Prusa Research made a seemingly innocent announcement of a firmware upgrade, but there’s a lot more to the story.
The specifics were that they’ve developed and now released firmware 3.14.0 and PrusaLink 0.8.1 for some older machines. These include the MK3, MK3S, MK3S+, MK2.5, and MK2.5S.
The firmware update is intended to help these machines work with Prusa’s latest remote management tools, and will no doubt be of significant value to anyone still running a print farm with older equipment.
That might not sound so surprising, as firmware upgrades happen all the time. But what’s unusual here is the age of the machines involved. While today the company offers the MK4 3D printer, the MK3 variants don’t seem that old. Many people still use them, and sometimes in great quantities.
However, the firmware also includes the MK2.5S and MK2.5.
The MK2.5 upgrade kit was announced in October 2017 — SEVEN YEARS AGO. This upgrade to the even older MK2 3D printer, substantially improved its operation. I recall building this kit myself, and it made a big difference to the machine.
Josef Prusa wrote:
“It’s been seven years since the initial release of the MK3 and MK2.5, and I hope it’s no surprise that we are still supporting our printers and continuing to release new firmware for them. I know it’s not common these days to keep updating older electronics. But with proper, regular maintenance, including staying updated with the latest firmware versions, you can ensure your printer will remain reliable for years to come. And that’s something I will always support!”
To put this in perspective, let’s look at one of Prusa Research’s competitors, Creality.
Back in 2017, Creality offered several desktop 3D printers:
- Creality CR-7
- Creality CR-8
- Creality CR-10
- Creality Ender-2
The CR-10 was Creality’s “breakout” machine that captured the market at the time. We even tested the CR-10’s successor, the CR-10S, in 2018. But that’s a long time ago.
Notice that Creality’s product line didn’t even include the now-popular Ender-3. They were still on the Ender-2 at that time. That shows you how incredibly old the Prusa MK2.5 really is: it predates the Ender-3.
While those Creality machines have long been obsoleted, we still have Prusa Research issuing updates for their older devices. That’s commendable in an industry where many companies rush off to the latest products and leave the old ones to fade away.
Via Prusa Research
