have Chitubox Basic installed, whether from the included USB memory stick or by downloading it from the internet, the first thing you’ll want to do is to add a new printer in the software. The Elegoo Mars 3 Pro is already a preset, which makes setup a breeze. One thing you will want to check is the exposure times on the resin you will be using. I ended up needing to increase the exposure time quite a bit for the water washable resin because the default values left the resin a little too soft, while I only had to increase it slightly for the low odor resin. You also will have an opportunity to adjust these values when you go to slice your model. Anytime you change the brand or type of resin, you will want to make sure these numbers fall into the recommended range on the bottle.

After you have your printer all set up, you can load a model for slicing. Slicing with a resin printer is quite a bit different than slicing with a traditional FDM printer. Since the model is printed upside down and is using liquid resin, there are additional things you need to take into account such as resin drainage, the weight of the item you are printing so it doesn’t fall off the build plate, and even where the supports attach so that when they are removed, you don’t remove any delicate details.

For the first model, I went with the Tower of Pi as I have done in previous reviews to show basic slicing. This one is fairly straightforward since it doesn’t have any large solid sections, but it also has a lot of detail making it a great demonstration of the high resolution that the printer is capable of.

To get your model prepared, you will usually want to place the model at an angle. Placing models at an angle makes it easier to remove them from the build platform without damaging them in the process. It also gives more surface area for supports to hold on so the model is less likely to fall during printing. For the Mars 3 Pro, I knew I would need to scale the model down somewhat and I wanted to get the largest size that would print comfortably, so I ended printing this at a 30 degree angle scaled to 80%.

To do this, you’ll want to start by opening up the file that you would like to print. First you will want to scale the model down. You can open the Scale panel on the left side by clicking the Scale button. You can start by clicking the Scale to Fit button to get a better idea of the maximum size. You can also type a number into any of the axes to set it to an exact scale. Make sure the Lock Ratio checkbox is checked so you don’t end up changing only one dimension and distorting the model.

Next, to rotate the model, just click the Rotate button, which is in the same area as the Scale button. If your model is not upright, you can first get it oriented correctly using the controls. Once it is upright, there are a few ways to rotate it so that you can add supports. You will want to find the axis that corresponds to the longer side of the build platform. You can either click +45° or -45° to place it at a 45 degree tilt, arbitrarily rotate it by grabbing the circle that corresponds to that axis, or just type a number into the box.

Under the Supports tab on the right side of the screen, you can have Chitubox automatically generate supports. For this model, I found the default settings to be sufficient and added supports only for items above the build platform by clicking on the +Platform button. After pressing the button, it will take about 10 seconds or so for the supports to be generated.

Once the build supports are in place, you can go back to the Settings tab and click on the Slice button. This will slice the model. Once it is sliced, a Save button will appear, which will allow you to save the sliced file onto the USB stick that came with the printer.

Once it is saved, you can eject the memory stick from your computer and plug it into the printer. On the printer, just go to the Print option from the menu and choose the model. It should show up just as it looked in Chitubox.

Printing Larger Prints on the Elegoo Mars 3 Pro

To test printing a larger model, I decided to go with a model of the Filleneum Malcon, which is not to be confused with the Millennium Falcon, because the dimensions fit well in this printer and I wanted to see how the details came out. Chitubox has a nice feature that allows you to hollow out the model. It also has a feature to allow you to add drain holes to assist with rinsing out any excess resin from inside. However, for this model I decided to forego the drain holes, so there is likely some uncured resin hiding inside of my print.

To start with, I loaded my model into Chitubox just as described above. However because this has a curved rear, I decided to just have it sit vertically. I oriented it with the front pointing away from the build platform because of the cockpit orientation. I clicked on the Scale button and started by decreasing the scale using the Scale to Fit button. Then I backed it off to 90% just to round it neatly.

I clicked on the Hollow button at the top, which allows you to set the thickness of the outer shell. I increased the value to 3mm because the defaults are a bit on the thin side.

After this, it was just a matter of generating supports like with the first model and printing it out.

Once it had finished printing, I cleaned it up. A sprayer hose helped get any excess resin off. I was very happy with how the quality of the print turned out.

Printing Detailed Models on the Elegoo Mars 3 Pro

For a detailed test print, I went with a model called Red Dragon featuring a winged dragon. This model was too large for this printer at the full size, so I chose Scale to fit, which shrank the model to around 46% of the original size. I also tilted it forward so that the supports made contact with the wings and not the spines on the back of the neck.

If I had tilted it sideways, I may have been able to get it to print a little larger, but the supports would have been more difficult to remove. I didn’t bother to hollow out the inside as the dragon was fairly small and no drainage holes were necessary either. The main thing to watch out for on a detailed model like this is ensuring the supports are in places where removing them wouldn’t cause you to accidentally damage the print.

Washing and Curing on the Elegoo Mars 3 Pro

After printing, the model will still likely have some leftover resin on it, and to get a resin print to look its best, you will want to clean it.

When I washed the models, I used Elegoo’s Mercury Plus Wash and Cure station for the low odor resin. Although this was designed with the Mars 2 Pro in mind, which has a slightly smaller build volume, I found the build platform still fit into the tank.

What worked well for me was to start off by washing the item in the tank full of isopropyl alcohol after printing, then removing the supports while they were still soft. After that, I ran some water over it briefly before giving it a final rinse in the tank. After letting the item completely dry, I cured it and this helped prevent most white residue from forming on the print.

I noticed on the product page for the Wash and Cure stations that it recommends avoiding using the rinse tank for the water washable resins because they do not provide adequate flow to rinse that type of resin off. I ended up putting the print under running water and using a sprayer hose both before and after removing supports and that worked really well.

Bottom Line

I’ve been using Elegoo printers since the very first Mars printer came out and these machines have come a long way. This is a very well-made printer that produces prints of excellent quality. During the entire time I was testing it, I had no failed prints. If you are in the market for a desktop-sized 3D resin printer, you really can’t go wrong with this printer. If you already have the Elegoo Mars 3, the new features may not be compelling enough to make you want to upgrade.

This printer is a much better value than some of the other printers in a similar budget range, such as the Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K with a slightly smaller build volume and no air purifier. However, the AnyCubic Photon Mono 4K appears to be very similar to this printer and it is currently on sale for only $189, though it appears to also lack an air purifier. If you are open to something a little larger with an even more impressive resolution, you may want to look at the Elegoo Saturn 2 8K which retails for $599. However, if you want a desktop sized 3D printer with this level of detail, a slightly above average build volume, and an air purification system, the Mars 3 Pro is hard to beat.

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We’ve seen hundreds of Raspberry Pi projects on dry land, but not too many that function underwater. Brick Experiment Channel (BEC) created this impressive Lego-powered Submarine and used a Pi to drive the operation. It doesn’t just move forward; BEC has programmed it with several features that allow it to navigate still and moving waters.

According to BEC, the submarine is radio-controlled, allowing for remote operation. Using a variety of sensors, it’s capable of maintaining its depth and can position itself in relation to the ground below. This positioning ability can be set manually and operates automatically.

If you haven’t heard of Brick Experiment Channel, you’re in for a Lego-centric treat. Most of the projects you’ll find on the blog are created using Lego integrated with microelectronics. Previous projects worth a look include these pole climbing robots and this exciting boat train made from ten separate Lego boats. If it can be made with Lego, suffice to say that BEC is more than capable of tackling the project.

BEC was kind enough to share a parts list of everything used to create this project. It’s operated primarily by a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, with most components housed neatly inside an acrylic cylinder. It’s driven by a drone propeller alongside a couple of Pololu 2130 DRV8833 Dual H-bridge motor drivers. The sensors include both a pressure sensor and a distance sensor, while a Lego Rechargeable 9V Battery Box supplies the power with the assistance of a Pololu 2123 S7V8F5 5V voltage regulator.

The Raspberry Pi runs Raspberry Pi OS, while the code used to operate the submarine functions is handled using a custom Python script. BEC explains that Thonny was used to run the Python code, which is open-source and available for anyone to explore.

If you want to recreate this Raspberry Pi project for yourself or make something similar, check out the full blog post shared on the official Brick Experiment Channel blog. We also implore you to check out the video shared on YouTube for a demo of the submarine in action.

Sometimes an “Ender Clone” is a worthwhile bargain, like this Elegoo Neptune 3. It has nearly all the features of their competitor's flagship printer, the Ender 3 S1, but for half the price. Currently on a pre-order sale of $209.99 on the Elegoo website, the Neptune 3 delivers quality prints that are on par with those of the best 3D printers while being easy to operate.

Assembly takes a brisk 20 minutes. However the printer I tested came with a misaligned X gantry which threw off its ability to auto level. This wasted a good chunk of time sorting out why complex models failed to adhere properly. Once the machine was squared, the Neptune 3 produced excellent prints. This problem should be rare (other reviewers I spoke to didn’t experience it), but it’s a good reminder that even preassembled printers should be checked for tight bolts and good connections. 

The Neptune 3 has a Bowden extruder with dual gears that feeds filament smoothly and an advanced filament sensor that looks for movement in order to catch jams and prevent “spaghetti” fails. It also comes with a textured PEI coated, magnetic flex plate – one of my favorite build surfaces to use.

If you’re looking for help with your new printer, Elegoo’s website is full of useful information. You can find a copy of Elegoo Cura, helpful printing tutorials, manuals and lots of videos. There’s also a gallery of models specifically designed to mod your Neptune.  

Specifications: Elegoo Neptune 3 

Creality Elegoo Neptune 3: Included in the Box

The Neptune 3 comes with everything you need to get your printer set up. You get tools to build and maintain the printer, side cutters, a metal scraper, a spare nozzle, and a microSD card with a USB adapter. There’s also a small sample of white PLA to print your first model.

The microSD card has a very helpful short video on assembling the printer. You also get a PDF copy of the manual, a copy of Elegoo Cura and a sample model in both pre-sliced .gcode and .stl format.

Design of the Elegoo Neptune 3

The Neptune 3 isn’t very distinctive and looks a lot like other modern desktop printers on the market. It's built of sleek black aluminum with a few gray plastic parts and has a carrying handle on top for portability. The power supply is mounted on the right Z axis and the processor is tucked underneath the build plate. Unlike with the Neptune 2s, the touchpad is mounted off to the side and is removable, so you can hold it at any angle for better visibility.

This is the first Elegoo Neptune printer to come with auto bed leveling and a static build plate bolted to the frame. It uses a resistance strain gauge that physically taps the nozzle at 16 points around the bed to form a mesh. This information is used to compensate for slight (.1 to .2mm) variations on the build plate.

More improvements on Neptune 3 (over prior models) are the addition of belt tensioners, a second cooling fan and an improved runout sensor that can sense movement. Not only can it spot a lack of filament, but it can sense a jam and stop the print for you. The inner gear is so tight I wasn’t able to push TPU through it, but the sensor is easy to remove and can be turned off from the control panel.

Carried over from the Neptune 2S is an excellent dual gear extruder that handles flexibles with ease – once you get around the runout sensor. The Neptune 3 only has a single Z rod, but I didn’t notice any problems in quality.

The flex steel PEI textured build surface wasn’t as “sticky” as others I’ve seen, but this was resolved by scuffing the surface with fine steel wool followed by a quick wash with dish soap. Once the plate was squeaky clean, it worked properly – prints stuck to the plate while warm and popped off with a flex.

Assembling the Elegoo Neptune 3

The Neptune 3 comes mostly assembled, which really speeds up setup time. The gantry frame is attached to the base with 4 bolts that come up from the bottom. The power supply is secured to the frame with 2 more bolts.

The handle and spool holder are attached to the top of the frame with t-screws – two of which are pre-installed for you.

The touch screen snaps into place and is meant to be removable. It has a curly cord like an old landline phone. It looks a bit odd, but does its job well.

There are only 4 electrical connections to make, and these are clearly labeled. The last thing you should check is the voltage mode on the power supply and make sure it matches your local outlets. US users generally require 115V.

The video included on the microSD card is very helpful, and shows how to build the machine, tighten the eccentric nuts and level the bed.

Leveling the Elegoo Neptune 3

The Neptune 3 comes with auto bed leveling and a strain relief gauge sensor that physically taps the bed with the nozzle. Simply select Level on the main menu and the printer will heat up to 140 degrees on the nozzle and 50 C on the bed. After it homes, it will tap 16 points across the bed.

It will then stop at the center of the bed and wait for you to double-check the Z height. Do this by placing a piece of ordinary paper under the nozzle and lowering or raising it with the buttons on the touch screen until the nozzle just scrapes the paper. I had better results using a double thickness of paper.

You can also fine tune the Z height from the print menu while running a print.

Loading Filament on the Elegoo Neptune 3

The Neptune 3 is a Bowden style printer with its extruder mounted on the left side of the X gantry. To load filament, tap Prepare on the main menu, then Temperature and select the preset PLA or ABS. Once the hotend is warmed past 190 degrees, you can insert the filament into the run out sensor and the extruder. Squeeze the extruder lever to open it, and push the filament all the way through. Click the Extruder button to advance the filament through the hotend.

To unload or change colors, simply reverse the process.

Note: TPU is difficult if not impossible to push through the runout sensor. You can temporarily remove the sensor by loosening two screws on the top, setting the sensor aside, then placing the guide wheels back into position. On the touch screen, disable the sensor by tapping Settings → Filament Detector. You MUST turn the sensor off rather than just tricking it with a piece of filament because it senses motion. If you forget this step, the print will stop after a layer of printing.

Preparing Files / Software for Elegoo Neptune 3

The Neptune 3 comes with a copy of Elegoo Cura, but there’s nothing special about this version if you already have plain Cura or want to use PrusaSlicer. Both Cura and PrusaSlicer are free to download.

Standard versions of Cura or PrusaSlicer do not have a profile for the Neptune 3, but you can use the profile for the Ender 3 Pro and adjust the build height to 250.

At least for now, thumbnail images are not supported on the Neptune 3 as they were in previous models. There’s still a place for the image, so they could return in a firmware update.

Printing on the Elegoo Neptune 3

The Neptune 3 I tested had a leveling issue due to poor assembly at the factory, but once everything was reseated and tightened properly, I had excellent results. I don’t think this is a knock against the machine itself, but more of a reminder to check over all the parts when putting together a printer for the first time.

My first print was the pre-sliced Buddha Elegoo provided on the microSD card. I used the supplied sample PLA and it turned out great even though the bed was not actually level.

I printed the Clockspring Torture Toaster, an extremely tricky print in place model that’s also a calibration print. It failed pretty hard – note the messed up gears and how only one toast was able to pop. This told me that there were issues with the bed level. Again, we have to remember that the auto bed level can only correct minor flaws under .2 mm.

After I dug into the printer and hunted down all the loose screws, I ran a perfect bed level print. We were ready for the Maker’s Muse Calibration Castle. This printed successfully and with very few flaws in Matterhackers Build Series Red PLA. Even the drawbridge, which prints upright, was a success.

I printed several models while testing the Neptune 3, but this collapsing basket vase is one of the most interesting. It’s from Clockspring3D and was printed in Mika3D silk rainbow. The model prints upside down, with all the concentric rings of the print nestled tight together. The rainbow is a bit noisy, but the print is excellent quality at a .2mm layer height.

I printed a phone case in Matterhackers Build Series Translucent Purple TPU and it showed off a fantastic first layer. The textured bed even added a little extra grip to the back of the case.

Last I printed RandomizY’s Cupcake. The wrapper is in Matterhacker Build Series Translucent Purple TPU. The cake is Protopasta Still Colorful 011 Recycled PLA and the frosting is a dollop of Keene Village Edge Glow PETG Pink. All the layers are beautifully smooth in a .2mm layer height and standard settings.

Bottom Line

The Neptune 3 is a real leap forward in features for Elegoo. Currently available for $209, a pre-order price on the Elegoo website, it’s a great deal for anyone wanting an easy-to-assemble 3D printer on a budget. It has many of the features we used to think of as “premium” but are now becoming more and more common. 

The dual gears on the extruder feed filament smoothly, even when dealing with soft TPU. The textured, PEI coated flex plate was a little slick at first, but after a good scrub worked perfectly, grabbing those prints while hot and releasing them with a slight bend of the plate.

I’m a little concerned that our test printer arrived misaligned. This is a problem that would have stumped a newbie, as it was able to print many flat bottomed objects, but failed when printing more delicate first layers. It was fixable once I identified the problem, but I wasted a few print sessions while puzzling it out.

If you're interested in a good beginner printer with auto bed leveling that’s mostly assembled, go for the direct drive Anycubic Kobra, our editor’s choice for beginners that’s available for $319 on Amazon. If you’re looking for an even bigger bargain, check out the $169 Creality Ender 2 Pro, a quality budget printer with a similar hotend and manual leveling, but much smaller build volume.

Nothing quite gets the imagination going like a good LEGO set and that’s become abundantly clear with maker and developer James Brown’s custom LEGO computer terminal brick. This brick doesn’t just look the part, it’s fitted with an actual processor and a working screen to help bring the fictional computer to reality.

The iconic computer terminal brick it's based off of is made using the 2 x 2 slope brick. James has created this one entirely from scratch with the help of a 3D printer and an ARM-based microcontroller. It powers up and features screen animations that look like lines of terminal code scrolling by as well as a loading animation.

The screen used inside this custom LEGO is super tiny—less than half an inch across—and Brown appears to have ordered tons of these things. Just last month, he used a handful of them to create a custom mechanical keyboard on which each key has its own OLED display. The keyboard can be programmed with a demo video showing the letters changing from lowercase to capital on the fly.

Rather than using a Raspberry Pi to power the tiny terminal, Brown had a custom PCB printed just for the project using a different ARM-based chip. On this board is an STM32F030F4P6TR—an ARM Cortex M0 series microcontroller with a 32-bit single core and 16KB of flash. An RP2040 SoC could be used in its place, should you wish to spin your own PCB. It’s connected to a .42-inch OLED display which has a resolution of 72 x 40px. Brown explains that it gets power from an old LEGO 9V system that uses conductive strips inside the studs.

Instead of taking apart an existing brick, Brown opted to design one from scratch. This process involved 3D-printing a mold in which he could cast the brick with the electronic components fit inside. The final product is a semi-translucent blue brick that illuminates with the light from the OLED display.

If you want to recreate this amazing LEGO at home or just get a better idea of how it goes together, check out the original thread shared to Twitter by James Brown and be sure to follow him for more impressive microelectronics projects.

When 3D printing companies announce their latest machines, they don’t automatically drop last year's models – in fact, these older printers could hang around for years, usually at discounted prices. That’s the case with the Elegoo Neptune 2S, a good little printer introduced during the summer of 2021. The machine is – hopefully – the last of the DIY kit printers that we’ll see here at Tom’s Hardware. 

Retailing at $228, the Neptune 2S is comparable to similarly equipped 3D printers. Its quality and ease of use puts it toe to toe with more expensive machines – if you can learn to manually level a printer, it’s a real bargain.

Assembly can take well over an hour if you’re not familiar with the parts, but once it’s put together, the Neptune 2S delivers a delightful printing experience. It produced some excellent prints with PLA, PETG and TPU. It has assisted manual leveling, a Bowden style hotend and premium PEI textured steel flex plate that grabs models tight while printing and releases them with a simple flex.

