32-Bit 3D Printing: Fast Prints, Smooth Motion

Tired of recompiling Marlin firmware every time you want to change a setting? Smoothieboard v2 offers 32-bit performance with text-file configuration. Fast prints, smooth motion, endless expandability. Works with Cartesian, Delta, CoreXY, and more. The open-source upgrade your printer deserves.

Smoothieboard v2 installed in a 3D printer

Upgrade Your 3D Printer to 32-Bit - $200

Shop Now - $200 at Robosprout

Proven in 1000s of RepRap BuildsText-File Configuration - No More Firmware RecompilationMulti-Material Ready with 63 GPIOWorks with Your Existing Slicer and Software


Is Your 8-Bit Board Holding Your Printer Back?

Common 3D Printing Frustrations:

  • Marlin Recompilation Hell - Change PID? Recompile. New stepper driver? Recompile. Different hotend? Recompile.
  • Memory Limits - Large, detailed models won’t print
  • Speed Bottlenecks - Board stutters above certain speeds
  • Pin Limitations - Want multi-material but ran out of pins
  • Motion Quality - Ringing and artifacts at high accel
  • Configuration Confusion - Marlin configs are cryptic

Sound Familiar?

You’ve spent hours:

  • Fighting PlatformIO errors
  • Searching for the right Marlin config
  • Recompiling firmware for tiny changes
  • Wondering why “just changing a number” requires compilation

There’s a Better Way.


32-Bit Power with RepRap Simplicity

What Changes:

Configuration:

  • Text-File Editing - Open config.txt, edit, save, reboot. Done.
  • No Compilation - Change PID, speeds, steps/mm instantly
  • Easy Experimentation - Try settings, revert if needed
  • Well-Documented - 250+ pages of clear configuration docs

Performance:

  • Fast Prints - 32-bit handles high speeds smoothly
  • Better Motion - Advanced trajectory planning
  • No Stuttering - 400MHz processor never bottlenecks
  • Large Files - 1MB RAM loads detailed models

Expandability:

  • Multi-Material - 5+ extruders possible (63 GPIO)
  • Chamber Heaters - Multiple heater control
  • Filament Sensors - Runout, encoder-based monitoring
  • Chamber Temp - Additional thermistor inputs
  • Custom Features - Module system for anything you imagine

Works with HUNDREDS of 3D Printer Models

Cartesian (Prusa-Style) - 100+ Models Compatible:

Prusa i3 Family:

  • Prusa i3 MK2, MK2S, MK2.5, MK3, MK3S
  • Prusa i3 clones (MakerFarm Pheobus, Wanhao Duplicator i3)
  • Original Prusa i3, Prusa i3 steel
  • Prusa i3 variants (bear upgrades, etc.)

Creality Ender Series:

  • Ender 2, Ender 3, Ender 3 Pro, Ender 3 V2
  • Ender 3 Max, Ender 5, Ender 5 Pro
  • Ender 5 Plus, Ender 6 (CoreXY)
  • CR-10, CR-10S, CR-10S4, CR-10S5
  • CR-20, CR-20 Pro, CR-30 (3-in-1 out)
  • CR-X, CR-X Pro (dual extruder)

Anycubic Series:

  • Anycubic i3 Mega, i3 Mega S, i3 Mega X
  • Anycubic i3 Mega Pro, Predator (Delta)
  • Anycubic Chiron, Kossel, 4Max Pro
  • Anycubic Kobra, Kobra Plus

Other Popular Cartesian Models:

  • Artillery Sidewinder X1, X2
  • Qidi X-Max, X-Carbon, X-Plus
  • Tronxy X5SA, X5SA Pro, X5SA Pro 2
  • TEVO Tornado, Black Widow, Tarantula
  • Monoprice Select Mini, Mini Pro
  • Wanhao Duplicator i3 Plus, i3 Mini
  • JGAurora A5, A5S, A6
  • Zonestar Z8, Z8S2, Z9
  • Creality LD-002, LD-002H (Resin)
  • Elegoo Mars, Mars 2, Mars 3 (Resin)
  • Anycubic Photon, Photon S, Photon Mono (Resin)
  • Tenlog D3, D3 Pro (dual extruder)

CoreXY - 50+ Models Compatible:

Voron Series:

  • Voron 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.4 R2
  • Voron Switchwire, Legacy Mini
  • Voron Trident, V0, V0.2, V0.2 R1
  • Voron V1.8, V2.1 Legacy
  • Custom Voron builds and variants

RatRig Series:

