Prusa i3 – Build Manual
Appendix D – Firmware Update
Your electronics come pre-loaded with the correct firmware, however should the need arise through
upgrade/tuning or some other reason, this section covers briefly the firmware upgrade procedure.
The Reprap RAMPS board is driven by an Arduino (Or Clone) Mega 2560 R3. The Mega 2560 is loaded with
a firmware called Marlin (Factory 3D modified, source code included). This firmware can be loaded onto the
Mega 2560 from a desktop PC (not a laptop which lacks sufficient USB power) via the USB port. The printer
power supply should be switched OFF during this process, with the only source of power to the Ramps/Mega
board being from your computers USB port. Ideally leave the LCD connected so you can see what the board is
doing, however the process can be done with the LCD disconnected also.
Note: Be very careful not to allow anything metal to touch the board when its powered up, this includes
resting the board on any metal object. Also be careful plugging the USB cable into the board. The
Arduino/Mega 2560 is very easily damaged by any kind of metalic contact while powered up.
This is a well documented platform with lots of online reference material available, however the following is a
simple (by no means exhaustive) guide to updating the firmware. Firstly download the Arduino development
platform (IDE) from here : https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software and install it.
Next create a directory for marlin on your C: drive called c:\marlin (or location of your choice on any local
drive) and unzip the F3D marlin zip file from the directory on the cdrom (e.g. :
{cdrom:}\marlin\marlin_f3d_i3_mk8_jul16.zip) inside c:\marlin (or the location you decided).
Now launch the Arduino IDE and from the Tools → board menu select the Arduino Mega 2560 board (also
sometimes labelled Arduino Mega 2560 or Mega ADK). Then select File->Open and navigate into the
c:\marlin\marlin_f3d directory then into f3d and double click the f3d project (a file called f3d.ino).
Now you should be able to just compile the project to check all is ok .. click the [tick] icon named 'Verify'
which will actually compile the project for you. If all is ok you can connect your Ramps/Arduino (carefully) to
the USB port , it will take a few seconds (maybe 10 or so) to power up. Next check the Arduino IDE has
detected the board, go to the Tools → Port menu and you should see the board listed as COM1,COM2 or
COM3 etc. Select the COM port the board is detected on.
Now you can click the icon named 'Upload' to upload it .. this will take approx 30-60 seconds. Once the
upload has finished the board will reboot itself and the Arduino IDE will display 'upload finished'. The
firmware update is now complete so you can unplug the USB and power up the board from the printer power
supply as normal.
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