Elegoo has a lot of support on their website for users. You can find downloads of Elegoo Cura, helpful printing tutorials, manuals and videos. There’s also a gallery of models specifically designed to mod your Neptune.

Specifications: Elegoo Neptune 2S

Elegoo Neptune 2S: Included in the Box

The Neptune 2S comes with everything you need to get your printer set up. You get tools to build and maintain the printer, side cutters, a metal scraper, a spare nozzle, and a microSD card with a USB adapter. There’s also a small sample of white PLA to print your first model.

The microSD card has a very helpful short video on assembling the printer. You also get a PDF copy of the manual, a copy of Elegoo Cura and a sample model in both pre-sliced .gcode and .stl format.

Design of the Elegoo Neptune 2S

The Neptune 2S is what’s commonly known as an “Ender Clone”, sharing the same aesthetics and nearly the same build volume as the popular Creality line of printers like the Ender 3 S1.

The printer has a smooth black frame and a narrow footprint, with the power supply mounted to the Z axis and the touch screen directly below the build plate. Prints are easy to remove from its flex steel PEI textured build surface – just remove the plate from the magnet and bend the plate to pop them off.

It also has a high temperature Capricorn style tubing that can withstand heat up 260° degrees. Stock PTFE tubing starts to break down at 240° degrees which can lead to clogging even at lower temperatures over time.

The dual gear extruder works great and is able to handle TPU, a notoriously difficult filament due to its flexibility. The filament run out sensor is mounted a little too close to the extruder, which can make loading filament a challenge.

This machine only has one Z rod, but since it also has a smaller build plate, that shouldn’t be a noticeable problem unless you print something very thin and very tall.

Assembling the Elegoo Neptune 2S

The Neptune 2S comes as a DIY kit and takes a bit of doing to assemble. While the base of the printer is put together for you, the entire upper portion comes as a box of parts. You will need to attach the Z axis, build the X gantry, mount the hotend and thread the belt.

Building this printer is more of a Saturday afternoon project, and it’s best to set aside a couple of hours if you’ve never built a 3D printer before. The manual gives decent directions, but there’s a lot of matching your parts to the drawings to find out what goes where. The screws are also packages all in one bag – I had a couple times when I had to backtrack because I mistook a HM4 20 for an HM4 18.

The video included on the microSD card is very helpful and I found it easier to follow than the pictograms. Once the pieces are all put together, there are nine electrical connections to make. The wires are well labeled, but the plugs are not, making it too easy to plug a wire into the wrong stepper motor.

Check the voltage switch on the power supply and make sure it matches your local power supply. US users general use 115V.

After assembly, check all the V-slot wheels to make sure they are not loose. These can be tightened by adjusting the eccentric nuts located on each cluster of wheels.

Leveling the Elegoo Neptune 2S

The Neptune 2S requires manual leveling, but it will assist you by moving the print head from point to point. To level (or tram) the print surface, first click Tool in the main menu, then click Leveling.

Place a piece of ordinary paper under the nozzle and select a corner to level. The nozzle will move there. Now you can raise or lower the nozzle using the leveling nuts under the platform – clockwise raising the nozzle up, counterclockwise will lower. Adjust the knobs until the paper just catches on the nozzle.

Adjust each corner at least 3 times. Remember that the platform is rather like a 4-person teeter totter, and each corner’s movements can affect the other corners.

You can fine tune the Z height from the print menu while running a sample print.

For more on manual leveling, please read our handy guide.

Loading Filament on the Elegoo Neptune 2S

The Neptune 2S is a Bowden style printer with its extruder mounted on the left side Z gantry. Insert the filament into the run out sensor, then the extruder. Squeeze the extruder lever to open it, and push the filament all the way through. Next, select Tools → Filchange on the touch screen. Click Load and the printer will heat up to 200° degrees, then advance the filament.

Preparing Files / Software for Elegoo Neptune 2S

The Neptune 2S comes with a copy of Elegoo Cura, but there’s nothing special about this version if you already downloaded Cura or want to use Prusa slicer. Both Cura and Prusa are free to download.

A standard version of Cura or PrusaSlicer do not have a profile for the Neptune 2S, but you can use the profile for the Ender 3 Pro and adjust the build height to 250.

To display thumbnails on the Neptune 2S touch screen, you will need to use Elegoo Cura and save as a TFT file, or regular Cura with an extension from the Cura Marketplace. PrusaSlicer doesn’t have the ability to add extensions.

Go to Marketplace in the upper right corner of Cura. Click Community Plugins. Select MKS Wifi Plugin. Sadly, this doesn’t give your printer WiFi without buying another piece of hardware. Reboot Cura, then select Manage Printers and enable the MKS plugin. Under preview, select Enable Previews. Use “default” for the printer, set Simage to 100 and Gimage to 200.

Printing on the Elegoo Neptune 2S

The Neptune 2S I tested provided great print quality without tuning. My first print was the pre-sliced Buddha Elegoo provided on the microSD card. I used the supplied sample PLA and it turned out great.

Next up was Octo-Loki by McGybeer, which printed smoothly without strings at a .2 layer height in Matterhackers Forest Green PLA.

I wanted to give the printer a real test, so I loaded up the Clockspring Torture Toaster. There was barely any stringing throughout the print and the print in place toaster mechanism worked. Printed at .2mm layer height in Mika3d silk rainbow.

This Good Kuchi Kopi was printed in Matterhacker’s translucent green PLA. The Bowden drive had no trouble printing this at a .2mm layer height, though I did slow it down to 40mms. A very clean print.

This is firefly lantern is a three part print in Inland Copper Silk PLA. There’s a few tiny blemishes in the flat panel, but, over all, it’s a gorgeous print. Design by Bad Beetlez.

Finally, I wanted to test PETG. This is Abby Math’s Cup of Cubes, printed in Matterhackers Build Series Translucent Blue PETG. The design was stretched a little taller into a vase and run in spiralize mode with a .64 line width and .28 layer height. The thicker lines allow for a stronger print and make sure there’s no gaps.

Bottom Line

I can’t really recommend the Neptune 2S for beginners due to the assembly process when there are so many affordable machines shipping 90% built. But if you’re up to the challenge, it’s worth the time. Retailing at $228, the Elegoo Neptune 2S offers a decent bargain – as long as you don’t mind the manual leveling. It’s a good option for a 2nd printer or a whole print farm.

It produces great prints with an easy to use textured PEI flex plate that makes print removal a breeze. The dual gears on the extruder really controls the filament – even TPU prints well at a moderate speed. 

If you're interested in a good beginner printer with auto bed leveling that’s mostly assembled, go for the direct drive Anycubic Kobra, retailing at $319 on Amazon. Looking for an even bigger bargain? Check out the $169 Creality Ender 2 Pro, a quality starter printer that comes mostly assembled with a similar hotend and manual leveling. The DIY kit Neptune 2 is another budget choice, if you can find it. It’s sold out on the Elegoo website, but you can still grab one on Amazon for about $199.

Resin-based 3D printers have been around for a few years now and are available in all sizes, ranging from units small enough to fit on your desktop to larger printers that have a volume that exceeds some popular FDM printers. As manufacturers develop these printers, they are rapidly adding new features to make them easier to use and more accessible to the average person and the new Saturn 2 is no exception.

Elegoo has been in the resin 3D printer business for the past few years and has produced several different sizes ranging from small printers like the recent Elegoo Mars 3, which has a 4K resolution, all the way up to the new Elegoo Jupiter, with a 6K resolution. Like the number in its name suggests, the new Elegoo Saturn 2 is the latest iteration of their Elegoo Saturn line of resin 3D printers and comes with quite a few improvements. The Saturn 2, which is designed to compete with the Best Resin 3D Printers, normally has a retail price of $600, but will be available for pre-order with an early bird price of only $500 for the first 1000 units and $550 for the next 5000 units.

For the prints in this review, I used some of Elegoo’s water washable resin because it was thinner than the low odor resin I had used previously with other resin printers and I wanted to bring out the details so the prints would come out better. I was very impressed with the new resin and using it did seem to make a difference in both the ease of cleanup as well as an improvement in the quality of the prints.

According to Elegoo, they should have an 8K resin available very soon, but it was not available for purchase at the time of this review.

Elegoo Saturn 2 8K Specifications

Included in the Box with Elegoo Saturn 2 8K

The Elegoo Saturn 2 came well packaged with plenty of foam around all sides along with some cardboard reinforcements along the edges to help prevent any damage occurring during shipping.

Like many of Elegoo’s other printers, it came packaged in a nesting doll style with the tools packaged inside of a smaller box. The smaller box is inside of the printer itself along with the build platform, which is placed inside a large block of foam.

The Elegoo Saturn 2 includes a pretty standard array of accessories that many other Elegoo resin printers ship with including tools such as the diagonal cutters for support removal as well as the metal and plastic spatulas.

The metal spatula is for helping to remove your prints from the build plate and you want to be careful while doing so, as it can potentially gouge or scuff the metal surface. The soft spatula is used more as a tool for cleanup such as assisting with removing any residual resin out of the resin tank when emptying.

It also comes with a set of hex key wrenches and some spare screws in case any servicing or repairs need to be performed during the printer’s lifetime. There are two pairs of latex gloves and two surgical style masks for personal protection, but you will probably want to get some higher quality masks and additional gloves for working with resin.

Additionally, it comes with a set of paper filtering funnels, the power brick, an air purifier module, a user manual, and a USB memory stick with a copy of the manual, Chitubox Basic (the recommended slider for the Elegoo Saturn 2) and some test prints on it.

Design of Elegoo Saturn 2 8K

Right away, you can tell the design of the Saturn 2 is different from the previous models. While not being as curvy as the Mars 3, the aesthetic is appealing in its own right. With regard to the features, the Elegoo Saturn 2 is closest in design to the Saturn S of any other of Elegoo’s offerings, which is to be expected as that was the previous model.

One of the most obvious improvements of the Elegoo Saturn 2 is the 8K high resolution screen. The screen is 10 inches, which is a noticeable improvement over the 8.9-inch screen on the original Saturn and the 9.1 inch display that came on the Saturn S.

In addition to having a larger screen, it is also a significantly higher resolution then either of its two predecessors. The higher resolution means you can produce more detailed models than ever before. Underneath the 8K LCD is a Fresnel Lens that is able to distribute the UV light very evenly.

The Elegoo Saturn 2 is driven by a pair of linear rails along with a nice thick lead screw for a very sturdy build platform, which is necessary to produce detailed prints at such a high resolution.

One of the more interesting design features is a removable panel in the rear of the UV cover that can be used to connect to an exhaust ventilation system to help further reduce odors for people who operate in small spaces and are concerned with fumes.

Like Elegoo’s Saturn S and Jupiter printers, the Saturn 2 8K comes with a replaceable air purifier module that is powered by a port underneath the UV cover. Even though the port is shaped like a standard USB port, it has a warning next to it that the output voltage is 24 volts instead of the usual 5 volts produced by USB ports, so you wouldn’t want to plug your USB memory stick into it. During testing, I noticed that there was still a lingering resin odor that wasn’t completely eliminated.

Another feature that I’m really happy to see on this model is that the power switch that is on the rear of the Saturn S has now been replaced with a power button on the front of the Saturn 2, making it very convenient to turn on and off.

Leveling the Build Platform on the Elegoo Saturn 2 8K

Leveling the printer was pretty straightforward. The first step is to loosen the two bolts on the sides of the resin tank. Then using the control panel on the front of the printer, you want to raise the build platform to a sufficient height that the resin tank can be removed.

Then after making sure the large knob that holds the build platform onto the printer is tightened, use the largest hex key to loosen the bolts on the front and side just below the knob. Make sure to remove the screen protector from the LCD if you haven’t already.

There is a card that comes with the printer that is about the thickness of cardstock. You will want to place that directly on top of the LCD screen. On the earlier generations of printers, a regular piece of paper was used to compensate for the thickness of the FEP film, but a thicker card is now used because the new FEP 2.0 film is thicker and more durable.

Next, you will want to press the home button to lower the build platform until it rests squarely on the card. You can press the home button to readjust the card if necessary. Once you are happy with the position, hold the build platform with some pressure against the LCD while you tighten first the front bolt, and then the side bolt.

You can then press the up button until the build platform is high enough to reinstall the resin tank. The platform should now be properly leveled. If you are having trouble with prints sticking to the platform or you notice a flat spot on your printed model after removing it, you may want to try re-leveling the platform.

Printing Safety with Elegoo Saturn 2 8K

With resin printing, you will want to print in a well ventilated area that’s still out of the way of any UV radiation such as direct or indirect sunlight. Even with the low odor resins, the fumes can still be toxic. You will also want to make sure you are wearing gloves to avoid directly contacting the resin with your skin.

One thing that you hear discussed a bit less often is exposure to UV light. With the Elegoo Saturn 2, I tested whether removing the cover would turn off the UV light source and unfortunately found it continues to emit UV light. Although it’s likely not any stronger than sunlight, it is best to avoid looking directly at a UV light source with your eyes if you can help it, and it is a good idea to avoid direct exposure to your skin as well. Most of the time the resin will be covering up the UV light source, so this isn’t really much of an issue, but it is something to be aware of.

Printing Included Test Prints on the Elegoo Saturn 2 8K

Test prints allow 3D printer manufacturers to demonstrate the printer’s strengths. Having the prints pre-sliced is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, the manufacturer can choose the best settings for the printer, but on the other hand, the manufacturer is making a guess about the specific resin that new users will be using to produce the test prints. In typical Elegoo fashion, the test print that comes with the Saturn 2 is a pair of rooks.

With some of Elegoo’s earlier printers, this guessing has yielded softer prints that were often gouged with the spatula upon removal. It appears that the company has increased the exposure time with the latest test prints, so it takes a bit longer, but the model is less likely to be damaged.

Printing the test prints is pretty simple. Just insert the USB memory stick into the USB port on the right side of the printer, select the Print option from the main menu, open the “ELEGOO SATURN 2 Rook Model for Printing Test” folder, and select the Rook Test Print Model. There is also an STL of the model if you would like to try slicing it yourself with Chitubox.

Preparing Files for Printing with Chitubox

The first thing you’ll want to do once you have Chitubox Basic installed is to add a new printer in the software. The current version at the time of this writing already has the Saturn 2 as an option, making setup a breeze. One thing you will want to check is the exposure times on the resin you will be using. I ended up needing to increase the exposure time quite a bit for the water washable resin because the default values left the resin a little too soft.

After you have your printer all set up, you can load a model to slice. Slicing with a resin printer is quite a bit different from slicing for a traditional FDM printer. Since the model is printed upside down and is printed used liquid resin, there are additional things you need to take into account such as drainage holes, the weight of the item you are printing so it doesn’t fall off the build plate, and even where the supports attach so that when they are removed, you don’t remove delicate details.

For the first model, I went with the Tower of Pi to show basic slicing. This one is fairly straightforward since it doesn’t have any large solid sections, but it also has a lot of detail making it a great demonstration of a resin printer.

To get your model prepared, you will want to place the model at an angle. Placing models at an angle makes it much easier to remove them from the build platform without damage in the process. It also gives more surface area for supports to hold on so the model is less likely to fall during printing.

Start by opening up the file that you would like to print. You can open the Rotate panel on the left side by clicking the Rotate button. If your model is not upright, you can first get it oriented correctly using the controls. Once it is upright, find the axis that corresponds to the longer side of the build platform and click +45° or -45° to place it at a 45 degree tilt so that you can add supports. You can always adjust this angle to your liking, but I found the tilt buttons were pretty convenient.

Under the Supports tab on the right side of the screen, you can have Chitubox automatically generate supports. For this model, I found the default settings to be sufficient and added supports only for items above the build platform by clicking on the +Platform button. After pressing the button, it will take about 10 seconds or so for the supports to be generated.

Once the build supports are in place, you can go back to the Settings tab and click on the Slice button. This will slice the model. Once it is sliced, a Save button will appear, which will allow you to save the sliced file onto the USB stick that came with the printer.

Once it is saved, you can eject the memory stick from your computer and plug it into the printer. On the printer, just go to the Print option from the menu and choose the model. It should show up just as it looked in Chitubox.

Printing a Bust on the Elegoo Saturn 2 8K

To test printing a bust, I decided to go with a model of an Elf Archer Bust because the dimensions fit well in this printer and I wanted to see how the details came out. Chitubox has a nice feature that allows you to hollow out the model. It also has a feature to allow you to add drain holes so that you can rinse out any excess resin from inside the head.

To start with, I loaded my model into Chitubox Pro just as described above and got it sitting at an angled orientation. I oriented with the face pointing away from the build platform so that there would be fewer supports on the face.

I clicked on the Scale button to get to the scale controls and increased the scale to the maximum using the Scale to fit button. Then I backed it off by about 10% in order to leave room for the supports.

I clicked on the Hollow button at the top, which allows you to set the thickness of the outer shell. I increased the value to 3mm because the defaults are a bit on the thin side. I then added a single large drainage hole on the bottom of the bust using the Dig Hole tool.

The hole will mostly help you out when washing and cleaning your model as most excess resin will leave the model as it is printed. Chitubox will also automatically generate a plug that you can use to fill the hole after washing, though you may choose to just delete this.

After this, it’s just a matter of generating supports like with the first model and printing it out.

Once you have finished printing, you can wash the inside of the model out using the drain hole. I noticed that supports had been generated inside the model through the hole, but I just left them. While cleaning my print, I was a little too eager with removing the supports and ended up breaking the hair and chipping the face, but otherwise the quality of the print turned out very good.

Printing Detailed Models on the Elegoo Saturn 2 8K

For a detailed test print, I went with a model called Red Dragon featuring a winged dragon. This model was a little too large for this printer at the full size, so I chose Scale to fit, which came out to around 75% or the original size. I didn’t bother to hollow the inside as most of the larger features weren’t excessively big and as a result, no drainage holes were necessary. The main thing to watch out for on a detailed model like this is ensuring the supports are in a place where removing them doesn’t cause you to accidentally damage the print.

Washing and Curing on the Elegoo Saturn 2 8K

After printing, the model will still likely have some leftover resin on it and, to get a resin print to look its best, you will want to clean it.

To wash the models, I used Elegoo’s largest Wash and Cure station, the Mercury X bundle. Although this was designed with the original Saturn and Saturn S in mind, which have slightly smaller build volumes, I found the build platform still fit into the tank. The only issue I had was with some of the taller prints bottoming out.

Because I used a water washable resin, I emptied the isopropyl alcohol from the rinse tank into a bucket for use at a later time and replaced it with tap water.

What worked well for me was to start off by washing the item in the water first after printing, then remove the supports while they were still soft. After that, I dipped it in water briefly and used the brush included with the water washable resin to loosen up any more resin residue. I gave it another rinse in the rinse tank in hopes that the water would now be able to get into the nooks to help remove any additional resin. After letting the item completely dry, I then cured it and this prevented any white residue from forming on the prints, which can happen even with the water washable resins.

Cleaning Up After a Failed Print on Elegoo Saturn 2 8K

Prints can and eventually do fail even on resin printers, though I did not experience any failed prints on the Saturn 2 myself. Whether it happens due to support structures that are unable to support the mass or any number of other things, you still will have a mess to clean up before you can print again.

