HopeWant 3D Printer

Information about the HopeWant 3D printer

The HopeWant 3D printer is a small volume desktop unit suitable for entry level users.

OEM

The original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for this unit appears to be Shenzhen Longer 3D Technology Co. Unfortunately, their website has been taken down, and their Facebook page ceased being active around November 2017.

Other Brands

The following printers are based on the same 3d printer hardware, with different bundles of accessories and software (or maybe just price points):

Software

With the built in firmware, works with Repetier host software, as that is what the seller advertises and from what the firmware appears to have been derived. However, the open source community stepped up to the challenge and have made other options available.

OEM Firmware

The firmware reports itself as custom version of the Repetier firmware:

FIRMWARE_NAME:Repetier_0.92.9
FIRMWARE_URL:https://github.com/repetier/Repetier-Firmware/
PROTOCOL_VERSION:1.0
MACHINE_TYPE:Mendel
EXTRUDER_COUNT:1
REPETIER_PROTOCOL:3

The source code for this firmware was licensed under the GNU General Public License v3, so it should be available for developers to modify and extend. Thus, the hardware could be upgraded to a version that permits broad community support.

Unfortunately, the seller on Amazon side-stepped the question of source code availability.

Source Code

After some sleuthing, a ZIP file was located that contains the modified firmware source code. These files can be dropped into the full source distribution (e.g. from git clone) and compiled into a new hex image. Presumably. 

The ZIP file was provided by one of the VARs listed above, with files dating from November 2017. That might be the last release made by the manufacturer before closing shop.

Obfuscation

Incidentally, analysis of the changes might lead one to conclude that their source code release process involved an intentional obfuscation step. Or can someone provide another reasonable explanation for the nearly-robotic pervasiveness of non-functional changes to the code?

Regardless of total unsuitability for merging purposes, the files still contain all of the information required for any sufficiently experienced developer to create a custom firmware that fully supports this hardware.

Marlin Firmware

The Marlin firmware provides a highly adaptable and functional firmware, licensed under the terms of the GNU GPL. Marlin provides countless more features than the stock OEM firmware, including the ability automatically level the bed.

Andrew DeLisle at Inov3D bought and reviewed an Aladdinbox and made progress improving this unit beyond its stock design. Starting with Andrew's initial configuration changes, Mandolin Creek Systems developed a custom firmware for our Makerspace to support the Mandolin Creek G-Code Utilities software package.

Hardware

These printers include the following features:

  • LCD screen and knob control for headless printing
  • Run jobs over USB or from the SD card (or both)
  • Print objects up to 110x110x110mm
  • Hot end heats to 240C (though not recommended)
  • Removable and washable bed

Modifications

Andrew DeLisle has produces a number of useful modifications for his Skycube printer: