Hercules - QIDI X-Plus X-Max Carriage for BMG & Dragon / E3D V6 by humebeam

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

Update April 3, 2021
Bearings X-axis clearance increased to 19.5 mm to fit slightly taller aftermarket bearings.
Added a version without dial indicator holder for those not wanting one or have fitment issues.
Bearings now sit further apart (69.8 mm) based on a thermal shrinkage of 0.8% which should be fine to print as is without slicer scaling for most filament.
If you get more thermal shrinkage than 0.8% with your filament, scale it in your slicer a little to compensate.
Most users probably won't notice and will not need to reprint.
Hercules 1.4 is considered a stable release, no major updates planned.
Thanks to Brian Martin and Olaf Krause for feedback.
Hercules is coming for the new and inexpensive QIDI I-Mate ($399) series soon. It's the same size as the X-Plus. I have ordered one for this and my other designs.
About
Hercules is a sturdy and dimensionally accurate one-piece carriage for the QIDI X-Plus and X-Max that was designed focusing on strength and ease of maintenance while keeping it lightweight. It uses self-securing cable management that doesn't require any cable ties. The PCB snaps in place and is moved to the side so it's not in the way of extruder access.
The whole carriage is only roughly 100 g depending on infill and filament type used and the extruder and hotend are easily accessible without removing any other parts, although removing the blower fan attached with a single screw is recommended. Once the carriage is installed, there is no play between the bearings and the carriage.
Hercules is using the popular dual gear BMG extruder and Dragon or V6 hotend.
It is a remix of cwills75's design which in turn is a remix from jhenrikb's carriage, who did the original. This is however, apart from the air duct channel, completely redesigned. I've kept the outer dimensions for the carriage and the mounting holes for the fan duct identical for cross-design compatibility. Thanks to jhenrikb and cwills75 and the other guys pioneering the work and for calculating e-steps and firmware settings.
Why?
Curiosity. I didn't find the original QIDI extruders as bad as some people did but had to find out if they could be improved. I also wanted to be able to print a wide range of filament without having to switch extruders or worry about unrecoverable QIDI high temp extruder clogs and gear slippage. Ease of maintenance is also a big plus.
Is it better?
With Hercules I'm using a Trianglelab BMG (Clone) extruder and Trianglelab Dragon hotend and it prints even better with cleaner lines and the dual gear extruder is night and day.
Here's a comparison picture by Hercules user techguychad:
Hercules using BMG & Dragon vs Stock QIDI extruder
What to print:
Print these files:
hercules-1.4.stl
hercules-belt-peg-1.2.stl
hercules-fan-duct-1.0.stl
bmg-handle-short-1.0.stl
Optionally, print the PCB cover as well (it's not needed):
hercules-optional-pcb-cover-1.0.stl
Tools needed
Apart from the obvious M3 allen key you got with your printer already, you also need a JST crimping tool and JST-XH connectors (linked below under BOM) and a soldering tool which you probably already have. The soldering tool is needed for the M3 brass inserts for the bottom of the carriage for attaching the fan duct.
BOM - Bill of Materials
I buy most my 3D printer parts from Trianglelab and the rest from other stores on Aliexpress or 3DJake. Shipping takes a while from China but quality is excellent on the Trianglelab products and the prices are good.
You need the following parts:
Trianglelab Dragon Hotend V2.0 (standard or high flow, both are great) Trianglelab BMG Extruder V2.0Trianglelab 6x20MM 24V 50W Heater CartridgeTrianglelab T-K500 Thermocouple sensor 500℃ (sensor only)Trianglelab 5015 blower fan 24V (optional)Trianglelab 24V 2P 4010 40x40x10mm Brushless Fan (I use the Sunon below instead)
The extruder fan I use is Sunon Maglev MF40202V2-1000U-A99 which is a 24V 40x40x20 mm (4020) fan that I bought locally, either one should be fine.
As for extruder and hotend you can use a genuine Bondtech BMG Extruder and E3D V6 hotend instead of course or a Trianglelab V6 clone if you like.
You also need some screws and nuts:
For extruder: 3 x 45 mm M3 bolts and nuts
For blower fan: 1 x 20 mm M3 bolt and nut
For extruder fan: 2 x 20 mm M3 bolt and nuts (2 x 30 mm for 4020 fan)
For short BMG handle: 1 x 20 mm M3 bolt
For parts cooling fan duct: 4 x 8 mm M3 bolts (4 x 12 mm M3 bolts and nuts for hex nut mount)
You can get these from Aliexpress as well:
10 pcs M3 Hex Socket Head Cap Allen Bolt Screw L=4-60mm
You also need a JST crimping tool and some JST-XH terminals and connectors. I'm using this IWISS crimping tool which is inexpensive and is doing a good job.
IWS-2412M/IWS-2820M Crimping Tool for JST-XH
If you don't know how to crimp JST connectors, this is an excellent video showing how to crimp with a mini (two step) crimping tool like the IWISS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHfYzrSF4pY
It's not difficult.
If you want to use a dial indicator to perfect the bed level you also need is a good quality dial indicator:
Neoteck DTI Digital Dial Indicator 0.001/0.00005'' 0-25.4mm/1''
Finally, you need a set of M3 brass inserts, I use these that will fit the Hercules carriage:
Trianglelab M3 Brass Embedded Nut
Extras:
It might be a good idea to stock up on some extras while you're at it:
Trianglelab T-V6 nozzleTrianglelab T-V6 Plated Copper NozzleTrianglelab Hardened Steel T-V6 NozzleTrianglelab 5PCS Silicone Socks for V6Trianglelab Dragon Heat BlockTrianglelab Dragon Core (Dragon Heatbreak)
How do I use the Dial Indicator Holder?
You can achieve perfect bed level in about a minute without removing any parts / carriage.
As the dial holder is in front of the carriage it doesn't measure on top of the bed leveling screws but it doesn't matter for accuracy, we still achieve perfect bed level. The script checks the bed level on three different spots on the bed in a triangular pattern. Adjust the bed leveling screw closest to where it measures and by the time the script has looped three times the bed will be perfectly level. Copy to your USB and just print it like you would a normal model:
qidi-xmax-hercules-dial-bed-leveling-script-v2.gcode