It is best to start by removing the model above the resin tank. I found that using the metal spatula on the build plate worked quite well. The reason you want to remove the model first is to avoid dripping any resin onto the LCD screen, which is very difficult, if not impossible to remove once hardened.

After that, run a tank clean cycle through the printer’s menu, which will expose the entire bottom layer of the tray to UV light and create a solid mass of any little pieces that may have broken off of the failed print. You may consider adding a piece of removed support from a previous print to one corner first to make removal of the mass easier.

Once that is complete and you have removed the hardened resin, you should empty the resin tank. The plastic spatula works well to assist with this. Emptying the resin first allows you to inspect the FEP film as well. If it gets too damaged, you may need to replace it before continuing.

You will also want to verify that any stray resin did not get on the outside of the resin tray so that it doesn’t end up getting onto the LCD screen when placed back onto the printer, which could end up curing there. Even though the LCD is scratch resistant, you will still want to be extremely careful if you did have any resin cure there, which is why it is best to avoid it in the first place.

You can use some isopropyl alcohol to help clean any surfaces that resin gets onto and paper towels to wipe it dry. You may want to leave any failed prints outside to dry in the sun and harden or you could place them in a cure chamber if you like.

Bottom Line

This is a very polished machine that produces prints of phenomenal quality. During the entire time I was testing it, I had no failed prints. If you are looking for a mid-sized 3D resin printer or you need to print in a high level of detail, you really can’t go wrong with this printer.

Another printer that is in a similar budget range that you may also want to take a look at is the Phrozen Sonic Mini 8k with an even more impressive resolution of 22 microns, but with the tradeoff being a smaller print volume. If you want something with a smaller footprint and you like Elegoo, you may consider going with the Elegoo Mars 3. If you are looking for a larger build volume, you may want to consider taking a look at the Elegoo Jupiter. However, if you want this level of detail and build volume together, the Saturn 2 8K is hard to beat.

The popularity of the Steam Deck handheld has become highly evident in recent weeks. For the last five weeks, Valve's AMD Aerith APU-powered portable was second in the top seller by revenue charts. However, it managed to move up to the number one spot over the weekend.

Competition for the pinnacle of best-selling games on Steam by revenue chart is intense. In its favor, the Steam Deck has a big ticket price of at least $399, but many will be opting for a higher-spec model, probably bringing the average price paid to $500+.

One of the biggest competitors in the chart's top three over recent weeks has undoubtedly been Elden Ring, published by Bandai. In mid-March, it was noted that this new title, very popular on PCs (accounting for 44% of sales in Europe), had sold 12 million copies in three weeks. However, at the time of writing, the game is still priced at over $50 online.

Given the above, one could reasonably estimate that selling a million copies of Elden Ring would bring approximately the same revenue as selling 100,000 Steam Deck handhelds. Figures of this scale could be possible for Elden Ring, but we can't be sure as it has been a few weeks since the game publishers updated us on sales figures. Unfortunately, Valve doesn't publicly share Steam Deck order numbers.

Valve and hardware haven't always been happy bedfellows. We probably don't have to remind regular readers of the sad fate of Steam Machines and peripherals like the Steam Controller and Steam Link. However, it looks like the Steam Deck has put Valve's previous misadventures to good use. There is quite a lot of venerable tech leveraged in the new portable and its OS.

If you are interested in the Steam Deck but not entirely sure what the fuss is about, please check out our benchmarks and hands-on first impressions feature from last month. In the meantime, there are very frequent news stories about expanded PC games library support (better compatibility), plus enhancements like AMD Adrenalin, Cloud Sync, new Windows drivers, and more.

Unfortunately, it isn't that easy to secure a Steam Deck at the current time. Valve has a pre-order system, and you will have to wait until an expected shipment date of "October 2022 or later" if you click the reservation button today (all variants). Valve recently said that it was "ramping up" Steam Deck deliveries and added that "no reservation windows have been changed or delayed."

Resin-based 3D printers have been around for a few years now and are available in all sizes ranging from units small enough to fit on your desktop to larger printers that have a volume that exceeds some popular FDM printers. As printer manufacturers develop these printers, they are rapidly adding new features to make them easier to use and more accessible to the average person. Elegoo has produced several different sizes ranging from the recent Elegoo Mars 3 to the Elegoo Saturn.

The Elegoo Jupiter is their new large resin printer and towers over both the Mars and Saturn line of printers they offer. This printer was designed to be one of the Best Resin 3D Printers in its class. The Elegoo Jupiter is currently available for preorder through Elegoo’s website for a preorder price of $1300 and should be available a little later this year. Printers with similar build volumes, such as the Peopoly Phenom with similar X and Y dimensions, but with an extra 100mm of height, normally go for closer to $2000.

With some lower budget printers you can expect to get a much smaller build volume. For instance, the Elegoo Saturn, which is closer to the $500 price point, has a build volume of less than 40 percent of the Jupiter and even the Elegoo Mars 3 at $350 has half of the build volume saturn.

Elegoo Jupiter Specifications

Included in the Box with Elegoo Jupiter

I received an engineering sample from Elegoo and because this is a pre-production unit, the final product may be a little different. It was well packed with plenty of foam and arrived inside a crate. The printer is heavy, even once it is removed from all of its packaging, and having the help of at least another person is recommended. Inside of the crate is a cardboard box with plenty of protective foam. After unpacking, setting up the Elegoo Jupiter was fairly straightforward.

No manual was included with the printer, with the exception of a card with leveling instructions, and this was likely because a manual hadn’t yet been created yet.

All of the accessories were packed in the printer’s main compartment inside of a foam block. I removed everything and installed the build plate and resin tank into their appropriate places. I installed the included air filter into the USB slot behind the resin tank and connected power.

Included amongst the accessories were a few personal protective items including a couple of masks and a couple pairs of latex gloves. If you have any latex sensitivities, try nitrile gloves instead. You may want a better mask, because the air filtration on the included one didn’t block all the fumes for me.

There are also tools that are used in the initial setup and maintenance of the printer as well as tools used when printing and during cleanup. There are two extra sheets of FEP 2.0 film that will likely need to be replaced at some point.

For the items used in cleaning up, included are some paper strainer funnels and a plastic spatula that is used to wipe the bottom of the resin.

Finally, there’s also five auto-feeder caps, the power supply, a USB memory stick, a card with a code for a one-year subscription of Chitubox Pro, and the air purifier.

Design of Elegoo Jupiter

Unlike its predecessors, the Elegoo Jupiter is built with all-metal construction that makes it now the sturdiest and most durable 3D printers to come from Elegoo. On the front of the printer is a magnetically latching door with a UV-tinted window so you can monitor the progress of your prints without accidentally exposing them to any external UV radiation. The printer is similar in size to a small 2-drawer filing cabinet. The printer features an impressive build volume and is over two and a half times the size of the Elegoo Saturn.

The Elegoo Jupiter has a large tank that can hold around 2 liters of resin and also features an automatic resin feeding system that will continually add resin from a bottle mounted inside using some special feeder caps that come with the printer using gravity. The feeder caps have a nozzle that will only start allowing the resin to flow once it is locked in place. While testing, I did find that the thicker resins didn’t seem to flow, but thinner resins worked just fine.

For Z-Axis movement, the Elegoo Jupiter is equipped with a pair of linear rails like the Saturn, but it now has 2 pillow blocks per rail. Additionally, a ball screw is now used to move the build plate up and down for ultra smooth operation. A ball screw is filled with many little ball bearings to remove any backlash which provides superior movement compared to the lead screw on the previous models.

In order to help mitigate odors, the Elegoo Jupiter included an air purification module that is powered by a USB port inside of the printer for optimal placement.

The Elegoo Jupiter has built-in LED lighting so that you not only see your model as it is being produced, but also what you are doing when making any adjustments.

The user interface of the Elegoo Jupiter is intuitive and consists of large buttons and a touch screen interface that makes it very easy to navigate around.

The resin tray has screws in each of the corners that act as feet when the tray is placed on a flat surface and when it is inserted in the machine, the feet act as alignment pins to help you place the tray inside so that it won’t move.

Leveling the Build Platform on the Elegoo Jupiter

Leveling the build plate was easy, but perhaps a little more involved than Elegoo’s other printers. Fortunately, there’s a Jupiter leveling instruction card included with the printer. First I removed the resin tank by loosening and removing the thumbscrews on each side and lifting it out.

I then removed the protective film from the resin tank and loosened all four of the screws as well as the handle in the center while the build plate was still in place. With the build plate raised, I inserted the leveling card which conveniently also acts as a perfectly sized spacer and pressed the level button.

After the build plate was lowered, I tightened up the four screws in the corners in an X-pattern using a wrench. The card lists a very specific order of the screws and you may want to take a photo of that diagram with your phone ahead of time so you have something to reference while the build plate is down.

Finally, I tightened the handle and raised the build plate. I did end up later adjusting the zero-position for the Z-Axis, but this was extremely easy. You just set the printer when you want it to be zeroed and press the Z=0 button to save it.

Printing Safety with Elegoo Jupiter

With resin printing, you will want to print in a well ventilated area that’s still out of the way of any UV radiation such as direct or indirect sunlight. Even with the low odor resins, the fumes can still be toxic. You will also want to make sure you are wearing gloves to avoid directly contacting the resin with your skin.

One thing that you hear discussed a bit less often is exposure to UV light. With the Elegoo Jupiter, I tested whether opening the door would turn off the UV light source and was a little surprised to find out that it continues to emit UV light. You never want to look directly at a UV light source with your eyes if you can help it and it is a good idea to avoid direct exposure to your skin as well. Most of the time, the resin will be covering up the UV light source, so this isn’t really an issue, but it is something to be aware of.

Printing Included Test Prints on the Elegoo Jupiter

The Elegoo Jupiter did not come with any test prints and this is likely because this was a pre-production unit. This is probably a good thing because in the past, the test models that come with the Elegoo printers tend to have a large flat surface directly against the build plate, which makes them incredibly difficult to remove. When using the included removal tool in such a situation, you are likely to damage the prints and possibly the surface of the build plate.

The USB stick that came with the printer was completely blank and didn’t even include a manual, so I ended up slicing my own models and will cover how to do that down below.

Preparing Files for Printing with Chitubox

The Elegoo Jupiter comes with a one year subscription of Chitubox Pro, which is a $169 value, and gives you access to many more slicing features than the basic edition. However, for the purposes of this review, I will only be covering basic slicing features to show you how to get up and running.

The first thing you’ll want to do once you’ve installed Chitubox Pro is create a new printer. Since this is a pre-production printer, there wasn’t actually an existing Elegoo Jupiter printer profile, but Elegoo provided me with screenshots of all of the settings to change on the default printer. By the time the printer is put into production, this will likely have changed. After you have your printer all set up, you can load a model in.

Slicing with a resin printer is quite a bit different from slicing for a traditional FDM printer. Since the model is printed upside down and are printed used liquid resin, there are additional things you need to take into account such as drainage holes, the weight of the item you are printing so it doesn’t fall off the build plate, and even where the supports attach so that when they are removed, you don’t remove delicate details.

For the first model, I went with the Tower of Pi to show basic slicing. This one is fairly straightforward since it doesn’t have any large solid sections, but it also has a lot of detail making it a great demonstration of a resin printer.

To get your model prepared, you will want to start by opening a file. If your model is damaged, it will detect the damage and ask you if you would like to automatically repair it. If you do come across this, just go ahead and click Yes.

After the model is finished being repaired, if you click on another tab, you will be prompted about whether you want to keep the original or repaired model on the build plate. You will want to choose “Repaired Only” or you will end up with two overlapping models.

On the Prepare tab, there is an Auto Orientation feature that will place your model at a tilt, which is ideal for resin printers. However in the case of this model, you will want the bottom of the model towards the build plate so that the generated supports are not going inside of the model, which can make them difficult to remove. Using the rotate tab on the left side, you can manually rotate the object so that it is facing 180 degrees from the build plate along either the X or Y axis.

Under the Support tab, you can have Chitubox automatically generate supports. For this model, I found the default settings to be sufficient and added supports only for items above the build platform by clicking on the +Platform button. After pressing the button, it will take a minute or so for the supports to be generated.

Once the build supports are in place, you can go back to the Prepare tab and click on the Single Parameter Slice button. This will slice the model and allow you to save the sliced file onto the USB stick that came with the printer. Once it is saved, you can eject the memory stick from your computer and plug it into the printer. On the printer, just go to the Print option from the menu and choose the model. It should show up just as it looked in Chitubox.

Printing a Bust on the Elegoo Jupiter

To print a bust, I decided to go with a model of a Yoda Bust because of the detailed textures that I wanted to see how well this printer would be able to produce. This bust took me many tries to finally get printed and that was because of the learning curve of slicing for a resin printer. One of the things I learned while printing this is that you don’t want to make a solid head because the weight of the head is too much for the supports regardless of their thickness.

To get around this, Chitubox has a nice feature that allows you to hollow out the model. It also has a feature to allow you to add drain holes so that you can rinse out any excess resin from inside the head. To start with, I loaded my model into Chitubox Pro just as described above and got it sitting at an angled orientation.

Since this is a large format resin printer, I of course increased the scale of the model to 200% in each axis. For this model, I decided to add some drainage holes and I didn’t want those to be visible on the model, so I oriented it so that the bottom of the bust was facing away from the build platform.

I clicked on the Hollow button, which allows you to set the thickness of the outer shell. I went with the default settings, but after printing it, I now wish I had increased it a little more so that the model was a bit less fragile when removing supports. I then added a few drainage holes using the Dig Hole tool on various places at the bottom. At the very minimum, you will want to add some drainage holes at the point furthest away from the build plate so any resin trapped inside will be able to drain. They will also assist you when washing and cleaning your model.

Once you have finished printing, you can wash the inside of the model out using the drain holes. In the case of the model I printed, as I mentioned, the sides were a bit on the thin side, so the eyes came out much darker than the rest of the model.

Printing Detailed Models on the Elegoo Jupiter

For the detailed model, I went with a model of Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral. This allowed for testing out a superb amount of detail. This was printed at 100% scale, though the printer would have handled it at an even larger scale without a problem. This particular model is already hollow inside, so using the hollowing feature was unnecessary and neither was adding any drainage holes. The main thing to watch out for on a detailed model like this is that the supports are in a place that removing them doesn’t cause you to accidentally damage the print.

I printed the model at a 100% scale and, while the Jupiter did an excellent job with many of the detailed parts, it had some trouble with the skinny spires, which ended up being a little wispy. Overall though, I’m happy with the level of detail and printing the model at a larger scale most certainly would have resulted in better spires.

The thing I found most challenging with this print was the support removal, as the supports wanted to cling to every little detail with most of them being very fragile. As such, the side with the towers ended up looking less than stellar and, if I had to slice it again, I would have oriented the model so most of the supports only attached to the underside.

Washing and Curing on the Elegoo Jupiter

For the Elegoo Jupiter review, Elegoo was kind enough to send me its largest Wash and Cure station, the Mercury X bundle. Due to the capacity of the washing and curing station, this limited the size of models that I was able to print to a degree, but they were still sufficient for most items that could be produced on this printer.

After printing, the model still has some of the leftover resin on it and, to get a resin print to look it’s best, you will want to clean it.

What worked well for me was to start off by washing the item in the alcohol first, then removing the supports while they were still soft. After that, I rinsed it under water to remove any remaining alcohol and resin residue. After letting the item completely dry, I then finally cured it and this prevented any white residue from forming on the prints.

Cleaning Up after a failed print on the Elegoo Jupiter

Prints can and eventually do fail even on resin printers. Whether it happens due to support structures that are unable to support the mass or any number of other things, you still will have a mess to clean up before you can print again.

It is best to start by emptying the resin tray. This will hopefully avoid little bits and pieces from falling inside as you remove the model above it. I found that using the metal spatula on the build plate worked quite well and I used the plastic spatula inside of the resin tray to remove any pieces stuck to the FEP film. Emptying the resin first allows you to inspect the FEP film as well. If it gets too damaged, you may need to replace it before continuing.

You will also want to verify that any resin did not get on the outside of the resin tray so that it doesn’t end up getting onto the LCD screen when placed back inside of the printer, which could end up curing there. You can use some isopropyl alcohol to clean any surfaces that resin gets onto and paper towels to wipe it dry. You may want to leave any failed prints outside to dry in the sun and harden or you could pace them in the cure chamber if you like.

Bottom Line

If you are looking for a sturdy large format resin printer that is priced much more reasonably than many of its competitors with similar build volumes, such as the Peopoly Phenom which goes for around $2000, then this is the printer for you. The Elegoo Jupiter’s print resolution is very similar to both the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro and the Elegoo Saturn, so if you’re happy with the level of detail that those printers produce, then you’ll be happy with the resolution of the Jupiter.

If you are looking for a printer with a higher resolution, you may want to consider looking at the Phozen Sonic Mini 8K which retails for less than half of the price of this printer, but at a reduced build volume.

Head in the sky? We know how you feel. Sometimes it takes a head full of Pi to bring things back down to Earth and no one knows that better than developer EldenGoat. This Reddit user is working on a cool, Lego-based star-finding robot, affectionately dubbed the Galilego, that uses our favorite SBC—the Raspberry Pi.

This isn’t the first stellar Raspberry Pi project we’ve had the honor of covering. In fact, we’ve had quite a few space-related creations grace our feed including this cool Pi-powered sky camera and CosmicPi, a system designed to detect unseen cosmic rays. That said, the might be the first star-finding robot we’ve come across made using a Lego Mindstorms kit.

The Galilego project is loaded up with useful features, modules, and gadgets that cater to the most elite form of hobbyist sky tracking around. It’s fitted with a camera module for snagging shots, a GPS for calculating its position and much more all powered by a Raspberry Pi 4.

Like we said before, this project is built using Lego but, to be more specific, EldenGoat is using a Lego Mindstorms Robot Inventor 51515 set to build the housing. The camera used in this project is HD with a resolution of 12.3 megapixels which is ideal for snagging pictures of stars located unfathomable distances away. It also includes a built-in compass and is completely portable thanks to a 10000mAH 3.7V battery.

As of writing, the physical construction appears to be finished but there is no demo of it in action. The software-side is still in development so it’s not clear exactly how everything operates together on the Pi. It wouldn’t be hard to operate the components in this project using Python but only time will tell which method EldenGoat decides to take. This project could also be created using Raspberry Pi's own Build HAT, an interface board for Lego components that are programmable via Python.

If you want to make something like this yourself, keep an eye out for more updates and look through our previous projects for inspiring concept designs. To get a closer look at this project and read more about its progress so far, your best bet is to check out the original thread shared to Reddit. It has a few additional pictures as well as details about the hardware used in Galilego’s design.

We’re always looking for more excuses to pull out the Raspberry Pi Build HAT, and this robotic arm created by the team at Creator Academy is a great one. With the Build HAT and a Raspberry Pi, they’ve constructed a robotic arm using LEGO components.

The arm consists of five posable fingers that can be controlled using a camera module. The camera records the user's hand, which the Pi then interprets before sending a command to the arm to mimic the gesture.