  • RatRig V-Core 3, V-Core 3.1, V-Core 3.2
  • RatRig V-Minion, V-Cast
  • Custom RatRig builds

Other CoreXY Models:

  • HevORT AB, AB+ (standard, large format)
  • Jubilee (multi-tool)
  • HyperCube, HyperCube Evolution
  • D-bot, E-dbot (DIY designs)
  • CoreXY 300, CoreXY 500 (custom sizes)
  • Flying Bear Ghost, Ghost 5
  • Micromake C1, C1 Pro
  • FT-5 R2, FT-6
  • Custom CoreXY printers

Delta - 30+ Models Compatible:

Rostock Series:

  • Rostock Max v2, v3
  • Rostock v1, v2
  • Mini Kossel, Kossel Clear, Kossel XL
  • Kossel 250, 300, 800

Other Delta Models:

  • Anycubic Predator, Kossel
  • FLSUN Super FDM, QQ, delta
  • FLSUN Q5, Speeder, T3
  • Deltaprintr (various sizes)
  • SeeMeCNC Rostock MAX v2, v3
  • Delta Tower 3D (custom)
  • Various open-source delta designs

SCARA and Other Kinematics - 20+ Models Compatible:

SCARA Printers:

  • Morgan SCARA
  • Thor SCARA
  • SCARA (various DIY designs)
  • Arm-based printers

Specialty Kinematics:

  • H-Bot (various implementations)
  • Markforged-style kinematics
  • Belt printers (fast printing)
  • Polar printers (rare)
  • Custom kinematics experiments

Legacy and Discontinued Models (Refurbishment Target):

RepRap Era:

  • Prusa Mendel (i1, i2)
  • Prusa i3 (original versions)
  • Huxley, Mendel Max
  • RepRap Wallace, Wilson
  • Rostock (original delta)

Early Commercial:

  • Solidoodle 3, 4
  • Type A Machines Series 1
  • CubeX, Cube 3D printers
  • 3D Systems Cube
  • Leapfrog Creatr
  • Bukobot, Bukito
  • Portabee, 3D Touch

Chinese Early Models:

  • Wanhao Duplicator 4, 4S, 5, 5S
  • JGAurora A1, A2, A3
  • Sunhokey Y-Frame
  • Rostock mini (early versions)
  • Printrbot Simple, Plus, Play
  • Robo 3D R1, R1+

Industrial and Professional:

  • Various industrial FDM printers
  • Professional-grade machines needing controller upgrades
  • Educational institution printers
  • Small business production printers

Total: 200+ 3D Printer Models Compatible Smoothieboard can be used with virtually any 3D printer, from vintage RepRap models to the latest CoreXY designs. If your 3D printer needs a controller upgrade, Smoothieboard is the solution.

Kinematics Automatically Handled:

  • Linear delta math
  • CoreXY transformations
  • SCARA calculations
  • Custom arm solutions

Smoothie vs Marlin: What’s Different

Feature Marlin (8-bit) Smoothieboard v2
Processor ATmega2560 @ 16MHz STM32H745 @ 400MHz
Memory 8-16KB RAM 1MB RAM
Configuration Recompile firmware Edit text file
Setup Change Time Requires significant time 30 seconds
PID Tuning Recompile Change 3 numbers
Steps/mm Change Recompile Edit text file
Speed Limit ~150mm/s smooth 300mm/s+ possible
Expansion Few pins left 63 GPIO
Learning Curve High (firmware dev) Low (text editing)
Open Source Firmware only OSHWA HW+FW

Example: Changing Steps/mm

Marlin:

  1. Edit Configuration.h
  2. Install PlatformIO or Arduino IDE
  3. Set up build environment
  4. Compile firmware (requires significant time)
  5. Upload via USB
  6. Hope you didn’t break something
  7. Test
  8. Repeat if wrong

Total Time: Requires significant time and effort

Smoothie:

  1. Open config.txt
  2. Change steps_per_mm values
  3. Save file
  4. Reboot board

Total Time: 30 seconds


Not Klipper, Not Marlin - Just Smoothie

vs Klipper:

  • No Raspberry Pi Required - Standalone controller
  • Simpler Setup - No SD card images, SSH, configs
  • Lower Cost - No Pi needed ($35-75 savings)
  • Less Complexity - One device, not two

When to Choose Smoothie over Klipper:

  • Want simplicity (standalone)
  • Don’t want to manage a Pi
  • Value OSHWA open hardware
  • Don’t need bleeding-edge features

When to Choose Klipper:

  • Want specific Klipper-only features
  • Already have Pi
  • Comfortable with Linux
  • Want absolute fastest speeds

Expand Your Printer’s Capabilities

Multi-Material Printing:

  • Support for 2-10 extruders
  • Independent heater control per extruder
  • Tool change scripting
  • Plenty of GPIO for solenoids, servos, etc.