According to Creator Academy, the project consists of a Raspberry Pi, the Build HAT and pieces from a LEGO Mindstorms Robot Inventor 51515 kit. For image capturing, a Raspberry Pi Camera V2 Module is used.

The image recognition is handled by OpenCV. This is an open-source tool that users can implement to create custom-trained image recognition platforms—in the past, we’ve used it to identify faces. In this case, it scans frames from the camera to identify hands and what position they’re in. This data can be used to adjust the robotic arm to imitate the user's position in real-time.

To see this project in action, check out the original video shared to YouTube by Creator Academy.

As much as we PC enthusiasts pride ourselves on building our own PCs, what we often end up doing in the end is closer to “assembling” than “building.” Unless you’re doing liquid cooling or some other advanced setup, parts usually come complete in-box and we simply slot and screw them together. InWin’s newest PC cases, the Airforce (ATX) and Explorer (Mini-ITX), are trying to add a bit more DIY spirit to the PC case, which is one of the traditionally less interactive parts of building a PC. But they’re not without drawbacks.

Coming with both color and pure black (for the Airforce) or pure white (for the Explorer) options, each of these cases has its own “modular” frame pieces that need to be installed by the user. Don’t take “modular” to mean you’ll be getting a ton of functionality options, though. Instead, your choices will be largely aesthetic.

In other words, if you choose the “Justice White” color scheme for either the Airforce or the Explorer, you’ll get to choose whether your case will have a red side frame on top and a blue side frame on bottom, or vice versa. Similarly, do you want your yellow vent filter (or front panel, for the Explorer) on the front or the back? 

Meanwhile, the parts for the Airforce’s “Phantom Black” color scheme and the Explorer’s “Bone White” color scheme all match each other, so despite having to put the case together yourself, your end product will look the same as everyone else’s. In that case, you’re just getting a “build-it-yourself” chassis for the sake of it.

That might be worth it, though, as the Justice White color scheme won’t be for everyone. Coming across as a mix between an off-brand Gundam peripheral and a Fisher Price toy, its modular parts are all red, blue, white and yellow. Even if you get to choose where to place some of those colors, you will still have to use them all to have a complete build.

That’s especially problematic for the Mini-ITX Explorer case, which must sit on yellow feet that really bring home the “children’s toy” aesthetic.

Regardless, we love to see this sort of Lego mentality coming to PC cases. While the Justice White color scheme is definitely for the bold, we could see future, standalone replacement parts making for some major customizability down the line. Ideally, we’d be able to buy, say, vent filters for every color of the rainbow and essentially build our own color scheme.

Of course, that’s all still up in the air. But personally, I’d love to be able to swap the colors on my chassis a few years in without needing to get a whole new one.

In the here and now, though, these pre-selected color schemes are all we have. Regardless of what you go for, though, the Explorer case will always come with support for up to 330mm triple slot GPUs, 160mm ATX PSUs and up to 240mm radiators. It’ll also have two storage drive slots and come with three RGB Luna AL120 fans.

The Airforce Mid-Tower’s specs include support for up to 12x13 inch E-ATX motherboards, GPUs up to 390mm in length, 120mm tall CPU heatsinks, 180mm PSUs and up to four storage drives. It’s also got room for seven fans and includes four RGB Luna AL120 fans with your purchase.

Both cases also have plenty of front panel I/O, with USB type C and Type A ports as well as 3.5mm input and output jacks.

Both the Airforce and the Explorer are currently available on InWin’s site, with the former costing $199 and the latter costing $119.

Christmas is a time for giving, and we’re eternally grateful to all-round geek and The Pi Cast guest Richard Hayler for gifting us this Raspberry Pi project: a chocolate-dispensing advent calendar that will only dispense precisely one treat per day.

Hayler, a programme manager with Raspberry Pi who works on the Astro Pi project, created the treat distribution system using one of the popular single board computers, the Build HAT, some Lego components, the 3D RGB Christmas tree kit, and a stash of sweet, sweet candies, plus a bit of Python.
The Build HAT is a collaboration between Lego and Raspberry Pi which enables Lego electronic components, such as motors and sensors, to be used with the popular Python programming language.

A press of a button is all it takes to get this Donkey Kong-like tower of Lego to allow a chocolate to roll, barrel-like, down its sloping paths to the bottom, but it will only work if it hasn’t already handed out a confectionary tidbit that day. If one of the delicious delicacies has already been dispensed, a red light is all you get.

Hayler's YouTube channel reveals previous experiments with Pi-controlled Christmas lights, and a fabulous Lego Apollo 11 display case too.

Editor's Note 11/29/2021: This review has been updated with new pricing information and our thoughts on the Creator Kit which was not included in the original review due to vendor availability issues.

Crowbits STEM Kits

They say that the best method of teaching is to start with the basics. This is true for most subjects, but even more so for getting kids involved and interested in learning about electronics and programming. This is exactly Elecrow Crowbits’ approach to launching young inventors and creators into the world of technology. 

Available via Kickstarter, the STEM kit series starts with building simple projects that make use of basic electronic concepts, then steps up kids' skills by introducing projects that require some coding and graduates to more advanced application development. The Crowbits lineup consists of five interactive STEM-based packages, each appropriately themed with projects that cater to kids from ages 6 -10 and up. These are the Hello Kit, Explorer Kit, Inventor Kit, Creator Kit and Master Kit.

With the variety of engineering kits out in the market today, Crowbits’ pricing falls in the mid-range category. Ranging from $26 to $90, depending on which kit you prefer, it is money well spent. One of the key values that Crowbits brings is its focus on teaching kids the basics of electronics through the use of these programmable blocks and sensors and ties that learning to current practical uses, like turning the lights on or off. This simple circuit logic is used to program small home appliances like coffee machines, automatic dispensers, or even smart home security systems.

Much like the company’s previous Kickstarter project the CrowPi2, a Raspberry Pi-powered laptop that we reviewed last year, Crowbits also presented issues with documentation. Makers and creators know that clear and concise directions are very important for any project building. Unclear and inadequate instructions cause users, especially beginners, to feel that they may have done something wrong. They may be able to troubleshoot some issues themselves, but if left unresolved an air of defeat and frustration ensues.

 Crowbits Setup

Setup for Crowbits starts with choosing which components to use depending on the project the child wants to try. The modules are designed to be plug-and-play so young makers can use them to build structures and experiment right away. Modules are also compatible with the entire series of learning kits, so if you purchased more than one, you can use them interchangeably. 

If you want to try building from the suggested projects, of which there are plenty to choose from, note that they become more challenging as you move up in the series and may include some coding and firmware downloads. 

How Crowbits Work 

Every kit consists of a number of modules. Each module has magnetic pogo-pins on all sides that help connect them easily. Another way of connecting modules are by the magnetic cables. At the back of each module are Lego holes for seamless integration of Lego bricks to any structure. 

There are four different types of modules and are easily identified by color: Blue for power/logic, yellow for input, green for output and orange for special modules. It’s important to keep in mind a few rules for creating a circuit sequence. There should be at least a power, an input and an output module in order to build a circuit, with the proper sequence having the input block before the output. 

There could be multiple input and output blocks in a sequence where the output is controlled by the nearest input block. Lastly, names of modules must be facing up to ensure the correct pins are being used. 

 Crowbits Module and Sensor Breakdown 

There are four different types of modules and sensors for Crowbits and each function is distinguished by color:

• Power Modules (Blue) – the power source and a core module that’s required for every project build. You’ll see a green light that indicates when the power is on. Use the included micro-USB cable to re-charge the power supply when needed.
  
• Logic Modules (Blue) – for basic operations. Includes: 315 MHz Controller, Expansion, etc.
  
• Input Modules (Yellow) – accepts input data like touch, vibration or object detection and passes it to the output modules. Includes: Touch module, IR reflective sensor, light sensor, etc.
  
• Output Modules (Green) – receives command from input module and executes ending action. Examples are: Buzzer module (makes a sound), LED (Y) light up, or vibrate
  
•  Special Modules (Orange) – used for advanced programming tasks. Examples are: I2C or UART 

 Crowbits Software and Hardware 

Programming Languages Supported: Letscode (Elecrow’s visual programming software based on Scratch 3.0), which supports Python and Arduino IDE.

Open Source Hardware Compatibility: ESP32 TFT, Micro:bit board, Arduino UNO and Raspberry Pi (TBA).

OS Supported: Windows and Mac 

 Hello Kit and Explorer Kit

The Hello Kit and Explorer Kit are learning tools for beginners and targets children ages 6-8 and up. It introduces the concept of modules and their functionality. No coding is required for any of the suggested experiments and projects here. Building the projects with cardboard elements proved to be difficult for my seven-year-old and she got easily frustrated trying to use the thin double-sided tape that came with the kit.

Once the structures were built (with my help) she did enjoy putting the modules together and making things happen like sounding the buzzer on the anti-touching device or making the lights turn on her window display project. Another annoyance to note was when using the cable module that serves to connect modules together. The cable is quite thick and not flexible so it had the tendency to pop off and break the connection for multiple projects.

I would have to say that my daughter was most engaged with the Explorer Kit, perhaps because the projects had more integration with Lego blocks, and some projects were also very interactive like the Quadruped Robot and the Lift, which were her favorites. She enjoyed building the structures and seeing the creations come to life, especially when there was movement, sounds and lights.

Inventor Kit and Creator Kit

The Inventor Kit and Creator Kit are the intermediate learning tools of the Crowbits series and targets children ages 10 and up. The Inventor Kit includes more advanced projects that incorporate the Micro:bit board in the builds. This requires some coding and the use of Letcsode, Elecrow’s Scratch-based drag-and-drop visual programming software.

The software seemed a bit buggy (mainly in steps like downloading custom code) and there were inaccuracies in the project documentation that led to a lot of troubleshooting on our part. Hopefully, by the time Crowbits is ready for release in June, these kinks will have been resolved. 

It is worth noting, though, that the list of projects suggested for the Inventor kit seem to be age-appropriate. My tween worked on the Horizontal Bar and the Ultrasonic Guitar projects. She thoroughly enjoyed the experience and had no issues following the diagrams in building the Lego structures. There was a little hiccup in using the software, as I mentioned earlier, where we were wanting for troubleshooting tips and more clear documentation.

Unfortunately, we were not able to try out the Creator Kit as it was not available when we received our evaluation samples. We may update this review when we receive the Kit after its June release. (see update on this below)

Review Update: Creator Kit

Elecrow was kind enough to send us a sample of the Creator Kit to evaluate and complete our review of the entire Crowbits lineup. This is the fourth kit in the five-set progressive STEM kit series. Being that this kit is geared towards kids ages 10 and older, the projects are more challenging and require the child to learn to program using Elecrow's Letscode visual programming software and also introduces Arduino Uno as the main module for most of the kit's projects.

We tried a couple of fun projects such as Car Racing and Horse Racing - those were the ones that appealed most to my girls and yes, there is definitely a theme to the types of games they seem to enjoy. For the Car Racing project, you will learn how to assemble a steering wheel controller, use the button as an input module (for speed) and play the car race game that you program. You can follow the programming instructions in the manual and modify parameters as you go along. 

Pretty much the same principles are applied to the Horse Racing project, but instead of building a steering wheel as your controller, you'll need to assemble a horse lego model, which is pretty creative, I would say. Here you will use the IR sensor as your input module which controls the speed of your horse in the race. Both projects took some time, but it is time well spent with the kids and a most enjoyable way to create and learn new skills.

I would say that receiving the Creator Kit was worth the wait. Unfortunately, some of the issues from our experience with the previous four kits still remain. Specifically with the confusing documentation which may need some patience and troubleshooting on your part. Clear instructions are very important especially for kids who are learning new concepts because it can lead to frustration which is the opposite experience any parent or educator would want to happen. We also had a bit of back and forth with the vendor in order to get the programming software to work properly for us.

Please note that we have also updated this review with Crowbits' current pricing information. As expected, there is an increase in pricing from its Kickstart phase. This definitely puts these STEM kits in the more expensive category, but we still want to give Crowbits props for its versatility, simplicity, and value as a great learning tool to educate kids on the basics of electronics and programming. 

Master Kit

The Master Kit definitely is the most challenging of the engineering kits in the Crowbits lineup, with the task of programming hardware and software to build real-life products like a mobile phone, a game console and a radar. I’ll set aside my comments for this kit as I was unsuccessful in trying to make the phone and console work due to a corrupted SD card. 

Additionally, we had intermittent issues while uploading firmware. It is unfortunate because I was looking forward to this kit the most, but perhaps I can re-visit the Master Kit and post an update at a later time.  

The one successful project build out of this kit, the radar, honestly left us scratching our heads.  The expected results were not seen as we tried a placing variety of objects in the vicinity of the rotating radar dish and none of them seemed to be detected. 

Crowbits Learning Kits Specs and Pricing 

Crowbits Available Bundles and Pricing 

Bottom Line 

Despite all its kinks, overall the Crowbits STEM Kit appears to be another great educational tool from Elecrow with the emphasis on educating kids on electrical engineering. Whether it be building simple circuit projects or coding more complex applications for use in everyday living, the Crowbits series provides a complete learning platform for kids ages 6-10 and up. 

With its average pricing and the flexibility to pick and choose which kit to purchase, it is an attractive choice for someone looking to buy an educational STEM kit for their child or loved one. Of course you can also buy the entire set as a bundle and enjoy helping your child build models and program as you go through the different stages of electronic learning from basic to advanced concepts. It’s also worth noting that the Letscode software program that comes with the packages is free and supports Python and Arduino programming which is a welcome added bonus. 

More Elecrow Product Deals

• CrowPi Compact Raspberry Pi Educational Kit
• CrowPi2 All in One Raspberry Pi Laptop
• Touch Screen Display with 720P Camera for Raspberry Pi
• Touch Screen Display with 2MP Camera for Raspberry Pi 2 0 4B
• 5-Inch Touch Screen Monitor with Built-in Speaker

More Crowbits Project Videos

The latest add on from Raspberry Pi, Build HAT is a collaboration between Raspberry Pi and Lego Education. This new board enables the power of Raspberry Pi to be used with compatible Lego components such as motors and sensors found in Spike Prime, Technic and Mindstorms kits. Lego has been around for decades and is well known as an easy-to-work-with construction tool but did you know that it can be used to create advanced projects such as robots solving Rubik’s cubes? 

Available for $25, Build HAT was created to broaden the scope of the original Lego kits which focused on block-based coding languages. With Build HAT’s easy-to-use Python module and its four LPF2 connectors (the kind Lego parts use), we can mix Lego with existing Raspberry Pi add-ons.

To introduce Build HAT, we created a simple color sensing rig. We press a button and the Color Sensor takes a reading of any object placed under it. The color that the sensor “sees” is reproduced using the $10 Blinkt.

Attaching the button and sensor to Build HAT is simple thanks to the LPF2 connectors so all we need to worry about is building a rig to house our project.

For this project you will need:

• Any model of Raspberry Pi with a 40 pin GPIO
• Build HAT
• Build HAT PSU
• Lego Spike Prime kit (which includes Force Sensor and Color Sensor
• Pimoroni Blinkt
• An extended GPIO header
• Latest Raspberry Pi OS installed on a microSD card

Setting up Build HAT 

Adding Build HAT to a Raspberry Pi is relatively simple, and we can add another HAT board on top of the Build HAT by using an extended header.

1. Place the extended GPIO header on the GPIO. This extends the pin length of the GPIO, enabling it to “poke” through the Build HAT.

2. Connect Build HAT to the GPIO of the Raspberry Pi. Use the included M2.5 9mm spacers to prevent the board from touching the audio / video jack. 

3. Place Blinkt on to the extended GPIO pins. Note that the curved edges of Blinkt should match the corners of the Raspberry Pi.

4. Connect your Lego Force Sensor to port A, and the Color Sensor to port B of Build HAT.

5. Power up your Raspberry Pi via the Build HAT PSU.

6. From the desktop click on Main Menu >> Preferences >> Raspberry Pi Configuration.

7. Click on Interfaces, and then set the Serial Port to Enable, and Serial Console to Disabled. The Build HAT communicates with the Raspberry Pi via a serial interface which uses some of the GPIO pins.

8. Open a terminal and install the Build HAT Python module.

$ pip3 install buildhat

9. Install the Pimoroni Blinkt Python module using the custom interactive installer.

$ curl https://get.pimoroni.com/blinkt | bash

Coding the project 

1. Go to Main Menu >> Programming and select Thonny. 

2. In a new document, import three modules of code. The first is the Build HAT module, specifically the classes to work with Force Sensors and Color Sensors. Next install time, to add delays to the code. Lastly import the Blinkt module to control the LEDs.

from buildhat import ForceSensor, ColorSensorimport timeimport blinkt

3. Create two objects, button and cs which we shall use to tell Build HAT to which port we have connected the Force Sensor and Color Sensor. 

button = ForceSensor('B')cs = ColorSensor('A')

4. Add a line of code that ensures Blinkt is turned off when the code ends.

blinkt.set_clear_on_exit()

5. Add a loop to continuously run the code, the first step being to check the status of the Force Sensor, to see if it has been pressed.

while True:    if button.is_pressed() == True:

6. Add two lines of code which are activated when the Force Sensor is pressed. The code activates the Color Sensor, and then takes a reading, saving the data as RGB into a list. 

       cs.on()        colors = cs.get_color_rgbi()

7. Add a line to print the contents of the list “colors”, then save the first, second and third values from the colors list into variables r, g, b. 

        print(colors)        r = colors[0]        g = colors[1]        b = colors[2]

8. Set Blinkt to use the r, g, b values to illuminate the RGB LEDs to match the color the Color Sensor “sees”. 

        blinkt.set_all(r, g, b)        blinkt.show()

9. Add three lines, the first will pause the code for five seconds, and the second and third will set Blinkt to turn off the LEDs. 

        time.sleep(5)        blinkt.set_all(0, 0, 0)        blinkt.show()

10. Add an else condition which will ensure the Color Sensor is turned off when not in use.

    else:        cs.off()

11. Save the code as lego-color-blinkt.py.

12. Click on the green play button to start the code. It may take a few seconds for the code to activate, but you will see the Color Sensor briefly light up when it is ready. 

13. Place the object that you wish to scan under the Color Sensor and press the Force Sensor button to take a reading. Blinkt will now light up to match that color for five seconds, then it will turn off the LEDs.

Complete Code Listing

from buildhat import ForceSensor, ColorSensorimport timeimport blinktbutton = ForceSensor('B')cs = ColorSensor('A')blinkt.set_clear_on_exit()while True:    if button.is_pressed() == True:        cs.on()        colors = cs.get_color_rgbi()        print(colors)        r = colors[0]        g = colors[1]        b = colors[2]        blinkt.set_all(r, g, b)        blinkt.show()        time.sleep(5)        blinkt.set_all(0, 0, 0)        blinkt.show()    else:        cs.off()

Update 10/20/2021 02:45 PT:

This review has been updated based upon information received from Raspberry Pi Programme Manager Richard Hayler during an episode of The Pi Cast. While the cost of full Lego kits containing the sensors, motors and other components is still quite high, individual elements can be bought much cheaply. Hayler also elaborated on alternative power supplies for the Build HAT and a Lego designed "maker plate", the first Lego component designed for use with an SBC. All of this information has been added to the review and the score has been revised upward based on the new information.

Original Article

We knew that Raspberry Pi would use its RP2040 in a product, but we never thought it would be this. The $25 Build HAT is an interface between the Raspberry Pi’s 40 pin GPIO and products from various educational Lego kits. So where does the RP2040 fit into this? The RP2040 is used as an interface, controlled over a serial interface (via the GPIO) using a rather splendid Python module that simplifies working with the components.

Raspberry Pi’s Build HAT is the culmination of two years of work between the Raspberry Pi Foundation and Lego Education. Build HAT is designed to carry on from Lego’s block coding language and provide a Python module that enables learners to carry on using the rather expensive Lego kits with a more powerful and expandable language. 

Build HAT targets specific Lego kits, namely Spike Prime, Mindstorms and Technic all of which come with their own hubs. We have experience of Lego’s Spike  and the hub used in that kit is already a powerful piece of hardware. Powered by an STM32 microcontroller, the Spike Prime Hub has six ports for Lego’s LPF2 connectors and is mainly for use with the Spike block coding language, but all we need is a USB cable and a serial connection to unlock a version of MicroPython baked into the board.

With Build HAT, the hard part of making a serial connection in Python is done for us and we can start building Lego powered projects. We took Raspberry Pi’s Build HAT for a spin, learned how to use the Python module and discovered that we can use it with other HATs and Raspberry Pi add-ons.

Build HAT Specifications

Using Build HAT

As you can guess from the name, Build HAT is a regular HAT standard add-on designed to be placed directly on top of the GPIO. Before you drop this board on your Raspberry Pi, make use of the included M2.5 9mm spacers, otherwise the DC power jack will be precariously close to the audio / video jack of the Raspberry Pi. If you plan to use another HAT on top of Build HAT, use an extended GPIO header, which is sadly not included in the kit. 

To use a HAT along with Build HAT, I used M2.5 12mm spacers which will keep the board level and the GPIO connections secure. A cut-out just above the camera (CSI) connector on the Raspberry Pi means that we can easily use the official Raspberry Pi Camera in our builds. Adding traditional electronics components is possible, The Build HAT has space for a small breadboard to be stuck in place, but this will block access to the camera slot.

Using the Build HAT with motors and sensors requires an external DC power source and Raspberry Pi has just the thing. The Build HAT Power Supply, available for an additional $15, provides 8V, 6A (48W max power) which is enough to power both the Raspberry Pi and Build HAT. Build HAT takes care of regulating the power provided to the Raspberry Pi. Taking projects mobile requires the use of a 7.5V battery pack, similar to those used in RC vehicles or you can use five AA batteries. You can use your own DC power sources, just make sure that they meet the DC 5521 (5.5 x 2.1 mm) barrel jack. It is possible to use Build HAT without the Build HAT PSU, as it will happily be powered via the 5V GPIO pin. But by doing this we are limited to using the Force Sensor (push button) and using the motors as input devices (rotary encoders). The additional power provided by the Build HAT PSU is needed for sensors and motors.

We used a Raspberry Pi 3B running the latest Raspberry Pi OS release as our test machine, but you can use the Build HAT with all 40 pin models of Raspberry Pi. The Raspberry Pi 400 requires a breakout board / extension cable due to the placement of the GPIO.

After installing the Build HAT Python 3 modules, we started off with a simple motor test using a set of Lego Spike Prime motors. The Python library is relatively straightforward and within a few minutes we had motors running and variable speed control working. But what else can we do? 

The Build HAT Python library has compatibility with a range of Lego sensors and, looking in our box of Lego Spike Prime parts, we found sensors compatible with ColorSensor, DistanceSensor and ForceSensor. The Lego Spike Prime color sensor uses reflected light to determine the color of an object and output RGB / HSV color values which match. The ColorSensor Python class has an interesting function which can return a named color, useful in the classroom for students not familiar with RGB / HSV. 

The distance sensor works in much the same manner as an HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor. It sends a pulse of ultrasound from a “trigger” emitter and then waits for the reflected pulse to be received by an “echo” sensor. If we use a little math, we have the distance. These types of sensors are used mainly with robots, giving a simple means to sense and navigate. 

The final sensor we tested was the force sensor, a simple plunger that can register quick taps or long presses. The force sensor can be used for simple digital on / off input, or the analog force sensor inside the unit can measure up to 10 Newtons of force. We elected to test a simple on / off input and had no trouble using it as a simple trigger. Taking it a little further, we were able to measure the force applied to the sensor and use that input as a means to control the speed of a motor.

The Build HAT has a passthrough GPIO header which enables GPIO extension headers to extend through the board, allowing another board to be used. We tried a handful of boards and had some mixed results, which all boiled down to which GPIO pins were being used. If you plan to use Build HAT with other cards, consult pinout.xyz to ensure that there are no pin clashes. We read through the Build HAT manual and noted that it uses GPIO 0/1, 4, 14 and 15. GPIO 14 and 15 are our serial connection to control the onboard RP2040. 

We tested two of Pimoroni’s NeoPixel boards, Unicorn HAT and Unicorn pHat and they failed to work. They both use GPIO 18 to communicate NeoPixel control data, and we note that this is not one of the pins used by Build HAT, so there must be something else happening behind the scenes. If we were to use a string of NeoPixels, instead of a board, then we could specify which GPIO to use.

We were determined to have some RGB LEDs light up and so we used Pimoroni’s Blinkt which uses APA102 (DotStar) LEDs and built a rig to detect the color of an object. Pressing the force sensor triggers the color sensor to turn on, take a reading and then store the value in three variables (r,g,b) which are then passed to Blinkt which shows the color across all eight LEDs.

Use Cases for Build HAT

The Raspberry Pi Build HAT is designed for those who already have compatible kits, typically educational institutions and outreach organizations. Lego components don’t come cheap. A full Lego Spike Prime kit is around $340 or you can buy a Lego Spike Expansion set for $110 that comes with a single motor, a color sensor and lots of Lego bricks. Build HAT is compatible with Lego Mindstorms, which again is a sizable investment. In a conversation with Richard Hayler, Programme Manager at the Raspberry Pi Foundation we learnt that most LPF2 components should work with Build HA. These components can be picked up much cheaper than full kits, for example Lego Technic motors retail for $40 each, more expensive than a typical DC motor but much cheaper than a full kit.

Build HAT has only four LPF2 connectors, two less than the official Spike Prime Hub. This isn’t a deal breaker. With four LPF2 connectors we can connect two motors and two sensors, which are plenty for a basic robot. But given the plethora of Lego components compatible with this connector, it would’ve been great to match the number provided by the Spike Prime Hub. It would also be great if there were Lego compatible studs that we could attach Lego bricks too. This omission is not a deal breaker as we can pick up Lego compatible Raspberry Pi cases for around $15, as we did to embed our test project into a Lego build. Lego have released its first "element" (A Lego term for a component / piece) a "maker plate" designed for use with SBCs which has mounting holes for the Raspberry Pi. Right now this maker plate is only available in a Spike Prime Expansion Set, retailing for over $100.

Lego has its own block based coding language, Spike, which works with Lego’s hub device to interface with sensors and motors. While powerful, the Spike language is limited, so the inclusion of a Build HAT Python module is a smart move. The module extends the reach of Lego’s kits to more advanced coders, while enabling the huge ecosystem of Raspberry Pi HATs, including many of the best Raspberry Pi HATs, and Python projects to be used with Lego.

So what can we make with Build HAT? With the power of Lego’s interlocking bricks and the ease at which we can interface with sensors and motors we can make robots, M&M sorting rigs, and even automate our existing Lego models (we are looking at our Lego R2-D2 with glee).

Bottom Line

For $25, the Raspberry Pi Build HAT is a good investment but only if you already have, or can get hold of the compatible Lego kits for a good price. Extending the ease of use afforded by Lego, the Python module is easy to use and provides an advanced path for students to follow. If you are careful with your choice of HATs, then Build HAT can easily be used to augment your Raspberry Pi projects.

When you think of LEGO, PC components aren’t typically the first thing to come to mind. However, Galax has LEGO on the brain with its new Gamer RGB DDR5 memory modules, which will allegedly arrive just in time for the launch of Intel’s Alder Lake platform, according to Expreview. But we must take this news with a pinch of salt as we were unable to source any official confirmation of these modules on Galax's website.

While unconfirmed, it appears that the Chinese PC peripheral manufacturer designed the Gamer RGB DDR5 modules with an ARGB light strip integrated into the top of the heatsink. The light strip takes the shape of a traditional LEGO system brick (1x18), which is an interesting touch. The integrated brick allows you to add your own LEGO pieces atop the module to bring some flair to your gaming rig. However, it’s probably best to use transparent or translucent LEGO to take full advantage of the ARGB lighting.

Once you get past the frills afforded by the LEGO connection, it’s reported that the modules will run at baseline DDR5-4800 speeds and will be available in 16GB (2x8GB), 32GB (2x16GB) and 64GB (2x32GB) kits. Additionally, the kits will come in either red or blue flavors, with the Gamer logo emblazoned in the middle.

However, we must note that this information is coming only from Expreview, and there is no mention of the new DDR5 modules on Galax's website. We also have not been able to independently verify the authenticity of these Gamer RGB DDR5 module renders. But this isn’t an unprecedented move from Galax. In 2020, the peripheral maker unleashed the GeForce RTX 3090 Gamer graphics card with two (2x6) stud sections to add your own LEGO bricks.

So, while it’s advisable to take this news with a small spoonful of salt given no official confirmation from Galax, we see no reason why someone would take the time to fake these renders. With that said, it appears that the Gamer RGB DDR5 modules are a China-only product for now, which is likely disappointing news for the millions of LEGO fans around the globe.

Just in case you find PlayStation 5 supplies insufficient and retail prices too high, think twice. Russian company Caviar, primarily known for its luxurious iPhones, has launched its new golden PlayStation 5 game console. Only five will be made and each will be priced like a premium vehicle.

The Caviar Sony PlayStation 5 Prime Gold comes in a chassis made of 18-karat gold and featuring an embossed ornate patter that 'creates an amazing play of light and shadow.' The console comes with an exclusive stand made of black wood and a controller with genuine leather overlays that feature the same embossed ornate pattern as well as 18K gold sticks with the Caviar logotype. 

"Now a game console is not only a way to have a great time, but also an opportunity to decorate the interior with an exclusive gadget in a truly golden design," a statement by the company reads. Meanwhile, we have no idea whether Caviar is prepping televisions that match the designs of its golden PlayStation 5 consoles.

Caviar says that the PlayStation 5 Prime Gold product was built to celebrate Sony's latest console and this is why only five units will be made. The company charges 22,900,000 rubles for the unit (~$316,000 with taxes, ~$263,000 without taxes).

As odd as it might seem, the PlayStation 5 Prime Gold is not the most expensive PS5 from Caviar as the company also has PlayStation 5 Golden Rock. Each PS5 Golden Rock comes in a chassis made of 3.8 kilograms of 18K gold and is priced at 27,900,000 rubles (~$385,000 with taxes, ~$321,000 without taxes). Only nine Caviar PlayStation 5 Golden Rock consoles will be made.

One question that haunts us about the golden PlayStation 5 from Caviar is whether it also ships with a golden heat-spreader for add-in M.2 SSDs. Because without one, the package seems incomplete.

The $300 Elegoo Mars 3 is the latest in the Mars series of printers, and Elegoo has clearly listened to feedback from their users. The 4K screen on the Mars 3 provides razor-sharp detail without compromising on print speed thanks to a brand-new high-output COB UV LED light source that enables rapid 2.5 second per-layer cure times. 

During testing, this printer proved to be accurate and reliable, but falls just short of being one of the best 3D printers due to a poorly designed test print, a cheap-feeling plastic case and the fact that, as of publication time, the printer was unavailable for purchase. If your primary concern is resolution and speed, than the 0.035mm XY resolution of the Elegoo Mars 3 makes this printer absolutely worth the price for fast, high-resolution printing.

Elegoo Mars 3 Specifications

Included in the Box of Elegoo Mars 3

The Elegoo Mars 3 ships in a “just-add-resin” state; included with the printer is multiple sets of gloves for handling resin, several surgical-style facemasks, funnels for filtering resin, and a few assorted tools that are used during printing. The printer includes a USB thumb drive that includes a copy of the slicer app Chitubox as well as a pre-sliced demo model to verify the functionality of the machine. 

I appreciate the addition of the consumables (gloves, masks, etc.); first-time users of resin printers may not be aware they need all of this additional safety equipment. By including these in the box, Elegoo has ensured you can use the printer as soon as you unbox it.

Design of Elegoo Mars 3

The curved UV lid of the Elegoo Mars 3 is a striking design element that immediately sets it apart from most other resin MSLA 3D printers. Other resin printers like the Creality LD-002R and the Anycubic Mono usually have prismatic covers that simply extend the footprint of the base of the machine up to the top.

The UV lid of the Mars 3 features compound curves and a sweeping line that extends from the back of the lid all the way down to the base. This is a departure from other prints in this price range, and it guarantees that even a silhouette of the Mars 3 is instantly identifiable and sticks out amongst the competition.

The overall design of the Mars 3 is consistent with other Elegoo MSLA resin 3D printers; a UV light source is projected through a masking LCD into a vat of resin, and a build platform suspended from a linear rail is moved up and down in the Z direction to create a 3D model as the resin cures.

Unlike the other Mars printers, the body of the Mars 3 consists of a plastic shell, which feels a little less sturdy than a solid metal base and also weighs less (the Mars 2 Pro weighs 13.67 lbs while the Mars 3 weighs in at 11.5 lbs). This doesn’t necessarily affect performance, but it doesn’t feel quite as rigid and sturdy as previous generations of printers.

The Mars 3 uses a front-facing 3.5-inch color touchscreen LCD as a primary interface, and the USB input as well as the power button are both mounted on the front of the machine. This may not seem like a noteworthy detail, but having to reach behind a printer filled with liquid resin to feel around for a power button is something I don’t particularly enjoy doing. Having these mounted on the front of the machine means I can place several printers side-by-side without having to worry about knocking them over, a big benefit for anyone planning to operate multiple printers simultaneously.

The Mars 3 uses a 6.6-inch masking LCD with a 4K resolution of 4098 x 2560px, giving it an XY resolution of .035mm. It’s worth taking a moment to examine that XY resolution so we can better compare it to similar machines. The XY resolution is a function of the LCD size and the LCD resolution, and it will increase on larger screens that have the same resolution.

Adding more pixels (like a higher resolution screen) will yield a smaller per-pixel size but also typically increase the cost of the screen. Large format printers (like the Elegoo Saturn and Photon Mono X) typically have slightly larger per-pixel sizes, while 4K screens on smaller printers will have a smaller per-pixel size.

Just like the resin vat on the Elegoo Saturn, the Mars 3 vat has a bolt head at each corner which is used for two reasons; acting as a locating point to align the vat on the printer and to keep the delicate FEP film from making contact with the surface the vat is sitting on.

The Mars 3 FEP film is advertised as having a thickness of .127mm, slightly thinner than the .15mm FEP film used on the Mars, Mars 2, and Saturn 3D printers. This new thinner FEP film, combined with the sandblasted surface of the build platform, allows models to adhere better without delaminating and sticking to the vat.

Like other resin MSLA 3D printers, the Mars 3 uses a combination of a threaded rod, a captive nut, and a linear rail for movement on the Z axis. The rail feels rigid and sturdy, and Elegoo claims a positional accuracy of 0.00125mm, a fraction of the typical layer height used during printing. I don’t have any way to verify that level of positional accuracy, as my Mitutoyo calipers only measure down to hundreths of a millimeter, (ex 0.01), as opposed to measuring in the hundred thousandths of a millimeter (ex 0.00125mm). This level of precision is splitting hairs (literally), but I found the Mars 3 to be an exceptionally accurate printer when making fine details and textures.

The Mars 3 is powered by a Chitu M20 Basic controller board, which isn’t currently listed on the Chitu site for purchase. This board controls the COB (Chip On Board) light source which has a custom-designed heat sink to provide a longer life than LED arrays that use less efficient cooling systems. The wiring job on the Mars 3 is top-notch, with an adhesive applied to the various connectors and terminals to prevent them from coming loose or detaching during shipping.

The build platform of the Mars 3 has a trapezoidal shape to it to prevent excess resin from pooling after it’s submerged in the vat. This is a great feature in theory, but the edges of the platform don’t have a chamfer to allow the resin to fully run off, leading to resin pooling at the very edge of the bed. I was able to clean this easily after a print by using the plastic scraper to drag the resin to an edge, but a slight taper to this edge would make the build platform easier to clean.

Leveling the Build Platform on Elegoo Mars 3

Calibrating a resin MSLA 3D printer is critical to the success of a part, and this particular category is one that Elegoo continues to dominate in. Calibrating the Elegoo Mars 3 involves the same two bolt system used by the Mars, Mars 2 Pro, and Saturn 3D printers, and is so easy it almost feels like cheating. First, I loosened the two bolts that hold the spring-loaded build platform rigid, which allows the ball joint to move freely. Next, I placed a single sheet of paper over the masking LCD to protect it from scratches and set the offset distance for the build platform.

After lowering the platform to the bottom of the Z travel distance, I tightened the two bolts, confirmed that the current Z position is set as 0.0mm, and raised the platform again. That entire process only took me a minute or two, and after setting the calibration, I didn’t touch it again for the remainder of my testing. Compared to the four bolt system used on printers like the Longer Orange 10, this calibration process is faster, more accurate, and easier.

Printing Safety with Elegoo Mars 3

The Elegoo Mars 3 uses 405nm UV resin, a material that you need to handle safely when in an uncured state to avoid injury. The resin can be harmful when making contact with skin, so make sure to wear gloves when pouring, cleaning up, or handling uncured resin. I also make sure I’m wearing gloves when removing the build platform after a print, as the resin tends to pool on top of the platform and can drip off while the platform is being removed.

Make sure you use the Mars 3 in a well-ventilated room to minimize the danger from inhaling fumes. Any spills or uncured resin stuck to a surface should be cleaned using 99% isopropyl alcohol and the container for the resin should be kept closed and secured when not actively pouring material.

Printing the Included Test Prints on the Elegoo Mars 3

A test print is an opportunity for 3D printer manufacturers to demonstrate the strengths (and possibly the weaknesses) of their machines. Because the success of a print is often determined by the settings chosen by the user, the manufacturer is able to cherry-pick the settings to guarantee a successful outcome. However, I’ve found that the test prints included with many printers (including the Elegoo Mars 3) tend to be a last-minute consideration before shipping a printer, and often have issues the user may not be anticipating or looking for.

The rook pieces included with the Elegoo Mars 3 are a perfect example of this type of print. This test print completed in 2 hours and 24 minutes, and at first inspection, the model appears to be a successful print. The model prints directly onto the build plate, which leads to a relatively wide cross-section of solid cured material on a solid metal plate. This is the same test print included on the Elegoo Saturn (and other Elegoo machines), and it can be surprisingly difficult to remove without damaging the part or the build plate with the metal scraper.