Chamber Control:

  • Heated chamber support
  • Chamber temperature monitoring
  • Exhaust fan control based on temp
  • Safety interlocks

Filament Management:

  • Filament runout sensors
  • Encoder-based filament monitoring (detects jams)
  • Auto-pause on runout
  • Resume after filament change

Advanced Sensors:

  • Inductive/capacitive bed probing
  • BLTouch support
  • Strain gauge bed leveling
  • Custom sensor integration

See How Easy Configuration Really Is

Smoothie config.txt Example:

# Extruder
extruder.hotend.enable              true
extruder.hotend.steps_per_mm        140
extruder.hotend.max_speed           50

# Hotend Temperature
temperature_control.hotend.enable   true
temperature_control.hotend.thermistor_pin  0.23
temperature_control.hotend.heater_pin      2.7
temperature_control.hotend.thermistor      EPCOS100K
temperature_control.hotend.set_m_code      104
temperature_control.hotend.set_and_wait_m_code  109

# Bed Temperature
temperature_control.bed.enable      true
temperature_control.bed.thermistor_pin  0.24
temperature_control.bed.heater_pin  2.5
temperature_control.bed.thermistor  Honeywell100K
temperature_control.bed.set_m_code  140
temperature_control.bed.set_and_wait_m_code  190

That’s It. Human-Readable.

Change PID? Edit 3 numbers. Save. Reboot. Done.


Proven in the RepRap Community

Community Builds:

  • Prusa i3 upgrades
  • Voron 2.4 builds
  • Custom CoreXY builds
  • Delta printers
  • Multi-material systems (Prusa MMU alternative)

Testimonials:

“Switched from Marlin on my Voron. Text-file config is SO much better than recompiling for every tweak.” — Voron builder

“Built a triple-extruder mixing hotend printer. Smoothie’s GPIO made it possible.” — Multi-material enthusiast


Works with Your Favorite Slicer

Fully Compatible:

  • PrusaSlicer / SuperSlicer - Standard G-code
  • Cura - Works great
  • Simplify3D - Full support
  • IdeaMaker - Compatible
  • Slic3r - Original and variants

Host Software:

  • OctoPrint - Popular choice (via Raspberry Pi)
  • Pronterface - Direct USB control
  • Repetier-Host - Full support
  • Web Interface - Smoothie’s built-in HTTP server

3D Printer Upgrade Questions

Q: Will this work with my [Ender 3 / CR-10 / Prusa]? A: Yes, if it’s a standard 3D printer architecture. Wiring is similar to any control board swap.

Q: Is it easier than Marlin to set up? A: Initial wiring is similar. Configuration is MUCH easier (text file vs firmware compilation).

Q: Can I use OctoPrint? A: Yes. OctoPrint connects via USB or network (Smoothie has built-in Ethernet).

Q: What about bed leveling (ABL)? A: Supported. BLTouch, inductive probes, capacitive probes all work.

Q: Will my sliced G-code work? A: Yes. Standard G-code from PrusaSlicer, Cura, etc. works perfectly.

Q: Can I add more extruders later? A: Absolutely. Just add more extruder modules in config and wire up the hardware.

Q: Is it faster than my current 8-bit board? A: Processor is faster, yes. Motion is smoother at high speeds. Whether YOU can print faster depends on your mechanical setup.

Q: What advanced features does it have? A: Smoothie has advanced motion control, excellent print quality, and comprehensive features. Different firmware options emphasize different capabilities.


Upgrade Your 3D Printer to 32-Bit

Smoothieboard v2 Prime - $200

3D Printing Resources (Free):

  • 3D printer wiring guide
  • Sample configurations (Cartesian, Delta, CoreXY)
  • OctoPrint setup
  • Slicer configuration
  • Forum support for printer builders

Where to Buy:


Upgrade Your 3D Printer to 32-Bit

Upgrade Your Printer - $200

  • No More Marlin Recompilation
  • 32-Bit Performance
  • Multi-Material Ready
  • Text-File Configuration

Smoothieboard v2 is OSHWA certified open hardware (FR000021). 15 years of proven performance in the RepRap community. Used by thousands of 3D printing enthusiasts worldwide.

Found an error on this page? Contact us quickly - we’d immensely appreciate it!

This is a wiki! If you'd like to improve this page, you can edit it on GitHub.