I covered this problem extensively in my review of the Elegoo Saturn, so if you’re interested in learning more about why this benchmark isn’t ideal, you can read about it there. Unfortunately, new users who expect parts to be easy to remove from the build platform may be aggravated when they realize how difficult these parts are to remove. Conversely, if the build platform isn’t well calibrated, the rook will delaminate due to the increased suction force and will instead stick to the FEP film.

Elegoo could solve this problem by simply lifting and angling this chess piece so it prints with a thin raft, or choosing a different model altogether. Given that the chess piece on the Mars 3 appears to be identical to the chess piece from the Mars 2, I don’t see any reason why a different model couldn’t be used.

Washing and Curing Models with Elegoo Mercury X Bundle

Post-processing a resin model can be a messy process, and usually involves a solvent (typically isopropyl alcohol) to remove excess resin from a model and a UV light source to fully cure and polymerize the resin after printing. The Elegoo Mercury X, a separate $120 wash and cure station, is designed to complement the Elegoo Mars 3 and make post-processing a clean and simple process. I found using it to be a more effective method for cleaning parts than doing it manually.

If it’s not clear from their site, the Mercury X is actually two separate machines, a wash station and a cure station, and not a single machine with a removable top (like the original Elegoo Mercury Plus). Some clever packaging tricks allowed Elegoo to fit both of these stations in a single box, an impressive feat that allows users to effectively get both stations without being constrained to using one at a time.

The typical workflow for a resin printer is: print model, wash model, remove supports, cure model. To illustrate this, we’ll use the Half-Elf Rogue model from Loot Studios and go through the print / wash / cure cycle using the Mars 3 and Mercury X bundle. I printed this model out using Elegoo Beige Standard Photopolymer Resin and used the default settings for the Mars 3 in the included Chitubox slicing app.

The Mercury X wash station uses a bucket filled with a solvent (in this case, 91% isopropyl alcohol), a magnetic impeller to create agitation, and a metal basket to safely cradle the part above the impeller. After filling the bucket, I removed the model from the Mars 3 and placed it in the Mercury X, closed the resealable plastic lid with rubber gasket, and activated the wash cycle.

The knob on the front of the Mercury X is used as a dial to set the wash time, and automatically counts down as the station runs. The direction of agitation changes periodically, so the part is thoroughly rinsed and any trapped resin can be accessed. I ran the model through the wash cycle for two minutes, lifted the basket to gently shake the model a few times, and ran it through for another two minutes. The basket has two metal handles that extend to the top of the bucket, which make it easy to remove after the wash cycle is completed.

After removing the model from the wash station, I let it air dry to completely remove the last of the isopropyl alcohol on the surface of the model. Once the model was dry to the touch, I gently removed the support structures and cleaned up the areas where the support had made contact with the model.

The Mercury X curing station is equally easy to use: just place the model on the turntable, select an interval of time, and let the station do the work. In addition to the two vertical arrays of UV LEDs, the Mercury X curing station has a horizontal array located underneath the build platform that shines up from below, which is helpful for curing large flat pieces that are difficult to angle.

This process resulted in a model that has an even surface finish and no uncured or wet spots. The Mercury X bundle is an optional accessory for the Mars 3, but if you’re interested in reducing the amount of time you spend cleaning models and are looking for a solution that is less messy than several tubs of alcohol and a UV wand, you’ll want to make sure you get one of these as well.

Preparing Files for Printing with Chitubox

Just like the other resin MSLA 3D printers in the Elegoo line-up, the Mars 3 uses Chitubox to slice, prepare, and export files. Preparing files for printing on a resin MSLA 3D printer is a bit more complex than preparing files for filament FDM printers like the Creality Ender 3 Pro. When making a file on a resin MSLA 3D printer, you first need to hollow out the model to reduce the amount of resin used, add drain holes for the trapped resin, angle the model to avoid wide cross-sections that may cause suction force issues, generate support material, check for disconnected pixels or “islands”, and then export the file as a series of images to display on the masking LCD.

This can be a lot of steps, and Chitubox offers the ability to complete all of them in a single software package without requiring third party software or slicers. For this model, I’m printing a 3D model of a bunny vase hugger that needs to be fully processed. In Chitubox, I was able to hollow the model and add drain holes and support in a few clicks, and the process only took a few minutes. Chitubox includes a built-in profile for the Mars 3, so I didn’t need to add my own settings or tweak the settings of a similar printer to generate a printable file.

Once the model has been hollowed and a drain hole added, the support structure can be added using an automatic process from Chitubox. This process will detect overhangs where the resin requires support, and will automatically generate support structures to act as a scaffolding to prevent the part from delaminating or deforming.

I printed this model using Elegoo’s new Translucent Plant-based Photopolymer Resin, and after washing and curing, it looked great. This vase hugger model was created from a 3D scan, and the level of detail captured by the Mars 3 shows how easily the software can generate a print-ready file without requiring a complicated set-up process.

Comparison of the Elegoo Mars 3 vs. Elegoo Mars 2 Pro

The Elegoo Mars 3 may seem like the natural successor to the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro, but it’s worth taking a closer look at the features of these two machines to better understand how they differ. The Mars 3 uses a 6.6-inch Mono LCD with a 4K resolution to create larger parts with finer features, but it’s notably lacking a few of the quality-of-life features present on the Mars 2 Pro.

The Mars 2 Pro features a built-in air filter, something that is notably absent on the Mars 3. Despite the lack of a built-in air filter, I didn’t notice any odor when printing with the Elegoo Plant-Based Photopolymer Resin. In addition, the Mars 2 Pro uses a large rubber gasket to seal the gap between the UV lid and the base of the machine, another feature missing from the Mars 3. While the resolution of the Mars 3 is superior, it seems likely that a “Mars 3 Pro” will include some of these missing features at a later date.

The build volume of the Mars 3 is slightly larger than the volume of the Mars 2 Pro, but it’s probably not going to be a defining feature of this printer. The increased build volume averages out to almost exactly half an inch of extra usable volume on the X,Y, and Z axes, which will probably be most useful to users trying to squeeze additional small parts onto the tray as opposed to making large objects in a single print.

The vat on the Mars 3 feels like a step backwards from the vat included on the Mars 2 Pro. The Mars 2 Pro vat has a pour spout designed right into the corner, so changing materials or just draining the vat is a clean and easy process. The Mars 3 doesn’t have a pour spout, so when pouring material out of the vat it tends to drip onto the side and can be difficult to clean.

The vat on the Mars 3 feels like a step backwards from the vat included on the Mars 2 Pro. The Mars 2 Pro vat has a pour spout designed right into the corner, so changing materials or just draining the vat is a clean and easy process. The Mars 3 doesn’t have a pour spout, so when pouring material out of the vat, it tends to drip onto the side and can be difficult to clean.

Printing a Large Model on the Elegoo Mars 3

The build volume of the Elegoo Mars 3 is large enough to print complex models in a single piece, so I tested out the ability of Chitubox to handle this sort of model by printing Geralt the Witcher - Action Rider Figure by Rudolf Arendt. This model required extensive support material, and Chitubox had no problem generating this structure to support the various fine features and details. I was also able to use Chitubox to identify separated pixels and remove them before printing, which is a very helpful feature for preventing print failures due to floating islands of resin.

With a per-layer cure time of 2.5 seconds, this model took seven hours and 22 minutes to print using the Elegoo Beige Standard Photopolymer Resin. Leaving the build platform attached to the gantry after printing is a non-labor intensive way to let excess resin drip back into the vat, but using the included plastic scraper speeds up this process and also cleans off the resin from the top of the platform.

Despite it not being fully cured, I was able to easily handle the model without damaging it and place it into the Mercury X wash station to rinse the excess resin from the part. After washing the part, I removed the support structure and finished curing the part in the Mercury X cure station.

The quality of the print was top-notch, and fine details like the reins on the horse are not only visible, but also look sharp and in-focus. I used a macro lens to try and capture the detail on the face of this model, and you can even see the scar over his left eye and individual hairs on his beard are visible. This is where the 35 micron XY accuracy of the Mars 3 comes into play; details like this simply wouldn’t be visible if printed on a printer with a coarser resolution.

Printing Hollow Models on the Elegoo Mars 3

To test out the ability of Chitubox to print completely hollow models, I printed this Tawny Frogmouth model that was sculpted by artist Louise Driggers and published on her Patreon page. This model doesn’t require any support, and prints out hollow with drain holes modeled directly into the model.

Since the model had already been hollowed, the large cross-sectional width of the model wasn’t a problem for the Mars 3 and it printed perfectly on the first attempt. I printed this model using the Elegoo Beige Standard Photopolymer Resin and standard slicing settings on Chitubox.

The upward-facing horizontal UV LED array on the Mercury X curing station came in handy for curing this model. Normally, it can be a challenge to cure the inside of a hollow model as the model would have to be placed sideways on a rotating platform to allow the light inside the model. The Mercury X curing station was able to project light up into the inside of the model while simultaneously curing the outer contour.

A well-sculpted model, Loubie3D’s Tawny Frogmouth has clearly visible detail throughout the model, including the wood grain sculpted into the base. The large crack in the base is actually a cleverly hidden drain hole, which allows air to escape during printing and prevents a vacuum from forming when the model lifts off the FEP film but remains submerged in the vat. The .035mm XY resolution of the Mars 3 results in a model that requires magnification to see the contours of each individual layer and gives the model a smooth and even appearance.

Bottom Line

The $300 Elegoo Mars 3 is a well-designed 3D printer that offers 4K resolution, a fast 2.5 second per-layer cure time, and a footprint that is comparable to other sub-$400 resin 3D printers on the market. The native integration with Chitubox means first-time users won’t have to spend a lot of time tweaking settings to create a printable file, and the dead-simple two-bolt calibration process dramatically lowers the learning curve. There are a few notable features missing from this machine (no rubber gasket on the UV lid, no air filter, the base is plastic instead of solid metal), but these are all likely secondary concerns to speed and accuracy.

At publication time, the Mars 3 was unavailable to buy. The first run of 5000 pre-release units sold out, and the standard units have not been released for sale yet, though Elegoo told us it expects to have the units on Amazon sometime in September.

Given the upgrades in resolution over the Mars 2 Pro, it’s easy to see that the Mars 3 is the printer to choose if you want high resolution and fast speed. However, if price is the primary concern, the Mars 2 Pro may be cheaper, depending on sales, and the Anycubic Photon Mono is available for the blow-out price of $189 direct from Anycubic.

The current flagship of the Mars series, the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro offers rock-solid CNC machined aluminum construction, a 2K resolution mono LCD with a per-layer cure time of 2.5 seconds and an integrated air filtration unit. From initial unboxing to the first finished print, the Mars 2 Pro impressed me with its strong build quality and ease of setup and use.. The build volume on the Mars 2 Pro is on par with other machines in this price range like the Anycubic Photon, but it may be limiting if you’re hoping to make larger creations.

The Mars 2 Pro is currently on sale through Elegoo directly and Amazon for $259.99, which makes it one of the best 3D printers you can buy for under $300, and a great choice for those who want the quality of resin on the cheap. 

Elegoo Mars 2 Pro Specifications

Included in the Box of Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 

Unboxing the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro feels a bit like opening a nesting doll; inside the box is the printer, and inside the printer is all of the accessories. I like how Elegoo has efficiently packed the Mars 2 Pro, and this densely-packed box contains almost everything you need to get started printing as soon as you pop it open. Face masks, rubber gloves, paper filters for filtering resin, a pair of scrapers and a measuring cup are all common consumables that you’ll be using with this machine and Elegoo has included enough to get you started in the box. The USB drive contains a digital version of the user manual, a test print, and the Chitubox slicing software used by the machine.

Design of Elegoo Mars 2 Pro

The Elegoo Mars 2 Pro looks like a typical resin 3D printer from the outside: tinted acrylic UV-resistant lid, front-facing LCD screen, and a build platform suspended from a linear rail on the Z axis. Unlike similar printers in this price range (like the Anycubic Photon) which use a plastic base, the base of the Mars 2 Pro is made of metal, which gives the Mars 2 Pro a solid, bottom-heavy feel. 

Both the resin vat and the masking LCD ship with protective stickers applied to them, and removing them is as easy as grabbing the red tab and peeling. The base of the Mars 2 Pro has a groove in it, which lets the resin vat self-locate and sit flush with the masking LCD. 

Unfortunately, the bottom of the vat is flush with the FEP film, which makes it awkward to lay the vat down without putting pressure on the film. I prefer the solution Elegoo came up with on the Saturn; by adding four screws to the edges of the vat it sits slightly raised when placed on a surface which keeps the delicate vat away from anything that could potentially damage it. 

The included drip bracket is a surprisingly useful tool that I found myself looking for after every print. After a model prints, resin typically pools on the top of the build platform and in the part, and it drips when the platform is removed from the printer. The drip bracket lets you mount the build platform at an angle after printing, which drains the resin back into the vat and makes scraping the rest off easy. I really like this style of bracket, and I hope to see it included as a standard accessory in other MSLA 3D printers going forward.

The Mars 2 Pro uses a front-facing USB port for transferring files via thumb drive, just like the original Mars Pro. The 3.5-inch color touchscreen LCD is bright and allows for easy navigation to all of the various settings of the Mars 2 Pro. The LCD is the only interface between you and the printer, so the responsiveness of the screen is important when calibrating the build platform and selecting a part to print. 

The wiring job on the inside of the Mars 2 Pro looks clean and professional, with all terminal blocks securely fastened and additional adhesive added to the USB terminal that runs to the front of the machine. One of my favorite additions to the Mars 2 Pro is the built-in air filter, visible to the left of the power switch in the above picture. This filter pulls air from the inside of the lid when it’s placed over the printer and filters it before exhausting out of the machine. This is a small feature, but it’s a big benefit for anyone who is sensitive to the smell of resin while it’s printing. 

Leveling the Build Platform on Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 

The calibration of a 3D printer is one of most important factors in the success of a print, and Elegoo has taken steps to make sure this process is as simple, accurate, and repeatable as possible. The build platform on the Mars 2 Pro uses a spring-loaded ball-and-socket design that allows the platform to make contact with the masking LCD without pushing into it and damaging the LCD. Elegoo has standardized this type of build platform across their line-up (including the Elegoo Saturn, one of the best resin 3D printers we’ve reviewed), so it’s no surprise that the Mars 2 Pro is just as easy to calibrate.

Following the instructions in the manual, I placed a piece of paper over the masking LCD to protect it, loosened the two bolts on the build platform and lowered it until the build plate self-leveled on top of the LCD. It would be hard for me to overstate how easy this is; the printer practically levels itself and only requires the two bolts be tightened back up after it has self-leveled. This is a welcome change from the four-bolt process on the Longer Orange 10, which can cause the build platform to move as the bolts are tightened. 

Printing Safety with Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 

The Elegoo Mars 2 Pro uses 405nm UV resin, a material that you need to handle safely when in an uncured state to avoid injury. The resin can be harmful when making contact with skin, so make sure to wear gloves when pouring, cleaning up, or handling uncured resin. I also make sure I’m wearing gloves when removing the build platform after a print, as the resin tends to pool on top of the platform and can drip off while the platform is being removed.

Make sure you use the Mars 2 Pro in a well-ventilated room to minimize the danger from inhaling fumes. Any spills or uncured resin stuck to a surface should be cleaned using 99% Isopropyl Alcohol and the container for the resin should be kept closed and secured when not actively pouring material.

The build plate on the Mars 2 Pro has a slight taper to it, which allows resin to drip off the edges while printing. The build platform is fully submerged during the initial portion of printing, so preventing the resin from pooling makes cleaning easier and allows you to reclaim more of the resin after printing. Between this taper and the included tilt bracket, cleaning the build platform on the Mars 2 Pro is easier than most other resin 3D printers. 

Don’t Print the Included Test Print on the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 

So far, everything about the Mars 2 Pro shows a great deal of attention has been put into the design of the machine and supporting documentation. Unfortunately, the test print included with the Mars 2 Pro is the first (and only) major stumbling block I ran across. If you’ve already read our review of the Elegoo Saturn, you already know what’s coming. If you haven’t, let me tell you why you should skip the included test print with the Mars 2 Pro. 

Resin 3D printers like the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro work by progressively hardening layers of liquid resin using UV light as a catalyst. This is a simple concept, but the execution requires a few considerations to ensure success. The hardened thermoset resin is solid, and isn’t pliable or malleable like a thermoplastic, like the PLA printed by the Anycubic Vyper. A solid block of this material, printed onto a solid metal platform, is very difficult to remove and usually results in damage to the build plate or the printed part. 

The test print included with the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro is the same model that’s included with the Saturn; a pair of rooks with fine features inside and outside of the model. Both of these rooks are solid on the bottom, which results in a part that is extremely difficult to remove from the build platform. Without a flexible or pliable thin raft to use as a removal aid, these parts can be frustrating at best, and lead to damage to the machine (or user) at worst. I would recommend skipping this test print, as the difficulty in removing it from the build platform far outweighs the benefit of verifying the printer’s functionality. 

Preparing Files for Printing with Chitubox 

The Elegoo Mars 2 Pro uses the included Chitubox software for preparing models for 3D printing. Chitubox uses a simplified interface that is friendly to first-time users but also offers enough features to satisfy the requirements of advanced users looking for more granular control. Chitubox is designed to be an all-in-one solution for resin 3D printing, with features like model hollowing, support generation, and drain hole creation all included in the base software.  

Chitubox includes a profile designed for the Mars 2 Pro, and the settings are worth examining more closely. With a per-layer exposure time of 2.5 seconds made possible by the mono LCD, the Mars 2 Pro rockets ahead of resin 3D printers with traditional LCD screens like the Creality LD-002R which can take up to 9 seconds per layer to cure. When printing models that have thousands of layers, that extra per-layer cure time can add up quickly. 

I wanted to test a model with lots of detail that required hollowing, so I used the Doom Guy model by Printed Obsession as a demo print. This model was designed as a solid mesh, so I used Chitubox to hollow it out, add drain holes, and add automatically-generated support structure. Chitubox made this entire process quick and simple, and I spent about 10 minutes total on the processing of the model. While you can’t run Doom on the built-in processor on the Mars 2 Pro (yet), printing this model is a close second. 

I used Elegoo Standard Photopolymer Clear Green resin for this model, and it printed perfectly on the first try. The support structure generated by Chitubox held the model to the build platform without any problems, and the 2K-resolution masking LCD captured all of the detail present in the 3D model. After a quick rinse in 99% isopropyl alcohol, I was able to easily detach the support structure from the model and wash the excess resin off the inside and outside of the model. The print time for this model was just over 8 and a half hours, so this definitely qualifies as an ambitious print to test out a machine. 

After curing the model in a UV-curing chamber, the finished product looks like a piece of cut emerald. The marks from the support structure are virtually non-existent, and the .05mm Z layer height created a model with barely visible stepping. Without using any magnification, I could only see the stepping on the very top of the helmet and shoulder pauldrons. While the 2K screen doesn’t provide the same ultra-high XY resolution as the 4K screen on the Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K, you’d be hard-pressed to see the difference with your naked eye. 

For reference, the Sonic Mini 4K has a .035mm XY resolution, as opposed to the .05mm XY resolution of the Mars 2 Pro. The difference, .015mm, is about the size of a white blood cell and less than a quarter of the average width of a human hair (about .01mm).

Comparison of the Elegoo Mars Pro vs. Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 

The Elegoo Mars 2 Pro shares many visual and functional similarities to its predecessor, the Mars Pro. Despite a nearly identical outward appearance, the Mars 2 Pro offers a larger build volume, a higher resolution screen, and a higher build / footprint ratio. The Mars Pro has a Y axis size of 2.56 inches, which can be limiting when making anything other than small miniature models. 

The XY accuracy of the Mars Pro is slightly higher (by 3 microns, a measurement that would be difficult to measure, and impossible to see) due to the smaller LCD size, but the overall print volume is roughly 60% of the volume of the Mars 2 Pro. The slightly larger Z height of the Mars 2 Pro is a benefit, but the real benefit is in the increased XY plane which will enable you to print multiple small parts simultaneously.  

Printing a Bust on the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 

Unlike FDM 3D printers like the Creality Ender 3 Pro, the print time on resin printers like the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro is solely determined by the number of layers, or height of the model. This means that printing wide models takes just as much time as narrow ones provided they’re the same height. To demonstrate this, I printed the Enna bust from Loot Studios, which features a wide cross-section that utilizes most of the available build area of the Mars 2 Pro. 

This model had support material already generated and was hollowed by the artist, so I didn’t need to make any alterations or adjustments for resin printing on the Mars 2 Pro. Something to note here is the bird on the hand of the woman; this is a feature that would be very difficult to make on an FDM 3D printer due to the amount of support material required for scaffolding. Chitubox estimated 6 hours and 7 minutes for printing which I found to be an accurate estimate. 

I used Elegoo Water Washable Beige resin for this print and used the same default settings in Chitubox I used for the clear green resin. Just like the first print, the support structure on the model printed perfectly and held the model to the build platform without warping or curling. The beak on the bird really impressed me; the single support column of support originated from the model and still cured perfectly, holding up the beak without deforming. After rinsing the model in warm water and scrubbing off the excess resin, I detached the support material with minimal effort and virtually no scarring on the model. 

The detail on the model is top-notch, and even at the standard layer resolution of .05mm, the hair on the model looks like an injection-molded model. The layers aren’t visible to the naked eye and the cloth texture is hyper-realistic. The Mars 2 Pro didn’t require any calibration before or after this print, and I feel confident that I could print this part over and over without any variance in the quality of the model. 

Printing Miniature Models on the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 

Resin 3D printers like the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro are popular in the tabletop-gaming community, and with good reason. Making highly-detailed miniature models is a challenge for most FDM 3D printers due to the small feature size, but the Mars 2 Pro handles these prints almost effortlessly. Printing out the ‘Ruins’ model by Loot Studio demonstrates this perfectly; this tabletop terrain model has texture modeled into the columns, each measuring just under 7mm in diameter. 

Despite the small size of the model, the ruins take about 3 hours to print due to the 53mm height of the model. Running through a preview of the ruins, the texture is clearly visible in Chitubox and the .05mm XY resolution makes it possible for the Mars 2 Pro to resolve this detail in the printed model. 

I centered this model in the center of the build platform, but Chitubox confirmed that up to four of these models could be printed simultaneously in the same amount of time. Printing multiple parts in parallel like this is ideal for small-batch production, and the reliability of the build platform leveling makes this possible on the Mars 2 Pro.

The water washable resin makes the post-processing of a model like this a minimally messy process. I soaked the model in warm water, which has the dual benefits of both removing excess resin as well as softening the support structure for removal. Once soaked, the supports peeled off and left small pockmarks where they had once been attached to the model.

Printing other miniature models from Loot Studio gave similar results. The details on the miniatures are crisply defined, and the overall quality of the models feels very similar to the injection molded quality of an off-the-shelf miniature. I used to say that 3D printing had a hard time making models that looked cleaner than what you could find at a dollar store toy aisle, but the smooth surface of these models indicates it might be time to retire that comparison.

Bottom Line 

There are a lot of MSLA resin 3D printers available right now, so it can be hard for manufacturers to release a machine that stands out. Elegoo has had a long string of successful machines with their original Mars, Mars Pro, and Saturn 3D printers, and the Mars 2 Pro easily takes its place with these printers. The ease-of-use, solid construction, and high quality components make the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro a fantastic value for anyone with a budget of $300 or less. 

If you’re looking for a printer that’s less expensive than the $260 Mars 2 Pro, you can get similar results from the original Mars Pro which is currently $189.99 on Amazon and $179.99 direct from Elegoo. If you’re looking for 4K resolution from a machine that you can purchase today, the Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K is available on Amazon for $369.99.

Elegoo has recently announced the Mars 3 Ultra 4K, which will replace the Mars 2 Pro as the flagship of the Mars line. With a ship date of August 30th and a price point of $300, the Mars 3 Ultra 4K is a logical successor to the Mars 2 Pro, but you’ll have to wait if you want to take advantage of the 4K resolution screen.

The larger counterpart to the Elegoo Mars series of printers, the Elegoo Saturn is a large-volume resin MSLA 3D printer that has found a way to offer increased build volume without sacrificing part quality. By increasing both the size and the resolution of the masking Mono LCD, the Elegoo Saturn is able to offer the same XY resolution of the Mars 2 Pro while increasing the total build volume. 

One of the best 3D printers, the Saturn impressed me with how easy it was to set up and use but the scarce availability of the typically $500 printer may be a source of frustration when searching for one to buy.

Elegoo Saturn Specifications

Included in the Box of Elegoo Saturn

The Elegoo Saturn ships in a well-packed box and includes all of the accessories you need to start printing as soon as the printer is out of the box. Included in the accessories box is a metal scraper (for removing parts from the build platform), a plastic scraper (for removing parts from the FEP sheet and stirring the resin), some paper funnels with a wire mesh (for filtering resin), wire cutters (for removing support material), latex gloves, and a healthy number of spare bolts, Allen keys, and other easy-to-lose parts. The included USB stick comes pre-loaded with a test print, the Chitubox slicer app, a digital copy of the user manual, and a few files from the 3D model repository site MyMiniFactory.

Design of Elegoo Saturn

Elegoo shipped this Saturn with a ‘tomshardware.com’ sticker applied to the UV-resistant lid, which was a nice touch for a review unit. As far as I can tell, this is the only difference between this unit and a typical retail unit, so my experience with this printer should be similar to yours if you purchase it directly from Elegoo.

The Saturn is a typical resin MSLA 3D printer which utilizes a vat of resin, a masking LCD, a UV light source, and a single axis of movement. It took me under five minutes to assemble this printer, and most of that time was removing foam and packaging from the box. The printer doesn’t require any mechanical or electrical assembly, and only needs to be calibrated before printing. The calibration process is almost effortless (more on that later), and the out-of-the-box experience felt quick and easy.

The Saturn uses an 8.9-inch masking LCD with a resolution of 3840 x 2400, which gives it an effective XY resolution of .05mm. The masking LCD ships with a pair of protective stickers on it during shipping, and I had no problem removing them before printing. The black protective tape around the masking LCD needs to be left on the machine, and the manual makes sure to mention this first so a new user doesn’t accidentally remove it while removing the rest of the stickers.

The resin vat on the Saturn uses four bolts that protrude from the bottom as locating posts which makes locking the vat into place a fast and repeatable process. One of the biggest problems I have when cleaning resin vats is that they typically sit with the delicate FEP film flush against the surface they are laid down on, so even a small bump in a table can possibly dent or deform them. The four posts on the corners of the Saturn’s vat keep the FEP film slightly elevated during cleaning, which is a small feature but a welcome change in design.

The resin vat also has a max fill line printed right on it which takes away the stress from potentially over-filling and spilling resin. This feature, along with the spout that is molded into the vat, indicates that Elegoo has put some thought into the needs of users who are frequently changing vats or draining and replacing resin.

Unlike most resin MSLA 3D printers which use a single linear rail for the Z axis, the Saturn uses a threaded leadscrew and a pair of linear rails for added stability. The Saturn features a larger build volume than most MSLA 3D printers, which means more weight is suspended from the cantilevered build platform. Between these two rails and the solid machined bracket for the build platform, the Saturn is able to print without bending the build platform bracket during lift moves, and I was impressed with the rigidity of the system. 

The Saturn uses a USB stick for transferring files to the printer, as well as an Ethernet connection for adding the machine to a network. If you’re interested in using the Saturn as part of a high volume print farm, the ability to network the machine means you can transfer files without the need for an external drive. The two fans on the back of the unit provide airflow for the controller board and UV LED light source, but don’t provide air filtration like the fan in the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro. Despite the lack of air filtration, the Saturn didn’t seem to emit an odor any worse than the Mars 2 Pro during printing, but if you’re concerned about air quality you’ll want to take this into account.

Leveling the Build Platform on Elegoo Saturn

When printing on an MSLA resin 3D printer, you want the build platform to be perfectly level with the FEP film so the resin cures evenly across each layer. This leveling process can be a challenge for beginners and it can be frustrating to have failed prints due to poor bed leveling. Elegoo has addressed this problem by using a unique leveling process that is fast, simple, and easy to complete. The Elegoo Saturn uses a build platform held rigid by two bolts and includes simple step-by-step instructions for the leveling process.

After loosening the two bolts on the build platform and placing the included piece of leveling paper over the masking LCD, I dropped the Z axis to the home position and watched as the build platform self-leveled and sat perfectly flush. Once the axis had come to a rest, I simply tightened the two screws in the order indicated and lifted the build platform up. Compared to the leveling process on a printer like the Longer Orange 10 that uses four screws that need to be tightened in a star pattern and tend to shift during tightening, the Saturn feels almost effortless to set up.

Printing Safety with Elegoo Saturn

The Elegoo Saturn uses 405nm UV resin, a material that you need to handle safely when in an uncured state to avoid injury. The resin can be harmful when making contact with skin, so make sure to wear gloves when pouring, cleaning up, or handling uncured resin. I also make sure I’m wearing gloves when removing the build platform after a print, as the resin tends to pool on top of the platform and can drip off while the platform is being removed.

Make sure you use the Saturn in a well-ventilated room to minimize the danger from inhaling fumes. Any spills or uncured resin stuck to a surface should be cleaned using 99% Isopropyl Alcohol and the container for the resin should be kept closed and secured when not actively pouring material.

The build platform on the Saturn is designed with a trapezoidal shape that allows uncured resin to drip off and prevents it from pooling on the top of platform during printing. Despite this shape, I noticed that resin had a tendency to collect at the very edge of the platform, and I couldn’t help but wonder if a more aggressive angle or a chamfered edge would help to allow more resin to drip back into the vat during printing. This is a relatively minor point, as the majority of resin will drip downwards during printing and cleaning the edge of the build platform doesn’t require much effort.

Printing the Included Test Prints on the Elegoo Saturn

Most 3D printers include a prepared test print as an opportunity for the manufacturer to demonstrate the strengths of their machine. Despite this relatively simple premise, I’ve found that test prints can be a source of frustration for first time users as they have a tendency to have issues that most first-time users won’t be expecting.

Unfortunately, the Elegoo Saturn falls short in this category and my experience with the included test print was really the only major disappointment I had while writing this review. The Saturn includes a test print on the included USB drive called “_Rook_SATURN.ctb” that consists of two chess pieces with fine details on the interior and exterior of the model. This test print completes in a very reasonable 3 hours and 49 minutes, and I was impressed with the fine detail on the models once the print had completed. Unfortunately, this is where things took a bit of a turn.

The build platform on the Saturn has a sandblasted textured finish which helps cured resin adhere during printing and prevents parts from delaminating. When removing a part, a thin raft can be bent (as seen in the picture above), which allows the part to easily detach from the build platform without too much trouble. This is a delicate balance; too thin and the part won’t adhere to the plate, too thick and the part can’t be easily removed. I had no trouble with any of the parts I sliced in Chitubox, but as you’ll see below, the included test print was significantly more difficult to remove.

Once printed, the detail on the rooks was impressive, but the solid base of the model printed directly on to the build plate didn’t present an intuitive method of removal. After using the included metal scraper and attempting to gently pry the parts off, I wondered if this was a common problem or if the Elegoo Water Washable Ceramic Grey resin I was using simply wasn’t compatible with the settings provided. A quick Google search for “Elegoo Saturn Test Part Stuck To Plate” shows that this is not an uncommon problem, with some users resorting to using a rubber mallet to remove the parts from the build plate.

I was eventually able to remove the prints from the bed, but it required significantly more effort than I was comfortable with and resulted in both parts being chipped along the bottom layer. This could have been avoided with a demo model that was suspended from a support structure or simply used a sacrificial raft during printing to prevent such a wide and thick model being printed directly on the build plate. It’s worth noting this was the only time I experienced this issue during this review. The rest of the parts I prepared using Chitubox for printing were easily removed and didn’t require excessive force to remove from the plate.

Preparing Files for Printing with Chitubox

The Elegoo Saturn uses Chitubox for slicing, preparing, and exporting files for 3D printing. Chitubox is a feature-rich program which reduces the need for secondary programs to generate supports, hollow models, or make other changes that would typically require a longer workflow. The general process for preparing a 3D model for resin 3D printing goes like this:

1. Import 3D model
2. Angle model for printing (avoiding wide per-layer cross-sections)
3. Hollow model
4. 4Add drain holes
5. Generate support material 
6. Slicer
7. Delete islands 
8. Export printable file

Chitubox makes this easy, as each step can be accomplished within the software without the need to export the file to various third-party softwares. Chitubox also includes a built-in profile for the Elegoo Saturn which gives good quality results without any tweaking or modifications. I’ve been a fan of Chitubox since I started using it, and the ease-of-use and native support for the Saturn makes it a logical choice.

The profile for the Saturn that is included with Chitubox is what I would consider a good starting point for base settings. The Z resolution of .05mm is high enough to give a good quality print, but not so high as to cause an excessively long print time. The per-layer cure time of 2.5 seconds makes the Saturn a speedy printer when compared to machines with 9 second per-layer cure times like the Creality LD-002R.

For a first test, I used the Ancient Statue model from Loot Studios and prepared it using the default settings in Chitubox without making any modifications. For resin, I used the Elegoo Water Washable Ceramic Grey, which has worked very well for me in the past on the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro. This model used about 28 grams of resin and printed out in just under 4 hours, which seems in line with what I would expect from a Mono LCD 3D printer.

The Water Washable Ceramic Grey resin looked great after printing, and the support structure removal process is simplified by not requiring any isopropyl alcohol or other chemicals to remove the excess resin. A quick soak in a small tub of hot water dissolved the excess resin from the surface of the printer and also softened the support structure. After removing the support structure, I cured the model for a total of two minutes in 30 second increments to prevent it from warping.

It’s worth taking a moment to reflect on the printing process so far before we really look at this model. The steps to create this model are all simple and straight-forward, and a beginner could easily follow along to calibrate the bed, fill the resin vat, and process the file for printing. The resulting print looks sharp and detailed, and even small details like the cracks in the stone of the statue resolve and don’t require any touch-up work. Putting aside the large format nature of the Elegoo Saturn, it’s easy to understand why this machine is in such demand; it’s easy to use, gives good quality results, and the native software doesn’t require tinkering or tweaking.

Print Size Comparison of the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro vs. Elegoo Saturn

The Elegoo Saturn shares many design similarities with the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro, so it makes sense to compare the two 3D printers directly. The Saturn uses a higher resolution masking LCD, but the increased size of the LCD means the XY resolution (pixel size) is .05mm on both machines. This means a part printed on the Mars 2 Pro and Saturn, using the same settings, will result in two parts that should be indistinguishable from one another.

With a retail price of $500, the Saturn offers nearly 3 times the total build volume (280 cubic inches vs. 100 cubic inches) of the Mars 2 Pro, which retails for $330. If you’re interested in throughput and high-volume printing ability, the Saturn is able to produce a large batch of parts at the same resolution as Mars 2 Pro. However, if you’re looking for a higher resolution finished part and aren’t interested in a large build size, a 4K LCD printer like the Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K would be a better choice.

Printing a Large Assembly on the Elegoo Saturn

The large build volume and fast per-layer print time of the Elegoo Saturn make it ideal for printing models that would ordinarily be too large or time-consuming to print on a smaller MSLA resin printer like the Longer Orange 10. To test out the ability of the Saturn to print large models in multiple pieces simultaneously, I loaded up the Olympus Rider model from Loot Studios. This model of a winged Pegasus complete with rider armed with a spear prints in six individual pieces and a single large base.

Unfortunately, the auto-placement feature in Chitubox wasn’t able to automatically place all of these parts on the build platform in order to print them in a single piece. After manually rotating the parts myself, I was able to get everything except the base of the model onto a single tray. This would be an ambitious print under the best of circumstances, as it covered a large portion of the surface area of the build platform and would create a large amount of suction when moving the platform up and down. After slicing, Chitubox generated an estimated build time of 7 hours and 10 minutes as well as a material usage of 128 ml. I wasn’t sure if the Saturn could handle a print this ambitious, but I was eager to see if this hard-to-find machine could live up to its reputation.

The Saturn printed every single part on the build platform without any defects, and I was genuinely surprised and impressed with how easily the Saturn could handle a large and complex build like this. The Elegoo Water Washable resin created a support structure that was easily removed and left minimal pockmarks on the finished model.

After a rinse and cure in the Elegoo Mercury Plus Cure/Wash station, I laid out the parts and assembled the model using DAP RapidFuse CA glue, a favorite of mine for making strong bonds on resin prints like this one. The final result is a finely-detailed print that measures nine inches wide and six and a half inches tall, and it is one of the largest resin MSLA prints I’ve ever made. The 3D model to 3D print process was seamless and easy, and this model earned the Saturn a permanent place on my personal list of all-time favorite 3D printers.

Printing Multiple Miniatures Simultaneously on the Elegoo Saturn

One of the key abilities of a large build volume resin MSLA 3D printer like the Elegoo Saturn is the ability to print multiple parts simultaneously. The Saturn is a popular printer for users interested in tabletop gaming, and the large build volume is ideal for printing out multiple miniatures in a single print. Because the print speed is dictated by the number of layers and not the number of miniatures, printing a single miniature or a full build platform full of them takes the same amount of time.

As a test of the printer’s performance, I filled the build platform with some of the enemies from the Loot Studios Ghostly Odyssey release which features a mix of detailed creatures and human 32mm miniatures.

After importing the models into Chitubox, I manually laid them out to prevent the support structure rafts from touching to reduce the overall total surface area of the bottom cross-section. Chitubox handled the slicing of this large tray without breaking a sweat, and I was easily able to fit a mix of models and bases for a total of 12 parts printing simultaneously. Chitubox gave an estimate of 3 hours and 51 minutes, which is an attractive print speed for such a large yield of parts.

The models have a support structure already generated, so after slicing all I had to do was detect and remove the islands (small, unconnected pixels that can cause floating bits of resin) and scroll through the layer view to check for any missing geometry. This is a quick and largely-automated process made possible by the Chitubox app, which I am grateful that Elegoo has internally decided to endorse as opposed to attempting to make their own slicer app which may lack some of this functionality.

As I expected, the print was completed without incident. Because of the large number of support structures, the first hour or so of the print is just hundreds of tiny cylinders (as seen in the Chitubox preview above). Every time the build platform lifted, it sounded like a Velcro strap being removed as each of the tiny support structures delaminated from the FEP sheet with a tiny pop sound. I couldn’t decide whether the sound was reassuring or not, but in the end, I’m grateful for each pop because it meant the printer was working correctly.

The support structures were easy to remove after a quick soak in hot water, and the models all felt like they had been cured enough to be solid. In particular, the swords and wings on the smaller models were easy to free from the support structure, and I wasn’t concerned with them breaking off or shattering during the cleaning.

Even on these 32mm miniatures, the details were crisp and features like the individual feathers on the harpy model resolved well and could be easily distinguished. If you’ve used a printer like the Anycubic Photon Mono or the Elegoo Mars Pro, this level of resolution (.05mm) is directly comparable with what you’re used to, so the big benefit of the Saturn is being able to increase your output without sacrificing quality.  

Bottom Line

The Elegoo Saturn is about as hard to find as a PlayStation 5 right now, and it tends to sell out immediately after each restock at Amazon and the Elegoo official store. After using it for this review, it’s clear to me why the printer is in such high demand: it’s fast, relatively inexpensive, and offers a build volume ideal for printing multiple parts simultaneously. The Saturn regularly sells for over $700 on second-hand sites like eBay, so finding one may prove to be a challenge for the foreseeable future.

I asked Elegoo to comment on the relative scarcity of the Saturn, and they indicated a combination of high demand and rigorous quality control were to blame for the shortages. 

The high-yield nature of the Saturn makes it ideal for printing multiple miniatures simultaneously, so there’s no doubt this printer will be a hit among hobbyists who are interested in printing custom miniatures. The large build volume also offers the ability to print large parts in a single print, something that smaller machines like the Creality LD-002R aren’t able to accomplish.

The overall trouble-free printing experience of the Saturn makes it appealing to beginners as well as more advanced users, but the $500 retail price (if you can even find it for that) might be a little high for a first printer. If you’re interested in a lower cost alternative, the Elegoo Mars Pro or the Anycubic Photon Mono both offer a similar printing experience at a lower price point. 

With a direct price of $160 (or $169.99 on Amazon), it should come as no surprise that Elegoo has had trouble keeping the Neptune 2 available and in stock at various resellers and become one of our best budget 3D printers. The feature set of the machine is similar (and in some cases, superior) to the Creality Ender 3 Pro, which usually sells for around $240.

Because Elegoo’s printer has a familiar build volume of 220 x 220 x 250 mm and a 3.5-inch touchscreen, it’s easy to draw a comparison between the Neptune 2 and Ender 3 Pro, but this printer has some surprises under the hood that bump it into a more future-proof class of machine. In addition to a 32-bit controller board with a color touchscreen, the Neptune 2 uses a removable fiberglass build platform and includes a custom version of the popular slicing app Cura, called Elegoo Cura.

Specifications

Unpacking and Assembling the Elegoo Neptune 2 

The Elegoo Neptune 2 is a semi-assembled DIY printer; which requires minimal mechanical assembly to get up and running. I didn’t run into any unexpected issues during the assembly, which took me about 45 minutes from unpacking to powering on the printer. All of the wires on the printer have been terminated, and there’s no soldering or electrical work required during assembly. The printer includes all of the tools required for assembly, including a full set of Allen keys, a pair of small screwdrivers, an adjustment wrench, and some zip-ties for cable management (a welcome addition for the perfectionists looking for a clean wiring job). 

The Neptune 2 ships with many of the sub-modules pre-assembled (Z endstop, Z motor, extruder, etc.), so the assembly feels fun and easy with no tedious or difficult steps. The included user manual offers multiple illustrations and diagrams at each step, so I had no problem following along. 

The microSD card included with the printer includes a PDF of the instruction manual, a copy of the Elegoo Cura slicing app, and a video showing the complete assembly of the printer. While the video is helpful, it features an eardrum-shatteringly loud dance music track which will no doubt deter many consumers from watching it. 

When putting together a semi-assembled printer like this, assembling the X gantry tends to be the most time-consuming step. Normally, attaching the aluminum extrusion to the brackets and threading the belt across both the gear and the pulley can feel like a job that requires three hands. Using the attached belt tensioner to reduce the tension allowed me to attach the belt easily in a fraction of the time that it would have taken otherwise.  

The wiring harness is clearly labeled, with individual tags on each cable denoting where they should be inserted. I appreciated the attention to detail here, as this can be a confusing process if you’ve never connected a harness like this before. The instruction manual includes detailed callouts for each motor, endstop, and all other connections.

I only ran into one issue during assembly: the voltage switch on the back of the power supply was set to 230V, not 115V. This power supply is capable of operating on either 230V or 115V, and for a printer shipped to the US, this should be set at the time of manufacturing before it arrives. This is an easy fix which just requires resetting the switch, but someone who isn’t looking for this probably wouldn’t see it at first glance.  

Design of Elegoo Neptune 2

The overall design of the Elegoo Neptune 2 is similar to the Creality Ender 3 Pro, a 3D printer that is comparable in price and performance. The printer is primarily composed of aluminum extrusions with a rear-mounted power supply, a controller board mounted underneath the moving build platform, and a Bowden-style extruder that remotely feeds filament into the hot end.

The aluminum extrusions on the Neptune 2 feature V-slots for the rollers on the sides and have a smooth, matte black finish. The frame is unslotted on the front-facing surfaces, which give the machine a very clean and professional appearance. I’ve always thought the typical 2020-style aluminum extrusions used for 3D printer frames looked a little bit like a high school robotics project, which can be off-putting in a professional environment.

The Neptune 2 uses a filament run-out sensor which is cleverly mounted directly in-line with the extruder module. I really like this design choice, as the sensor uses a mechanical switch to determine if filament is present during printing. If the filament supply is interrupted, the switch triggers and the printer automatically pauses the print. This is a solid benefit for anyone who is not sure if they have enough filament to complete a print, but wants to try regardless. Once the supply of filament is exhausted, the printer will bring the print to a halt and allow you to replace it with a new spool.

The V-slot rollers use an eccentric nut to adjust tension on the aluminum extrusions. Ideally, the wheels are held firm against the extrusion and don’t move freely when spun manually. These typically require some light adjustments on most printers, but the Neptune 2 had all of the tension taken out of it before shipping, so it required several attempts at tensioning everything to get it set correctly. Just like the power supply being set incorrectly, this is a problem that most beginners won’t be looking for, and the printer should have the tension set reasonably close before shipping.

User Interface on Elegoo Neptune 2

The 3.5” color touchscreen on the front of the Elegoo Neptune 2 is the only user interface for the machine aside from the power switch; this printer has no buttons, knobs, or other interface hardware. While the touchscreen is responsive, the dark UI can be difficult to read when the build platform is extended over the screen, which happens during printing. The interface itself is extremely stripped down, and several of the menus will confuse more than clarify (the “Move” menu is a particularly egregious example).

Calibrating and Leveling the Elegoo Neptune 2

The Elegoo Neptune 2 uses a manual build platform leveling process with some fairly basic automation provided by the built-in firmware. The build platform uses four thumbscrews to compensate for unevenness or warp in the bed and uses an endstop switch to determine the Z zero height for homing. The built-in leveling process moves the extruder to various points on the bed, and allows you to use a piece of paper and the thumbscrew to adjust the height offset.

The overall experience of leveling the bed is similar to the Creality Ender 3 Pro, which uses a nearly identical process. While it’s not a tremendously time-consuming task, it can still become repetitive and you may find yourself wishing for a more automated solution. For instance, the Monoprice Cadet uses an inductive probe to determine bed location at various points as part of the automatic leveling process, which saves time when printing. The Neptune 2 doesn’t include this style of probe from the factory, but the controller board offers a plug for a BLTouch sensor and the extruder gantry has two holes pre-drilled where they are typically mounted.

Build Platform on Elegoo Neptune 2

The build platform for the Elegoo Neptune 2 is a unique design that I haven’t seen before, and it sits right between the flexible platform of the Creality Ender 3 Pro and the solid glass platform of the Creality Ender 3 V2. When a part is printed, it needs to have enough adhesion to stick to the bed without being knocked off but it should be easy to remove once the printer is finished. This is where a heated platform can offer a solution; the part is heated from below during printing, allowing the first few layers to adhere to the platform and resist shrinking due to cooling.

The build platform on the Ender 3 is a flexible magnetic removable mat which allows large parts to be removed easily by bending it and popping the parts off. The mat on the Neptune 2 is a solid board of what appears to be epoxy-impregnated fiberglass with a textured mat applied to the top-facing side. This solid mat has an average thickness of 1.5mm, as opposed to the 1mm average thickness of the flexible mat.

The mat is held in place with four binder clips, and has just enough flexibility to allow a printed part to pop off after printing. This style of build platform reminded me of the PEI/Glass combination used by the Lulzbot Taz 6; it works well but it can be very difficult to remove large parts once they have printed.

After removing a few parts from the build platform, I noticed some light spots appearing on the underside of the build platform. These are tiny bubbles that have formed between the transparent fiberglass board and the black textured mat, and they appear whenever the mat is stretched or deformed. They have corresponding high spots on the top of the mat, which will make printing long, flat parts a challenge due to the uneven surface present. While I appreciate the innovation of a different style of build platform, I think a flexible mat would have been a better choice for long-term use and ease of removal for large, thick parts.

Controller Board on the Elegoo Neptune 2

The Elegoo Neptune 2 uses a 32-bit Robin Nano V1.2 controller board, which utilizes integrated silent stepper drivers that almost completely eliminate motion noise from the X,Y, and Z axes as well as the extruder. Interestingly enough, the user manual also indicates that the board supports a BL-Touch auto-leveling module (which is not included with the printer), as well as support for a laser engraver module. These inclusions indicate the potential for modifications by the user; an exciting prospect for anyone who is using the $160 Neptune 2 as a base for their machine.

The wiring job on the inside of the Neptune 2 is top-notch, with all of the cables bundled and zip-tied to allow proper airflow across the board. There is also a cooling fan mounted with air flow directly passing across the stepper drivers to decrease their temperature and improve their lifespan. I’m impressed with the attention to detail, including the small amounts of adhesive on the various terminals to keep them from coming loose during shipping or printing.

Printing on the Elegoo Neptune 2

The microSD card includes a single example print, ‘EN2_The Buddah.gcode’. Before printing the model, I opened it in the Elegoo Cura app to visualize the toolpath. Normally, example prints like this are a little bit hit or miss, but this file was sliced with an appropriate number of bottom layers (6), a standard layer height (.2mm), and a reasonable print time (one hour and thirteen minutes).

Using the included sample coil of white PLA filament, I loaded the material and hit print. The print was refreshingly uneventful and took just under an hour and a half to print. The detail on the model is sharp, and even the steepest overhang under the chin printed without any stringing or material drooping. Overall, I was impressed with the quality of the example print and it was a relief to see such a well-prepared model that printed with such high levels of detail.

Slicing Software for the Elegoo Neptune 2

Elegoo ships the Neptune 2 with a slicer app called Elegoo Cura which offers first-party native support for the Neptune 2. As you can probably guess from the name, Elegoo Cura is a version of Cura that has been skinned, or customized, by Elegoo to offer a more streamlined experience when setting it up with one of their 3D printers. Cura is a robust software with support for many printers, a large and active user base and a powerful slicing engine that offers a high degree of parameterization for customizing prints.

Just like the vanilla version of Cura, Elegoo Cura offers several different modes which are aimed at users of various experience levels. In the Basic mode, only a few parameters are brought to the menu to adjust, but in the Expert mode you can adjust everything from the speed of the cooling fan to the filament retraction speed and distance.

Elegoo Cura also gives a full time report on each model that is sliced, which gives you enough information to be useful and actionable without becoming difficult to parse through thoroughly. In addition to the print time and material usage figures, Elegoo Cura also provides a detailed breakdown of where the printer is spending time during the printing process.

For instance, after slicing a 3D model, a novice user may think that reducing the amount of infill would reduce the overall time of the print. However, as you can see in the above time estimation, the infill only represents 4% of the total print time, while the inner walls represent nearly 10 times that. This type of analysis is highly beneficial to more advanced users, and I regularly find myself referring to estimates like this when trying to reduce print time or optimizing a part.

Elegoo Cura Normal Settings for the Elegoo Neptune 2

There’s nothing like printing a Benchy to test the default settings on a new 3D printer, and that’s exactly what I did first with the Elegoo Neptune 2. The software defaults to a .15mm layer height as the ‘Normal’ setting and, with a 50mm/sec build speed, the Benchy prints out in just under an hour and a half.

Printed with Begonova Rose S Grey PLA material, the Benchy model came out with a generally even finish but it did have a few notable defects. The overhangs on the holes in the front had collapsed slightly, and the bow of the ship had some part-cooling related defects which gave it a rough surface. This is most likely a byproduct of the relatively weak part cooling fan, which is located on the left side of the extruder. The part cooling fan is responsible for cooling the material after it is deposited, and insufficient cooling can result in material that curls or warps, as seen on this model.

Elegoo Cura Extra Fast Settings for the Elegoo Neptune 2

Elegoo Cura comes pre-loaded with several profiles that are designed for printing parts quickly by using larger layer lines, which typically comes at the expense of the overall quality of the model. Using the Extra Fast setting (which uses a .3mm layer line, double the thickness of the Normal setting), I prepared the Eruptron the Volcano Dragon model by Makerbot and printed the model using Begonva Galaxy Purple PLA filament.

Despite the thicker layer lines, the model printed evenly and with a consistent surface finish. The model adhered well to the semi-rigid bed, and the relatively large footprint of the model was completely flat with no curling or warping. The areas that typically suffer when using large layers are overhangs and shallow curves, but I didn’t see any major issues on this model. While still not quite as detailed as a resin MSLA 3D printer like the Anycubic Photon, this mode allows for speedy prints that take less time to complete than a typical FDM 3D printer.

Elegoo Cura Spiralize Outer Contour Settings for the Elegoo Neptune 2

One of the interesting features offered by Elegoo Cura is ‘Spiralize Outer Contour’, which prints the model as a hollow shell and incrementally increases the Z height as the print progresses. This special mode of printing allows the printer to make tall objects quickly due to the lack of layer changes and the spiral nature of the toolpath. The Curved honeycomb vase model by eggnot is a great example of a model that works very well with this style of printing and is a personal favorite of mine for testing new brands of filament.

Using the Spiralize Outer Contour mode, this vase printed in a brisk three hours and 28 minutes. This is impressive when considering the height of the model (117mm / 4.6 inches) and the thin toolpath (.2mm).The surface finish on the outer faces is very fine, and there is no material drooping or sagging at any point on the model. Running my finger down the side of the vase gives me the impression of a lightly sanded piece of wood, and not a 3D print with large striations or layers. The layers laminated together very well, and the vase has a slight bit of flex to it when squeezed without cracking or separating at the seams.

Bottom Line

The Elegoo Neptune 2 is a printer that has a lot to offer most users and it’s difficult to find anything even close to competitive in the $160 price range which is why it deserves to make our best budget 3D printers picks. With the ability to potentially add a second extruder, a BL-Touch module, and even a laser engraver module, the Neptune 2 is certainly an appealing machine for the enthusiast looking for a new printer for tinkering. That being said, it’s a distinct possibility that this printer will continue to be difficult to find as enthusiastic users seem to snap it up whenever it becomes available. I reached out to Elegoo for a comment regarding the availability of the machine; here is their response: “Our factory have expanded several product lines, which the things will be better soon.” At the time of this article, the Neptune 2 was sold out on the Elegoo site, but available on Amazon.

The power supply switch arriving set to the wrong voltage was a concerning oversight, and the completely loose V-rollers and peeling textured mat also led me to the conclusion that this machine might not be ideal for beginners who are not actively looking for problems. While the Ender 3 Pro is slightly more expensive, the large and active user base is quick to offer solutions to common problems and the various procedures for fixing them are widely and thoroughly documented.

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Creating projects with a breadboard is a great way to learn electronics but there are times when the mess of wires becomes a little too much. The Grove system is a standardized connector prototyping system that makes building circuits as easy as Lego. When Seeed announced its Seeed Grove Shield for Raspberry Pi Pico we had to take a look given how impressed we were with the Seeed Grove beginner kit for Arduino and, when we saw the price of just $3.90, we knew that this was something that would quickly gain the interest of eager makers.

The Grove Shield for Pi Pico comes as a single board for $3.90 or for $44 we can buy a starter kit that includes temperature sensors, relays, LEDs, buttons and an LCD screen all using the Grove connector standard. For this review we used just the bare board as we already have a selection of Grove components.

Design and Use of the Seeed Grove Shield for Pi Pico

Measuring a meagre 2.1 x 2.1 inches (55 x 55mm), the Seeed Grove Shield packs plenty of functionality into a small space. The first thing you’ll notice are a serious of white plugs; these are Grove connectors which enable quick connections with components that use the standard. Of the 12 Grove connectors on the board, we have two I2C, two UART, three analog (ADC) pins and three digital pins. Additionally, the board has an SPI interface which uses header pins.

In the center of the board is where our Raspberry Pi Pico connects and we see a 2 x 20 header on either side of the board. The Pico will fit into the center two columns, leaving the outer columns vacant, but we can connect standard electronic components to these outer pins. You may notice a small switch at one corner of the board. This switch selects between 3.3V and 5V for each of the Grove connectors so, before connecting any components, make sure that the voltage is set correctly and if in doubt, try 3.3V first.

In use, the Seeed Grove Shield is sheer simplicity. The Raspberry Pi Pico is firmly in place at the center of the board and the Grove connectors for our components mean that we can quickly prototype a simple project. The board is software agnostic, and it can be used with MicroPython and C/C++.

Our tests revolved around MicroPython and we quickly connected an LED up to D18 and had the light flashing in minutes. We wanted to take this a little further so we connected a spare microphone sensor from our component box. We adapted the code so that, if the microphone detected a loud noise, say a clap, it would toggle the LED on and off. The project worked and our LED was blinking on and off as we clapped our hands.

Rummaging around, we found a DHT11 temperature sensor which used the Grove standard. This took a little longer to implement as we had to find a MicroPython library for the sensor. Luckily Seeed had the code that we needed and, after adapting it for our project, we quickly had a working temperature sensor.

Use Cases for the Seeed Grove Shield for Pi Pico

Seeed’s Grove Shield for Pi Pico is the ideal way to introduce electronics, but you have to buy into the Grove connector system and snap your add-on boards in. Some purists may not like this approach, but after working with children and adults who were learning to code and create electronic projects, we can say that this level of abstraction enables the learner to achieve their goals and ultimately learn new skills. Once they are comfortable with this, we can move on to more challenging projects.

Bottom Line

You will need to buy into the Grove system of components, but if you are already a fan or willing to take the plunge, this little board will help bring your projects to life, with the minimum of fuss. By introducing electronics with the Grove connector system, it turns the Raspberry Pi Pico into something which a younger maker would enjoy and learn from.